EP4026697A1 - Print control strip - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a print control strip 10 for printing on a substrate 2 that moves in a printing direction X during a printing process, with a substrate width B extending perpendicularly to the printing direction X, with the print control strip 10 extending at least over part of the substrate width B, with the print control strip 10 in extension of the printing direction X comprises at least one row 11 and wherein one or each row 11 comprises a plurality of measuring fields 12 arranged next to one another perpendicularly to the printing direction X, and wherein each measuring field 12 has a centroid 13 and an edge 14 leading in the extension of the printing direction X .The invention is based on the object of creating a solution with which the monitoring of the print quality with a plurality of measuring fields 12 comprehensive print control strip 10 even with a non-linear edge profile of the subject 3 while optimizing the space requirement it and thus the substrate requirement is possible.The print control strip 10 according to the invention is characterized in that the centroid 13 of at least one measuring field 12 or the leading edge 14 of at least one measuring field 12 in or opposite to the printing direction X to the centroid 13 of at least one neighboring measuring field 12 in the same row 11 is staggered.

Description

The invention relates to a print control strip for printing on a substrate that moves in a printing direction X during a printing process, with a substrate width B extending perpendicularly to the printing direction X, the print control strip extending at least over part of the substrate width B, the print control strip extending in the printing direction X comprises at least one row and wherein one or each row comprises a plurality of measuring fields arranged next to one another perpendicularly to the printing direction X, and wherein each measuring field has a centroid and an edge leading in the extension of the printing direction X.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a printed product comprising a substrate and a subject printed on the substrate, a method for producing a corresponding printed product and a method for determining at least one printing parameter.

It is known from the prior art to evaluate the print quality of a printed product by determining various print parameters. Such printing parameters are, for example, the color density, which is a measure of the color-accurate reproduction of the primary colors from which the printed image, also called subject below, is printed. In addition, the print quality can be assessed on the basis of print parameters such as the correct position of the individual printing colors in relation to one another, also known as register, the presence of doubling, toning, shifting or dot gain, etc.

These values can be determined on a printed product taken from production using appropriate measurement and evaluation devices such as densitometers.

However, it is also common practice in web-fed printing presses, i.e. in printing presses that print on a web-shaped substrate, to check various printing parameters, such as in particular the ink densities, the register or the color register inline during the ongoing printing process and to regulate compliance with the required printing parameters . For this purpose, corresponding sensors are used in the printing machine, which detect points on the printed product during ongoing production and determine the printing parameters accordingly.

Print control strips are known from the prior art both for determining the print parameters on printed products removed from the printing press and for recording print parameters within the press, which consist of a plurality of measuring fields arranged next to one another across the width of the printing material and thus perpendicular to the printing direction. These measuring fields usually include both solid and halftone areas of the primary colors used for printing to determine the color density or the dot gain as well as various measuring fields to determine other printing parameters.

In order to be able to determine and evaluate the print quality over the entire width of the printing material, such measuring fields are arranged over the entire printing width, which generally essentially corresponds to the width of the printing material.

In printing presses that use separate devices such as ink knives or ink nozzles to control the inking, measuring fields are usually arranged in the area of the extension of an ink knife or an ink nozzle for each printing color in order to be able to regulate the inking zone by zone.

Also known from the prior art are print control strips which, extending in the direction of printing, only consist of a row of measuring fields arranged next to one another perpendicularly to the direction of printing and thus in the area of the substrate width B.

However, print control strips are also known which consist of a plurality of rows, each row comprising measuring fields arranged next to one another. The print control strips known from the prior art include measuring fields, in particular for determining the color density, which have dimensions of approximately three by three millimeters. However, larger and smaller measuring fields are also known, which depends both on the sensors used and on the number of pressure parameters to be determined.

The print control strips known from the prior art are designed as a straight bar, which can be arranged on the leading or trailing edge of a printing forme and/or a printed image or when printing several copies in a printed product in the middle of the printed image.

The formation of a rectilinear print control strip is based on the formation of the printing form, for example as a printing plate with rectilinearly bent legs, which is usually clamped in rectilinear clamping channels on the forme cylinder, as well as in a printed product with usually rectilinear, mostly right-angled edges such as newspapers or magazines and also justified.

