Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • G03F3/00—Colour separation; Correction of tonal value
  • G03F3/10—Checking the colour or tonal value of separation negatives or positives
  • G03F3/108—Checking the colour or tonal value of separation negatives or positives using a non-impact printing method, e.g. ink jet, using duplicating or marking methods covered by B41M5/00, e.g. by ablation or by thermographic means
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/46—Colour picture communication systems
  • H04N1/56—Processing of colour picture signals
  • H04N1/60—Colour correction or control
  • H04N1/603—Colour correction or control controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer
  • H04N1/6052—Matching two or more picture signal generators or two or more picture reproducers
  • H04N1/6055—Matching two or more picture signal generators or two or more picture reproducers using test pattern analysis
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/46—Colour picture communication systems
  • H04N1/56—Processing of colour picture signals
  • H04N1/60—Colour correction or control
  • H04N1/6097—Colour correction or control depending on the characteristics of the output medium, e.g. glossy paper, matt paper, transparency or fabrics

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a process for the production of test prints, so-called proofs.
• Industrial presses can typically print a certain range of colors and black using standard papers and inks. This usually representable pressure range is referred to as a so-called color space. Any combination of the given inks, each in a range of 0% to 100%, including black, will yield a printable color point.
• Color spaces include, for example, ISO color spaces for offset printing (eg, ISO 39), PSR color spaces used in the gravure area, web coating color spaces used, for example, for web offset, and the like.
• the particular digital printer in turn can create a different color spectrum compared to the industrial printing press. Again, this color gamut of the digital printer results when the colors available on this digital printer and black are printed in all combinations. Here, too, one starts from standard colors, which are usual for this printer or printer type, and standard papers for digital printers.
• test image After converting the print data from one color space to another, the test image could now be created on the digital printer.
• Calibration is typically performed to print a test image or a test strip representing particular color patches.
• the concrete printed result is compared with a printer-typical target image.
• an exact measurement of the printed test strip and the result data are compared with the target data.
• the corresponding deviations result in calibration data, which are then supplemented or superimposed in the respective calibration table.
• the present invention is based on the invention of improving a method for producing test prints in such a way that it produces reproducible test prints in a narrow deviation spectrum with high accuracy and with the greatest possible printing flexibility.
• security in the use of the process software is significantly increased by logical links in the software intercepting user errors.
• the invention proposes a method having the features of claim 1. Further advantages and features of the invention emerge from the subclaims.
• the print data present in a given color space is transformed into the color space of the digital printer using conversion tables. It is assumed that a given default state of the digital printer. For example, certain paper types can lead to different ground states and thus to different color space transformation tables or color space conversion tables.
• the transformed data is now corrected by correction data.
• the correction data in turn are the result of a so-called calibration.
• a predefined color spectrum is printed out with the digital printer, the print result is measured and compared with a target result.
• the calibration also takes into account which measuring device is used in order to considerably increase the accuracy of the data in this way. This is done automatically. It has been shown that even this supplementary definition of the condition results in a considerable improvement of the results.
• the respective color strip to be printed for the calibration also called test strip, test pattern or the like, already takes into account the respective measuring device. It can be specified in this way test strips, which are to be used depending on the meter.
• the test data set to be printed is defined as clearly as the target data set to be compared with the measurement result. The selection of these data can take place automatically after interrogation of the existing measuring device. This means that the setpoints for the different meters are different, but all lead to the same calibration result.
• the system can easily check the correctness of the settings in a simple manner.
• the system automatically detects which meter is connected, but printers also provide information about ink sets used and the like. For example, the system may detect that the wrong paper is loaded in the printer, or it may simply recognize that the printed results deviate from the target-to-actual comparison in a manner that requires calibration.
• the calibration can either be triggered automatically or prepared by a message.
• the invention makes it possible to carry out validity checks with respect to the calibration data.
• This can be adjustable, for example, in the sense of "every print job,””all X print jobs,” every X hours, every X days, and so on.
• validity control There are two possibilities of validity control:
