US3796575A - Color-photographic proofing process - Google Patents

Color-photographic proofing process Download PDF

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Publication number
US3796575A
US3796575A US00162674A US3796575DA US3796575A US 3796575 A US3796575 A US 3796575A US 00162674 A US00162674 A US 00162674A US 3796575D A US3796575D A US 3796575DA US 3796575 A US3796575 A US 3796575A
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positive
color
exposure
black
filter
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US00162674A
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H Kirsch
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Ilford Imaging Switzerland GmbH
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Ciba Geigy AG
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03C—PHOTOSENSITIVE MATERIALS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PURPOSES; PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES, e.g. CINE, X-RAY, COLOUR, STEREO-PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES; AUXILIARY PROCESSES IN PHOTOGRAPHY
    • G03C7/00—Multicolour photographic processes or agents therefor; Regeneration of such processing agents; Photosensitive materials for multicolour processes
    • G03C7/28—Silver dye bleach processes; Materials therefor; Preparing or processing such materials
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F3/00—Colour separation; Correction of tonal value
    • G03F3/10—Checking the colour or tonal value of separation negatives or positives
    • G03F3/107—Checking the colour or tonal value of separation negatives or positives using silver halide photosensitive materials

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of screened colored positive direct-viewing images, which in the printing industry permit the rapid detection of the matching of the component print posiitves which the final printed product will show.
  • the color shades of the base colors yellow, magenta and cyan are so controlled by the copying process that they are matched to the printing inks.
  • the subject of the invention is, accordingly, a process for the manufacture of a screened, photographic color copy simulating a multi-color print, preferably multicolor oliset print, in which the screened positive color separation components of the original, which appertain to the individual colors, are exposed together with the screened black separation component and, if appropriate, the black separation component alone is additionally exposed onto a light-sensitive positively working colorphotographic material, characterized in that (a) at least one of the color separation components together with (b) the black separation component and (c) at least partially together with at least one of the remaining color separation components, is exposed with the light of the color appertaining to the color separation component (a) onto the light-sensitive color-photographic material, and the material thus exposed is processed to give a screened, pos itive direct-viewing image which possesses base colors matching the printing inks.
  • the exposures, without and with a 2nd and optionally 3rd"co1or separation component (c) are computed from the densitometric measurement of the printing ink and from the colors on the photographic copy.
  • the procedure followed is thus that, depending on the measured color deviation of the individual base colors of the color proof from the printing ink, a second and, if appropriate, a third color separation screened positive is exposed to a greater or lesser extent together with the color separation positive to be copied, and that this is done in such a way that the proportion of exposure of the additional second or third color separation component with the main color separation component is together as a rule 10 to 100%, preferably 40 to of the total exposure time of the first color separation component.
  • the second possibility of adapting the proof to the printing conditions is, in addition to varying the color shades, adjusting the maximum densities of the individual base colors, or reduction, to the print color density.
  • an exposure through the black print positive is made with the color filter complementary to the reducing color.
  • the exposed material is subsequently developed to give a positive direct-viewing image.
  • the process according to the invention is above all suitable for simulating screened multicolor ofiset-printed products.
  • Photographic material for the silver dye bleach process has proved particularly advantageous for the process according to the invention, since it permits colored images to be produced wherein the colors correspond relatively well to the printing inks.
  • a further advantage of the photographic material for the silver dye bleach process is that it permits positive copies of positive color separation components to be produced with ease.
  • the present process is, however, not restricted to photographic material for the silver dye bleach process, and material used, for example, for the dye development process is also suitable.
  • the color separation components required for the process according to the invention for example the green, red and blue filter separation component, as well as the black separation component, are produced in the usual and known manner. Since these separation components are in the form of monochrome, and generally black-andwhite, diapositives, the choice of the copying lights in photographic further processing now only depends on the spectral sensitivities of the copying material.
  • the color separation component positives which are in most cases black-and-white, correspond to the positives usually employed in screen oifset printing technique. These screen positives are as a rule contact copies or enlargements of screened or continuous-tone separation negatives, and in the cast of continuous-tone negatives a contact screen must be copied with them.
  • the continuoustone or screen negatives are produced with color filters,
  • the color retouching and correction of the color separation components is adapted to the works colour scale of the For comparison, the printing ink is measured with the photographic color proo with and without mixing-in individual printing works.
  • the blue filter positive is combined in register with the black print positive and copied onto the emulsion sensitive to blue, by means of a part exposure with blue light.
  • the green filter positive is then added thereto and the second part exposure effected with blue light.
  • the green filter positive and the black print positive are used, and for the red exposure the red filter positive is again used with the black print positive.
  • the color-photographic material is developed by the silver dye bleach process to give a positive direct-viewing image, which comes close to the printed product produced with the same separation components.
  • Example 1 there are 2 exposures using the blue filter onto a photographic material for the silver dye bleach process:
  • the green and red exposures remain the same as in Example 1. After the exposures, a positive direct-viewing image is obtained, which comes close to the printed product produced with the same separation components.
  • the blue exposure is again subdivided into 40% exposure for the first part exposure of the blue filter positive and black print positive at 60% exposure for the second part exposure, in which blue filter, green filter and red filter positives and the black print positive are used. In this way yellow is mixed into the magenta and cyan color of the color proof.
  • Step 5 reduces the maximum density of the cyan layer.

