PURPOSE: To obtain a balanced reduced character by providing means for storing a reference point in a secondary space represented by X and Y, means for storing a character pattern in the secondary space, means for reducing the character pattern according to the reference point and means for storing the reduced character pattern.

CONSTITUTION: A memory 1 for storing a character pattern, a reference point storage memory 2 for storing the position of a reference point for a character code and a reduction ratio, reduction means 3 for reducing the character pattern by referring to the reference point storage memory 2, and a buffer memory 4 for storing the character pattern contracted by the reduction means 3 are provided. In the case that a character '' composed of 24 × 24 bits is, for example, reduced to 20 × 20 bits, when it is reduced with a dot (1, 2) adjacent at one right side of a dot (1, 1) as a reference point, 3 longitudinal images all become 2 dots (C), (D), and a reduced character having lines of the same thickness is obtained. When the character pattern is reduced in this manner, a balanced character can be easily formed by displacing the reference point rightward or leftward, forward or rearward at one dot or more.