Patent ID: 8284467

Claim:
A software-controlled method for minimizing the usage of color toner by a color copier during copying of a color page which includes color-image elements comprising examining the color page to identify included color-image elements, as a part of said examining, determining the level of the information-density characteristic of each of the color page's identified color-image elements as being one of (a) dense, (b) sparse, and (c) unknown, associating with each identified color-image element, in relation to the level of its determined information-density characteristic, a specific, pre-determined, color-toner usage rule which is associated with the overall normal amount of color toner to be used, and following said associating, outputting the color page's color-image elements to the copier along with instructions that the copier use, in the copying of such elements, the correct, respectively associated color-toner usage rules(s) regarding the overall normal amount-of-toner-to-be-used.