Patent ID: 7403308

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image reading section which acquires image data from an original; an image processing section which applies a predetermined process to the acquired image data and outputs first image data to which the process has been applied or which applies one of two or more different processes including the predetermined process to the acquired image data and outputs second image data to which the process has been applied; a printer section which makes a predetermined printing operation or one of two or more different printing operations including the predetermined printing operation; at least one of an operating section which accepts a mode specification and a determination section which determines an original type; a control section which controls at least any one of the first image data and the second image data based on specification of the operating section or determination of the determination section to be printed in any one of the first printing operation and the second printing operation; and a compression/decompression section which compresses or decompresses at least any one of the first image data and the second image data by any one of a first compression/decompression scheme and a second compression/decompression scheme, wherein the control section further causes any one of the first image data and the second image data to be compressed or decompressed by any one of the first compression/decompression scheme and the second compression/decompression scheme based on the specification of the operation section or the determination of the determination section, and wherein the first compression/decompression scheme is a process for carrying out a fixed compression/decompression processing, and the second compression/decompression scheme is a process for carrying out the fixed-length compression/decompression processing and a variable-length compression/decompression which carries out compression/decompression processing according to the original.