Patent ID: 7782508

Claim:
A printing medium separation apparatus comprising: a density information extraction unit that extracts density information about a predetermined printing area of a printing medium for use to print an image; an area partition unit that partitions the printing area into a plurality of partition areas; a blank amount calculation unit that calculates, based on the density information extracted for each of the partition areas being results of partitioning by the area partition unit, a blank amount of each of the partition areas; and a separation unit that subjects the printing medium to separation based on a result of calculating by the blank amount calculation unit, wherein based on the blank amount calculated for each of the partition areas, the blank amount calculation unit determines whether each of the partition areas is blank or not, and based on a determination result, calculates a blank ratio for the printing area, and the separation unit subjects the printing medium to the separation based on the blank ratio being a result of calculating by the blank amount calculation unit, and wherein the blank amount calculation unit calculates a total number of the partition areas of an area in which two or more of the partition areas determined as being blank are located in a row, and based on the total number being a calculation result, calculates the blank ratio.