Patent ID: 8773673

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a print engine that forms an image on an image formation material; and an image data generating unit that generates bitmap image data of the image, wherein the image data generating unit includes a plurality of reconfigurable processing circuits that are capable of performing any of first image processing and second image processing that is different from the first image processing, the first image processing generating bitmap image data that is to be used for image formation in the print engine, and a controller that controls the plurality of reconfigurable processing circuits, and wherein the controller changes a reconfigurable processing circuit among the plurality of reconfigurable processing circuits from a reconfigurable processing circuit that performs the first image processing to a reconfigurable processing circuit that performs the second image processing, or changes the reconfigurable processing circuit from a reconfigurable processing circuit that performs the second image processing to a reconfigurable processing circuit that performs the first image processing, in accordance with an amount of the first image processing performed by the reconfigurable processing circuit that performs the first image processing, wherein if the controller causes a reconfigurable processing circuit of the plurality of reconfigurable processing circuits to perform the first image processing while the reconfigurable processing circuit is performing the second image processing, the controller causes the reconfigurable processing circuit to suspend the second image processing and execute the first image processing.