Printer Gamut Color Matching via Automatic Substitute Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing color matching methods struggle to accurately match colors between printers when the specified color is outside the gamut range of one printer, making it difficult for inexperienced operators to select the optimum color.
Innovation Solution
An information processing device generates image data for a color chart referenced to a specified color within the gamut range, or selects a color on the gamut surface close to the specified color when it is outside the gamut range, allowing for appropriate color matching between printers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a color outside the gamut range is specified for color matching, then the specified color cannot be reproduced by the printer, but the existing technology provides no guidance for selecting an appropriate substitute color
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically performs gamut conversion and selects appropriate substitute colors without requiring operator intervention. The color conversion unit autonomously converts out-of-gamut colors to in-gamut colors, and the color chart generation unit automatically generates charts with substitute colors, eliminating the need for operators to manually select substitute colors.
Solution Approach 2:
The color conversion unit acts as an intermediary between the specified color and the printer's gamut capabilities. It converts out-of-gamut colors to in-gamut colors through color space transformations, providing a bridge that allows color matching to proceed even when the original color cannot be reproduced.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a color chart with many patches is generated to provide comprehensive color options, then the completeness of color selection improves, but the time required to find a matching color increases
Solution Approach 1:
The color chart generation unit creates color charts with non-uniform patch distributions. Patches are concentrated in regions where color transitions are most critical for matching, while other regions have fewer patches. This local optimization ensures comprehensive coverage of important color ranges while reducing the total number of patches.
Solution Approach 2:
The color space is segmented into multiple regions, and color charts are generated selectively for each region based on the specified color's location. This segmentation allows the system to focus on relevant color ranges rather than generating exhaustive charts covering the entire color space.
3Measurement precision
If the color chart includes patches with small color differences to enable precise matching, then the matching precision improves, but the number of patches increases making the chart more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patch interval in the color chart is dynamically adjusted based on the local color characteristics and the specified color. In regions where precise matching is critical, smaller intervals are used. In regions where large intervals suffice, larger intervals are applied. This dynamic adaptation optimizes matching precision while controlling chart complexity.
4Ease of operation
If the system automatically selects substitute colors for out-of-gamut colors, then the ease of operation improves, but the risk of selecting non-optimal colors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the automatic color selection is validated against multiple criteria including colorimetric accuracy, perceptual uniformity, and printer-specific characteristics. The color conversion unit uses feedback from color measurement data and profile information to refine substitute color selections, ensuring high quality results.
Data Source
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AI summary
Printers can be desirably color matched irrespective of whether or not a specified color is a color in the gamut range. A client device 100 determines by a gamut range evaluator 232 whether or not a specified color is a color in the gamut range, which is the range of colors a second printer 50 can reproduce; causes a color chart data generator 235 to generate image data for producing a color chart referenced to the specified color when the specified color is a color in the gamut range; and causes the generator to select a color on the gamut surface based on the specified color when the specified color is a color outside the gamut range, and generate the image data to create the color chart referenced to the selected color.