In printing a plurality of pages of print data on one paper sheet upon combining the pages, a print control apparatus inputs layout data for determining a layout of the respective pages, extracts a page data portion to be printed as a single page from the print data in accordance with the input layout data, holds the page data portion, and outputs print data generated from the held page data. In this apparatus, when paper sheets are folded to form printed matter with an appearance of a book, a plurality of print page data can be printed in each print area. The apparatus includes a designation unit for making designation with respect to layout data to combine and lay out a plurality of print data pages on one page of bound paper sheets on which printing is performed, and a generating unit for generating print data print data having a plurality of page data laid out on one page of the bound paper sheets in accordance with the layout data.

A processor executes a document rendering application for an open document. When the open document is unedited and a predetermined portion of the processor is available, the document is rendered to an output buffer. The rendering is suspended when a predetermined interrupt is received and is resumed after the predetermined interrupt has been serviced. When the document has been edited, any rendered portion of the document is removed from the output buffer and the document is reset as being unedited.

The present invention provides an image processing method and an image processing apparatus for properly enabling a compressed image included in a page layout to be drawn in colors. A print server detects a compressed image in an EPS (JPEG) format or the like, sets a CMS according to the color plate being processed, and converts values of C, M, Y, and K. For example, when a process on the C color plate is performed, the converting process is performed by using a CMS 40C for the C color plate so that the value of "c" in the compressed image becomes a value of K (K.sub.C value). In such a manner, the values of K (K.sub.C, K.sub.M, K.sub.Y, and K.sub.K) output from CMSs 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K are converted into values of C, M, Y, and K.

When the printer 10 receives a request signal from one of the administrative computer G and the computers 20 indicating that the user has used the mouse 53 to click the "Edit" button displayed on the CRT monitor 55 (S4), then the printer 10 transmits data for the edit wizard 201 for modifying setting items displayed in the print function settings wizard 202 to the administrative computer G or the computer 20 corresponding to the ID data set attached to the request signal. The user uses the mouse 53 to click on either "Display on" or "Display off" next to each setting item in the edit wizard 201 displayed on the CRT monitor 55 (S6), enabling the user to re-edit setting items displayed in the print function settings wizard 202 (S7-S13).