However, there are also applications, such as packaging printing, in which a printed product and thus the subject does not consist of a plurality of mostly rectangular printed pages, but rather a plurality of arbitrarily shaped, for example round, oval or trapezoidal printed images must be arranged in the subject. By appropriate nesting of these print images, the number of print images arranged on a printed product and thus the number of copies can be significantly increased; however, a straight edge of the printing form or the use of a straight print control strip would significantly reduce the number of print images that can be arranged on a printing form and thus the number of copies.

The invention is therefore based on the object of creating a solution with which the monitoring of the print quality with a print control strip comprising a large number of measuring fields is possible even if the edges of the subject are not linear, while at the same time optimizing the space requirement and thus the substrate requirement.

This object is achieved by a print control strip according to claim 1 or claim 2, a printed product according to claim 9, a method for producing a printed product according to claim 10 and a method for detecting at least one print parameter according to claim 11.

The print control strip according to the invention is characterized in that the centroid of at least one measuring field or the leading edge of at least one measuring field is offset in or against the printing direction X to the centroid of at least one neighboring measuring field in the same row.

The printed product according to the invention is characterized in that a print control strip according to the invention is printed on the printed product.

The method according to the invention for determining at least one printing parameter is characterized by the detection of the measurement fields contained in the print control strip according to the invention and the storage of the coordinates for each measurement field in the extent of the substrate width B and in the extent of the printing direction.

Such a configuration of a print control strip or a corresponding printed product and the associated methods have the advantage that it is possible to determine and/or regulate the print parameters by means of a print control strip even when the print image is used to the maximum even if the print image is not linear.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the centers of area of the measuring fields or the leading edges of the measuring fields of at least one row of the print control strip lie on an odd line.

This odd line, which is spanned by the centroids or by the leading edges or a point of each leading edge of each measuring field in a row, can at least partially be, for example, a line in the shape of a circular arc segment and/or a sinusoidal line and/or a sawtooth-shaped line line and/or a trapezoidal line. This line can have a continuous and/or discontinuous course, at least in part.

In order to also be able to record the measuring fields of a corresponding uneven print control strip inline and thus automatically by at least one sensor and to be able to evaluate the printing parameters, according to one embodiment of the invention, the coordinates of each measuring field to be recorded are stored in the extent of the substrate width B and in the extent of the printing direction. Either the coordinates of the entire area or the coordinates of a point of the leading edge of a measuring field and/or a centroid of a measuring field and/or any point within the measuring field can be stored for each measuring field.

During the detection of at least one printing parameter, the coordinates in the extension of the substrate width B and in the extension of the printing direction X can be called up for each recorded measuring field by recording at least one measuring field by at least one sensor, so that on the one hand a recording of the measuring fields is ensured and also an assignment of the content of a measurement field, such as the grid and the printing color, is stored and can be assigned.

Preferred developments of the invention result from the dependent claims and the following description.

Fig. 1

ein aus dem Stand der Technik bekanntes Druckprodukt mit aufgedrucktem Druckkontrollstreifen

Fig. 2

eine Ausgestaltung eines aus dem Stand der Technik bekannten einreihigen, geradlinigen Druckkontrollstreifen

Fig. 3

eine Ausgestaltung eines aus dem Stand der Technik bekannten zweireihigen, geradlinigem Druckkontrollstreifen

Fig. 4

ein Beispiel eines Druckproduktes mit nicht-geradlinigen Sujet und geradlinigen Druckkontrollstreifen

Fig. 5

ein Beispiel eines Druckproduktes mit nicht-geradlinigen Sujet und an die Form des Sujets angepassten, ungeradlinigen Druckkontrollstreifen

Fig. 6

eine Abwicklung des Sujets auf der Mantelfläche eines Druckzylinders

Fig. 7

einen Ausschnitt aus einem einreihigen, ungeradlinigen Druckkontrollstreifen mit quadratischen Messfeldern

Fig. 8

einen Ausschnitt aus einem zweireihigen, ungeradlinigen Druckkontrollstreifen

Fig. 9

einen Ausschnitt aus einem einreihigen, ungeradlinigen Druckkontrollstreifen mit runden Messfeldern

Fig. 10

einen Ausschnitt aus einem einreihigen, ungeradlinigen Druckkontrollstreifen mit ungleichförmigen Messfeldern

Various exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, without being restricted thereto. It shows:

1

a print product known from the prior art with a printed print control strip

2

an embodiment of a single-row, rectilinear print control strip known from the prior art

3

an embodiment of a two-row, rectilinear print control strip known from the prior art

