1. An image processing apparatus comprising: printing equipment that prints an image on a recording sheet; an image data scaling circuit that scales image data and outputs the scaled image data to the printing equipment; a scaling factor acquiring unit that acquires a scaling factor specified for scaling performed by the image data scaling circuit; a scaling appropriateness judging unit that judges, when image data including a tint image in which a concealed character appears from its background area after scanning is subjected to scaling with the scaling factor, whether there is a possibility that the form of the tint image will be inappropriate; and an image data processing controller that, if the scaling appropriateness judging unit judges that there is a possibility that the form of the tint image will be inappropriate, switches details of processing before printing processing of the printing equipment is performed.