Image forming apparatus capable of preventing linear nonuniformity and improving image quality

摘要

An image forming apparatus having first and second basic cells each containing a predetermined number of cells in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction and disposed adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction, a gradation processing portion (1006) arranged to perform a gradation expressing process for each basic cell in accordance with a density of a supplied image and a dot forming portion (100) capable of forming dots on a recording medium to correspond to each pixel subjected to the gradation expressing process by the gradation processing portion. The gradation processing portion (1006) performs the gradation expressing process in such a manner that enlargement of dots in the first and second basic cells adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction is inhibited in the sub-scanning direction until the dots are enlarged and connected to each other in the main scanning direction. Thus, the distance in the sub-scanning direction between dots in the first and second basic cells in a low density region is kept to a predetermined width. <IMAGE>