Patent ID: 8526059

Claim:
A printing calibration processing apparatus comprising: a test-image output section configured to output plural patches for gradation characteristic generation to an image forming section as a test image; a gradation-characteristic-data generating section configured to read images of a printed surface and a rear surface of a test chart obtained by printing the test image on a printing sheet with the image forming section and generate gradation characteristic data of the printed surface and the rear surface; a gradation-correction-date creating section configured to determine a correction value of maximum gradation on the basis of a gradation characteristic of the printed surface and a gradation characteristic of the rear surface generated by the gradation-characteristic-data generating section; a gradation-correction-data storing section configured to store the gradation correction data created by the gradation-correction-data creating section; a color-material-amount-conversion-data creating section configured to determine a maximum of a color material on the basis of the correction value of the maximum gradation determined by the gradation-correction-data creating section; a color-material-amount-conversion-data storing section configured to store a value of the maximum of the color material; a color-material-amount-limitation processing section configured to perform, concerning image data for printing, limitation processing for setting the maximum of the color material as an upper limit of a color material use amount using the value of the maximum of the color material stored in the color-material-amount-conversion-data storing section; and a gradation correcting section configured to apply gradation correction to the image data subjected to the limitation processing by the color-material-amount-limitation processing section using the gradation correction data stored in the gradation-correction-data storing section.