IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing print processing from being interrupted due to the occurrence of fragmentation while limiting a buffer memory capacity to an essential minimum capacity. SOLUTION: The copier 1 comprises: an HDD 180 for storing image data; a DRAM control IC 150 for reading the predetermined image data from the HDD 180; a buffer memory 170 for temporarily storing the image data read by the DRAM control IC 150; an image forming section 42 for forming the image on a recording medium based on the image data read from the buffer memory 170; and an image control CPU 100 being as a defragmentation means for performing defragmentation of the buffer memory 170 when the image data for the predetermined number of output sheets cannot be continuously stored in the buffer memory 170. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT