Patent ID: 7589864

Claim:
A color conversion apparatus which converts image data for printing which includes process color tone data for printing and spot color tone data for printing into image data for printer which includes tone data for a printer, the color conversion apparatus comprising: a process color processing section which has a link profile in which process colors for printing are associated with colors for the printer and converts process color tone data in the image data for printing into the tone data for the printer according to the link profile; a first spot color processing section which has a first spot color name conversion table in which the spot color names of spot colors for printing are associated with the coordinates in a given common color space that correspond to the maximum densities of the spot colors and a printer profile in which the common color space is associated with colors for the printer, and first converts the spot color name of a spot color in the image data for printing into coordinates in the common color space with reference to the first spot color name conversion table and then converts the coordinates in the common color space obtained from the conversion into tone data for the printer that corresponds to the maximum density of the spot color with reference to the printer profile; a second spot color processing section which has a second spot color name conversion table in which the spot color names of spot colors for printing are associated with colors for the printer that correspond to the maximum densities of the spot colors, and directly converts the spot color name of a spot color in the image data for printing into tone data, excluding a step of converting into a common color space, for the printer that corresponds to the maximum density of the spot color with reference to the second spot color name conversion table; a spot color processing determining section which determines whether each of the first and second spot color processing sections should be applied or not; and a color combining section which combines tone data for the printer obtained by the process color processing section with the tone data of a spot color in the image data for printing, in accordance with the tone data for the printer that corresponds to the maximum density of a spot color for printing obtained by the first spot color conversion section when the first spot color conversion section is applied and tone data for the printer that corresponds to the maximum density of a spot color for printing obtained by the second spot color conversion section when the second spot color conversion section is applied, and thereby generates the image data for the printer.