Patent ID: 7630106

Claim:
A system for calibrating a digital color imaging device to a printing press comprising a color profile having a plurality of colorants, colorant values, and associated colorimetric values, the system comprising: an image source comprising a test pattern adapted for printing a plurality of colors by the digital color imaging device, the test pattern comprising a plurality of patches with scales of greater than 0% and at least one of 100% of a single-colorant value for each colorant and at least one patch with a combination of multiple-colorant values other than black; an instrument adapted to colorimetrically measure the patches in the printed test pattern; and a processor adapted to generate a per-channel colorant limit by: (a) receiving the colorimetric measurements for each patch from the instrument; (b) determining a minimum colorant limit for each colorant for the digital color imaging device based on a comparison between the measured colorimetric values of the single-colorant printed patches and the colorimetric values of the press profile; (c) determining a maximum colorant limit for each colorant for the digital color imaging device by: identifying a colorant value of a minimum black patch with a minimum L-value, wherein a difference between an L-value of the minimum black patch and the L-value of a 100% black colorant patch small; and identifying a colorant value of a printed patch having one of the following; a maximum chroma and a colorant where oversaturation begins if the colorant is for a colorant other than black; and (d) determining an optimal colorant limit for each colorant by: determining a weighted average of the minimum and maximum colorant limits for the black colorant patches; and determining a colorant value that provides a gray-balance in the at least one patch with a combination of multiple-colorant values that comprise colorants other than black.