Patent ID: 7397058

Claim:
A system for controlling image quality in processing radiographic photothermographic sheet media, comprising: a cassette for removably containing radiographic photothermographic sheet media; an information member associated with said cassette for storing information including size of sheet media contained in said cassette and calibrated conditions for processing said radiographic sheet media contained in said cassette, wherein said calibrated processing conditions include one or more of, preheat processing temperature, dwell processing temperature, cooling processing temperature, dwell processing time, and non-processing transport speeds; and a supply of unexposed sheet media for providing an unexposed media to said cassette when an exposed sheet media has been removed from said cassette for processing by said processor; wherein said supply includes a package initially containing said unexposed sheet media and includes an information member associated with said package for storing information including sheet media size and manufacturer's originated media processing conditions; wherein said manufacturer's originated media processing conditions include one or more of, calibration exposure levels, correction lookup table, preheat processing temperature, dwell processing temperature, cooling processing temperature, dwell processing time, and non-processing transport speeds; wherein said package includes a sheet media used for determining calibrated processing conditions for the remaining media sheets in said package; wherein said processor includes an exposure system for exposing said calibration sheet from said package to a plurality of different density regions and a densitometer for measuring the densities of said plurality of density regions after said calibration media sheet has been processed by said processor according to said manufacturer's originated processing conditions received from said package information member; and wherein said processor includes a digital memory and control system and wherein said control system determines and stores calibrated media processing conditions by modifying said manufacturer's originated processing conditions as a function of variations in measured calibration densities to expected densities.