Patent ID: 6854822

Claim:
An ink-jet printing apparatus which performs multilevel printing by using a plurality of types of inks having different densities for similar colors, and changing the types of inks and the numbers of ink droplets in printing each pixel, comprising: input means for inputting information associated with relative densities for the respective inks in case of being used for printing; table generating means for generating, on the basis of the information associated with the relative densities, an ink distribution table for defining a combination of the types of inks and the numbers of ink droplets in correspondence with each gray level value; and combination selection means for selecting, on the basis of the ink distribution table, the combination to be used to print each pixel, wherein the information associated with the relative densities of the respective inks is expressed by a ratio with a density of ink having a lowest density being regarded as 1, and wherein said table generating means includes sum calculating means for calculating the sum of the ratios with respect to ink droplets contained in each combination, and gray level calculating means for obtaining a gray level value corresponding to the sum of the ratios.