To provided the image area separate device where a character area and a pattern area are separated with high precision from an original of lots of kinds including a pseudo medium tone processing original and a copy original.

At least outputs of two sections among three sections as an edge area extract section 101, a dot area extract section 102 and a white background area extract section 103 are selected by multiplexers 104-106 depending on the kind of an original and given to an AND section 107, where a character area and a pattern area are separated and discriminated. In the case of an original subject to pseudo-intermediate tone processing, outputs of all the area detection sections 101, 102, 103 are selected and ANDed, and areas of edge, non-dot and white background areas are discriminated to be character areas, and areas other than these are discriminated to be pattern areas.