Patent ID: 7483186

Claim:
A method of calibrating a marking engine that comprises a marking material transfer device that includes a plurality of pitches, each pitch receiving an individual color of marking material and conveying the marking material to a substrate, the method comprising: forming a user-controlled or user-selected desired image in a first area of the substrate by transferring marking material from one or more of the pitches of the marking material transfer device to the substrate, each pitch being a separate image forming area of the marking material transfer device, each pitch receiving an individual color of marking material and conveying the marking material to the substrate, the first area being a normal image forming area in which the user-controlled or user-selected image is formed; producing a target patch pattern for each of the pitches in a second area of the substrate, the second area being a margin area located outside the first area; measuring each target patch pattern to obtain measured values for each patch in each target patch pattern; and based on the measured values, performing an individual color calibration for each pitch for use in a subsequent marking operation, and thereby compensating for differences among inherent or acquired characteristics of each pitch.