Man Roland Druckmaschinen Ag

Manroland Ag

Armin Weichmann

Thomas Hartmann

Alfons Schuster

Dirk Probian

Michael M&uuml;ller

Bernhard Feller

Josef Schneider

Theodor Tatarczyk

Gregor Enke

Hartmut Fuhrmann

Hans E Mamberer

Rainer Stamme

Florian Fejfar

Hans Fleischmann

Werner Maier

Arnim Franz-Burgholz

Andreas Schiller

Karlheinz Huber

The present invention concerns measures for the space-optimized determination of printing-related measured values. With the aid of a tone value and/or color gradient in a control patch and a suitable measuring device, it is possible to obtain, in a smaller amount of space, adequate or even detailed information about the printing process. Correcting values necessary for the automatic control of the printing operation can be determined on the basis of the information thus obtained, which can be also be continuously acquired due to the space-optimized tone value and/or color gradients.

Device and method for determining process status by tone value and color reproduction measurement

An apparatus for acquiring and evaluating an image of a predetermined extract of a printed product removes the effects of scattered light to improve the accuracy of image evaluation. The apparatus uses a camera that has an electronic image sensor with a two-dimensional arrangement of sensor elements. An aperture stop is arranged in the beam path of the camera for shadowing a predetermined part of the image sensor. When an acquired image is read from a part of the image sensor that is not shadowed, corresponding readings from the shadowed portion of the sensor are subtracted from the acquired image to obtain intensity signals corrected for scattered light.

Apparatus and method for acquiring and evaluating an image from a predetermined extract of a printed product

In a method for controlling the inking in at least one inking unit of an offset press, namely for controlling the zonal inking that can be adjusted by inking zone actuating elements of the respective inking unit, measurement regions are measured for this purpose and actual values determined in the process are compared with predefined intended values in order to generate actuating signals for the inking zone actuating elements on the basis of the comparison between the actual values and the intended values. Control deviations between the measured actual values and the predefined intended values are modified on the basis of a model of the respective inking unit and/or on the basis of data from the subject.

Method for controlling inking in an offset press

A method of producing a printing plate on a cylindrical printing-plate carrier includes subdividing the printing-plate carrier by computation in terms of its width and axial length into at least two circumferential subareas. Then an actual transfer characteristic curve for each subarea is determined and compared by computation with a predetermined desired printing characteristic curve for each subarea to find a deviation. The method further includes calculating a correction to compensate for each deviation; receiving a digital image data in a first data format using a raster image processor; converting the digital image data into machine-specific image data including the position and the tonal value in the form of a bitmap; applying the correction for a predetermined desired printing characteristic curve for the edition print to the machine-specific image data using the raster image processor; and supplying the corrected machine-specific image data to an imagesetting unit.

Method of producing a printing plate on a cylindrical printing-plate carrier in a rotary printing press

A method of varying the ink density of the full tone in printing within a rotary printing machine with an ink application system which can provide a constant quantity of ink which, in spite of constant ink supply from the inking unit, permits control of the full-tone density or adaptation of the raster tonal values in the print. The method includes setting the binary image on a printing plate. A basic raster of raster points, which determines the area coverage of the binary image, is produced on the printing plate for the variable-area image information. The basic raster is then superimposed on a fine microraster in such way that the area coverage of the basic raster is reduced by a percentage which can be set between 0% and 100%.

Method of varying the ink density of the full tone in offset printing within a rotary printing machine

A process and apparatus for gravure printing of an image using an erasable and reusable gravure form including a gravure blank form having a base screen which is designed for accommodating a maximum amount of ink to be transferred. The depressions of the base screen of the gravure blank form are uniformly filled with a liquefiable substance using an applicator device and material is then removed from the depressions in conformity with the intended image using thermal energy applied by an image-point transfer device. The printing form is then linked using an inking system and, finally, is regenerated after the printing process to produce a gravure blank form, wherein the depressions of the base screen are again filled in a uniform manner.

Process and apparatus for gravure

A method of producing a thermal transfer print, including the steps of controlled imagewise heating of a surface layer of the print by means of a laser beam from a laser writing head; applying selected area elements to a substrate using a tape-like transfer film with a width which is small in relation to a width of the substrate, transporting the transfer film continuously between the substrate and the laser beam, close to the substrate surface during imaging moving the transfer film over the substrate width simultaneously and in synchronism with movement of the laser writing head the width of the transfer film being sufficiently large for a number of imaging tracks to be used alongside one another, and selecting an as yet unused track for each imaging operation.

