Image processing apparatuses, methods and storage mediums for use with same are provided herein. In at least one embodiment, an image processing apparatus makes a setting to use a storing unit as a decompression buffer and a compression buffer based on drawing data including compressed image data, and makes a setting not to use the storing unit as a decompression buffer but to use the storing unit as a compression buffer based on drawing data not including compressed image data.

A raster image processing system including a computer readable media storing digital information that includes information corresponding to an image, and instructions for performing raster image processing (RIP) using an over scan RIP technique on the image to generate a bitmap. Also included is a processor configured to RIP the image using the over scan RIP technique at a multiple of the desired output pixel resolution to produce a plurality of sub-pixels per output pixel. The processor is further configured to determine each image output pixel value based on the values set for the plurality of sub-pixels of each image pixel, by firstly comparing the values of the plurality of sub-pixels to each other and, and then secondly comparing the values of the plurality of sub-pixels to a set background value if needed. The processor then sets the output pixel value based upon that second comparison, and generates a bitmap.

An image processing method of performing rasterization of a page in units of band area includes, among other things, performing, in units of band areas, rasterization based on second intermediate data stored in a first memory area for storing intermediate data and compressed raster data stored in a second memory area. The rasterization of the plurality of band areas is performed in parallel. In addition, the performing of the rasterization based on the second intermediate data and the compressed raster data includes selectively decompressing, in units of predetermined areas, a piece of the compressed raster data stored in the second memory area, in accordance with which band areas, of a plurality of band areas, are to be subject to the rasterization.

A color processing device includes a color-data acquisition section, a conversion-relationship generation section, a correction-image-data generation section, and a conversion-relationship correction section. The color-data acquisition section acquires color data of a first image output by a first image forming device. In accordance with a first relationship and a second relationship, the conversion-relationship generation section generates a conversion relationship used for color adjustment performed to match a color of a second image to be output by a second image forming device on a basis of unadjusted image data with a color of the first image. The correction-image-data generation section generates, on a basis of the unadjusted image data, correction image data for correcting the conversion relationship. The conversion-relationship correction section performs correction of the conversion relationship on a basis of color data of correction images output by the second image forming device by using the correction image data.

A data processing apparatus selects a processing scheme for target data from among candidates by using a degree of compression of the target data as an index, and performs data processing on the target data by using the selected processing scheme. The candidates include a processing scheme in which data which has been compressed is subjected to the data processing, and a processing scheme in which data is expanded and then subjected to the data processing.

An image processing apparatus includes: a raster data output that executes a first process of outputting raster data; a data transferer that generates image determination-purpose data, and executes a second process of storing the generated image determination-purpose data in a buffer; and a hardware processor that: executes a third process of determining whether an image presented by the image determination-purpose data contains a specific image, generates schedule information indicating a time schedule of the first, second, and third processes, determines each set of raster data on whether the time schedule satisfies an overflow condition, and performs control to extend the buffer, wherein the overflow condition is a condition that a part of a period of the second process overlaps with a part of a period during which the image determination-purpose data for which the third process has not been completed occupies an entire area of the buffer.

An image processing apparatus for storing, in an intermediate data memory, intermediate data generated from print data, and processing the intermediate data is provided. The image processing apparatus has a configuration in which, in a case where it is determined that a size of a work memory exceeds a block size after processing for creating a first bit map is started, and where the processing for creating the first bit map is switched to processing for creating a second bit map, when the processing for creating the first bit map is started, processing for creating a bit map is started without delay by using a bit map memory in advance from the work memory.

A white-plate graphic erosion process is performed on print data subjected to a RIP process in the following procedure. First, an erosion candidate region which is a candidate for a region in which a white-plate graphic is eroded is determined. Then, a region to be applied with an ink of a color other than white is determined. Then, an application target region is determined. Then, a region other than a region obtained by an erosion process out of the application target region is determined to be an erosion allowed region. Then, a region included in the colored region and the erosion allowed region out of the erosion candidate region is determined to be an erosion target region. Finally, the values of data of pixels included in the erosion target region among white-plate data are rewritten such that the amount of white ink applied to the pixels is reduced.

Raster image processing computer devices buffer pages of print-ready bitmaps waiting to be printed by a printing engine. A computer device monitors the printing speed of the printing engine and estimates the processing time for the raster image processing computer devices to produce the print-ready bitmaps, based on the complexity of the pages of the print job. The computer device compares the printing speed to the processing time to predict whether the number of pages of the print-ready bitmaps buffered by the raster image processing computer devices will increase or decrease. The computer device places one or more of the raster image processing computer devices in a reduced-power sleep mode when the number of pages of the print-ready bitmaps buffered is between a buffer minimum and a buffer maximum, and is predicted to not decrease.

A color processing device includes a color-data acquisition section, a conversion-relationship generation section, a correction-image-data generation section, and a conversion-relationship correction section. The color-data acquisition section acquires color data of a first image output by a first image forming device. In accordance with a first relationship and a second relationship, the conversion-relationship generation section generates a conversion relationship used for color adjustment performed to match a color of a second image to be output by a second image forming device on a basis of unadjusted image data with a color of the first image. The correction-image-data generation section generates, on a basis of the unadjusted image data, correction image data for correcting the conversion relationship. The conversion-relationship correction section performs correction of the conversion relationship on a basis of color data of correction images output by the second image forming device by using the correction image data.