Color control pattern for the optical measurement of colors printed on a sheet or web substrate by means of a multicolor printing press and uses thereof

A color measurement system comprising

• an optical measurement system, and
• a printed sheet or web substrate comprising a color control pattern for the optical measurement of colors printed on the sheet or web substrate with a multicolor printing press, said substrate comprising an effective printed region having a multicolor printed image having a plurality of juxtaposed colored areas printed with a corresponding plurality of printing inks of different colors,
• wherein the color control pattern is printed in a margin portion of the substrate next to the effective printed region,
• the color control pattern comprising one or more color control strips extending in a direction transverse to a direction of transport of the substrate, each color control strip comprising a plurality of distinct color control fields consisting of fields of each relevant printing ink that is printed in the effective printed region,
• wherein the color control fields are coordinated to the relevant printing inks in the effective printed region such that the color control pattern can be divided into transverse sections along the transverse direction and each respective transverse section exhibits all printing inks that appear in a corresponding section of the effective printed region that is spaced from its transverse section only in the transport direction,
• wherein the effective printed region consists of a matrix of individual multicolor prints arranged in multiple rows and columns and wherein the color control pattern comprises an individual color control pattern for each column of individual multicolor prints,
• wherein the optical measurement system measures the colors printed on the sheet or web substrate in the color control pattern
• wherein at least one color control strip exhibits less than all of the plurality of printing inks of different colors.