Patent Document ID: 8482787
Application ID: 12367612
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An image processing apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus, for reducing images to generate a synthetic image having a plurality of printable areas, comprising: an input unit configured to input image data from the information processing apparatus; a selection unit configured to select a plurality of image data from the input image data input by the input unit; a synthesizing unit configured to reduce the plurality of selected image data and to combine the reduced image data in any orientation, thereby generating one synthetic image having a plurality of printable areas; a display unit configured to display the generated synthetic image on a screen; a separating unit configured to separate a character object from a graphic object included in the synthetic image; a metadata generating unit configured to analyze the graphic object to generate metadata including information about an outer frame size of the graphic object; a determining unit configured to determine a priority of the graphic object relative to the character object included in the synthetic image; a layout changing unit configured to change the layout of the synthetic image based on the generated metadata and the determined priority of the graphic object, the layout changing unit further configured to enlarge the graphic object within one printable area included in the synthetic image in a case where the graphic object has a high priority and to reduce the graphic object in a case where the graphic object has a low priority, wherein the enlarged or reduced graphic object is arranged in the one printable area of the synthetic image and the character object is arranged by changing the size in all the printable areas in the synthetic image except for the one printable area where the graphic object is arranged; and a printing unit configured to print the synthetic image with a changed layout displayed on the screen.