Image processing apparatus and image processing method

An image processing apparatus for printing an image using a plurality of color materials and a colorless material, comprising:

• a memory which stores information indicating a plurality of predefined dot placements which include different dot placements to be printed using the colorless material and correspond to an amount of the colorless material;
• an inputting unit configured to input color material amount data indicating amounts of the plurality of color materials and the amount of the colorless material for each pixel;
• a first determiner configured to determine a dot placement to be printed using the colorless material from the plurality of predefined dot placements based on the amount of the colorless material indicated by the input color material amount data, wherein the dot placement to be determined has a high suppression effect of coloring of specular reflection light so that the coloring of specular reflection light on the pixel becomes closer to an achromatic color;
• and
• a printing unit configured to print the determined dot placement using the colorless material subsequent to the color materials having been printed, wherein the determined dot placement can overlap with dot placement printed using the color materials.