PURPOSE: To shorten the time for taking out pertinent data from variable data even when variable item specifying data are numerous and the position specifying number is large without changing a data specifying method and to shorten general printing time by preparing a tables for variable data retreival composed of character kinds for respective fixed length character positions and memory addresses.

CONSTITUTION: A printing information storage part 3 is constituted of variable memories and provided with a variable data retreival table memory 34 or the like. The program of an operation for preparing the tables for the variable data retreival is stored in a storage area 22. Then, the data are read from the head of the variable data by one byte, the character kinds are decided and the character positions are counted by the character kind. With the total of 3 bytes which are 1 byte for the character kind when the character position is, for instance, 1+32×(n) and 2 bytes for the address inside the variable data as one period, the tables for the variable data retreival are successively prepared in a table area for the variable data retreival.