Heretofore there has been a case where a monochromatic image having a
sufficient power of expression cannot be printed because of a narrow
selection range of saturation. According to the present invention, in a
predetermined print head, there is adopted a construction wherein the
gradation characteristic of a color region capable of being
color-reproduced is enhanced while narrowing the color region with use of
a cyan color ink of a low saturation, a magenta color ink of a low
saturation, a yellow color ink of a high saturation, and a black color
ink, and color reproduction is performed. The color tone of the printed
monochromatic image can be adjusted minutely with respect to the color
components of cyan and magenta. On the other hand, the color region
capable of being color-reproduced is wide substantially in the direction
of yellow. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a sufficient selection
range of saturation and print a monochromatic image of a high image
quality having a sufficient power of expression.