Patent ID: 7164493

Claim:
An image processing apparatus, comprising: generation means for generating a bitmap image on the basis of inputted object data; hold means for holding attribute information representing attributes of the inputted object data in units of pixels of a bitmap image generated by said generation means, the attribute information being formed by allocating plural bits to each pixel of the bitmap image and each of the plural bits indicating a different type of attribute respectively; conversion means for converting the bitmap image generated by said generation means into data capable of being processed by an image output unit; and switch means for switching the contents of processing for each pixel of the bitmap image in said conversion means on the basis of the plural bits of the attribute information held by said hold means corresponding to that pixel, wherein the number of bits used, from the plural bits of the attribute information, by said switch means is different in accordance with characteristics of image processing to be performed, and wherein attribute information which is more frequently used is located in the lower bits and attribute information is hierarchically retained.