Color mapping determination for an N-color marking device based upon color stability

A system for producing device-dependent color specifications for an N-color device, where N is greater than three, the system comprising:

• a non-transitory memory;
• a non-transitory storage medium for storing data;
• and
• a processor in communication with said storage medium and said memory, said processor executing machine readable instructions for performing the method of:
• receiving a selected device-independent color specification;
• determining a current device-dependent color specification for a target N-color device, the current device-dependent color specification corresponding to the selected device-independent color specification;
• repeating until a termination condition is reached:
• creating a set of changed colorant values by changing, by a selected amount, values of a selected subset of colorants within the current device-dependent color specification;
• determining a modified device-dependent color specification, the modified device-dependent color specification comprising the changed colorant values for the selected subset of colorants and values determined, based upon a printer model of the target N-color device, for remaining colorants of the modified device-dependent color specification so that the modified device-dependent color specification containing the changed colorant values yields the selected device-independent color specification, the remaining colorants being different from the selected subset of colorants;
• determining a new color stability value associated with the modified device-dependent color specification;
• adjusting, based upon the new color stability value, the amount to change values of the selected subset of colorant values within the device-dependent color specification during a next iteration;
• storing, in a color characterization of the target N color device, the resulting device-dependent color specification as a mapping for the selected device-independent color specification;
• and
• outputting the color characterization.

A method for producing device-dependent color specifications for an N-color device, where N is greater than three, the method comprising:

• producing, with the target N-color device, a plurality of color stability test patterns, each color stability test pattern specifying a plurality of device-dependent color specifications;
• determining, with a sensor, produced color values for each of the plurality of color stability test patterns produced by the target N-color device;
• determining, based on the produced color values for each of the plurality of color stability test patterns as determined by the determining, at least one color stability characteristic of the target N-color device;
• receiving, with a processor, a selected device-independent color specification;
• determining, with the processor, a current device-dependent color specification for a target N-color device, the current device-dependent color specification corresponding to the selected device-independent color specification;
• repeating, with the processor, until a termination condition is reached:
• creating a set of changed colorant values by changing, by a selected amount, values of a selected subset of colorants within the current device-dependent color specification;
• determining, with the processor, a modified device-dependent color specification, the modified device-dependent color specification comprising the changed colorant values for the selected subset of colorants and values determined, based upon a printer model of the target N-color device, for remaining colorants of the modified device-dependent color specification so that the modified device-dependent color specification containing the changed colorant values yields the selected device-independent color specification, the remaining colorants being different from the selected subset of colorants;
• determining, with the processor, a new color stability value associated with the modified device-dependent color specification;
• adjusting, with the processor, based upon the new color stability value, the amount to change values of the selected subset of colorant values within the device-dependent color specification during a next iteration;
• storing, with the processor in a color characterization of the target N color device, the resulting device-dependent color specification as a mapping for the selected device-independent color specification;
• and
• outputting the color characterization from the processor.