4

an example of a printed product with a non-linear subject and linear print control strips

figure 5

an example of a printed product with a non-linear subject and non-linear print control strips adapted to the form of the subject

6

a development of the subject on the lateral surface of a printing cylinder

7

a section from a single-row, non-linear print control strip with square measuring fields

8

an excerpt from a two-row, non-linear print control strip

9

a section from a single-row, non-linear print control strip with round measuring fields

10

a section from a single-row, non-linear print control strip with non-uniform measuring fields

1 shows a printed product 1, which comprises a substrate 2, on which a single-color or multi-color subject 3 is printed. In order to print the substrate 2, which has a product length L and a substrate width B, the substrate 2 is conveyed in the printing direction X through a printing machine (not shown) and is thereby printed.

For the present invention, it is fundamentally irrelevant whether the printing press is a sheet-fed printing press for printing sheet-shaped substrate 2, or whether it is a web-fed printing press in which a web-shaped substrate 2 is printed, which is then either separated into individual sheets or is wound up again for further processing.

In order to be able to clearly evaluate the print quality and/or to be able to evaluate it during the printing process, a print control strip 10 is usually printed onto the substrate 2 . This print control strip 10 can, as in 1 shown, be arranged on the leading edge 14 of the printed product 1. Although not in 1 shown, it is also possible to arrange the print control strip 10 in the area of the trailing edge or within the subject 3 in the case of multiple copies.

2 shows the detail A of the 1 on an enlarged scale. It can be seen here that the print control strip 10 consists of a plurality of measuring fields 12 arranged next to one another in the extent of the substrate width B. Normally, the mutually adjacent measuring fields 12 each have a different filling, whether they are printed with a different color or an area with a defined grid of the same color or a different color is printed next to a solid area. Further details on the design of the respective measuring fields 12 can be found in the relevant technical literature.

3 also shows a section A of the print control strip 10 from the prior art in a corresponding enlargement, the print control strip 10 having a plurality of rows 11 arranged one behind the other in the extension of the printing direction X, each row 11 having a plurality of rows next to one another in the extension perpendicular to the printing direction X arranged measuring fields 12 has.

The example of 3 shows a print control strip 10 with a first row 11-1 leading in the printing direction X and a subsequent second row 11-2 of measuring fields 12. Print control strips 10 with more than two rows 11 are also known from the prior art, the number of rows 11 however, is not relevant to the present invention.

4 Figure 12 illustrates an example where the use of a prior art rectilinear print control bar 10 is disadvantageous. While in the case of subjects 3 with a rectilinear and, in particular, rectangular contour, such as in 1 shown, the insertion of a print control strip 10 leads to only a relatively small additional space requirement and thus to a relatively small additional requirement for substrate 2, this results in subjects 3 with a non-rectilinear contour, such as in 4 shown, a rectilinear print control strip 10 leads to increased substrate consumption due to the large proportion of unprinted and therefore unusable area.

Such as in 4 Subjects 3 shown by way of example are used, for example, in packaging printing, where the subject 3 comprises blanks 4 of any shape and preferably arranged in an optimized manner with regard to the space requirement relative to one another. Such blanks 4 can have any desired shape, such as a circular shape, so that with a correspondingly optimized arrangement, the subject 3 has a non-rectilinear contour.

As in 4 As can be seen, with such a non-rectilinear and thus non-rectilinear contour of the subject 3 with the simultaneous use of a rectilinear print control strip 10, a correspondingly large amount of space is required and thus an increased requirement for substrate 2 per printed subject 3, since the area between the rectilinear print control strip 10 and the odd contour of the subject 3 cannot be used.

figure 5 shows that in 4 already shown subject 3, which has an uneven contour due to the shape of the benefit 4 and/or the arrangement of the benefit 4. By using a print control strip 10 adapted to the contour of the subject 3 according to the invention, the distance between the print control strip 10 and the subject 3 can be kept uniformly small over the entire width of the subject 3 or over the entire substrate width B.

On the other hand, the distance between the uneven print control strip 10 and the trailing contour of the subject 3 viewed in the printing direction X can also be kept small, so that when the subject 3 including the print control strip 10 is arranged around the lateral surface of a forme cylinder, only a minimal amount of additional space is required and the leading and trailing edge of the entire print image can be joined together without a gap.