Abstract

A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SCREENED COLORED POSITIVE DIRECT-VIEWING IMAGES, WHICH IN THE PRINTING INDUSTRY PERMIT THE RAPID DETECTION OF THE MATCHING OF THE COMPONENT PRINT POSITIVES WHICH THE FINAL PRINTED PRODUCT WILL SHOW IS DISCLOSED.

Description

United States Patent US. CI. 96-14 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A process for the manufacture of screened colored positive direct-viewing images, which in the printing industry permit the rapid detection of the matching of the component print positives which the final printed product will show is disclosed.
The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of screened colored positive direct-viewing images, which in the printing industry permit the rapid detection of the matching of the component print posiitves which the final printed product will show. The color shades of the base colors yellow, magenta and cyan are so controlled by the copying process that they are matched to the printing inks.
The proof printing of a photolithographic print is even today still a time-consuming and expensive matter. Various attempts have already been made to produce proof prints of correct color and correct tone values more rapidly and more cheaply, avoiding the customary proof printing approach. Hitherto, however, the methods are too expensive, or the results are not satisfactory.
Particular problems arise in the production of so-called color proofs on photographic multi-color material, because in the graphic industry a proofing system has to provide variability of the base color shades and color densities.
A process has now been discovered which fulfils this requirement and yields images which come very close to the printed product.
The subject of the invention is, accordingly, a process for the manufacture of a screened, photographic color copy simulating a multi-color print, preferably multicolor oliset print, in which the screened positive color separation components of the original, which appertain to the individual colors, are exposed together with the screened black separation component and, if appropriate, the black separation component alone is additionally exposed onto a light-sensitive positively working colorphotographic material, characterized in that (a) at least one of the color separation components together with (b) the black separation component and (c) at least partially together with at least one of the remaining color separation components, is exposed with the light of the color appertaining to the color separation component (a) onto the light-sensitive color-photographic material, and the material thus exposed is processed to give a screened, pos itive direct-viewing image which possesses base colors matching the printing inks.
In the process according to the invention the procedure is thus that the screened, positive color separation components of the original (b1ue=B, green=G, red=R) and the black separation component (black=-S) of the original are brought into register with one another as combinations BS, GS and RS, and are then successively exposed, in optional sequence, with the corresponding filters (blue=b, green=g, red=r) onto a light-sensitive, positively working photographic material in the combinations BS-b, GS-g, RS-r and, if appropriate, additionally S alone, the improved matching of the color impression of the color copy to the printing inks being achieved in that additionally, at least one of the following combinations is exposed: BGS-b, BGS-g, BRS-b, BRS-r, GRS-g, GRS-r, BPRS-b, BGRS-g or BGRS-r.
The exposures, without and with a 2nd and optionally 3rd"co1or separation component (c) are computed from the densitometric measurement of the printing ink and from the colors on the photographic copy.
In the process according to the invention, the procedure followed is thus that, depending on the measured color deviation of the individual base colors of the color proof from the printing ink, a second and, if appropriate, a third color separation screened positive is exposed to a greater or lesser extent together with the color separation positive to be copied, and that this is done in such a way that the proportion of exposure of the additional second or third color separation component with the main color separation component is together as a rule 10 to 100%, preferably 40 to of the total exposure time of the first color separation component.
