Image forming apparatus selectively applying a smoothing operation to image data

A controller configured to receive an original image data from an external image-data source and configured to supply an image data to a print engine, said controller comprising:

• a storage and processing unit configured to apply a predetermined process to the original image data and to output a processed original image data, the original image data being a multiple value image data;
• and
• a smoothing unit configured to apply a smoothing process to the original image data output from said storage and processing unit;
• said smoothing unit comprising:
• a binary process unit configured to binarize the original image data;
• a template matching process unit configured to determine whether or not the original image data output from said storage and processing unit is to be subjected to a smoothing process by comparing the original image data with a template data, and to output the original image data together with a selection signal indicative of a result of the determination of said template matching process unit;
• a smoothing process unit configured to selectively apply the smoothing process to the original image data based on the determination of said template matching process unit so as to output a smoothed image data;
• and
• a selector configured to select one of the original image data received by the controller and one of the smoothed image data based on the selection signal,
• wherein said binary process unit binarizes the original image data by comparing the original image data with a threshold value data which is externally changeable,
• wherein the original image data is a color image data, and the threshold value data is set on an individual color basis, and
• wherein the color image data includes a set of data for each of a plurality of colors, and a threshold value with respect to black is set lower than a threshold values of other colors.