Intelligent Media Profile Management

Abstract

To provide an intelligent medium profile management method, a system, and a storage medium for managing information on various paper media and improving the quality of printing performed by a printer.SOLUTION: A management system 101 of a paper catalog 10 stores, in one or more computer storage devices 102, a paper catalog including recording of measuring paper having color information and a color management profile and standard paper having color information but not having a color management profile, and according to the color information in the standard paper selected by a user and color preference of the user, causes one or more processors 104 to correlate one piece of the measuring paper with the standard paper, and outputs color management profile for the correlated measuring paper for printing on the standard paper.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates generally to printing on paper media, and more particularly to managing information about various paper media to improve the quality of printing by a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] To achieve high-quality color reproduction, print shops employ various color management profiles for paper media. Ideally, each paper has a one-to-one relationship with a color management profile customized for each printer. In reality, however, print shops cannot profile every paper they use. Many print shops use hundreds of different types of paper, and creating a color management profile that is appropriate for each individual paper requires printing and measuring 1,000 to 2,000 color patches.

[0003] A printer manufacturer can validate (at most) hundreds of papers on a printing device. The printing device can store a paper catalog containing color management profiles for these hundreds of validated papers. However, there are thousands of other papers on the market that are not included in the paper catalog. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Many print shops can add papers to the paper catalog stored with their printers, but printing equipment manufacturers do not provide color management profiles for these added papers. Print shops can use color management profiles provided by paper manufacturers, but these color management profiles are developed for "average" printing equipment and do not enable high-quality color reproduction on a specific printer.

[0005] Given the difficulty of profiling many different papers, many print shops perform minimal, if any, color management. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to aspects of the present disclosure, systems and methods manage information about paper media to improve print quality from a printer. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the systems and methods efficiently maintain color management profiles for various papers and ensure that the most appropriate (e.g., optimal) color management profile is employed for color conversion of a particular paper. In particular, embodiments may employ dynamic management of data stored in a printing system's paper catalog. As a result, a printer's paper catalog can effectively associate papers with color management profiles that provide the best color reproduction for those papers.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment, a method for managing paper information in a printing system includes storing a paper catalog in one or more computer storage devices. The paper catalog includes records of measured papers and standard papers. Each record of the measured papers has respective color information and a respective color management profile. Each record of the standard papers has respective color information but no respective color management profile. The method includes identifying one of the standard papers selected by a user. The method includes receiving a printing instruction from the user including color preferences. The method includes correlating, by one or more processors, one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper according to the color preferences in the printing instruction. The method includes outputting, by the one or more processors, the color management profile of the correlated measured paper for printing on the selected standard paper.

[0008] In another exemplary embodiment, a system for managing paper information in a printing system includes one or more computer storage devices configured to store a paper catalog. The paper catalog includes records of measured papers and standard papers. Each record of the measured papers has respective color information and a respective color management profile. Each record of the standard papers has respective color information but no respective color management profile. The system includes one or more processors configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The instructions cause the one or more processors to identify one of the standard papers selected by a user, receive a printing instruction from the user including color preferences, correlate one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper according to the color preferences in the printing instruction, and output the color management profile of the correlated measured paper for printing on the selected standard paper.

[0009] A further exemplary embodiment includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media for a printing system. The printing system includes one or more computer storage devices configured to store a paper catalog. The paper catalog includes records of measured papers and standard papers. Each record of the measured papers has respective color information and a respective color management profile. Each record of the standard papers has respective color information but no respective color management profile. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to identify one of the standard papers selected by a user, receive a printing instruction from the user that includes color preferences, correlate one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper according to the color preferences in the printing instruction, and output the color management profile of the correlated measured paper for printing on the selected standard paper.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, a method for managing paper information in a printing system includes storing a paper catalog in one or more computer storage devices. The paper catalog includes records of measured papers, each measured paper defined by respective color information and a respective color management profile. The method includes classifying, by one or more computer processors, the measured papers into a plurality of groups according to shared characteristics. For each group, the one or more computer processors select a representative one of the measured papers, and the one or more computer processors update the paper catalog to convert other measured papers in the group to a standard paper by recording a reference to the representative measured paper with respect to the other measured papers. The standard paper is associated with the color management profile of the representative measured paper.

[0011] In another exemplary embodiment, a system for managing paper information in a printing system includes one or more computer storage devices configured to store a paper catalog including records of measured papers. Each measured paper is defined by respective color information and a respective color management profile. The system includes one or more computer processors configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The instructions cause the one or more processors to classify the measured papers into a plurality of groups according to shared characteristics. For each group, the instructions cause the one or more processors to select a representative one of the measured papers and update the paper catalog to convert other measured papers in the group to a standard paper by recording a reference to the representative measured paper with respect to the other measured papers. The standard paper is associated with the color management profile of the representative measured paper.

