In a print control method, a print request is made designating a physical or logical printer which is to perform printing, and when the designated physical or logical printer is printing, the print request is automatically switched to a physical or logical printer other than the designated printer. A system includes a printer, a data processing apparatus, a data transmitting apparatus and a print control apparatus for implementing the print control method, a printing system using these apparatues, and a recording medium which stores a program for causing a computer to execute such print control. For printing, a table showing whether physical or logical printers which can accept a print request are operating or not, is referred to in order to judge operating statuses of the printer, and a print request is made automatically selecting a physical or logical printer which is “unoccupied.” At this stage, if the selected physical or logical printer has a different protocol from an initially intended printer, the protocol is converted automatically.