• the tolerances for the calibration results are linked to the setpoints. Tolerances and validity checks can be defined per calibration set. Thus, for example, narrower tolerances can be defined for a high-quality paper than for a paper of lower quality. In particular, it is also possible to set a type of expiration period for the calibration result, so that, for example, after a certain time, for example one week, the calibration data automatically becomes invalid.
• This supplement according to the invention achieves a very high level of production reliability, since the validity criteria ensure that the calibration data are very up to date with the actual state.
• the system does not allow jobs to be issued uncalibrated, significantly increasing user safety.
• a tolerance spectrum can be defined in which deviations resulting from the target / actual comparison can move. Thus, it can be left to the user to allow a greater deviation than acceptable for the particular job, or the software can automatically check the spectrum.
• the deviations from target values are printed on the proof as a text label.
• the user can thus determine exactly for the respective pressure, under which specification the printing has taken place.
• the date of the last calibration is noted on the proof.
• which calibration set was used which in turn clearly the setpoints and the tolerances and Validity parameter defined. The user can easily identify with this information whether the technical parameters of the proof including calibration are in order. Gross user error or negligence (user has not calibrated printer for a long time) can be immediately recognized by the label.
• a further particular advantage of the invention results from the fact that combinations of transformation tables and calibration files having the same result are assigned to a standard selection. In this way, if there are several different printers, a load balancing can take place.
• the system is able to evaluate the respective results for combinations of transformation tables and calibration files and to find combinations with the same result.
• the user can be offered a printer from a selection automatically or for selection if the latter delivers the same results as another printer of a standard selection.
• this way can be printed with high flexibility and it automatically results in a so-called load balancing. Ie. the available printers are charged substantially equally.
• the system does not allow jobs to be output uncalibrated. So only calibrated printers are used for load balancing.
• a completeness information with the proof is a logo. If all parameters are valid, ie the required transformation file for the color space transformation of the data and the calibration file applied, with the calibration file valid and all verifiable parameters in the default area, a complete logo is printed. According to the invention, it may be provided not to print certain areas of the logo, for example, if certain specifications are not met. This can be, for example, a certain color range that is omitted, so that others, for example red, become more dominant. It is also possible, instead of omitting parts, to make color shifts and to print out the logo accordingly. An example only red logo indicates that this pressure should not be ok due to the specifications.
• ICC Integrated Circuit
• the invention provides a considerably improved process for the production of test prints, so-called color proofs, which increases the production reliability so that the reproduction of prints is significantly more secure, which considerably increases the accuracy of the reproduction in the proof and, moreover, the flexibility with regard to the pressure control improved.
• Fig. 1 shows an assignment of output color space to destination color space and 2 shows an assignment of defined printer state to measuring device.
• the starting point is a data record which contains the digital print data for producing a print result on an industrial printing press. These data are targeted to data points in the output color space of the press. Such an output color space is for example ISO 39.
• a user would like to create a color proof on an existing digital printer, for example an EPSON 4800 was chosen.
• This EPSON 4800 can be used in different states, resulting in different mapping tables, called MX4.
• a user thus selects his output color space and the respective printer in the desired state. There then takes place a transformation of the digital print data from the output color space into the destination color space using the respectively associated MX4 table.
• the EPSON 4800 printer was calibrated in Condition 1, equipped with Paper 1 and Ink Type 1.
• a calibration file - designated MX3 in Figure 2 - was generated.
• MX4 / MX3 combinations that result in the same output result are recognized by the system and the user may be offered the same target result on a different printer. In this way, a load balancing can be done.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Accessory Devices And Overall Control Thereof (AREA)
• Color Image Communication Systems (AREA)
• Record Information Processing For Printing (AREA)
• Color, Gradation (AREA)
• Printing Methods (AREA)
• Image Processing (AREA)
• Facsimile Image Signal Circuits (AREA)

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Publications (1)

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Citations (8)

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• 2008
  • 2008-04-22 AT AT08007753T patent/ATE545063T1/de active
  • 2008-04-22 EP EP08007753A patent/EP2112553B1/de active Active
• 2009
  • 2009-04-22 WO PCT/EP2009/002927 patent/WO2009130013A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2009-04-22 JP JP2011505425A patent/JP5572621B2/ja active Active
  • 2009-04-22 US US12/989,398 patent/US8681376B2/en active Active

Patent Citations (8)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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