Patent ID: 8792130

Claim:
An image processing apparatus for enlarging or reducing an image in a first direction by inserting operation pixels in the image or by deleting operation pixels from the image, the image having a dot matrix format in which pixels are arranged in the first direction and in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction, the image processing apparatus comprising: an operation pixel arrangement unit to arrange the operation pixels to be inserted or deleted in a staggered form from one end of the image to the other end of the image in the second direction such that operation pixels which are adjacent in the second direction are apart from each other in a plus direction or a minus direction along the first direction, so as to satisfy a first condition in which a distance in the plus direction or the minus direction along the first direction between the operation pixels adjacent in the second direction is 2 pixels or more and less than a predetermined number of pixels, and a second condition in which the plus direction or the minus direction along the first direction in which the operation pixels adjacent in the second direction are apart from each other is reversed to the other of the plus direction and the minus direction at intervals of not more than 2 pixels which are consecutive in the second direction; and an image enlargement/reduction unit to enlarge or reduce the image by inserting or deleting the operation pixels arranged by the operation pixel arrangement unit.