Color print standardization

Details Color print standardization Color print standardization

1998-02-04

1999-09-21

Fisher, J. Reed

Printing

Multicolor

Processes

101483, B41M 300

Patent

active

059539909

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When colour printing is carried out by any form of print engine (including laser copiers, ink jet printers and dye transfer printers) there is no guarantee that the colour output will necessarily achieve the correct effect. Colour adjustment within the print engine may therefore be needed and an experienced operator can , after suitable trial and error, achieve an acceptable output. There is however no standard method for adjusting the colour output. Furthermore the input image might be in the form of a flat copy scanned by a copier or in the form of a digital file in a computerised print engine.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a method of standardising colour printing using a print engine wherein a copy of a prepared master chart is printed onto or otherwise created relative to a prepared test sheet, with the master chart and test sheet carrying a series of equivalent colour patches in the same lay out but offset on the test sheet from the lay out on the master chart, the copied colour output of the colour patches, printed onto the test sheet, or otherwise produced from the master chart, is compared with the adjacent preprinted colour patches on the test sheet and the print engine is adjusted to correct any imbalance between the preprinted and copied colour patches.
The master chart may be in the form of a lithograph print or could be a digitally stored image in a computerised printing system which is then reproduced on a display screen. The test sheet could incorporate strategically positioned holes adjacent to each of the colour patches through which the colour patches, produced from the master chart onto a blank sheet or shown on the display screen can, be viewed for copy colour comparison.
The imbalance comparison between the reproduced colour patches from the master chart and the preprinted colour patches on the test sheet may be achieved visually or by suitable instrumentation. Correction of any imbalance can be made either by estimation or by instrumental calculation.
The colour patches could ideally be those created on a colour chart using the principles of Patent No. EP (UK) 0119836.
The master chart and the test sheet may additionally carry image registration symbols which will enable the user to determine image position adjustment to ensure correct registration of a printed image when normal printing commences.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be performed in various ways and a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a master chart for use in a colour printing standardisation system of this invention;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a test sheet for use with the chart of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an illustration of a combination, by printing of the master chart of FIG. 1 onto the test sheet of FIG. 2.


DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The master chart shown in FIG. 1 comprises a representation of various blocks 1 of colour produced by suitable combinations of the base colours cyan, magenta, yellow and black (C,M,Y,K). There are also illustrations of colour prints 2 which are to be printed by a copying machine onto a sheet. For the colour standardisation procedure the sheets onto which the images will be printed are the test sheets shown in FIG. 2. These carry the same array of colour blocks 1A and picture representations 2A but the block and colour representations are offset with respect to the positioning of the corresponding blocks on the master chart of FIG. 1. When a print of the master chart is made onto the test sheet a representation as shown in FIG. 3 may be achieved. The operator can compare the various colour blocks against one another and make an estimation as to what adjustments are needed to the copier to ensure that a more acceptable print is achieved. The comparison and correction process can be carried out manually or automatically by suitable instruments. The process can then be r

REFERENCES:
patent: 4310248 (1982-01-01), Meredith
patent: 4492474 (1985-01-01), Miller
patent: 4687334 (1987-08-01), Miyakawa
patent: 4929978 (1990-05-01), Kanamori
patent: 5063583 (1991-11-01), Galkin
patent: 5598272 (1997-01-01), Fisch et al.
patent: 5636330 (1997-06-01), Barak

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