Patent ID: 8274668

Claim:
An image processing apparatus which generates printing data used in a serial printer having a logical seek function, the image processing apparatus comprising: a scanner mechanism that reads an image of a document to set the read image as image data; a printing-pixel number distribution grasping member that sets a band constituted by a predetermined number of sequentially accumulated lines in the image data as one unit, and grasps distribution of the number of printing pixels in a main scanning direction of the serial printer in every band; a processing-band setting member that sequentially sets each band as a processing band; a reference position setting member that sets an analyzing band including the set processing band, that obtains a first cumulative value by cumulating the number of printing pixels of the analyzing band sequentially from a first end to a second end of the analyzing band, and sets a position in the main scanning direction at the time when the first cumulative value exceeds a predetermined range as a print start reference position, and that obtains a second cumulative value by cumulating the number of printing pixels of the analyzing band sequentially from the second end to the first end of the analyzing band and sets a position in the main scanning direction at the time when the second cumulative value exceeds the predetermined range as a print end reference position, wherein in setting the analyzing band, the reference position setting member sets the processing band and one or more bands each present above and below the processing band as the analyzing band; and a printing-data generating member that generates printing data by setting a printing area on the basis of the print start reference position and the print end reference position.