[0012] A further exemplary embodiment includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media for a printing system. The printing system includes one or more computer storage devices configured to store a paper catalog including records of measured papers. Each measured paper is defined by respective color information and a respective color management profile. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media store computer-executable instructions. When executed by one or more processors, the computer-executable instructions cause the one or more processors to classify the measured papers into multiple groups according to shared characteristics. For each group, the instructions cause the one or more processors to select a representative one of the measured papers and update the paper catalog to convert other measured papers in the group to a standard paper by recording a reference to the representative measured paper with respect to the other measured papers. The standard paper is associated with the color management profile of the representative measured paper.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, a method for managing paper information in a printing system includes accessing, by one or more computer processors, a paper catalog including records of measured paper and standard paper. Each record of the measured paper has respective color information and a respective color management profile. Each record of the standard paper has respective color information but does not have a respective color management profile. The method includes determining, by the one or more computer processors, a recommendation indicating whether one or more records of the standard paper should be converted to records of measured paper and whether one or more records of the measured paper should be converted to records of standard paper. The method includes outputting, by the one or more computer processors, the recommendation and updating the paper catalog according to the recommendation.

[0014] In another exemplary embodiment, a system for managing paper information in a printing system includes one or more computer storage devices configured to store a paper catalog including records of measured paper and standard paper. Each record of the measured paper has respective color information and a respective color management profile. Each record of the standard paper has respective color information but does not have a respective color management profile. The system includes one or more computer processors configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The instructions cause the one or more processors to determine a recommendation indicating whether one or more records of the standard paper should be converted to records of measured paper and whether one or more records of the measured paper should be converted to records of standard paper, and to output the recommendation.

[0015] A further exemplary embodiment includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media for a printing system. The printing system includes one or more computer storage devices configured to store a paper catalog including records of measured paper and standard paper. Each record of the measured paper has respective color information and a respective color management profile. Each record of the standard paper has respective color information but does not have a respective color management profile. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine a recommendation indicating whether one or more records of the standard paper should be converted to records of measured paper and whether one or more records of the measured paper should be converted to records of standard paper, and output the recommendation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1A] 1 illustrates an example paper catalog management system for managing paper information in a printing system, including aspects of adding new standard papers to a paper catalog, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 1B] 1B illustrates the example system of FIG. 1A, including an aspect of adding new measured paper to a paper catalog, according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 2] 1 illustrates an example method for adding a new standard paper to a paper catalog in a printing system according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 3] 3 illustrates further acts complementary to the exemplary method illustrated in FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an exemplary method for adding a new measured paper to a paper catalog in a printing system, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 5] 1 illustrates an exemplary method for dynamically correlating measured papers to standard papers in response to paper catalog updates in a printing system, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 6] 1 illustrates an exemplary method for processing a print instruction from a user, according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an exemplary printing system that evaluates paper color information from a paper catalog in the printing system and organizes papers with similar characteristics into groups, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an exemplary method for organizing paper for a paper catalog in a printing system according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

[0025] While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] To achieve reasonable color reproduction with reasonable effort, print shops can create color management profiles for some of the papers they use and then apply those color management profiles to other similar papers in their paper catalog. For example, a print shop can associate a group of similar papers with a single color management profile. The same color management profile can then be used when printing on those similar papers.

[0027] The printing system can use a paper catalog containing information for reproducing colors on various papers with a specific printing device. The paper catalog can include paper color information for various papers. Such paper color information can include, for example, the following measurements for each paper: (i) brightness (e.g., expressed as reflectance at a wavelength of 457 nm), (ii) whiteness (the relative balance of light in the visible spectrum), (iii) fluorescence (the amount of fluorescence in a whiteness measurement), and (iv) hue (the non-whiteness of the paper). While the illustrated embodiment employs evaluations of paper brightness, whiteness, and shade, it will be understood that other embodiments can consider additional or alternative information related to paper color information, such as measurements of yellowness, opacity, gloss, etc. Most production print spectrophotometers can measure the required paper color information. Print shops can measure the paper color information. Alternatively, the paper color information can be provided by others, such as paper manufacturers or other vendors.

[0028] The paper catalog may further include information about color management profiles for individual papers. A color management profile is a data set that describes a color space that a printing device uses for color conversion when printing on a specific paper. The color management profile may be, for example, an ICC (International Color Consortium) profile. An ICC profile provides a data set that characterizes a printing device according to the ICC standard by defining a mapping between the source of the printing device and a color space, such as the CIELAB color space or the CIEXYZ color space, as described below.

[0029] Alternatively, a color management profile may be a profile implemented in terms of TRCs (Tone / Tonal Reproduction Curves). For example, calibration of a printing device involves determining the maximum density that the printing device can reproduce (usually 95% of the maximum density obtained when printing a calibration target). Calibration also involves measuring densities at various ink loads. TRCs are created so that the curves are smooth and evenly spaced to ensure a good color ramp. If high accuracy of color reproduction is not required, the use of TRCs is sufficient. Printing devices can periodically check their calibration and perform recalibration to return the printer's color reproduction to a calibrated state.

[0030] Alternatively, a color management profile may be a profile implemented with a TRC that includes the color transformation of an ICC profile. This is more complex, but allows color management applications to be performed on any printing device, regardless of the device's calibration capabilities. The downside of using only ICC profiles is that creating an ICC profile requires measuring a large number of patches. A TRC provides the ability to make adjustments to an ICC profile by measuring a smaller set of patches. Additionally, a TRC may be employed to provide stable color reproduction, where the desired color mapping is achieved using an ICC profile.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the paper catalog includes records organized according to two defined paper categories: measured paper and standard paper.

