Photographic printer and method of making a filter for a photographic printer

A method of improving uneven illumination in a photographic printer having an original image position and a light source to illuminate the original image position, which light source may illuminate the original image position non-uniformly, the method comprising:

• first forming a mask which will be positioned at a filtering position between the light source and the original image position, by exposing to the light source a photographic element at an exposure position from the light source in the direction of the original image position, and processing the element to form a negative image, where the exposure and filtering positions may be the same or different;
• and
• positioning the mask at the filtering position;
• wherein when the exposure and filtering positions are different, the processing includes reducing or enlarging the negative image.

A photographic printer comprising:

• an original image holder to hold an original image to be printed at an original image position;
• a light source to illuminate the original image position;
• and
• a mask positioned at a filtering position between the light source and the original image position, which mask is a photographic element which was exposed to the light source and processed to form a negative image of the light source at the filtering position.

A method of improving uneven illumination in a photographic printer having an original image position and a light source to illuminate the original image position, and an exposure position at which a light sensitive element is positioned for exposure, wherein the exposure position may be illuminated non-uniformly absent an original image, the method comprising:

• inputting into a computer, data representative of illumination at multiple laterally spaced locations positioned in a direction from the light source to the exposure position;
• processing the data in the computer to form a mask image which when printed on a support and positioned at a filtering position between the light source and the exposure position, improves illumination uniformity at the exposure position;
• printing the mask image on a support;
• and
• positioning the mask at the filtering position.

A photographic printer comprising:

• an original image holder to hold an original image to be printed at an original image position;
• a light source to illuminate the original image position;
• and
• a mask positioned at a filtering position between the light source and the original image position, which mask carries a computer printed image obtained from computer processing of data representative of illumination at multiple laterally spaced apart locations positioned in a direction from the light source to the original image position, such that the mask improves illumination uniformity at the original image position.

A computer program product, comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium including program means which comprises:
• means for receiving data representative of illumination at multiple laterally spaced locations positioned in a direction, in a photographic printer, from a light source of the printer to an original image position of the printer;
• means for processing the data in the computer to form a mask image which when printed on a support and positioned at a filtering position between the light source and the original image position, improves illumination uniformity at the original image position;
• means for processing the data in a computer to form a mask image which when printed on a support and positioned at a filtering position between the light source and the original image position, improves illumination uniformity at the original image position;
• means for causing a printer connected to the computer to print the mask image on the support.