Patent ID: 6628419
Filing Date: 2003-09-30
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
An image forming device capable of printing a full color image, comprising:an image processor that converts an image to a final printout image in units of small area; plural image compressors that receive the image in the units of small area from the image processor and compress it; an image storage that stores the compressed image transferred from the image compressor; plural image decompressors that decompress the compressed image in the units of small area stored in the image storage; a temporary image storage that temporarily stores the image decompressed by the image decompressor; a print head that prints the image stored in the temporary image storage by recorders corresponding to respective color components; and a small area image transfer controller that allocates and transfers the image in the units of small area transferred from the image processor to the plural image compressors and allocates and transfers the compressed image stored in the image storage to the plural image decompressors in the units of small area according to determination depending upon whether the image is a monochromatic image or a full color image, wherein: the small area image transfer controller controls the transfer of the image in the units of small area, if the image to be printed is a full color image, so that each of the plural image compressors corresponding to its color component compresses the image in units of small area for the color component, and further, each of the plural image decompressors corresponding to the color component decompresses it, and controls the transfer of the image in the units of small area, if the image to be printed is a monochromatic image, so that the plural image compressors compress the monochromatic image in units of small area in parallel and further, the plural image decompressors decompress it in parallel.