IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR

摘要

An image forming apparatus includes rendering units that refer to rendering data composing partial regions within a page as input data, generates image data by merging the rendered results, and uses the image data as output data. Each rendering unit holds a rendering position of processing that is currently executed by itself, and detects a rendering position of processing that is currently executed by another rendering unit. When rendering for a partial region that is currently processed is completed, a control unit detects a rendering position held in another rendering unit, and changes allotment of a partial region serving as the next rendering target of its rendering unit so as to reduce the difference between time periods until its rendering unit and another rendering unit complete rendering for the next partial region.

主权项

1. An image forming method for generating a raster image of a page using at least first renderer and second renderer, comprising:
setting dimensions of first and second areas to be rendered of a first partial region of the page; generating a raster image for the first area to be rendered by the first renderer; generating a raster image for the second area to be rendered by the second renderer; setting dimensions of third and fourth areas to be rendered of a second partial region of the page according to a dimension of an area of which no raster image has been generated at a time of completion of generation of a raster image for the first area to be rendered by the first renderer, the second partial region being different than the first partial region; generating a raster image for the third area by the first renderer after completion of generation of a raster image for the first area to be rendered; and generating a raster image for the fourth area by the second renderer after completion of generation of a raster image for the second area to be rendered.