Patent ID: 7961349

Claim:
An information processing apparatus capable of connecting to a recording apparatus which scans an area of a recording medium with a recording head a plurality of times, wherein the recording apparatus receives block data from the information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus comprising: a first buffer to store multi-valued data included in an image; a second buffer to store dot data to be recorded by one scanning of the recording head; a dot data generating unit configured to read the multi-valued data from the first buffer, generate the dot data by using a pattern for generating dot data and store generated dot data in the second buffer for a predetermined amount of columns; an obtaining unit configured to obtain a first column position corresponding to an upstream end of the dot data stored in the second buffer with respect to a scanning direction of the recording head by searching the dot data stored in the second buffer and obtain a second column position which is located at an upper-stream side relative to the first column position and corresponds to an integral multiple of the predetermined amount of columns; a null data generating unit configured to generate null data having an amount of columns based on a difference between the first column position and the second column position; a reading unit configured to read data from the second buffer based on the second column position; a first compression unit configured to input the null data and data read from the reading unit and compress the input data by using a pattern for thinning dot data; a second compression unit configured to compress the data compressed by the first compression unit for the predetermined amount of columns; and an output unit configured to output the second compressed data compressed by the second compression unit as the block data to the recording apparatus.