Print control system with predictive image

A system comprising:

• an image capturing device configured to capture an image of at least a portion of a printed product of a web or offset print device and output at least one signal representative of the captured image;
• an input device configured to generate an input signal representative of a print parameter change;
• and
• a processing circuit in communication with the image capturing device and input device, wherein the processing circuit is configured to receive the at least one signal representative of the captured image and the input signal representative of a print parameter change and calculate a change to the captured image representative of how the captured image would be printed on the web or offset print device with the print parameter change represented by the input signal.

A method of controlling a commercial printing press, the method comprising:

• capturing an image from at least a portion of a printed product while the printed product is on the commercial printing press;
• displaying at least a portion of the captured image;
• receiving a manipulation of a user interface control to vary a print parameter;
• and
• calculating a predictive image based on the print parameter variation, the predictive image being representative of a resultant image on the printed product following implementation of the print parameter variation on the commercial printing press.

A print control system for use with a commercial printing press configured to receive a substrate and discharge a printed product that comprises a printed image, the system comprising:

• an image capturing device configured to capture an image of at least a portion of the printed image on the printed product;
• a control system comprising an input device and a processor;
• and
• a first transmission device coupled to the image capturing device and configured to transmit the captured image to the control system;
• wherein the input device is configured to vary a print parameter, and the processor is configured to receive the print parameter variation from the input device and calculate a change to the captured image representative of how the captured image would be printed on the commercial printing press with the print parameter variation.

A method of controlling a web or offset print device, the method comprising:

• capturing an image from at least a portion of a printed product while the printed product is on the web or offset print device;
• displaying at least a portion of the captured image;
• receiving a manipulation of a user interface control to vary a print parameter;
• and
• calculating a predictive image based on the print parameter variation, the predictive image being representative of a resultant image on the printed product following implementation of the print parameter variation on the web or offset print device.