Spot Color Optimizer for Reprographics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current color printing systems, particularly highlight color printing, often fail to accurately reproduce spot colors due to the mixing of black ink, resulting in image quality issues and loss of color purity.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for identifying and processing spot colors in full color multi-bit image data, using an image input device and processing device with a detector, spot color processor, and combining device to isolate and process pixels within a predetermined threshold of a desired color, ensuring accurate reproduction of spot colors in both highlight and digital color printing systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If full color image data is printed on a highlight color printing system, then printing speed and cost are improved, but spot color purity and accuracy deteriorate due to black ink mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image data processing into two distinct paths: spot color pixels are identified and processed separately from non-spot color pixels. This segmentation allows spot colors to be preserved with their original purity while non-spot areas receive the highlight color treatment, resolving the contradiction between printing efficiency and color accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts spot color pixels from the full color image data using color space transformation and thresholding operations. By taking out the spot color components before printing, the system prevents black ink from being mixed into spot color areas, maintaining color purity while allowing the rest of the image to be printed efficiently on the highlight color system
2Manufacturing precision
If full color image data is manually converted to binary image, then spot color purity is improved, but image quality and color accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the image data from RGB color space to a different color space and applying thresholding operations with adjustable parameters. This allows precise control over which pixels are identified as spot colors versus non-spot colors, maintaining both spot color purity and overall image quality through optimized parameter selection
3Manufacturing precision
If spot color pixels are processed separately, then spot color accuracy is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical processing with automated computational methods. Color space transformation algorithms and thresholding operations automatically identify and separate spot color pixels without manual intervention, reducing processing complexity while maintaining high spot color accuracy through systematic mathematical operations
Data Source
AI summary
A method for identifying one or more spot colors in a full color multi-bit image data, and processing the identified spot colors for output on an image printing system is provided. The method includes inputting the full color image data, wherein the full color image data includes a plurality of pixels; analyzing the inputted image to identify the pixels with a spot color from the pixels with a non-spot color, wherein each pixel with a spot color is within a predetermined threshold from a desired color value; processing the identified spot color pixels; and combining the processed spot color pixels with non-spot color pixels to form a data structure.