Intermediate gradient image producing method

A color image reproducing method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of colorants in which at least one color among a plurality of colors to be used to reproduce a color image has plural colorants provided in different concentrations;
• forming microdots using said plural colorants;
• establishing a plurality of optical density regions, including an overlapped region which may be produced by applying a ratio of said plural colorants, a lower optical density region which may be produced by the lower concentration colorants among said plural colorants and which has an optical density lower than that of said overlapped region, and a higher optical density concentration region which may be produced by the higher concentration colorants among said plural colorants and which has an optical density higher than that of said overlapped region;
• expressing said lower optical density concentration region by using only said lower concentration colorants, said higher optical density concentration region by using only said higher concentration colorants and said overlapped region by using a ratio of both of said colorants;
• and
• controlling the relative amounts of said colorants used to form the microdots in accordance with a desired reproduction optical density.

A color image reproducing method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of colorants in which at least one color among a plurality of colors to be used to reproduce a color image has plural colorants provided in different concentrations;
• forming microdots using said plural colorants;
• variably controlling the size of the microdots of said plural colorants;
• establishing an intermediate region which lies between the optical density ranges capable of being reproduced by any one of said plural colorants;
• and
• expressing the optical density in said intermediate region using both microdots of a mimimum size and a higher concentration colorant and microdots of a maximum size and a lower concentration colorant.