Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Size – resolution – or scale control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-01
2001-02-06
Coles, Edward L. (Department: 2722)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Size, resolution, or scale control
C358S001100, C358S296000, C358S296000, C358S406000, C358S504000, C347S019000, C382S112000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185001
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a printed document including a print quality indicator and a method of determining the print quality of the printed document.
It is well known that images which are to be printed typically undergo distortion and degradation to a greater or lesser degree during the various steps of the printing process. For example, as an image goes from a photographic negative, where it may be very clear, to a plate, from the plate to a printing blanket, and finally from the blanket onto the document substrate in an offsetlithography printing operation, the quality of the image will necessarily decline to some degree at each stage of the process.
It is common in the printing industry to measure and control the quality of images printed on documents. It is also common to measure and control the quality of the images at each successive stage in the printing process. For example, if the quality of the image on the photographic negative or on the plate is too low, printed documents of less than acceptable quality will necessarily result and there is no need to go to the expense of printing documents using such a negative or plate in order to measure quality. In commercial printing operations, print quality targets of various graphical configurations, sometimes referred to as “control bars,” are printed in trim areas of a sheet or web. One difficulty with such control bars is that they are not within the primary printing area of the sheet or web, so that the observed or measured quality of the printing of the control bars on the printed sheet or web may not accurately reflect the quality of the print image within the primary printing area. Another difficulty with such control bars is that since they are printed within trim areas, they are removed with the trim areas during finishing operations and therefore do not permit a quality assessment of the documents to be subsequent to finishing. Another difficulty with such control bars is that there use is limited to documents that include trims areas, and numerous business forms do not include trim areas. Another drawback of prior art printed quality targets of this type is that they are designed to measure primarily mechanical dot gain, i.e. the gain experienced in halftone dot size, of mid-size halftone dots. They do not provide an indication of the sharpness or print quality of the halftone dots.
Other types of self-contained quality control targets have been printed in the primary printing areas of documents—solid density boxes, built into borders of various designs, dot area targets, included within the pantograph screened area of documents, and extremely small alpha-numeric characters, termed microprint characters, also included within the pantograph screened area of documents. None of these arrangements, however, has provided a quantitative means for evaluating dot structure. Characteristics of dot structure include shape, size, and edge definition. Previously, the dots and microprint characters were magnified and visually inspected, and a subjective assessment was then made as to the quality of the printing. Because of the subjective nature of this process, it has not been possible to articulate an objective quality standard for such products.
It is seen therefore that there is a need for a printed document including a print quality indicator and for a method of determining the print quality of the printed document in which the print quality indicator may be printed within the primary printing area of the document and in which an objective, repeatable measure of print quality can be obtained.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These needs are met by a printed document and a method of determining the print quality of the printed document according to the present invention. The printed document includes a print quality indicator on the print surface of the document. The document has a document substrate defining a print surface upon which print images and a print quality indicator are printed in a primary printing area. The image of the print quality indicator comprises a plurality of printed targets, each of the targets defining an unprinted area. The dimensions of the unprinted areas of the targets vary among the targets. The print quality of the printed document is determined by noting which of the unprinted areas in the print quality indicator printed on the document are not clearly free of ink upon close visual inspection of the document.
The print images and the image of the print quality indicator originate on a photographic negative. The desired image of each target may comprise a printed circle, having a specified outer diameter, a specified line weight, and a specified inner diameter, and a printed circular dot, having a specified diameter, positioned centrally within the printed circle. The specified diameter of the printed circular dot is less than the specified inner diameter of the printed circle such that the printed circular dot and the printed circle define an unprinted area there between. The unprinted area is generally annular in shape. The specified outer diameter of each printed circle is preferably substantially 0.010 inch, and the specified inner diameter of each printed circle is preferably substantially 0.006 inch. The image of the print quality indicator may comprise nine targets, with the targets having printed circular dots of substantially the following diameters: 0.0038 inch, 0.0035 inch, 0.0032 inch, 0.0028 inch, 0.0025 inch, 0.0022 inch, 0.0019 inch 0.0016 inch, and 0.0013 inch. The identity of the target having the largest printed circular dot in which the unprinted area is free of ink on the printed document provides an objective indication of the sharpness or print quality of the print images printed on the print surface. The targets on the printed document are preferably observed for this purpose under magnification, preferably under substantially 30× magnification.
The targets on the printed document may be arranged in a single row and intermingled with the images printed on the print surface. Alternatively, the targets on the printed document may be arranged in rows and columns forming a generally rectangular array and intermingled with the images printed on the print surface. The print quality indicator preferably comprises nine targets which occupy an area approximately 0.010 inch by 0.090 inch. The nine targets are sufficiently small so as not to be readily apparent upon casual inspection of the print surface without the aid of magnification.
The method of determining the print quality of a printed document according to the present invention comprises the step of providing a print quality indicator image including a plurality of printed targets. Each of the targets defines an unprinted area, with the dimensions of the unprinted areas of the targets varying among the targets. The method further includes the step of providing a document substrate defining a print surface. The method further includes the step of printing print images on the print surface in the primary printing area, and printing the print quality indicator image on the print surface in the primary printing area. Finally, the method includes the step of visually inspecting the document and noting which of the unprinted areas in the print quality indicator printed on the document are not clearly free of ink. The print images and the print quality indicator image are initially provided on a photographic negative. The image of each of the targets making up the print quality indicator image includes a printed circle and printed inner dot. The identity of the target having the largest printed circular dot in which the unprinted area is free of ink on the printed document provides an objective indication of the sharpness or print quality of the print images printed on the print surface. The step of visually inspecting the document may include the step of
Mowry, Jr. William H.
Riccardella Joseph V.
Webendorfer Stephen D.
Coles Edward L.
Killworth, Gottman Hagan & Schaeff, L.L.P.
The Standard Register Company
Wallerson Mark
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