Method for incorporation of post-production operations to a web output from an image transfer device

A method for incorporating, in the production of a continuous stream of images by an image transfer device upon a moving web, post-production operations upon the web at a plurality of locations thereon, said method comprising the steps of:

• directing a web through an image transfer device that applies images to the web at predetermined points therealong, the step of directing including generating electronic pulses as predetermined length increments of web pass through the image transfer device;
• a first counting of the electronic pulses from the step of generating;
• a first indicating, in response to the first step of counting, a section of the web having an image thereon based upon a predetermined number of pulses;
• receiving the web output from the image transfer device at a post-production device positioned downstream of the image transfer device and performed a post-production process on the web received by the post-production device;
• a second generating of electronic pulses as predetermined length increments of the web pass through the post-production device, the length increments of web passing through the post-production device being equal in length to the predetermined length increments passing through the image transfer device;
• a second counting the electronic pulses from the second step of generating;
• a second indicating, in response to the second step of counting, a section of web having an image thereon based upon a predetermined number of pulses;
• establishing a plurality of shift register blocks for storing values therein, a number of blocks in the shift register equal to a number of sections on the web positioned between the image transfer device and the post-production device, the values in each of the blocks of the established shift register each corresponding to a specific post-production operation, the values shifting along the established shift register from an upstream end to a downstream end thereof as sections pass from the image transfer device to the post-production device;
• shifting the values in each of blocks downstream by one block as each section of the web passes through the post-production device;
• adding a block to the upstream end of the shift register when a section is output from the image transfer device before a section is input to the post-production device;
• removing a block from the upstream end of the shift register when a section is input to the post-production device before a section is output from the image transfer device;
• and
• reading the value of the downstream block and instructing the post-production device to perform the post-production process corresponding to the value in the downstream block on the web as the section corresponding to the downstream block is input into the post-production device.