Patent ID: 7405843

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a controller that includes an integrated circuit for image processing; and an engine unit that is connected to the controller and includes a scanner that scans a medium and obtains scanner image data; a plotter that plots an image based on input plotter data, wherein the plotter is as either one of a black and white plotter and a one-drum color plotter; and a first central processing unit that controls image formation, wherein the controller includes an engine interface to connect to the engine unit; a second central processing unit with a chip-set; a chip-set interface to connect the chip-set of the second central processing unit; a switching controller that controls whether to output the scanner image data, which is input through the engine interface, to the engine interface as the plotter data for the plotter, or to output the scanner image data to the chip-set interface, or to output image data input through the chip-set interface to the engine interface as the plotter data for the plotter; and a combining controller that combines a plurality of the scanner image data to generate one scanner image data.