To bring a printer into a printable state without letting a user wait for a longer time than necessary.

When a user opens a dialog box for printing from an application 11 on a host computer 1 by using a keyboard and a mouse 5, a standby mode control part 29 switches a standby mode from level 4 to level 3. Moreover, when the user outputs a print instruction from the dialog box for printing on the application 11, the standby mode control part 29 switches the standby mode from level 3 to level 2. Further, printing data are outputted from a printer driver 10 accompanied by the print instruction, the standby mode control part 29 switches the standby mode from level 2 to level 1. Furthermore, when these outputted print data are outputted to an engine 28 as print information for one page in a print data generation part 15a in a printer device 14, the standby mode control part 29 switches the standby mode from level 1 to READY.