Image processing apparatus and recording apparatus

A recording apparatus configured to convey a recording medium in a direction intersecting a direction in which recording elements are arranged, and to perform recording on the recording medium, the recording apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of group tables, wherein each group table contains correction information for each group into which the recording elements are divided, wherein the correction information is configured to be used to correct values of multi-valued data;
• an input unit configured to receive multi-valued data in raster format;
• a horizontal/vertical conversion unit configured to sort the multi-valued data by converting the multi-valued data from the raster format into column format;
• a first buffer configured to store the multi-valued data sorted by the horizontal/vertical conversion unit;
• a correction unit configured to obtain the sorted multi-valued data from the first buffer and correct a characteristic of the sorted multi-valued data belonging to a group by using correction information stored in a group table corresponding to that group to correct multiple rasters forming image data in a same group so as to reduce a number of times the plurality of group tables prepared for each group is read;
• a second buffer configured to store the multi-valued data corrected by the correction unit;
• a vertical/horizontal conversion unit configured to sort the corrected multi-valued data by converting the corrected multi-valued data stored in the second buffer from column format back into raster format;
• a generation unit configured to generate binary data from the multi-valued data sorted by the vertical/horizontal conversion unit;
• and
• a transfer unit configured to transfer the binary data generated by the generation unit to the recording elements.

A method for an image processing apparatus to supply image data to a recording apparatus configured to convey a recording medium in a direction intersecting a direction in which recording elements are arranged, and to perform recording on the recording medium using the recording elements, wherein the image processing apparatus includes a plurality of group tables, wherein each group table contains correction information for each group into which the recording elements are divided, wherein the correction information is configured to be used to correct values of multi-valued data, the method comprising:

• receiving multi-valued data in raster format;
• sorting the multi-valued data by converting the multi-valued data from raster format into column format;
• storing the sorted multi-valued data;
• obtaining the sorted multi-valued data and correcting a characteristic of the sorted multi-valued data belonging to a group by using correction information stored in a group table corresponding to that group to correct multiple rasters forming image data in a same group so as to reduce a number of times the plurality of group tables prepared for each group is read;
• storing the corrected multi-valued data;
• sorting the corrected multi-valued data by converting the stored corrected multi-valued data from column format back into raster format;
• and
• outputting the sorted corrected data in raster format to the recording apparatus.