To check beforehand whether it is adequate or not to allow an administrator to approve outputting of an image requested by a user by contacting the contents of the image, and then to allow the administrator to give the approval to the user.

A printer 20 sends a preview formed based on an image requested to be output by a PC 10 of a printer user to a PC 30 of an administrator by attaching it to an approval request. The PC 30 of the administrator for giving the approval of the outputting of the image browses the preview to judge beforehand whether or not the approval of the outputting of the image is adequate at three levels of (1) an unconditional approval, (2) an approval by an output condition of adding a background pattern such as embedding of user information and (3) non-approval, and then designates the presence or absence of the approval of the outputting to the printer. By receiving the designation, the outputting of the image can be carried out only when the approval is issued so that it is possible to restrict the outputting in consideration of the confidentiality or to warn the user to pay attention about the handling of the output information by using the output method (addition of a background pattern, collective printing or the like) enabling the user to recognize information necessary for keeping the confidentiality according to the output image, thereby adequately maintaining the security.