An image processing apparatus acquiring image data whose color information is defined by N-bit signal values; acquiring data range information; quantizing the signal values for each of the color components in the acquired image data into M-bit signal values (N>M) based on the data range information; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the quantized image data, wherein the quantizing is performed so that the maximum value of the signal values for each of the color components in the acquired image data becomes a maximum possible value in the range of the M bits, and the minimum value of the signal values for each of the color components in the acquired image data becomes a minimum possible value in the range of the M bits.

An image processing apparatus which prevents a printing process from taking long. The image processing apparatus is connected to a printing apparatus having a storage unit and transfers image data to the printing apparatus. A size of predetermined image data when a speed at which the predetermined image data is stored in the storage unit and a speed at which the predetermined image data stored in the storage unit is printed are the same is obtained as a threshold size. A size of the image data stored in the storage unit in a compressed form is estimated. A compression method for use in compressing the transferred image data is selected from a plurality of compression methods based on the threshold size and the estimated size of the image data. The image processing apparatus notifies the printing apparatus of the determined compression method.

An image processing apparatus which prevents a printing process from taking long. The image processing apparatus is connected to a printing apparatus having a storage unit and transfers image data to the printing apparatus. A size of predetermined image data when a speed at which the predetermined image data is stored in the storage unit and a speed at which the predetermined image data stored in the storage unit is printed are the same is obtained as a threshold size. A size of the image data stored in the storage unit in a compressed form is estimated. A compression method for use in compressing the transferred image data is selected from a plurality of compression methods based on the threshold size and the estimated size of the image data. The image processing apparatus notifies the printing apparatus of the determined compression method.