Method and apparatus for providing a color-balanced multiple print engine

• US 7,791,777 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2008
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics For Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronics For Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Rowe, Francis A., Zuber, Peter A., Barry, Michael W., Bartholmae, Jack N., Tompkins, Neal E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles; Edward L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baker; Charlotte M
• Application Number:
  US12/044,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20080165378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 913 Days
• Field of Search: 358/518, 358/1.9, 358/1.15, 358/1.13, 382/162, 382/167, 345/502, 345/467, 345/551, 345/505
• US Class Current: 358/518
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5062 by measuring the characteristics of an image on the copy material
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5087 for receiving image data
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00021 Plural substantially independent image forming units in cooperation, e.g. for duplex, colour or high-speed simplex
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0005 without production of a specific test patch
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1514 Sub-job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1211 Improving printing performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1215 achieving increased printing speed, i.e. reducing the time between printing start and printing end
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1217 achieving reduced idle time at the output device or increased asset utilization
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/124 Parallel printing or parallel ripping
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1241 Dividing a job according to job requirements, e.g. black/white and colour pages, covers and body of books, tabs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1281 Multi engine printer devices, e.g. one entity having multiple output engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1282 High volume printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1806 Receiving job control commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1856 characterized by its workflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1857 involving parallel processing in the same printing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed for color balancing page data, from a variety of input sources having non-consistent device color profiles, among a plurality of individually accessible print engines arranged in a system for color printing multiple copies of multiple page documents. Input page data is converted to a common color space, rasterized and routed to a selected print engine. Page data routed to each marking engine is color balanced to the selected marking engine where at least a portion of the color balancing occurs following the rasterizing of the page data.

Claims

1. A method of matching the printed color outputs of a plurality of marking engines operable in combination in a printing system to produce defined portions of a print job routed to selected ones of the plurality of marking engines, wherein each marking engine includes a color space profile, the method comprising:

receiving the print job defined in a first color space;

converting the print job to an intermediate color space;

converting the print job from the intermediate color space to a system color space common to the plurality of marking engines operable in the system;

responsive to converting the print job to the system color space, performing a raster image processing (RIP) operation on the print job converted to the system color space to create one or more rasterized print job images that are color balanced to the system color space; and

responsive to creating one or more rasterized print job images that are color balanced to the system color space, modifying each portion of the one or more rasterized images such that each marking engine selected to print a defined portion of the print job corresponding to a particular portion of the one or more rasterized images performs a third color space conversion using an associated color space profile to conform its printed output to the common color space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a routing step is performed following performing the RIP operation.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising substituting a system color space downloaded via a network coupled to the printing system prior to performing the second converting step.

4. An apparatus for matching the printed color outputs of a plurality of marking engines operable in combination in a printing system to produce defined portions of a print job routed to selected ones of the plurality of marking engines, wherein each marking engine includes a color space profile, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving the print job defined in a first color space;

means for converting the print job to an intermediate color space;

means for converting the print job from the intermediate color space to a system color space common to the plurality of marking engines operable in the system;

means for performing a raster image processing (RIP) operation on the print job converted to the system color space to create one or more rasterized print job images that are color balanced to the system color space;

responsive to converting the print job to the system color space; and

means for modifying each portion of the one or more rasterized print job images such that each marking engine selected to print a defined portion of the print job corresponding to a particular portion of the one or more rasterized print job images performs a third color space conversion using an associated color space profile to conform its printed output to the common color space, responsive to creating one or more rasterized print job images that are color balanced to the system color space.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, comprising means for routing the rasterized print job images to selected ones of the plurality of marking engines.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, comprising means for substituting an alternate color space downloaded via a network coupled to the printing system.