Patent ID: 7460158

Claim:
An image processing apparatus that supplies an image signal to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium using recording material, the image processing apparatus comprising: a storage unit that stores a limiting value of a sum of signal levels of image signals output to the image forming apparatus; an input unit that inputs C, M, Y and K signals as image signals; a first comparison unit that compares the limiting value and the sum of the signal levels of the input C, M, Y and K signals; an under color removal unit that replaces an under color removal level of C, M and Y signals with a K signal in an under color removal process when the sum of the signal levels of the input C, M, Y and K signals exceeds the limiting value; a second comparison unit that compares the limiting value and the sum of the signal levels of the C, M, Y and K signals after undergoing the under color removal process; and an adjustment unit that, where the sum after the under color removal process exceeds the limiting value, reduces the C, M and Y signals, but not the K signal, after undergoing the under color removal process at an identical rate so as to reduce the sum after the under color removal process to less than the limiting value.