Printing system calibration using reference printing device

A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing program code executable to:

• calibrate a hardware printing mechanism of a printing system for a reference media type, the hardware printing mechanism outputting colorants corresponding to colors of a native color space, the printing system being different than a reference printing device, the hardware printing mechanism being a same type as that of the reference printing device in that both the hardware printing mechanism and the reference printing device are capable of printing a set of color targets;
• and
• calibrate the hardware printing mechanism for a different media type, based on prior calibration of the hardware printing mechanism for the reference media type and based on a transformation from the native color space for the reference media type to the native color space for a different media type, without the hardware printing mechanism having to print any color targets on any medium of the different media type,
• wherein the transformation corresponds to all of the set of color targets previously printed by the reference printing device on a medium of the different media type relative to all of the set of color targets previously printed by the reference printing device on a medium of the reference media type.

A method comprising:

• printing, using a hardware printing mechanism of a reference printing device, a set of color targets on a medium of a reference media type;
• measuring color values of colors of a model color space for the set of color targets that the hardware printing mechanism printed;
• selecting a subset of the set of color targets, the subset of color targets sufficient to calibrate a printing system for the reference media type without the printing system having to print the set of color targets other than the subset even though the printing system is capable of printing all of the set of color targets, the printing system being different than the reference printing device, the printing system having a hardware printing mechanism of a same type as the hardware printing mechanism of the reference printing device in that both the hardware printing mechanism of the printing system and the hardware printing mechanism of the reference printing device are capable of printing all of the set of color targets;
• and
• providing the color values for the set of color targets and providing the subset of color targets to the printing system, the color values and the subset of color targets permitting calibration of the printing system for the reference media type without the printing system printing the set of color targets other than the subset.