Patent ID: 7525701

Claim:
A color image processing method for converting a first color signal including three variables into a second color signal including N variables, where N is an integer, which is not smaller than five, the second color signal to be output to an image forming device which executes a print process with N colors, the color image processing method comprising: a first conversion of determining (N−3) variables of the second color signal from the first color signal; a second conversion of determining the remaining three variables of the second color signal on the basis of the determined (N−3) variables of the second color signal and the three variables of the first color signal so that the second color signal is colorimetrically equal to the first color signal; and outputting, as the second color signal, the determined (N−3) variables and the determined remaining three variables to the image forming device, wherein the first conversion of determining determines the (N−3) variables before the remaining three variables of the second color signal are determined, the (N−3) variables being determined on the basis of a UCR ratio of each of the (N−3) variables and a maximum value of each of the (N−3) variables, such that a color represented by a combination of the (N−3) variables is within a color gamut of the image forming device.