Patent ID: 7589873

Claim:
Printing control method for generating a conversion table for adding a color tone to a print target image before printing, the method comprising: displaying a tone setting screen that includes: a tone specifying portion for specifying a plurality of color tone parameters that specify a color tone; specifying the plurality of color tone parameters through the tone specifying portion; and based on the specified plurality of color tone parameters, generating a printing conversion table used for adding a color tone to a print target image to be printed, wherein the tone specifying portion has a tone specifying area for specifying the plurality of color tone parameters with a single specified point, the tone specifying area being arranged so as to enable visual recognition of a color tone specified by the specified plurality of color tone parameters, the specifying of the plurality of color tone parameters includes specifying the specified point within the tone specifying area, the tone specifying area includes a specified plane for which a lightness L* in L*a*b* color system is a predetermined fixed lightness, and values for a* and b* in L*a*b* color system respectively lie within predetermined ranges, the specified plane includes a specific point, and a color of each point in the specified plane has lower saturation the closer the point is to the specific point, where D is distance of each point in the specified plane from the specific point, and c is a positive number, saturation Cv 1 of each point within a first area contained within the specified plane and including the specific point fulfills a condition Cv 1 <c×D, and saturation CV 2 of each point within a second area located outside the first area fulfills a condition Cv 2 ≧c×D, and wherein each of the method operations of the printing control method is executed by a processor.