Pseudo Spot Color Printing via Separate Plane Merging

Solution Overview

Problem

Printing devices that only support CMYK inks struggle to accurately print spot colors, as they convert spot colors to process colors early in the printing pipeline, losing spot color information and failing to maintain accurate color and transparency features.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method for pseudo spot color printing by converting spot colors to process colors in the emulator stage while maintaining them separately, and merging them with process colors at the page-rendering stage, using additional planes like tag, shape, and alpha planes to maintain spot color information until the end of the printing process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If spot colors are converted to process colors early in the printing pipeline, then printing compatibility is improved, but spot color information is lost and color accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprinting compatibilityVSAvoidspot color accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary conversion of spot colors to process colors at the emulator stage, but preserves the converted values in separate spot color planes until the end of page rendering. This allows early compatibility preparation while maintaining color information for final accurate reproduction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments color information by maintaining separate spot color planes distinct from process color planes. This segmentation allows independent handling of spot color data throughout the rendering pipeline, preserving spot color characteristics while enabling final merging with process colors for accurate output.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Device complexity

If spot colors are converted to process colors early, then device complexity is reduced, but transparency and overprint features are lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprinting pipeline complexityVSAvoidtransparency feature accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary conversion of spot colors to process colors at the emulator stage, but preserves the converted values in separate spot color planes until the end of page rendering. This allows early compatibility preparation while maintaining color information for final accurate reproduction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adds a temporal dimension to color handling by maintaining spot color planes separate from process color planes throughout the rendering pipeline, only merging them at the final output stage. This dimensional separation preserves transparency and overprint information that would otherwise be lost in early conversion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Manufacturing precision

If spot color planes are maintained separately until the end of rendering, then color accuracy is improved, but memory requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespot color reproduction accuracyVSAvoidmemory usage

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary conversion of spot colors to process colors at the emulator stage, but preserves the converted values in separate spot color planes until the end of page rendering. This allows early compatibility preparation while maintaining color information for final accurate reproduction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates copied representations of spot color information in separate planes rather than maintaining original spot color data. This copying approach preserves spot color characteristics while using efficient memory structures that minimize storage requirements throughout the rendering pipeline.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11422755B1Systems and methods for pseudo spot color printing

Publication Date: 2022.08.23 KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC

AI summary

Systems and methods for pseudo spot color printing on a printing device include receiving a print job specifying a spot color at a printing device not accommodating ink corresponding to the specified spot color, determining and storing a plurality of process color planes associated with corresponding process color inks accommodated by the printing device, and storing the plurality of process color planes in a memory of the printing device. A single spot color plane is determined and stored for the specified spot color. A plurality of other common planes is determined and stored. Upon reaching an end of the surface of the print job, the single spot color plane is converted to a plurality of spot color planes, which is merged with the plurality of spot color planes prior to printing a corresponding portion of the print job.