Systems, apparatuses, and methods for pre-rendering image data for a plurality of scanning paths are described here. The method includes receiving image data including a plurality of scan lines for a top portion of an image page, pre-rendering the data for a first scanning path to generate a first data set, pre-rendering the data for a second scanning path to generate a second data set, determining an initial scanning direction, and selecting the first data set or the second data set responsive to said determining. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.