Digital prepress color mixing tools

• US 6,970,175 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Imagelinx International Limited
• Original Assignee: Imagelinx International Limited
• Inventors: Hawksworth, Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US10/322,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20040118310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 345/589, 345/591, 345/593, 345/597, 345/700, 345/723, 345/765, 345/600, 345/629, 345/690, 382/162, 382/163, 382/164, 382/165, 382/166, 382/167, 358/515, 358517-518, 348/557, 348/560, 348/566, 348/582, 348/599, 348/577, 348/612
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: B41N 3/034 characterised by the electrochemical treatment of the aluminum support, e.g. anodisation, electro-graining; Sealing of the anodised layer; Treatment of the anodic layer with inorganic compounds; Colouring of the anodic layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/603 controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer

Abstract

A digital prepress color mixing tool is described, including suggestions for how to implement the tool within a native artwork production environment, such as Adobe Illustrator™. The invention allows for the prepress work of applying color mixtures to be accomplished without conversion to a proprietary file format, and with improved efficiency. The color mixing tool includes functions for automatically converting dirty colors, quick color mixing, and for modifying overprint settings.

Claims

1. A method of applying color to an object in a native artwork production environment, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a list of colors, including at least one color selected from the group consisting of pure process colors, spot colors and dirty colors, the list of colors being provided within the native artwork production environment;

with a user action, modifying a color mixture associated with the object by applying the at least one color to the object in order to produce at least one modified object within the native artwork production environment;

extracting the color mixture of the at least one modified object within the native artwork production environment to produce an extracted color mixture; and

displaying the extracted color mixture within the native artwork production environment,

wherein the providing, modifying, extracting and displaying steps are repeated for each of a plurality of objects in a piece of digital artwork within the native artwork production environment, the method further comprising the steps of

merging the extracted color mixture for each of the plurality of objects to produce merged color information;

tracking a number of dirty colors in the merged color information; and

displaying the merged color information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

modifying at least one of the plurality of objects by changing an overprint setting in order to produce at least one object with modified overprint setting;

extracting overprint information from the plurality of objects and the at least one modified object with modified overprint setting; and

displaying the overprint information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

merging overprint information for the plurality of objects to produce merged overprint information; and

displaying the merged overprint information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented as a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator™

.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

converting the at least one color into a supported color mixture within the native artwork production environment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one color is a dirty color, and the supported color mixture is a mixture of pure process colors.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one color is a dirty color, and the supported color mixture is a spot color.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one color is a dirty color, and the supported color mixture is a mixture of pure process colors and spot colors.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

removing an unused color from the list of colors.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of displaying the extracted color mixture, four pure process colors are displayed even when the extracted color mixture does not include the four pure process colors.

11. A method of applying color to an object in a native artwork production environment, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a list of colors, including at least one color selected from the group consisting of pure process colors, spot colors and dirty colors, the list of colors being provided within the native artwork production environment;

with a user action, modifying a color mixture associated with tile object by applying the at least one color to the object in order to produce at least one modified object within the native artwork production environment;

converting the at least one color into a supported color mixture within the native artwork production environment;

extracting the color mixture of the at least one modified object within the native artwork production environment to produce an extracted color mixture; and

displaying the extracted color mixture within the native artwork production environment,

wherein the providing, modifying, converting, extracting and displaying steps are repeated for each of a plurality of objects in a piece of digital artwork within the native artwork production environment, the method further comprising the steps of

merging the extracted color mixture for each of the plurality of objects to produce merged color information;

tracking a number of dirty colors in the merged color information; and

displaying the merged color information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

modifying at least one of the plurality of objects by changing an overprint setting in order to produce at least one object with modified overprint setting;

extracting overprint information from the plurality of objects and the at least one modified object with modified overprint setting; and

displaying the overprint information.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

merging overprint information for the plurality of objects to produce merged overprint information; and

displaying the merged overprint information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is implemented as a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator™

.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one color is a dirty color, and the supported color mixture is a mixture of pure process colors.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one color is a dirty color, and the supported color mixture is a spot color.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one color is a dirty color, and the supported color mixture is a mixture of pure process colors and spot colors.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

removing an unused color from the list of colors.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein, in the step of displaying the extracted color mixture, four pure process colors are displayed even when the extracted color mixture does not include the four pure process colors.

20. A system for applying color to an object in a native artwork production environment, the system comprising:

means for providing a list of colors, including at least one color selected from the group consisting of pure process colors, spot colors and dirty colors, the list of colors being provided within the native artwork production environment;

means for modifying with a user action a color mixture associated with the object by applying the at least one color to the object in order to produce at least one modified object within the native artwork production environment;

means for extracting the color mixture of the at least one modified object within the native artwork production environment to produce an extracted color mixture;

means for displaying the extracted color mixture within the native artwork production environment,

wherein each of the providing, modifying, extracting and displaying means is effective for use on a plurality of objects in a piece of digital artwork within the native artwork production environment, the system further comprising

means for merging the extracted color mixture for each of the plurality of objects to produce merged color information;

means for tracking a number of dirty colors in the merged color information; and

means for displaying the merged color information.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

means for modifying at least one of the plurality of objects by changing an overprint setting in order to produce at least one object with modified overprint setting;

means for extracting overprint information from the plurality of objects and the at least one modified object with modified overprint setting; and

means for displaying, the overprint information.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for merging overprint information for the plurality of objects to produce merged overprint information; and

means for displaying the merged overprint information.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

means for converting the at least one color into a supported color mixture within the native artwork production environment.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one color is a dirty color, and the supported color mixture is a mixture of pure process colors.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one color is a dirty color, and the supported color mixture is a spot color.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one color is a dirty color, and the supported color mixture is a mixture of pure process colors and spot colors.

27. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

means for removing an unused color from the list of colors.