Patent ID: 7755795

Claim:
A color conversion method of converting a monochrome signal into a color space color signal, comprising the steps of: setting a tint adjustment value used to adjust the monochrome signal to a desired tint desired by a user; acquiring color reproduction characteristics dependent on an image output apparatus and a printing paper; converting the monochrome signal into a chromaticity signal of the color space using the tint adjustment value set in the setting step and the color reproduction characteristics acquired in the acquiring step; and forming a color space color signal from the chromaticity signal converted in the converting step and a brightness signal according to the monochrome signal, and outputting the color space color signal, wherein in the converting step, the monochrome signal is converted so as to map chromaticity points of black print color and white print color depending on the image output apparatus and the printing paper, and map a chromaticity point of the tint adjustment value for middle lightness excepting neighborhoods of black print color and white print color, and wherein in the acquiring step, the color reproduction characteristics dependent on the image output apparatus and the printing paper are acquired, as color values used as the black print color and white print color depending on the image output apparatus and the printing paper, from an output profile for converting a signal independent of the image output apparatus into a signal dependent on the image output apparatus.