Method and apparatus for producing a thermal transfer print by means of a tape-like transfer film

A method for calibrating a digitally controllable printing machine having a permanent printing plate, for which image data has been created in machine-independent format in a pre-press stage. The image data is prepared for the printing process by a data processing device and is fed in adapted form to the printing machine . The data processing device uses a profile which corresponds precisely with the current machine condition, for the final data preparation for printing. The profile can be addressed using the correct color-space conversion for the printing machine (i.e., calibrated). For this purpose, at the time at which the data is prepared for image setting, a machine condition forecast for the time of printing is called up and, from this, together with the knowledge of the operating materials, the machine profile which most closely approaches that for the print job is determined. This profile is then used for the data preparation.

Method for profiling and calibrating a digitally controllable printing machine having a permanent printing plate

To optimize the provision of thermal transfer material and to correctly provide different thermal transfer materials for the respective purpose at the correct time, a plurality of thermal transfer ribbons are made available, each in its own cassette. A control device provides management and controlling mechanism for managing the plurality of cassettes that are stored in a storage device.

Process and device for providing thermal transfer material for thermal transfer image generation

A method of producing a print, especially a multicolor print, especially for proof purposes, by controlled heating, in accordance with an image, of a surface layer one or more laser beams from a laser imaging unit and by applying the selected surface elements to a substrate. For the purpose of imaging the substrate, applied to a substrate cylinder, use is made of a tape-like transfer tape with a width which is small in relation to the substrate width, so that the gas produced during the laser imaging operation can escape to a sufficient extent because of the substrate and transfer tape being placed opposite each other over a small area. During the imaging operation this transfer tape is guided continuously through between the substrate and the laser beam or beams, close to the substrate surface, and is moved over the substrate width simultaneously and in synchronism with the movement of the laser imaging unit.

Method and apparatus for producing a print, especially a proof, by means of laser-induced thermal transfer

A method of producing a thermal transfer print on a substrate cylinder using a tape-like transfer film, the method including exerting a contact force on a substrate using the transfer film for producing a static friction force, and controlling exact synchronism between the tape-like transfer film and the substrate cylinder by using the magnitude of the static friction force.

Method and apparatus for producing a thermal transfer print by means of tape-like transfer films

A process corrects geometric errors in the transfer of information without mechanical intervention on the printing form, to compensate for the errors that occur and thus attain optimized print quality prior to imaging. The corrections are visually indiscernible, so that the artifacts created in the printed result by the corrections do not stand out in the image. A device-independent description of the page information to be printed is converted by a Raster Imaging Process into at least one device-dependent digital matrix. Each matrix with m rows and n columns contains the information for a certain color to be printed. After the individual matrices are produced, they are supplied to a matrix manipulation device, which subjects each matrix to a correction transformation using specific parameters. After the matrices are adjusted, they are supplied by a matrix transfer device to the digital imaging devices in the printing mechanisms.

Process for correcting geometric errors in the transfer of information

A communication process and accompanying apparatus for enabling communication between different areas of the printing process, e.g. between the preliminary printing stage and the printing press, in either direction so that data for regulating the printing press can be obtained from data which does not depend on the type of printing press and the data to be printed which are received from the preliminary printing stage can be influenced by the printing press itself. The apparatus has a communication structure formed by a central main data processing station, with which a plurality of printing units of the printing press are interlinked for joint preparation of a job, and a decentralized data processing substation for each area of the printing process which can be connected in turn with the main data processing station. The connection between the substations and the main station is formed by device-independent interfaces which allow data to be transferred in either direction.

Communication process and communication system for computer-assisted

A method for detecting diffuse reflections of full-tone and half-tone fields in order to prepare diagnoses on problem factors and/or changes in process parameters, such as blurring, dampness, machine temperature. During printing, the diffuse reflections of the full-tone and half-tone fields are detected with scanners. This is done in such a way that for at least two printed copies, in at least two fields of each copy, the diffuse reflections of full-tone and half-tone areas, or of at least two half-tone fields of different area coverages are compared, and based on the results of this comparison, diagnoses and/or control recommendations are made.

Printing process diagnostic method and system for a rotary printing

Information is received from an image on a moving substrate. Flash exposure is used, defining operating or exposure cycles. The reflection or a representation of the image is subdivided into a matrix having n columns and m rows or lines. The sensor is a charge coupled device (CCD), arranged to have a sensing area (11) with n columns and m rows or lines, and a storage region or section (12), likewise arranged to have storage cells of n and m columns and rows or lines. Information of any one image element, upon sensing, is shifted by a line transfer pulse by one image line. The line transfer pulses are synchronized with web movement of the substrate and operate as shift pulses. The m line, at the first transfer line shift pulse, is shifted into the first line or row of the matrix of the storage portion of the CCD. For each operating cycle, at least one line transfer pulse is used. The information of the image elements can be read out serially from the storage portion (12) at high speed. The storage portion of the CCD chip is protected against exposure to light.

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Kissing, Germany

Armin Weichmann