Color correction of contone images in a multiple print engine system

Abstract

A method for providing color correction to a color marking engine for halftone and contone images includes the step of first generating a test pattern. This test pattern has a plurality of discrete images disposed thereon with the discrete images having characteristics that are correlated with parameters of the print job. In one mode, they relate to halftone images that have differing densities of dots, each less than 100% density. The images are correlated to different bit values for the same densities such that the maximum density value for the pixel is offset for different images. A user then views the different images and determine which one is closest to a true gray and then selects the offset bit value for that image as the marking engine offset. This can then be applied to that particular marking engine. This can be utilized for a plurality of marking engines (651) with a single RIP (650). For dot linearization, the images will have different bit density values such that a curve can be made for actual verses requested density. A linearization curve can be defined for each of the plurality of the marking engines (650) in a versatile engine and then these linearization curves averaged. This averaged linearization curve is then applied to the RIP (650).

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