6 shows that in figure 5 illustrated subject 3 wound around the lateral surface of a forme cylinder. With such a print control strip 10 according to the invention, it is possible to arrange a large number of copies 4 including a print control strip 10 with minimally unprinted and therefore unusable area of the substrate 2 on the lateral surface of a forme cylinder. It is irrelevant here whether the form cylinder is an engraved gravure cylinder or a form cylinder with a clamped printing form, as is used, for example, in flexographic or offset printing processes.

In the case of forme cylinders with a mounted printing forme, such as a flexographic printing forme or an offset printing plate, the printing forme attached to the forme cylinder can also have edges that are correspondingly adapted to the contour of the subject 3, so that as many copies 4 as possible can be arranged on the lateral surface without excessive loss of space.

7 shows a detailed view of the in figure 5 illustrated pressure control strip 10 in an embodiment with a row 11 and square measuring fields 12, which according to figure 5 the print control strip 10 extends at least over part of the substrate width B. When the substrate 2 passes through the printing device in the printing direction X, the print control strip 10 is printed onto the substrate 2 with all of the printing colors that are in use and thus with at least one printing color.

In the extension of the printing direction X, the print control strip 10 comprises a row 11 of measuring fields 12 arranged next to one another perpendicularly to the printing direction X, with section B according to FIG 7 only the measuring fields 12-1 to 12-14 are shown.

Each measuring field 12 has a centroid 13-1 to 13-14 and an edge 14 leading in the direction of printing X, wherein in 7 for the sake of better clarity, only the reference edges of the leading edges 14-2, 14-8 and 14-12 are provided with reference numbers. However, it goes without saying that all of the in 7 measuring fields 12-1 to 12-14 shown have a leading edge 14. Each measuring field 12 also includes a centroid 13.

To the print control strip 10 to an odd edge of a subject 3 according to figure 5 to be adjusted, the centroid 13 of at least one measuring field 12 is to be adjusted is arranged offset in or counter to the printing direction X to the centroid 13 of at least one adjacent measuring field 12 in the same row 11 .

At the in 7 In the example shown, the centroid 13-2 of the measuring field 12-2 is offset by the offset Δx in the printing direction X in relation to the centroid 13-1 of the measuring field 12-1. The centroids 13 arranged next to one another perpendicularly to the printing direction X also have an offset Δx in relation to one another in or counter to the printing direction X, with the exception of the measuring fields 12-7 and 12-8.

The centroids 13-1 to 13-14 are thus on an odd line 15, which in the case of the 7 shown example has a substantially sinusoidal course. Although the in 7 shown line 15 and thus essentially in figure 5 Print control strip 10 shown as an example due to the in figure 5 Subject 3 shown as an example has a sinusoidal contour, it depends on the shape of the figure 5 illustrated benefits 4 also possible that the line 15 at least partially assumes any shape such as a circular arc segment-shaped, a sawtooth-shaped or a trapezoidal line 15.

Although not in figure 5 or in 7 shown, the line 15 on which the centroids 13 or the leading edges 14 of the measuring fields 12 of at least one row 11 lie, can at least partially have a continuous course and/or partially have a discontinuous course. The course of the line 15 and thus essentially the contour of the print control strip 10 is essentially dependent on the shape of the blanks 4 and thus on the contour of the subject 3 as a whole of the blanks 4, so that erratic discontinuous courses are also possible for maximum space optimization .

Due to the square shape of the measuring fields 12 as well as due to the same size of the in 7 measuring fields 12 shown is in 7 the respective leading edge 14 in the measuring fields 12-1 to 12-7 and 12-8 to 12-14 shown arranged offset in relation to the leading edge 14 of the measuring field 12 adjacent perpendicularly to the printing direction X in or counter to the printing direction X.

At the in 7 In the example shown, only the leading edges 14 of the measuring fields 12-7 and 12-8 have no offset Δx relative to one another in the printing direction X.

Assuming symmetry of the in 7 In the exemplary embodiment shown, the leading edge 14-13 of the measuring field 12-13 also has the offset Δx in the printing direction X relative to an imaginary line between the measuring fields 12-7 and 12-8 in relation to the leading edge 14-14 of the measuring field 12-14 .

8 shows section B figure 5 , albeit for a print control strip 10 having a plurality of rows 11, namely a first row 11-1 and a second row 11-2.

In this respect, for the in 8 all explanations as for the in 7 illustrated embodiment, albeit with the difference of a multi-row configuration of the print control strip 10.

