Plastic Card Printing with CMYK Pigment Inks for Vibrant Grey
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic card printing technologies struggle to produce vibrant grey colors and specialty colors like gold or silver due to limitations in CMY printing, leading to inconsistent shades and insufficient density, especially when using dye inks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing CMYK pigment inks, pixel extraction, and print trapping processes to generate separate color and monochrome images, which are then printed using CMY and K inks respectively, along with proper card setup to achieve vibrant grey and specialty colors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If CMY printing is used to produce grey colors, then the printing process can be simplified, but the grey color density and neutrality are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The printing process is segmented into separate CMY printing and K printing operations. The CMY printing produces the base color layers, while the K printing is applied separately to add black pigment that creates neutral grey when combined with CMY. This segmentation allows each color to be optimized independently while achieving superior grey quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges CMY printing with K printing in a coordinated sequence. The CMY ink is printed first to establish the color foundation, then the K ink is printed over or alongside it. This merging of multiple color systems creates a composite grey that combines the advantages of both approaches, achieving both density and neutrality.
2Manufacturing precision
If CMYK pigment inks are used, then grey color density and neutrality improve, but the printing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing the image data to separate CMY and K components before printing. The image is analyzed and divided into color regions and black regions, with trapping applied to prevent gaps. This preliminary preparation simplifies the actual printing process by providing clear separation of printing commands, even though CMYK inks are used.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer between the source image and the printing mechanism. This intermediary system analyzes the image, applies print trapping algorithms, and generates separate print commands for CMY and K. This intermediary layer manages the complexity of coordinating multiple ink systems while presenting a simplified interface to the printing hardware.
3Manufacturing precision
If pixel extraction and print trapping processes are applied, then color consistency and quality improve, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial pixel extraction and print trapping only where necessary. Rather than processing every pixel uniformly, the algorithm identifies and processes only the boundaries and transition areas where trapping is needed to prevent gaps. This selective application maintains color consistency at critical locations while reducing overall processing time.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and systems are disclosed for printing vibrant grey color(s) on plastic cards. The following features, which can be used individually or in any combination thereof, can be implemented to achieve the vibrant grey color(s): 1) use of CMYK pigment inks to achieve CMYK printing; 2) a pixel extraction process and/or a print trapping process; 3) two separate print commands including a CMY (or CMYK) + blending print command and a K + blending print command; and 4) proper card set-up.