[0032] The measured paper record includes (i) the paper color information described above and (ii) a color management profile. The color management profile can be determined by printing and measuring a test target. A vendor, such as a printing equipment manufacturer, can provide the color management profile, or a print shop can create the color management profile (i.e., profile the paper).

[0033] A standard paper record contains (i) the paper color information described above and (ii) a reference to a measured paper (or a reference to a corresponding color control profile). A standard paper record does not contain a color control profile. Instead, the standard paper is associated with the color control profile in the referenced measured paper record. Using references to measured papers can significantly reduce the number of color control profiles that need to be measured to control the color of all papers in a paper catalog.

[0034] The reference of the measured paper to the standard paper can be determined by comparing the paper color information of the standard paper with the paper color information of the measured paper. The measured values ​​of the paper color information can be expressed as a numerical value (e.g., a decimal number) that allows for easy comparison of the paper color information of various papers. The reference to the measured paper can then be determined by selecting the measured paper having paper color information that is closest to the paper color information of the standard paper. Different rules or criteria may be used to determine the closest or most suitable measured paper for reference by recording the standard paper.

[0035] Paper color information can be evaluated according to the CIELAB color space (also known as the CIE L*a*b* color space), a color space established by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE). The CIELAB color space describes color using three values: L*, which represents lightness from black (0) to white (100); a*, which represents green (-) to red (+); and b*, which represents blue (-) to yellow (+). The CIELAB color space is designed so that the same numerical change in these values ​​corresponds to approximately the same visually perceptible change. CIE L*a*b* measurements can be compared using ΔE (Delta E) measurements, which typically measure the visual change between two colors according to standards curated by the CIE. Alternatively, color paper information can be evaluated according to the CIE 1931 XYZ (CIEXYZ) color space, which measures luminance and chromaticity using a color space based on color vision.

[0036] 1A and 1B illustrate an example paper catalog management system 101 for managing paper information in a printing system associated with a printing device. The system 101 includes one or more computer storage devices 102 configured to store a paper catalog 10. The paper catalog 10 includes a first set of records 12 related to measured papers. The records 12 include respective paper color information 12a and respective color management profiles 12b for each of the measured papers. The paper catalog 10 also includes a second set of records 14 related to standard papers. For each of the standard papers, the records 14 include respective paper color information 14a and a respective reference 14b to one of the measured papers. By the respective reference 14b, each standard paper is associated with one of the measured paper's color management profiles 12b.

[0037] The system 101 includes a processor(s) 104 configured to execute instructions 20 stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium 106. The instructions 20 may, for example, cause the processor(s) 104 to perform any of the example methods described further below.

[0038] FIG. 2 illustrates an example method 200 for adding a new standard paper to the paper catalog 10. FIG. 1A illustrates an embodiment of a system 101 for implementing the method 200. Instructions 20 stored on a computer-readable medium 106 can cause a processor(s) 104 to perform the method 200. According to the method 200, at act 202, the processor(s) 104 can identify a new standard paper 4′. For example, a user can specify a new standard paper 4′ to add to the paper catalog 10. Such input may occur, for example, via a digital front end (DFE) of the printing system. At act 204, the processor(s) 104 can determine paper color information 14a′ for the new standard paper 4′. As previously discussed, the color information 14a′ can be measured with most production print spectrophotometers. A print shop can measure the color information 14a′. Alternatively, another party, such as a paper manufacturer or other vendor, may provide the color information 14a′.

[0039] In an additional act 206, the processor(s) 104 can compare the color information 14a' of the new standard paper 4' with the color information 12a stored in the records 12 of the measured papers in the paper catalog 10. Based on the comparison in act 206, in act 208 the processor(s) 104 can correlate one of the measured papers with the new standard paper 4'. The correlated measured paper is associated with the record 12' shown in FIG. 1A . In a further act 210, the computer storage device(s) 102 stores a record 14' of the new standard paper 4' in the paper catalog 10. At this point, the record 14' is stored among the other records 14 for the other standard papers. The record 14' of the new standard paper 4 includes the color information 14a' and a reference 14b' to the record 12' of the correlated measured paper. Correspondingly, the new standard paper 4' is associated with the color control profile 12b' of the correlated measured paper. In some embodiments, reference 14b' may point more directly to color management profile 12b' of record 12' instead of pointing generally to record 12'.

[0040] The processor(s) 104 may not only refer to the record 12' (or color control profile 12b') of the correlated measured paper, but may additionally or alternatively copy the color control profile 12b' into the record 14' of the new standard paper 4'. If the color control profile 12b' of the correlated measured paper is modified, the processor(s) 104 may correspondingly modify the copy of the color control profile 12b' in the record 14'.

[0041] As previously mentioned, the measured color information can be expressed as a numerical value (e.g., a decimal number) that allows for easy comparison of the color information of different papers. As shown in Figure 1A, color information 12a of the measured paper record 12 is associated with a color information value 22. Similarly, color information 14a of the standard paper record 14 is associated with a color information value 24.

