Printer calibration utilizing non-production frames

A system for printer calibration utilizing non-production frames, comprising:

• a print job engine, to cause a printer to print a job upon a roll media, the job including a plurality of production frames 1-n;
• a first non-production frame engine, to cause printing of a non-production downstream apparatus frame (“NPDAF”) after the printing of production frame 1 and before the printing of production frame n, the NPDAF including an instruction to be scanned by an apparatus downstream from the printer, the apparatus to perform a non-printing operation upon the printed print job, and the instruction to, after the scanning, cause a change in a setting of the apparatus;
• a second non-production frame engine, to cause printing of a non-production printer calibration frame (“NPPCF”) after the printing of production frame 1 and before the printing of production frame n, the NPPCF including a calibration image;
• a scanner;
• a scanning engine, to cause a scanner to capture the calibration image and create scan data representative of the calibration image;
• and
• a calibration operation engine, to perform a calibration operation at the printer based upon the scan data.

A printer, comprising:

• a set of printheads to form images upon a roll media in accordance with a received print job;
• a media transport component to cause movement of the roll media past the set of printheads;
• a scanner;
• a controller to
• receive the print job, the print job including a plurality of production frames 1-n;
• cause the set of printheads to print of the production frames 1-n, a non-production frame x and a nonproduction frame y, wherein
• the non-production frame x includes an instruction to modify a non-printing apparatus that is to perform an action upon the printed print job, and the non-production frame x is printed after the printing of production frame 1 and before the printing of production frame n, and
• the non-production frame y includes a diagnostic, and the non-production frame y is printed after the printing of production frame 1 and before the printing of production frame n;
• cause the scanner to scan the diagnostic at the non-production frame y to generate scan data;
• and
• perform a calibration of a printhead of the set of printheads based upon the scan data, without stopping movement of the roll media during printing of the print job.