This invention provides an apparatus which can manage both application data and image data in a database, and transmit application data reusable by a computer. In this invention, both application data and image data which is created from the application data and formed from pages are registered in a database in accordance with database registration information. The database registration information and image data are composited to create and print a distribution material. The database registration information is extracted and reproduced from the distribution material in accordance with the contents of a transmission instruction. The database is searched by using the reproduced database registration information, and data is transmitted.