Patent ID: 8553269
Filing Date: 2013-10-08
Classification: G06F,G06K

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a band data generating section for generating image data of each page of a print job as band data, the band data including divisions each having a predetermined size; a storage section for storing each of the band data consisting of the image data as a compressed bit map image data; a print image producing section for producing a print image from the band data stored in the storage section; a printing section for printing the print image produced by the print image producing section onto a sheet; a controller for controlling the band data generating of the band data generating section, the band data storing of the storage section, the print image producing of the print image producing section, and the printing of the printing section, wherein the controller allows the storage section to store repeating use instruction information indicating that previous band data is to be repeatedly used in place of allowing newly generated band data to become the compressed bit map image data that is stored in the storage section if the newly generated band data of the image data is identical to the previous band data that is stored in the storage section and is continuous with the newly generated band data when the controller allows the storage section to store each of the band data consisting of the image data to become the compressed bit map image data, the print image producing section produces a print image by expanding the compressed bit map image data stored in the storage section, and the controller (a) allows the print image producing section to produce a print image by expanding the compressed bit map image data when the repeating use instruction information is not stored in the storage section and (b) allows the print image producing section not to perform the expanding processing, but to produce the print image from the bit image data associated with the previous band data to which the expanding processing already is applied when the repeating use instruction information is stored in the storage section.