Patent ID: 7843599

Claim:
A color processing method of determining a combination of color material signals of a plurality of kinds of color materials for reproducing a color represented by an input color signal designated by three color signals, the method comprising: using a processor to perform the steps of: obtaining a plurality of combinations of color material signals, each of the combinations being capable of reproducing a color represented by the input color signal; setting a function which represents a relation between color signals of target colors that change from white to black and a total use amount of the color material signals and in which a change in the total use amount of the color material signals of the input color signal is continuous with a change in the color signals of the target colors that change from white to black, wherein the function is set based on a color signal of the target colors corresponding to a color represented by the input color signal and a total use amount of the color material signals of the target colors; calculating the total use amount of the color material signals corresponding to the input color signal by using the set function; and determining the combination of color material signals corresponding to the input color signal in the plurality of color material signals based on the calculated total use amount of the color material signals.