An apparatus and method for driving a display panel, and more particularly, an apparatus and method for easily generating a programmable signal to drive a digital display panel without re-designing a drive signal generating apparatus according to the specifications of the digital display panel including its size, the number of scan lines, and types of input signals. The apparatus includes a memory, a decoder, and an output waveform generating circuit. The memory stores information to generate a plurality of drive pulse signals necessary for driving the display panel. The decoder reads information stored in an address assigned according to a predetermined control sequence from the memory and then edits the read information so as to be suitable for specifications of the display panel. The output waveform generating circuit generates drive pulse signals corresponding to the information read by the decoder.