PURPOSE: To enable a high-quality ruled line without any interval to be printed out by providing an editing device which adds bit data which is read from the first, second and third reading devices to the left and the right only between characters and draws an image of the data in an image editing buffer.

CONSTITUTION: If a character designated by a character code is ruled line data, the first line of its corresponding bit pattern is repeatedly drawn by the number of lines between a character end pointer CE and a print end pointer PE (margin below character ml). At the same time, the final line is repeatedly drawn by the number of lines between the character end pointer CE and the print end pointer PE (margin below character m2). Subsequently, a bit pattern of ruled line data is expanded upward by a margin above character m1 and the expanded image is drawn. On the other hand, the bit pattern is expanded downward by a margin below character m2 and the expanded image is drawn. In addition, the bit pattern is expanded to the right and to the left by an interval between characters respectively and the expanded images are drawn.