Method of creating color chart data, information processing apparatus for creating color chart data, color chart, image forming system, and non-transitory recording medium

An information processing apparatus for creating color chart data to be used for executing color adjustment for an image forming apparatus comprising:

• circuitry configured to:
• obtain, from a color chart printed out by the image forming apparatus, color chart data including a color adjustment patch group in which a plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other;
• determine, for one or more of the plurality of color patches included in the color adjustment patch group in which the plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other, whether a color of a color patch and a color of an adjacent color patch adjacent to the color patch are similar;
• calculate a first color difference between the color of the color patch and the color of the adjacent color patch included in the color adjustment patch group in which the plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other;
• and
• based on a determination that the color of the color patch and the color of the adjacent color patch included in the color adjustment patch group in which the plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other are similar, create new color chart data in which the color patch and the adjacent color patch that are similar in color are arranged not to be adjacent to each other,
• wherein, in a case that the first color difference between the color of the color patch and the color of the adjacent color patch included in the color adjustment patch group in which the plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other is determined to be smaller than a threshold value, create the new color chart data includes replacing the color patch with a new color patch having a color different from the color of the adjacent color patch such that a new first color difference between the color of the new color patch and the color of the adjacent color patch becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value.

A non-transitory recording medium storing a plurality of program codes which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method of creating color chart data, the method comprising:

• obtaining, from a color chart printed out by an image forming apparatus, color chart data including a color adjustment patch group in which a plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other;
• determining, for one or more of the plurality of color patches included in the color adjustment patch group in which the plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other, whether a color of a color patch and a color of an adjacent color patch adjacent to the color patch are similar;
• calculating a first color difference between the color of the color patch and the color of the adjacent color patch included in the color adjustment patch group in which the plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other;
• and
• based on a determination that the color of the color patch and the color of the adjacent color patch included in the color adjustment patch group in which the plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other are similar, creating new color chart data in which the color patch and the adjacent color patch that are similar in color are arranged not to be adjacent to each other,
• wherein, in a case that the first color difference between the color of the color patch and the color of the adjacent color patch included in the color adjustment patch group in which the plurality of color patches used for executing the color adjustment are already arranged adjacent to each other is determined to be smaller than a threshold value, creating the new color chart data includes replacing the color patch with a new color patch having a color different from the color of the adjacent color patch such that a new first color difference between the color of the new color patch and the color of the adjacent color patch becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value.