To provide a printing device and method in which the waiting mode of a printing mechanism can be exactly released only when necessary without using any exclusive release signal, its signal line, or any processor for judgement.

A printing device is provided with a controlling part 50 for processing data received from a host part 11, and a printing mechanism part 25 for operating printing under the control of the controlling part 50 based on the above data, and for moving to a waiting mode for saving power consumption under a prescribed condition. The controlling part 50 alternately executes each kind of task including at least a job language interpreting task for interpreting the above data, and a print data analyzing task for analyzing print data prepared with prescribed printer language among the above data, and the above print data analyzing task transmits a signal for executing a waiting mode releasing task for releasing the above waiting mode during the data analyzing processing.