Flexographic printing
AssigneeKodak Graphic Communications Canada Company
InventorsDevon James McCrea, Stephen Hughes Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of screening a continuous tone image into a halftone representation for a flexographic printing operation can compensate for characteristic printing problems in highlight areas by selectively placing non-printing dots or pixels proximate highlight dots. The non-printing dots or pixels raise the printing relief floor in the highlight areas providing additional support for marginally printable image features.
Claims35
A system for preparing an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the system comprising:
- a workstation for receiving image data representing an image;
- a raster image processor for converting the image into a halftone representation thereof;
- and
- an image processor for identifying at least one printable image feature and establishing at least one non-printing image feature in proximity to the printable image feature.
A system for preparing an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the system comprising:
- printable image feature identification logic operative to identify at least one printable image feature in a halftone representation to be used in making a flexographic printing plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion;
- and
- non-printing image feature establishment logic responsive to the printable image feature identification logic and operative to establish at least one non-printing feature proximate to the printable image feature identified by the printable image feature identification logic.
A system for preparing an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the system comprising:
- means for identifying at least one printable image feature in a halftone representation to be used in making a flexographic printing plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion;
- and
- means responsive to the printable image feature identification logic for establishing at least one non-printing feature proximate to the printable image feature identified by the means for identifying.
A system for preparing an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the system comprising:
- a computer system for receiving image data;
- a raster image processor for converting the image data into halftone data for producing a relief image in the flexographic printing plate wherein the raster image processor includes a halftone generator for
- creating a marginal halftone dot for a highlight feature of the image data wherein the marginal halftone dot tends to produce a marginally printable relief dot in the flexographic printing plate;
- and
- adding a non-printing configuration of halftone pixels in the halftone data, proximate to the marginal halftone dot, to improve the printability of the marginally printable relief dot, wherein the configuration of halftone pixels is based on a characteristic of the marginal halftone dot.
A system for preparing an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the system comprising:
- a computer system for receiving image data;
- a raster image processor for converting the image data into halftone data for producing a relief image in the flexographic printing plate;
- an image processor for
- identifying a marginal halftone dot amongst the halftone data wherein the marginal halftone dot tends to produce a marginally printable relief dot in the flexographic printing plate;
- and
- enabling a configuration of non-printing halftone pixels in the halftone data, proximate to the marginal halftone dot, to improve the printability of the marginally printable relief dot wherein the configuration of halftone pixels is based on a characteristic of the marginal halftone dot.
A system for preparing an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the system comprising:
- means for generating halftone data used to produce a relief image in the flexographic printing plate wherein means for generating halftone data comprises:
- means for identifying a marginal halftone dot amongst the halftone data wherein a relief dot produced in the flexographic printing plate based on the marginal halftone dot tends to produce a marginally printable relief dot;
- and
- means for enabling a configuration of non-printing halftone pixels in the halftone data, proximate to the marginal halftone dot, to improve the printability of the marginally printable relief dot wherein the configuration of halftone pixels is based on a characteristic of the marginal halftone dot.
A system for preparing an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the system comprising:
- means for constructing a plurality of threshold arrays comprising means for constructing at least one threshold array defining a marginal halftone dot wherein means for producing a relief dot in the flexographic printing plate based on the marginal halftone dot tends to produce a marginally printable relief dot;
- and
- means for comparing a plurality of gray scale values derived from the image data with the plurality of threshold arrays to generate a halftone data for means for producing a relief image in the flexographic printing plate.
A system for preparing an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the apparatus comprising:
- logic for identifying two or more printable image features, and
- logic for establishing at least one shared non-printing image feature in proximity to the printable image features based on the location of the two printable image features.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.