Patent ID: 8836978

Claim:
An image forming apparatus that receives raster image data transferred from an external device and forms an image on the basis of the received raster image data, the raster image data being created by the external device, the apparatus comprising: a first memory that stores therein software; a processor that executes the software stored in the first memory; a second memory that stores the received raster image data; a memory control unit that is connected to the second memory through a bus and controls an operation of writing and reading the raster image data in and from the second memory; a switch that is connected to both the processor and the memory control unit; a printer engine that forms an image on the basis of the raster image data; and an engine control unit that is connected to the switch and that supplies the raster image data from the second memory through the memory control unit to the printer engine, wherein at least one of the memory control unit, the switch, and the engine control unit is separate from the processor.