A host-based color printing system having a color printing accelerator module that assists the host processor in order to speed up the rate at which color formatting tasks are performed by the host. The color printing accelerator module has an I/O interface that connects to a first I/O port of the host computer of the host-based color printing system. A second I/O port of the host computer connects to an I/O interface of the printer. After the color formatting tasks have been performed by the host computer and the color printing accelerator module, the processed data is sent from the host computer to the printer for printing.