[0042] 3 illustrates an example method 300 that includes additional acts complementary to the example method 200 illustrated in FIG. 2. According to method 300, in act 302, the processor(s) 104 can determine color information values ​​24' for the new standard paper 4' and respective color information values ​​22 for the records 12 relating to the measured paper. Accordingly, in act 304, the processor(s) 104 can compare the color information 14a' of the new standard paper 4' with the color information 12a of the measured paper by identifying differences between the color information values ​​24' of the new standard paper 4' and the color information values ​​22 of each record 12. Furthermore, in act 306, the processor(s) 104 can correlate the measured paper (record 12') with the new standard paper 4' by determining that the difference between the color information values ​​24' of the new standard paper 4' and the color information values ​​22' of the correlated measured paper is smaller than other differences.

[0043] The selection of the correlated measured paper 4' may involve the application of different rules or criteria. For example, a user may define a threshold that must be met before the standard paper 2' is associated with the measured paper. According to method 300, the processor(s) 104 may further determine a correlation threshold in act 308 and correlate one of the measured papers with the new standard paper 4' by determining in act 310 that the difference between the color information values ​​24' of the new standard paper 4' and the color information values ​​22' of the correlated measured paper satisfies the correlation threshold. The correlated measured paper must be sufficiently similar to the new standard paper 4', i.e., within the correlation threshold, before the correlated measured paper (record 12') can be associated with the new standard paper 4' by reference 14b' in the paper catalog 10. If the difference between the color information value 24' of the new standard paper 4' and the color information value 22 of one of the records 12 of the previously measured paper does not meet the correlation threshold, the record 14' of the new standard paper 4' can be recorded without reference 14b' to the previously measured paper.

[0044] As further shown in FIG. 1A , the color information 14a of the standard paper and the color information 12a of the measured paper are defined according to a plurality of attributes. The plurality of attributes may include, for example, at least one of brightness, whiteness, hue, yellowness, opacity, and glossiness. The color information 12a of the measured paper may be associated with attribute values ​​32, i.e., measured values ​​of each of the plurality of attributes. The color information 14a of the standard paper may be associated with attribute values ​​34, i.e., measured values ​​of each of the plurality of attributes. As described above, for example, the color information 14a′ of the new standard paper 4′ may be determined by measuring the color information 14a′ with a spectrophotometer.

[0045] Thus, in act 302, the processor(s) 104 can determine color information values ​​24' of the new standard paper 4' according to the (numerical) combination of attribute values ​​34'. Furthermore, the processor(s) 104 can determine color information values ​​22 of the measured paper according to the (numerical) combination of attribute values ​​32. The processor(s) 104 can additionally determine one or more correlation thresholds based on the multiple attributes and correlate one of the measured papers with the new standard paper 4' by determining that the difference(s) between the attribute values ​​34' of the new standard paper 4' and the corresponding attribute values ​​32' of the correlated measured paper satisfy the one or more correlation thresholds. Thus, one or more attributes of the new standard paper 4' must be sufficiently similar to the corresponding attribute(s) of the correlated measured paper, i.e., within the correlation threshold, before the correlated measured paper (record 12') can be associated with the new standard paper 4' by reference 14b'. If the difference between one of the attribute values ​​34' of the new standard paper 4' and the corresponding attribute value 32' of the correlated measured paper 2' does not meet the correlation threshold, a record 14' of the new standard paper 4' can be recorded without a reference 14b' to the measured paper 2.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 1A , each of the multiple attributes may be associated with a respective weighting. Such weighting may depend on the configuration of the printing device. For example, a monochrome printing device may weight hue information, while a color printing device may weight brightness or fluorescence information. Correspondingly, the color information value 24 of the new standard paper 4′ and the color information value 22 of the measured paper may be determined according to the weighting of the multiple attributes. Furthermore, the processor(s) 104 may identify the printing device (e.g., monochrome printing device, color printing device, etc.) and determine the weighting of the multiple attributes 16 according to the printing device.

[0047] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method 400 for adding new measured papers to the paper catalog 10. FIG. 1B illustrates an embodiment of a system 101 for implementing the method 400. As previously described, the print catalog 10 includes a first set of records 12 associated with measured papers. The records 12 include respective color information 12a and respective color management profiles 12b for each of the measured papers. The print catalog also includes a second set of records 14 related to standard papers. The records 14 include respective references 14b to one of the records 12 for the measured papers in the paper catalog 10.

[0048] The instructions 20 stored on the computer-readable medium 106 can cause the processor(s) 104 to perform the method 400. According to the method 400, in act 402, the processor(s) 104 can identify a new measured paper 2" to be added to the paper catalog 10. The new measured paper 2" is not associated with any record 12 in the paper catalog 10. In act 404, the processor(s) 104 can determine paper color information 12a" and a color management profile 12b" for the new measured paper 2". As previously mentioned, the print shop can create the color management profile 12a" or the color management profile 12b", or another party, such as a vendor, can provide the color information 12a" and the color management profile 12b".

