Patent ID: 8305635

Claim:
An image processing apparatus that prints image data including a plurality of pages one copy at a time, and prints a plurality of copies, the image processing apparatus comprising: a generating unit that generates a patch image having a plurality of densities; a forming unit that forms the patch image on a photosensitive drum; and a reading unit that reads a density of the patch image, wherein the generating unit, forming unit, and reading unit execute processing at a time of ending printing for an N′th copy and at a time of ending printing for an (N+K)′th copy, where N is an integer and K is a natural number, the image processing apparatus further comprising: a density shift amount computing unit that computes a density shift amount for a set number of copies between a first density reading value of the patch image at the time of ending printing for the N′th copy and a second density reading value of the patch image at the time of ending printing for the (N+K)′th copy; a table computing unit that computes, based on the computed density shift amount for the set number of copies, a density correcting table to correct a density shift from a standard density for a set number of copies after the printing for the (N+K)′th copy is completed; and a density shift correcting unit that corrects the density shift from the standard density for a set number of copies after an (N+K+1)′th copy using the density correcting table computed by the table computing unit.