Patent ID: 6980750
Filing Date: 2005-12-27
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A color image forming apparatus comprising: an image input portion arranged to input image data; an image forming portion arranged to be provided for every recording color component and to form an image based on the image data inputted by the image input portion; a recording mode setting portion arranged to set whether an auto color discriminating function is used or not; a discriminating portion arranged to discriminate, if the use of the auto color discriminating function is selected, whether the image inputted by the image input portion is a color image or a monochrome image by analyzing the image data; a preparatory operation control portion arranged to cause the image forming portion to make a preparatory operation in a full-color recording mode before obtaining a result of the discrimination by the discriminating portion; and an image forming control portion arranged to cause, if the discriminating portion judges that the input image is the monochrome image, the image formation to be executed by a shift from the full-color recording mode to a monochrome recording mode and to cause, if the input image is judged to be the color image, the image formation to be executed in the full-color recording mode.