[0049] In act 406, the computer storage device(s) 102 stores a record 12" of the new measured paper 2" in the paper catalog 10. The record 12" includes color information 12a" and a color management profile 12b" for the new measured paper 2". The record 12" is now included in the paper catalog 10 for the previously stored measured papers. At this point, each record 14 of the standard paper remains associated with one of the color control profiles 12b of the previously stored measured papers by its respective reference 14b. However, by being added to the paper catalog 10, the color control profile 12b" of the new measured paper 2" may provide a color management profile that is most suitable for color conversion with several standard papers. The color information 12a" of the new measured paper 2" may be more similar to the color information 14a of several standard papers than the color information 12a of the previously stored measured papers. Therefore, in act 408, in response to storing the new record 12" for the new measured paper 2" in the paper catalog 10, the processor(s) 104 may update the references 14b for the records 14 of several standard papers.

[0050] To update the references 14b for some standard paper records 14, the processor(s) 104 can compare the color information 14a of the standard paper with the color information 12a of the measured papers, including the now-new measured paper 2″, in act 410. These comparisons can be performed in a manner similar to the comparisons in the methods described above, for example, by comparing color information values ​​based on multiple weighted or unweighted attribute values. Based on the comparisons in act 410, the processor(s) can determine new correlations between the measured papers and the standard papers in act 412. These correlations can be performed in a manner similar to the correlations in the methods described above, for example, by applying a correlation threshold to the color information values ​​and / or attribute values. In act 414, the processor(s) 104 can update the references 14b for the records 14 in the paper catalog 10 according to the new correlations.

[0051] In general, measured papers can be dynamically correlated with standard papers in response to different updates of the paper catalog 10, as shown in Figure 5. Instructions 20 stored on the computer-readable medium 106 can cause the processor(s) 104 to execute the example method 500 shown in Figure 5. As previously mentioned, measured papers and standard papers are distinguished in the paper catalog 10 by records that have and do not have a color management profile 12b (different from reference 14b). That is, each record 12 of measured paper has respective paper color information 12a and a respective color management profile 12b, while each record 14 of standard paper has respective paper color information 14a but does not have a respective color management profile.

[0052] The processor(s) 104 can automatically and dynamically respond to modifications to the paper catalog 10 by comparing the standard paper color information 14a with the measured paper color information 12a in act 502. These comparisons can be performed in a manner similar to that described above, for example, by comparing color information values ​​based on multiple weighted or unweighted attribute values.

[0053] Modifications to the paper catalog 10 may include adding new records 12, 14 for new measured papers or new standard papers to the paper catalog 10. Modifications to the paper catalog 10 may also include deleting records 12, 14 from the paper catalog 10. Modifications to the paper catalog 10 may also include converting measured papers to standard papers by deleting the respective color management profiles 12a from the corresponding records 12. Modifications to the paper catalog 10 may also include converting standard papers to measured papers by adding color management profiles to the corresponding records 14.

[0054] Modifications to the paper catalog 10 may include modifying the respective color information 12a, 14a for at least one record 12, 14, or modifying the respective color management profile 12b for at least one record 12. As previously discussed, the print shop may create the color management profile or profiles. Alternatively, another party, such as a vendor, may provide the information about the color information or color management profile. If the print shop creates the color management profile and / or profiles, they may have the option to revert to the vendor-provided information by retaining it. Reverting to vendor-provided information may also be considered a modification of the printer catalog 10.

[0055] In response to the comparison in act 502, the processor(s) 104 may correlate the measured paper to the standard paper in act 504. The correlation in act 502 may be performed in a manner similar to the correlation in the methods described above, for example, by applying a correlation threshold to the color information values ​​and / or attribute values. In act 506, the processor(s) 104 may further update the records 12, 14 of the paper catalog 10 according to the correlation between the measured paper and the standard paper. According to one embodiment, the processor(s) 104 may correlate one of the measured papers to each of the standard papers in act 504 and correspondingly update the record 14 of the standard paper to include a reference 14b to the correlated measured paper in act 506. According to some embodiments, the processor(s) may determine in a further act 508 that at least one standard paper is not correlated to one of the measured papers, thereby causing the computer storage device(s) 102 to store, in act 510, record(s) 14 for the uncorrelated standard paper(s) without reference 14b.

[0056] When a user selects a paper, the printing system may, by default, use the color management profile 12b stored in the paper catalog 10 for color conversion of the measured paper. Alternatively, the printing system may, by default, process the reference 14b stored in the paper catalog to obtain a color management profile for color conversion of the standard paper. However, the printing system may allow the association between the standard paper and the measured paper to be changed dynamically (e.g., at print time). For example, the printing system may allow the user to enter print instructions (e.g., via a DFE) specifying various attribute weights and / or correlation thresholds. The print instructions may be entered, for example, in the printing device settings. The details of these attribute weights and correlation thresholds may create a correlation between the standard paper and the measured paper that differs from the correlation stored in the paper catalog 10. For example, for monochrome printing, the user may enter print instructions that weight hue. For color printing, the user may enter print instructions that weight brightness. To achieve higher quality reproduction, the user may enter print instructions with correlation thresholds that require a higher degree of similarity between the standard paper and the correlated measured paper.

