Patent ID: 6940622

Claim:
A method for generating and evaluating a sample cut in an electronic engraving machine for engraving printing cylinders for rotogravure, comprising the steps of: forming an engraving control signal for driving an engraving stylus of an engraving element from engraving data which represent hues to be engraved between “light” and “dark” and a periodic raster signal for generating an engraving raster; with the engraving stylus engraving a sequence of cups arranged in the engraving raster into the printing cylinder engraving line by engraving line, geometry values of said cups determining the engraved hues; engraving sample cups for predetermined hues before actual engraving; positioning a video camera to a predetermined, axial measurement position and registering a video image of the sample cups with the video camera; selecting at least one of the engraved sample cups; identifying a positional deviation of a measurement location of the selected sample cup from a reference location in the video image as a position error; correcting the identified position error by at least one of axial displacement of the video camera into a new measurement position and turning the printing cylinder such that the measurement location of the selected sample cup lies at least in a region of the reference location of the video image; subsequently measuring geometry values of at least the selected sample cup and comparing them to geometry values of the predetermined hues; and calibrating the engraving control signal dependent on a result of the comparison so that the engraved hues correspond to the predetermined hues.