9 shows an exemplary embodiment of a print control strip 10 according to the invention as a detailed view of FIG figure 5 , which in contrast to those in the Figures 7 and 8 The print control strip 10 shown has round measuring fields 12 by way of example.

With the exception of the measurement areas 12 - 7 and 12 - 8 , the remaining measurement areas 12 have an offset Δx in the printing direction X relative to the respectively adjacent measurement area 12 in relation to the respective centroids 13 . Due to the circular shape of the measuring fields 12, the leading edge 14 as a whole is not a preferred reference for the offset Δx to the leading edge 14 of the respective adjacent measuring field 12, since this requires the definition of a specific point is required. In this exemplary embodiment, the centroid 13 of a respective measuring field 12 is therefore suitable as a reference variable for the offset Δx.

In contrast to those in the Figures 7 and 8 shown embodiments, it is in the in 9 In the example shown, however, it is possible or simpler to define an enveloping line 15 over the leading edges 14, which thus defines the overall contour of the print control strip 10.

10 shows another possible embodiment of a print control strip 10 according to the invention. 10 also shows section B figure 5 .

10 shows an embodiment of the measurement fields 12 in which the respective measurement fields 12 have the same measurement field width b perpendicular to the printing direction X and thus parallel to the substrate width B, but in which each measurement field 12 has an odd and measurement field-specific leading edge 14. The leading edge 14 of each measuring field 12 is thus a section of the contour of the print control strip 10, which is preferably adapted to the subject 3. The measuring field height h is 10 example shown is identical for each measuring field 12, but this does not necessarily have to be the case.

Due to the odd shape of the leading edges 14 of the measuring fields 12, the leading edge 14 is a poor reference point for the definition of the offset Δx, but this offset Δx from one measuring field 12 to the adjacent measuring field 12 can take place via the respective centroids 13. At the in 10 The example shown shows the offset Δx in the printing direction X between the centroid 13-1 of the measuring field 12-1 and the centroid 13-2 of the measuring field 12-2.

Conversely, this means that, in particular depending on the design of the measuring fields 12, the at least partially odd contour of the print control strip 10 extends perpendicularly to the printing direction X via the corresponding contour of the subject 3, which is defined by the shape and/or the arrangement of the respective blanks 4 in relation to one another, is defined via the offset Δx of the centroids 13 or via the offset Δx of the leading edges 14 or via the enveloping line 15 of the leading edges 14 .

When using one in the figures 5 and 7 to 10 The print control strip 10 shown is printed onto the substrate 2 using the printing form. A corresponding printed product 1 has comparable to the in figure 5 illustrated figure on a corresponding print control strip 10.

To determine at least one printing parameter such as the color density or the dot gain is thus at least one measuring field 12 of a print control strip 10 as under the figures 5 and 7 to 10 described, detected by at least one sensor, not shown. The sensor can be at least one oscillating sensor, such as a CCD camera known from the prior art, which scans the respective measuring fields 12 across the substrate width B.

However, it is also possible for a plurality of sensors to be fitted across the substrate width B in order to scan the substrate 2 across the substrate width B simultaneously. This optical detection of the measuring fields 12 of the printed print control strips 10 arranged across the substrate width B as well as the determination of the printing parameters is sufficiently known from the prior art.

In the measuring and/or control systems for web-fed printing presses known from the prior art, however, detection is simpler in that the print control strip 10, which runs straight and perpendicular to the printing direction X, always has the same print length L appears again.

In order to detect the measuring fields 12 of the print control strip 10 according to the invention across the substrate width B, however, due to the non-linear shape of the print control strip 10, it is necessary in the control unit and/or in the evaluation unit of the measuring and/or regulating system for determining the printing parameters or in the controller of the printing machine to store the coordinates of each measuring field 12 to be recorded in the extension of the substrate width B and in the extension of the printing direction X or to store them in another form starting from a reference point.

This can be done, for example, by storing the geometric area or the area boundaries of the individual measurement fields 12 or by storing the coordinates of a point of the leading edge 14 and/or the coordinates of the centroids 13 and/or any point within each measurement field 12.

It is also possible to store a reference point within the print control strip 10, from which the respective measuring fields 12 are defined via vector data.

