Patent ID: 8379262

Claim:
An image processing method of generating a display list from PDL data described in a page description language (PDL), and generating bitmap data by rendering the display list, the method comprising: a determining step of, before starting PDL processing in which the display list is generated from PDL data, determining whether to generate a display list with overlap removed or a display list without overlap removed in the PDL processing to balance a load of the PDL processing and a load of RIP processing in which the bitmap data is generated by rendering the display list; a first bitmap data rendering step of, in a case where it is determined to generate a display list without overlap removed in said determination step, generating a display list without overlap removed in the PDL processing and generating bitmap data based on the display list without overlap removed in the RIP processing; and a second bitmap data rendering step of, in a case where it is determined to generate a display list with overlap removed in said determination step, generating a display list with overlap removed in the PDL processing and generating bitmap data based on the display list with overlap removed in the RIP processing, wherein overlap removal includes level processing in which a plurality of items of data are sorted in order from highest level to lowest level and unnecessary data, hidden by data in a higher level, is removed based on level information associated with a portion to be filled put between intersection points of objects, and composite processing in which a plurality of portions to be filled are converted into one portion to be filled based on overlapping information associated with portions to be filled for which sorting has ended.