Artwork alignment for decorating machine

In a process for engraving the surface of a conical roll with registerable color separated etched portions of a design by photographic activation of surface portions of said roll through a photomask, a method for producing said photomask comprising the steps of:

• exposing a photomask forming film to the color separated portion of the design to produce an image on the photomask having relatively negative and positive regions therein corresponding to said color separated portion of the design;
• graphically representing a planar development of the conical roll to be engraved into an outline having axial and lateral margins;
• superimposing the image on the film and development outline into a selected planar orientation to produce a composite film;
• shearing the composite film at least along the lateral margins of the development outline;
• fabricating a fixture for aligning the axial margins of the outline;
• the fixture formed of a surface support member having a shape corresponding to that of the conical roll along at least one of the lateral margins of the development outline;
• forming at least one aperture in the surface support member of the fixture at a selected location and forming a removable pin securable in said aperture;
• forming at least one aperture in the film in a position corresponding to the selected location of the apertures in the fixture;
• wrapping the film over the fixture;
• aligning at least the axial margins of the film while wrapped on said fixture;
• aligning the respective apertures in the film and fixture one over the other;
• inserting the pin through the aligned aperture to secure the film and fixture in alignment;
• and securing the lateral margins together in butting relation to form a conical shell corresponding to and removably sleevable over the conical surface to be etched so as to produce a photomask therefor.