Patent ID: 7672011

Claim:
An image processing method comprising: using a computer to perform the steps comprising: a quantization step of quantizing input image data of a p value at a first resolution to a q value (where q<p), and generating first image data of the q value at the first resolution; a first conversion step to acquire second image data of an r value (where r<q) having a second resolution higher than the first resolution, wherein the first conversion step acquires the second image data by converting each pixel of the generated first image data of the q value into any one of patterns in a first pattern group including predetermined plural pixels according to a pixel value of the generated first image data of the q value; and a second conversion step to acquire third image data of an s value (where s<r) having a third resolution higher than the second resolution, wherein the second conversion step acquires the third image data of the s value by convening each pixel of the second image data of the r value acquired by the first conversion step into any one of patterns in a second pattern group including predetermined plural pixels according to each pixel value of the generated first image data or each pattern of the first pattern group, wherein, the q value is 3 or more, and wherein the input image data is color image data including plural color components for each pixel, and said quantization step, said first conversion step and said second conversion step are applied to the image data of each color component, and the image data of all the color components are converted into the third image data having the third resolution.