To provide an image plotting processor as an image processing (printer) system element, which minimizes increase in developing cost, and can be connected to a system of each of a printer driver and a printer.

The image plotting processor 1 is provided as the independent system element (functional module) separately from the printer driver 5 and the printer 10, and connected to both of them via respective input/output interfaces, so as to be available for both of them in common. Thus, in addition to ordinary operation of the image plotting processor 1 only for the printer driver 5 or the printer 10, the image plotting processor 1 can perform unique operation, i.e. transfer of a plotting processing result required by the printer driver 5 to the printer 10. The image plotting processor 1 may be mounted and executed in an independent device such as a PC, for instance. Image plotting is executed only in this image plotting module but not in the other ones, and therefore no difference is made in plotting output.