Patent · US Expired

System, method, and program for saving toner/ink in a color printer without sacrificing image quality

US6313925A · kind A · utility

44Cited by
11References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 17, 1998
Grant dateNov 6, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 17, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N1/6058
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Toner/ink is saved while still being able to print any given color value within the full color gamut of a given printer. Combinations of varying percentages of a printer's toners/inks (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) are determined for maximum black substitution with varying percentages of under color addition (UCA) (e.g., 0%, 50%, 80%, and 100%). Patches of varying combinations of CMYK using maximum black substitution and a given percentage of UCA are printed out, and the color value (L*a*b*) of each patch is measured. Tables are generated having the percentage amounts of C,M,Y, and K and the corresponding measured color value. A first table represents maximum black substitution with 0% UCA. If a desired color value falls within this table, the corresponding CMYK combination represents the most toner/ink that can be saved. If a desired color value does not fall within the first table, subsequent tables representing increasing percentage amounts of UCA are examined. If the color is not found in any of the tables, the requested CMYK is unaltered. When the table is found, the corresponding CMYK combination, found through inversion and interpolation, saves some toner/ink while still …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.