[0057] Additionally, the printing system may allow users to define rules that select different settings for attribute weights and / or correlation thresholds under certain circumstances. For example, rules may specify different attribute weight settings for monochrome jobs over 100 pages or color jobs over 100 MB in size. Rules may also specify different correlation threshold settings for print jobs for customers with specific requirements. Such rules may involve any type of print job information generally available to the color conversion system or printing system (either at the DFE or upstream of the DFE in the printing system). Furthermore, the printing system may apply rules to address specific exceptional conditions. For example, a rule may prevent the printing system from completing a print job on standard paper for a particular customer if the standard paper record 14 does not include a reference 14b to a measured paper.

[0058] Thus, for standard papers, a reference to the measured paper can be statically stored in the paper catalog 10 as reference 14b in record 14. Alternatively, the reference to the measured paper can be dynamically determined in real time (e.g., at print time) according to printing instructions from the user (including, for example, details / rules for attribute weights and correlation thresholds) that may result in different correlations. The reference to the measured paper determines the color management profile and thus the color transformation for the print job on the standard paper. The user can control the color management profile for as much or as little paper as they require. The printing system is responsible for using the resulting color management profile on as much paper as possible.

[0059] 6 shows an exemplary method 600 for processing a print instruction from a user. As mentioned above, in the paper catalog 10, measured papers and standard papers are distinguished by records that have a color management profile 12b (different from the reference 14b) and records that do not. That is, each record 12 of measured paper has a respective paper information 12a and a respective color management profile 12b, while each record 14 of standard paper has a respective paper information 14a but does not have a respective color management profile.

[0060] The instructions 20 stored on the computer-readable medium 106 can cause the processor(s) 104 to perform a method 600. According to the method 600, at act 602, the processor(s) 104 can identify one of the standard papers selected by a user for a print job. At act 604, the processor(s) 104 can receive a print instruction from the user, including color preferences. The color preferences can be determined, for example, by attribute weights and correlation threshold specifications / rules as described above. At act 606, the processor(s) 104 can correlate one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper according to the color preferences in the print instruction. At act 608, the processor(s) 104 can output a color management profile of the correlated measured paper for printing on the selected standard paper.

[0061] If the color preferences are accompanied by a correlation threshold, the processor(s) 104 can determine the respective color information values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper. The processor(s) 104 can identify the difference between the respective color information values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper, where the color preferences include the correlation threshold. Thus, the processor(s) 104 can correlate one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper by determining whether the difference between the respective color information values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper satisfies the correlation threshold.

[0062] In some embodiments, the color information of the selected standard paper and the color information of the measured paper are defined according to multiple attributes, and the printing instructions include color preferences for the multiple attributes. For example, the multiple attributes include measurements of at least one of brightness, whiteness, hue, yellowness, opacity, and gloss. In such embodiments, the processor(s) 104 can determine attribute values ​​for the multiple attributes for the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper. Further, the processor(s) 104 can identify differences between the attribute values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper. Furthermore, the processor(s) 104 can correlate one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper in act 606 by determining whether the difference in the attribute values ​​between the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper satisfies one or more correlation thresholds.

[0063] In further embodiments, the color preferences include one or more weightings for the multiple attributes. In such embodiments, the processor(s) 104 can determine attribute values ​​for the multiple attributes of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper based on the one or more weightings. Further, the processor(s) 104 can identify differences between the attribute values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper. Thus, in act 606, the processor(s) 104 can correlate the correlated measured paper to the selected standard paper according to the differences in the attribute values ​​between the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper.

[0064] The printing system may also include functionality for recommending which papers should be profiled (with color management profiles) to achieve reasonable color reproduction while minimizing the number of color management profiles. As shown in FIG. 7 , a printing system 100 with a printing device 108 can evaluate paper color information in a paper catalog 10 to organize papers with similar characteristics into groups 6. A user can control how the papers are organized, including determining the number and size of groups 6. Once the papers are organized into groups 6, the printing system 100 can identify a representative paper for each group 6 and recommend that the representative paper be profiled for each group 6. The representative paper, based on the color management profile, is the only measured paper associated with record 12 in group 6, and the other papers in group 6 are standard papers associated with record 14 that includes reference 14b to the representative measured paper. The number of standard papers associated with the measured papers in group 6 may be determined according to a threshold that defines how similar the standard paper must be to the measured papers in group 6. For example, the standard paper and the measured papers in the group must meet a correlation threshold.

[0065] 8 shows an example method 800 for organizing papers in the paper catalog 10. As previously mentioned, measured papers and standard papers are distinguished in the paper catalog 10 by records that have and do not have a color management profile 12b (different from reference 14b). That is, each record 12 of measured paper has respective paper color information 12a and a respective color management profile 12b, while each record 14 of standard paper has respective paper color information 14a but does not have a respective color management profile.

[0066] The instructions 20 stored on the computer-readable medium 106 may cause the processor(s) 104 to perform the method 800. According to the method 800, at act 802, the processor(s) 104 may determine a recommendation indicating whether to convert one or more records of standard paper to records of measured paper, and whether to convert one or more records of measured paper to records of standard paper. At act 804, the processor(s) 104 may output the recommendation determined at act 802. Further, at act 806, the processor(s) 104 may update the paper catalog 10 according to the recommendation.

