Color separation into plural ink components including primary color ink and spot color ink

A method for printing in accordance with color image data, comprising:

• providing an ink set that includes a plurality of chromatic primary color inks that when used in combination can reproduce achromatic color, and at least one spot color ink of hue different from any of the plurality of chromatic primary color inks, wherein a color component of the spot color ink can be separated into two color components of the chromatic primary color ink;
• and
• executing printing by causing ink to be discharged from a print head in accordance with color image data,
• wherein the executing of the printing includes controlling ink amounts discharged from the print head such that, when hue of the color image data is almost the same as hue of the spot color ink and saturation of the color image data is within a prescribed low-saturation range close to achromaticity, an ink amount for the spot color ink is smaller in a case where the saturation and brightness of the color image data are lower is compared with a case where the saturation and the brightness of the color image data are relatively higher.

A printing apparatus that performs printing in accordance with color image data, comprising:

• an ink set mount configured to house an ink set that includes a plurality of chromatic primary color inks that when used in combination can reproduce achromatic color, and at least one spot color ink of hue different from any of the plurality of chromatic primary color inks, wherein a color component of the spot color ink can be separated into two color components of the chromatic primary color ink;
• a print head configured to discharge ink supplied from the ink set;
• and
• a print controller configured to control ink discharge operation of the print head in accordance with color image data,
• wherein the print controller controls ink amounts discharged from the print head such that, when hue of the color image data is almost the same as hue of the spot color ink and saturation of the color image data is within a prescribed low-saturation range close to achromaticity, an ink amount for the spot color ink is smaller in a case where the saturation and brightness of the color image data are lower is compared with a case where the saturation and the brightness of the color image data are relatively higher.

A method for printing in accordance with color image data, comprising:

• providing an ink set that includes a plurality of chromatic primary color inks that when used in combination can reproduce achromatic color, and at least one spot color ink of a hue different from any of the plurality of chromatic primary color inks, wherein a color component of the spot color ink can be separated into two color components of the chromatic primary color ink;
• and
• executing printing by causing ink to be discharged from a print head in accordance with color image data, wherein
• a hue of the spot color ink is a hue that can be reproduced by two chromatic primary color inks, and
• the executing of the printing includes controlling ink amounts discharged from the print head such that in a case where the saturation of the color image data is within a prescribed low-saturation range close to achromaticity an ink amount for the spot color ink is small and at least one of two respective ink amounts of the two chromatic primary color inks is large in a case where saturation of the color image data is small compared with a case where the saturation of the color image data is large.

A printing apparatus that performs printing in accordance with color image data, comprising:

• an ink set amount configured to house an ink set that includes a plurality of chromatic primary color inks that when used in combination can reproduce achromatic color, and at least one spot color ink of a hue different from any of the plurality of chromatic primary color inks, wherein a color component of the spot color ink can be separated into two color components of the chromatic primary color ink;
• a print head configured to discharge ink supplied from the ink set;
• and
• a print controller configured to control ink discharge operation of the print head in accordance with color image data, wherein
• a hue of the spot color ink is a hue that can be reproduced by two chromatic primary color inks, and
• the print controller controls ink amounts discharged from the print head such that in a case where the saturation of the color image data is within a prescribed low-saturation range close to achromaticity an ink amount for the spot color ink is small and at least one of two respective ink amounts of the two chromatic primary color inks is large in a case where saturation of the color image data is small compared with a case where the saturation of the color image data is large.