Patent ID: 8897689

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming information processor to process image forming information converted from image information input to the image forming apparatus, the image forming information processor including: a first area determination unit to determine a processing area from the image forming information; a second area determination unit to determine a plurality of specific areas included in the processing area determined by the first area determination unit as processing-required part; a color level changing unit to change color level of image forming information corresponding to the plurality of specific areas; a colored-toner image forming information generator to generate colored-toner image forming information based on the image forming information having the color level changed by the color level changing unit; and a glossy toner image forming information generator to generate glossy toner image forming information based on the image forming information corresponding to the plurality of specific areas; and an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium by forming a toner image using colored-toner, and a toner image using glossy toner based on the image forming information processed by the image forming information processor, wherein the image forming unit forms a glossy image on the recording medium based on the glossy toner image forming information, in which the glossy image is formable on the recording medium using the colored-toner toner image alone, or the glossy image is formed on the recording medium by forming a colored-toner toner image using colored-toner based on the colored-toner image forming information, and then forming the glossy toner image on the colored-toner toner image as a top layer of the glossy image based on the glossy toner image forming information, wherein the color level changing unit conducts a color level changing process by setting given optical properties of images formed in the specific areas, and by setting a difference between optical properties of images formed in the specific areas and optical properties of images formed in a non-specific-area different from the specific areas, wherein the optical properties include glossiness level of images and Hunter whiteness degree, and wherein the color level changing unit conducts a color level changing process by setting a given glossiness level and a given Hunter whiteness degree for images formed in the specific areas, and by setting a difference between the glossiness level of images formed in the specific areas and the glossiness level of images formed in the non-specific-area.