[0067] To develop recommendations, in act 808, the processor(s) 104 can classify the measured papers into multiple groups 6 according to shared characteristics. The shared characteristics may relate to, for example, the color information of each of the measured papers. In other words, group 6 can be defined to organize a subset of measured papers whose color information values ​​are within a predetermined range. As described above, the number of standard papers associated with a measured paper in group 6 may be determined according to a threshold that defines how similar the standard paper should be to the measured papers in group 6. For each group, the processor(s) 104 can select one representative measured paper in act 810. For example, the selected measured paper may be most representative by having color information values ​​closest to the average color information value of the measured papers in group 6. Then, in act 812, the processor(s) 104 can recommend, in relation to the representative measured paper, that all but the representative measured paper be converted to standard paper. Thus, in act 814, the processor(s) 104 can update the paper catalog to convert the other measured papers in the group to the standard paper by recording a reference to the representative measured paper against the other measured papers, so that the standard paper is associated with the color management profile of the representative measured paper.

[0068] In some embodiments, the paper catalog 10 includes a previous record 14 of a standard paper with a reference 14b to the measured paper that is converted to the standard paper in act 814. In such an embodiment, the processor(s) 104 may also update the paper catalog by updating the previous record to include an updated reference 14b to the representative measured paper so that the previous standard paper is associated with the color management profile of the representative measured paper.

[0069] As mentioned above, the recommendation may be determined by a threshold that defines how similar the standard paper should be to the measured papers in group 6. A stricter threshold may result in more measured papers (and groups) being recommended, or a stricter threshold may result in fewer measured papers (and groups) being recommended.

[0070] Aspects of the above-described systems may be implemented as a combination of hardware and software elements. The hardware elements may be implemented as a combination of operably coupled microprocessors, logic circuits, communication / network ports, digital filters, memory, or logic circuits. The processor may be configured to perform operations specified by computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. Example embodiments are not limited to any particular combination of hardware circuitry and software.

[0071] As previously mentioned, some or all of the acts of the methods described and illustrated may be performed or directed under the control of one or more processors executing software or stored instructions (e.g., processor 104). Generally, the physical processors or machines employed for any processing or evaluation by embodiments of the present disclosure may include one or more networked or non-networked general-purpose computer systems, microprocessors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontrollers, etc., programmed according to the teachings of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, as will be understood by those skilled in the computer and software arts.

[0072] Appropriate software can be readily prepared by a programmer of ordinary skill based on the teachings of the illustrated embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the software arts. As stored on any one or combination of non-transitory computer-readable media, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can include software for controlling the devices and subsystems of the exemplary embodiments, software for driving the devices and subsystems of the exemplary embodiments, software for enabling the devices and subsystems of the exemplary embodiments to interact with a human user, and the like. Such software can include, but is not limited to, device drivers, firmware, operating systems, development tools, application software, and the like. Such computer-readable media can further include computer program products of the presently disclosed embodiments for performing all or a portion (if processing is distributed) of the processing performed in the implementation. The computer code devices of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can include any suitable interpretable or executable code mechanism, including, but not limited to, scripts, interpretable programs, dynamic link libraries (DLLs), Java classes and applets, complete executable programs, and the like. Furthermore, portions of the processing of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be distributed for better performance, reliability, cost, and the like.

[0073] Common forms of non-transitory computer-readable media include, for example, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, other suitable magnetic media, CD-ROMs, CD-RWs, DVDs, other suitable optical media, punch cards, paper tape, optical mark sheets, other suitable physical media having a pattern of holes or other optically recognizable indicia, RAM, PROM, EPROM, FLASH®-EPROM, other suitable memory chips or cartridges, or other suitable media from which a computer can read.

[0074] While the present disclosure has been described in connection with one or more specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is considered to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is also contemplated that additional embodiments according to aspects of the present disclosure may combine any number of features of the embodiments described herein.

Claims

1. 1. A method for managing paper information in a printing system, comprising: storing, in one or more computer storage devices, a paper catalog including records of measured papers and standard papers, each record of the measured papers having respective color information and a respective color management profile, and each record of the standard papers having respective color information but no respective color management profile; Identifying one of the standard papers selected by a user; receiving printing instructions from the user, the printing instructions including color preferences; correlating one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper by determining, by one or more processors, a correlation between color information of the measured paper and color information of the standard paper according to color preferences in the printing instructions; outputting, by the one or more processors, the correlated measured paper color control profile for printing on the selected standard paper; A method comprising:

2. determining, by the one or more processors, color information values ​​for each of the selected standard paper and one of the measured papers; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a difference between the respective color information values ​​of the selected standard paper and one of the measured papers; the color preference includes a correlation threshold for determining the similarity between the standard paper and the measured paper; correlating one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper includes determining whether the difference in the color information values ​​of the selected standard paper and one of the measured papers satisfies the correlation threshold. The method of claim 1.

3. the color information of the selected standard paper and the color information of the measured paper are defined according to a plurality of attributes; the printing instructions include color preferences for the plurality of attributes; The method of claim 1.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of attributes includes measurements of at least one of brightness, whiteness, hue, yellowness, opacity, and gloss.

5. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the color preferences include a correlation threshold for determining similarity between the standard paper and the measured paper with respect to one or more of the plurality of attributes, determining attribute values ​​for the plurality of attributes of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper; determining a difference between the attribute values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper; correlating one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper includes determining whether the difference in the attribute value between the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper satisfies the one or more correlation thresholds. The method of claim 3.

6. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the color preferences include one or more weightings for the plurality of attributes, determining attribute values ​​for the plurality of attributes of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper based on the one or more weightings; determining a difference between the attribute values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper; the correlated measured paper is correlated to the selected standard paper according to the difference in the attribute values ​​between the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper. The method of claim 3.

7. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a printing device to print on the selected standard paper with the color management profile of the correlated measured paper, wherein the color preferences are based at least on print settings of the printing device.

8. A system for managing paper information in a printing system, one or more computer storage devices configured to store a paper catalog including records of measured papers and standard papers, each record of the measured papers having respective color information and a respective color management profile, and each record of the standard papers having respective color information but not a respective color management profile; one or more processors configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable medium; The instructions cause the one or more processors to: Identifying one of the standard papers selected by a user; receiving printing instructions from the user, the printing instructions including color preferences; correlating one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper by determining a correlation between color information of the measured paper and color information of the standard paper according to color preferences in the printing instructions; outputting the correlated measured paper color control profile for printing on the selected standard paper; A system that allows the following to be performed.

9. The instructions further include for the one or more processors to: determining color information values ​​of the selected standard paper and one of the measured papers; and identifying a difference between the color information values ​​of the selected standard paper and one of the measured papers; the color preference includes a correlation threshold for determining the similarity between the standard paper and the measured paper; the one or more processors correlate one of the measured papers to the selected standard paper by determining whether the difference in the respective color information values ​​between the selected standard paper and one of the measured papers satisfies the correlation threshold. The system of claim 8.

10. the color information of the selected standard paper and the color information of the measured paper are defined according to a plurality of attributes; the printing instructions include color preferences for the plurality of attributes; The system of claim 8.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of attributes includes a measurement of at least one of brightness, whiteness, hue, yellowness, opacity, and gloss.

12. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the color preferences include a correlation threshold for determining similarity between the standard paper and the measured paper with respect to one or more of the plurality of attributes, The instructions further include for the one or more processors to: determining attribute values ​​for the plurality of attributes of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper; determining a difference between the attribute values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper; the one or more processors correlate one of the measured papers to the selected standard paper by determining whether the difference in the attribute values ​​between the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper satisfies the one or more correlation thresholds. The system of claim 10.

13. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the color preferences include one or more weightings for the plurality of attributes, The instructions further include for the one or more processors to: determining attribute values ​​for the plurality of attributes of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper based on the one or more weightings; determining a difference between the attribute values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper; the correlated measured paper is correlated to the selected standard paper according to the difference in the attribute values ​​between the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper. The system of claim 10.

14. 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a printing device that prints on the selected standard paper with the color management profile of the correlated measured paper, and wherein the color preferences are based at least on print settings of the printing device.

15. 1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media for a printing system, the printing system comprising: one or more computer storage devices configured to store a paper catalog including records of measured papers and standard papers, each record of the measured papers having respective color information and a respective color management profile, and each record of the standard papers having respective color information but no respective color management profile; the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: Identifying one of the standard papers selected by a user; receiving printing instructions from the user, the printing instructions including color preferences; correlating one of the measured papers with the selected standard paper by determining a correlation between color information of the measured paper and color information of the standard paper according to color preferences in the printing instructions; outputting the correlated measured paper color control profile for printing on the selected standard paper; This allows the One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media.

16. The computer-executable instructions may further cause the one or more processors to: determining color information values ​​of the selected standard paper and one of the measured papers; and identifying a difference between the color information values ​​of the selected standard paper and one of the measured papers; the color preference includes a correlation threshold for determining the similarity between the standard paper and the measured paper; the one or more processors correlate one of the measured papers to the selected standard paper by determining whether the difference in the respective color information values ​​between the selected standard paper and one of the measured papers satisfies the correlation threshold.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to claim 15.

17. the color information of the selected standard paper and the color information of the measured paper are defined according to a plurality of attributes; the printing instructions include color preferences for the plurality of attributes; 16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to claim 15.

18. 20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the plurality of attributes includes measurements of at least one of brightness, whiteness, hue, opacity, and gloss.

19. 20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the color preferences include a correlation threshold for determining a similarity between the standard paper and the measured paper with respect to one or more of the plurality of attributes, The computer-executable instructions may further cause the one or more processors to: determining attribute values ​​for the plurality of attributes of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper; determining a difference between the attribute values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper; the one or more processors correlate one of the measured papers to the selected standard paper by determining whether the difference in the attribute values ​​between the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper satisfies the one or more correlation thresholds.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to claim 17.

20. 20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the color preferences include one or more weightings for the plurality of attributes, The computer-executable instructions may further cause the one or more processors to: determining attribute values ​​for the plurality of attributes of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper based on the one or more weightings; determining a difference between the attribute values ​​of the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper; the correlated measured paper is correlated to the selected standard paper according to the difference in the attribute values ​​between the selected standard paper and the correlated measured paper.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to claim 17.

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