Method for generating a screened gray proof having gray values from a color image

A method for producing a rastered gray composite proof for advance monitoring of color printing of a color image, comprising the steps of:

• generating color separation values of color separations "cyan", "magenta", "yellow" and "black" of said color image;
• dividing a recording material into pixels;
• correcting gray scale values to be recorded on the gray composite proof to different percentage parts for the color printing compared to gray scale values of chromatic printing inks "cyan", "magenta" and "yellow" represented by the color separation values, said different percentage parts respectively corresponding to a subjectively sensed brightness impression of the chromatic printing inks "cyan", "magenta" and "yellow" with reference to printing ink "black";
• converting the color separation values of the chromatic printing inks "cyan", "magenta" and "yellow" according to different raster functions into control bits in the form of three individual bit maps allocated to the pixels such that the recorded pixels of the chromatic printing inks "cyan", "magenta" and "yellow" lie next to one another on the recording material;
• uniting the individual bit maps of the chromatic printing inks "cyan", "magenta" and "yellow" to form an overall bit map;
• and
• driving a black-and-white recording device with the control bits of the overall bit map for recording the gray composite proof pixel-by-pixel and line-by-line on the recording material, the color values of the chromatic printing inks "cyan", "magenta", "yellow" being united to brightness-equivalent gray scale values, and the control bits of the bit map determining during the recording whether the pixels are or are not recorded as raster points or parts of a raster point.