Method for controlling the operation of a printing press and a flexographic printing press for implementing said method

A method for controlling operation of a printing press, integrating several printing units selected from the group consisting of a flexographic printing press, an offset printing press, and a rotogravure printing press, said method comprising performing the following steps:

• a) capturing information from at least one image printed by said printing press;
• and
• b) making a comparison of said information captured from said printed image with at least some digital-format information predetermined in prepress or digital prepress information, including at least one part of the image to be printed,
• c) adjusting a setting of at least one printing unit of said printing press using based upon at least a result of said comparison in said step b) the adjusted setting being selected from the group consisting of a pressure setting, a register setting, a color setting and a combination thereof;
• d) detecting different colors existing in the prepress digital file;
• e) assigning each color of the digital prepress information with each color of a corresponding printing unit of the printing press;
• f) assigning colors to the captured printed images or captured parts of the printed images to be compared, and each captured printed image of each color being associated with each printing unit of the printing press;
• g) determining a relative position of a side and a longitudinal register for each color of the images or parts of the images to be compared with one another;
• said digital prepress information comprising a plurality of digital files, or one digital file subdivided into a plurality of subdivisions, each of said plurality of digital files or subdivisions corresponding to a color of a final print, or to a different motif to be printed in a respective printing unit of the printing press with a certain color in the plurality of digital files or subdivisions.