Before or during the determination of at least one print parameter, the coordinates or other geometric information on the position of the measuring fields 12 are retrieved by the at least one sensor before or during the detection of the measuring fields 12, so that it can be calculated at which location on the substrate 2 a specific measuring field 12 is printed and is or can be recorded in order to be able to subject the data and print parameters determined from this to a template and thus to a target/actual comparison and/or a plausibility check.

The definition and storage of the geometry of the print control strip 10 as well as each individual measuring field 12 is necessary for a print control strip 10 according to the invention in order to be able to calculate when or that the at least one sensor also detects a measuring field 12 with a defined shape and/or content.

For this purpose, for example, the coordinates of each measurement field 12 in the extent of the substrate width B and in the extent of the printing direction X are called up in order to be able to determine the detection of a measurement field 12 in this way.

reference list

1

print product

2

substrate

3

subject

4

To use

10

print control strip

11

Row

12

measuring field

13

centroid

14

leading edge

15

line

X

pressure direction

L

print length

B

substrate width

Δx

offset

b

measuring field width

H

measuring field height

Claims (13)

Print control strip (10) for printing on a substrate (2) moving in a printing direction X during a printing process, with a substrate width B extending perpendicularly to the printing direction X, the print control strip (10) extending at least over part of the substrate width B, the print control strip (10) in the extension of the printing direction X comprises at least one row (11) and wherein one or each row (11) comprises a plurality of measuring fields (12) arranged next to one another perpendicularly to the printing direction X, and wherein each measuring field (12) has a centroid (13) and an edge (14) leading in the extension of the printing direction X, characterized in that the centroid (13) of at least one measuring field (12) in or counter to the printing direction X to the centroid (13) of at least one neighboring measuring field (12) same row (11) is staggered. Print control strip (10) for printing onto a substrate (2) moving in a printing direction X during a printing process, with a substrate width b extending perpendicularly to the printing direction X, the print control strip (10) extending at least over part of the substrate width b, the print control strip (10) in the extension of the printing direction X comprises at least one row (11) and wherein one or each row (11) comprises a plurality of measuring fields (12) arranged next to one another perpendicularly to the printing direction X, and wherein each measuring field (12) has a centroid (13) and an edge (14) leading in the extension of the printing direction X, characterized in that the leading edge (14) of at least one measuring field (12) in or counter to the printing direction X to the leading edge (14) of at least one adjacent measuring field ( 12) of the same row (11) is staggered. Print control strip (10) according to one of Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the print control strip (10) comprises a row (11). Print control strip (10) according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the centroids (13) of the measuring fields (12) or the leading edges (14) of the measuring fields (12) of at least one row (11) are on an odd line (15 ) lie. Print control strip (10) according to Claim 4, characterized in that the centroids (13) or the leading edges (14) of the measuring fields (12) of at least one row (11) are on a line (15) that is at least partially in the shape of a circular arc segment or on a sinusoidal line line (15) or lie on a sawtooth-shaped or trapezoidal-shaped line (15). Print control strip (10) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the centroids (13) or the leading edges (14) of the measuring fields (12) of at least one row (11) are on a line (15) with an at least partially continuous and/or are discontinuous. Print control strip (10) according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the measuring fields (12) of at least one row (11) have the same size or the same area. Print control strip (10) according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least some of the measuring fields (12) have a rectangular or circular shape. Printed product (1) comprising a substrate (2) and a subject (3) printed on the substrate (2), characterized in that on the printed product (1) a print control strip (10) according to one of claims 1 to 8 is printed. Method for producing a printed product (1), in which a motif (3) is printed on a substrate (2) by means of a printing device, characterized in that a print control strip (10) according to one of Claims 1 to 8 is printed on the printed product (1). becomes. Method for determining at least one printing parameter, wherein, to detect at least one printing parameter, at least one measuring field (12) of at least one print control strip (10) according to one of Claims 1 to 8 is detected by at least one sensor and evaluated by a computing unit, with each of the at least one sensor detected measuring field (12), the coordinates in the extension of the substrate width B and in the extension of the printing direction X are stored. Method according to Claim 11, characterized in that the coordinates of each measuring field (12) are the coordinates of a point on the leading edge (14) of a measuring field (12) and/or of a centroid (13) of a measuring field (12) and/or of any Point within the measuring field (12) are deposited. Method according to one of Claims 11 to 12, characterized in that before or during the determination of at least one printing parameter by detecting at least one measuring field (12) by at least one sensor for each detected measuring field (12) the coordinate in the extension of the substrate width B and in extension the print direction X can be called up.

Images