Spot Color Recipe Optimization for Complementary Colorant Elimination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current spot color recipes for printers often fail to completely eliminate opponent colorants, leading to suboptimal visual smoothness and inefficiency in color gamut extension, particularly when using complementary colors.

Innovation Solution

A processor-driven method that automatically calculates revised colorant combinations for printers, eliminating one of a pair of complementary colors and adjusting black values to maintain color accuracy and smoothness, ensuring that complementary colors are not used simultaneously in spot color recipes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If spot color recipes use both complementary colors to extend color gamut, then color gamut extension is achieved, but visual smoothness deteriorates and color accuracy worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolor gamut extensionVSAvoidcolor accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and identifies complementary color pairs from the colorant combination using hue angle calculation. When complementary colors are detected, one of them is removed or reduced to zero value, eliminating the harmful interaction while preserving the ability to extend color gamut using non-complementary extended gamut colorants.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameters of the colorant combination by adjusting the values of complementary colors based on their hue angles. When complementary colors are identified, their values are modified (one set to zero or reduced), transforming the color recipe from using both complementary colors to using only one, thereby resolving the contradiction between gamut extension and color accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If spot color recipes eliminate opponent colorants completely, then color accuracy improves, but visual smoothness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolor accuracyVSAvoidvisual smoothness

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of completely eliminating opponent colorants, the system applies partial action by selectively removing only complementary pairs while allowing other colorants to remain. This partial elimination approach maintains color accuracy by removing harmful complementary interactions while preserving visual smoothness through careful selection of which colorants to retain.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback through hue angle calculation and complementary color detection to dynamically adjust colorant values. By continuously evaluating the hue angles and identifying complementary pairs, the system provides feedback-driven adjustments that balance color accuracy and visual smoothness, ensuring that eliminations are made only when necessary and appropriate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If extended gamut colorants are used in all color regions, then color gamut coverage improves, but cost increases and efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolor gamut coverageVSAvoidprinting efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by selectively using extended gamut colorants only in specific color regions where they provide actual benefit. Through hue angle analysis and complementary color detection, the system determines locally where extended gamut colorants should be applied and where standard CMYK colorants are sufficient, optimizing both color gamut coverage and printing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses partial action by applying extended gamut colorants only when necessary rather than universally. By detecting complementary color pairs and analyzing hue angles, the system determines the minimal necessary use of extended gamut colorants, avoiding excessive application that would reduce efficiency while still achieving comprehensive color gamut coverage where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10122893B2Automatic post processing of spot color combinations for a constrained colorant set

Publication Date: 2018.11.06 XEROX CORP

AI summary

According to exemplary methods, a processor of a printing device determines color values out of a first colorant combination using marking materials for standard colorants and marking materials for one or more extended gamut colors. The extended gamut color has colorants other than the standard colorants. Responsive to the first colorant combination including color values for each of a pair of two complementary colors, the processor calculates a second colorant combination that produces the same human-perceivable color as the first colorant combination. The second colorant combination includes only one color of the pair of two complementary colors. The printing device produces output using the second colorant combination for the standard colorants and the extended gamut color.