An image processing apparatus includes a microprocessor unit which acquires information about the attribute of a print job from the received print job, determines which method is suitable as a printing method for the print job, performs a first printing method in which a print process is started before a raster image processing (RIP) process on all pages included in the print job is ended or a second printing method in which a print process is started after the RIP process on all pages included in the print job is ended, based on the attribute information, and decides the printing method determined as suitable for the print job as the printing method to be executed on the print job.