Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Craig Ritchie Brougher

Kurt A Pfahl

Richard A Robinson

A novel and improved method of controlling the quality of color fidelity in the printing of multi-colored subject matter is provided by novel and improved automatic densitometer apparatus adapted to automatically scan the successive differently colored blocks of a color control strip printed along one edge of the printed work piece, to automatically make repeated sensings of color density as the scan proceeds, to automatically change the filters required for sensing the density of different colors as the scan proceeds along the control strip, to automatically activate the apparatus for selecting one sensing of color density as being definitive for each relevant block of the control strip, to automatically print a running record of the definitive color densities sensed from different blocks of the control strip in format juxtaposing the item of the record for each such sensing with the corresponding block of the control strip when the record is placed alongside the control strip, to automatically position such record during scanning in appropriate juxtaposition alongside the control strip so that the densities being recorded can be conveniently checked even during the scanning of a remaining portion of the control strip, and to automatically control the progress of the scanning and the occurrence of the other aforementioned functions in response to changes in the color densities being sensed on a continuously iterated basis as the scanning proceeds. The method and apparatus are applicable to multicolor printing involving various numbers or selections of colors.

Growing community of inventors

Prairie Village, KS, United States of America

Craig Ritchie Brougher