Xerox Corporation

William A Blitz

Gerald L Coy

James R Graves

Michael C Mongeon

Henry Thomas Bober

Roger Lee Triplett

John Allott Moore

David Jordan Lieberman

Kenneth James Buck

Eun Suk Suh

David E Crocker

Warren F Brandkamp

James E Summers

Separate multicolorant and monochromatic digital image marking engines are operated concurrently for print jobs having both monochromatic and color images. The marked multicolorant image sheets are batch printed and held in a sheet buffer and interspersed in sequence with the monochromatic marked sheets without interrupting the faster monochromatic marking engine or requiring multiple unnecessary run cost increasing start up and shut down cycles of the multicolorant marking engine.

Digital image printing a job including monochromatic and color images

A first series of control patches is printed with a first marking engine. A second series of control patches is printed with a second marking engine. Relative reflectance values of the patches printed with the first and second marking engines are measured with respective first and second engine response sensors. Based at least on a difference in the measured relative reflectance values of the control patches printed with the first and second marking engines, a relative engine to engine error is determined. The engine to engine error is decomposed into components. Based on the decomposition, adjustment of at least binary values of a digital image is determined so that print density of a first marking engine output substantially matches print density of a second marking engine output.

Automatic image quality control of marking processes

An electronic reprographic apparatus, including a method for increasing the speed of manual or semi-automatic imaging of signature-type original documents, having the ability to selectively control the areas of the documents to be imaged. In particular, the system enables the user to identify the type of input document, including size and image cropping dimensions, thereby eliminating the potential for imaging beyond document edges or in bound document gutter regions. In addition, the system is suitable for scanning both page sides of a first signature-type document on the first pass of the scan array and is capable of scanning a second signature-type document on the reverse or return pass. Furthermore, the system implements the scanning operation with a center registration technique, facilitating the registration of bound documents.

Method and apparatus for scanning a signature document

A diagnostic test process is provided for a visual verification of the spatial illumination characteristics of an illumination system used in a raster input scanner (RIS) system. A calibration reference strip is illuminated by the RIS scanning lamp and the reflected image is detected by a photosensor array. The output data from the photosensor is sampled at predetermined time intervals with each sampling being displayed as a video illumination profile at a display screen. The profile is superimposed on a calibration grid with indicia which allow verification that the lamp calibration is still valid. An out of spec calibration display prompts an operator or tech rep to initiate a recalibration routine or to replace the lamps or possibly clean the optical system components.

Raster input scanner (RIS) with diagnostic mode to predict and verify

An illumination output from a fluorescent lamp used in a RIS type scanner is maintained at optimum by monitoring the lamp's on/off state and turning the lamp on for a time period following a specified cumulative off time. In one example, the lamp is turned on for a two minute interval following a one hour off time. Following the two minute on period, a diagnostic test is automatically performed to determine whether variations in the lamp output have resulted in an out of specification condition requiring that the lamp be recalibrated to the photosensor array. The calibration is automatically enabled by adjusting the gain of the photosensor array until the photosensor response is within the nominal percentage range. The scanner is then returned to a standby mode. All of the tests are performed automatically and normal operations can be accomplished while the lamp is in warm up phase.

Method and apparatus for compensating for illumination variations of a

An electronic printing system in which undefined photosites at the ends of a linear scanning array are temporarily enabled to thereby increase the width of the scan line when scanning oversized or misaligned documents provided that the unused photosites are calibrated.

Fast scan imaging area optimization system

A method of locating the position of an object on the platen of a raster input scanner having a movable scan carriage and an extended array of scanners is disclosed. The method includes the steps of obtaining a previously stored theoretical position of the object from a memory, locating the scan carriage at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the previously stored position, moving the scan carriage toward the previously stored position while operating at least some of the scanners until a target on the object is detected by the operating scanners, and storing a target position of the scan carriage where the target is detected. The target position can represent the location of the scanner's calibration strip or the registration position of a document. After the target position is stored, the scan carriage can be located at the target position for calibrating the scanners if the target position represents the location of the calibration strip. Alternatively, the scan carriage can be located at the target position prior to actuating the scanners for each subsequent document to be scanned if the target position represents a document registration position. This procedure is repeated to determine the document registration positions for documents which are placed on the platen manually, by an SADH or SALDH input, by a CFF input, or by an RDH input.

Method of automatically setting document registration and locating

An electronic printing system for scanning signature pages for signature jobs in which the pages of the document are placed face down in registered position on the platen of a scanner such that the signature images are side by side in the fast scan direction in order to enable an array to view both images concurrently on relative movement between the array and the platen in a slow scan direction.

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Webster, NY, United States of America

William A Blitz