Patent ID: 8150283

Claim:
A processor-implemented method for minimizing cross-process direction non-uniformities of images in printed documents using a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus comprising a processor for processing documents containing image data, an image bearing surface with a monitoring area and an image area for movement in a process direction, and one or more sensors for monitoring the image bearing surface in a cross-process direction, the processor implementing the method comprising: receiving color image data of a document, the image data comprising a plurality of color pixels and the document comprising at least one page of image data; generating a halftone test patch for each color in the image data to be provided in the monitoring area on the image bearing surface; determining profile data of each test patch, the profile data including a first orientation of halftone dots of the test patch representing a halftone orientation of its associated halftone color image data for output in the image area of the image bearing surface; determining a second orientation for the halftone dots of at least one test patch; and providing the halftone dots of the at least one test patch at a second orientation in the monitoring area, wherein the halftone orientation of its associated halftone color image data in the image area is unaffected for output.