Patent ID: 8149456

Claim:
A color processing method performed by an image forming apparatus for creating a color separation table for separating image data into data of a plurality of colorants, the method comprising: obtaining restriction information on a total colorant amount for a medium; generating patches at grid points in a color space corresponding to the plurality of colorants, at which grid points the total colorant amount falls within a restriction represented by the restriction information, and generating a patch at a point surrounded by the grid points; obtaining color measurement values by measuring the colors of the patches printed on the second medium; determining whether the obtained color measurement values are appropriate based on a color prediction value between the grid points; estimating, based on the obtained color measurement values, a color measurement value at a grid point at which the total colorant amount exceeds the restriction represented by the restriction information when the obtained color measurement values are determined to be appropriate; creating the color separation table based on the obtained color measurement values and the estimated color measurement value; obtaining a first color separation table for a first medium: obtaining restriction information on a total colorant amount for a second medium: generating a second color separation table for the second medium based on the first color separation table and the restriction information for the second medium: obtaining color reproducibility information for the first medium and color reproducibility information for the second medium; and correcting the second color separation table by color prediction based on the color reproducibility information for the first medium and the color reproducibility information for the second medium.