Patent ID: 8355163

Claim:
A printing control device associated with an image processing device, comprising: a gradation variation input which allows a user to modify a gradation of a displayed original image from an original gradation level to a first new gradation level in order to display modified image data, information sufficient to identify a difference between the original gradation level and the first new gradation level being stored as gradation difference data; a gradation correction information output control unit for outputting the gradation difference data corresponding to the displayed modified image along with original image data unaffected by the change in gradation to one of a printing device and an external storage medium when a printing instruction is detected; and further wherein the gradation difference data is used to alter at least one printing instruction parameter in order to print the original image data in a manner that exhibits the gradation variation of the displayed image as displayed based on the gradation variation input, the gradation difference data being used to determine a gamma characteristic which is also determined according to one or more of a permeability of ink in a recording medium, a density of ink and a type of recording medium, and further comprising means for determining when the gradation difference data is below a threshold in order to provide density data in an unaltered state by transferring the original image data via a signal transfer bypass if it is determined that the gradation difference data is below the threshold.