The second possibility of adapting the proof to the printing conditions is, in addition to varying the color shades, adjusting the maximum densities of the individual base colors, or reduction, to the print color density. For this purpose, an exposure through the black print positive is made with the color filter complementary to the reducing color. The exposed material is subsequently developed to give a positive direct-viewing image.
The process according to the invention is above all suitable for simulating screened multicolor ofiset-printed products.
Photographic material for the silver dye bleach process has proved particularly advantageous for the process according to the invention, since it permits colored images to be produced wherein the colors correspond relatively well to the printing inks. A further advantage of the photographic material for the silver dye bleach process is that it permits positive copies of positive color separation components to be produced with ease. The present process is, however, not restricted to photographic material for the silver dye bleach process, and material used, for example, for the dye development process is also suitable.
The color separation components required for the process according to the invention, for example the green, red and blue filter separation component, as well as the black separation component, are produced in the usual and known manner. Since these separation components are in the form of monochrome, and generally black-andwhite, diapositives, the choice of the copying lights in photographic further processing now only depends on the spectral sensitivities of the copying material.
The color separation component positives, which are in most cases black-and-white, correspond to the positives usually employed in screen oifset printing technique. These screen positives are as a rule contact copies or enlargements of screened or continuous-tone separation negatives, and in the cast of continuous-tone negatives a contact screen must be copied with them. The continuoustone or screen negatives are produced with color filters,
either conventionally or via so-called scanners. The color retouching and correction of the color separation components is adapted to the works colour scale of the For comparison, the printing ink is measured with the photographic color proo with and without mixing-in individual printing works.
of a 2nd or 3rd color separation component, in a densitometer. The following values are found:
Relative densities N orEs.-I=Here the printing inks used are measured. II=These are measured values of a "color proof" without mixing-in. III=This represents the chosen subdivision of thr exposure to blue light into a part exposure with blue filter positive plus black print positive and a 60% part exposure with blue filter positive plus black print positive plus green filtee positive, with the exposure of the combinations green filter positive plus black print positive and red filter positive lus black print positive being unchanged. The exposure times are co nputedas follows: t e exposure to blue light with the blue filter positive and the black print positive is 4 seconds for a correctly exposed image. This exposure is now subdivided into a part exposure of 1.6 seconds (40%) for the blue filter positive and black print positive and 2.4 seconds (60%) for the second part exposure of the blue filter positive, green filter positive and black print positive.
EXAMPLE 1 If a warmer (yellower) magenta printing ink is used, the color proof can be adapted to the printing ink by increasing the proportion of yellow in the magenta. The procedure is as follows:
Psi-t exposure (40%) 1. Blue filter positive Black print positive Total blue Part exposure (607 2 Blue filter positive exposure Black print positive Green filter positive Total exposure 3 Green filter positive 522:
Black print positive exposure 4 Red filter positive gg Black print positive exposure Effective relative exposure times:
(1) 1.6 seconds (2) 2.4 seconds (3) 2 seconds (4) 2 seconds.
The blue filter positive is combined in register with the black print positive and copied onto the emulsion sensitive to blue, by means of a part exposure with blue light. The green filter positive is then added thereto and the second part exposure effected with blue light. For the green filter exposure, the green filter positive and the black print positive are used, and for the red exposure the red filter positive is again used with the black print positive.
After these exposures, the color-photographic material is developed by the silver dye bleach process to give a positive direct-viewing image, which comes close to the printed product produced with the same separation components.
EXAMPLE 2 If warmer magenta and cyan printing inks are used, the procedure for adapting the color proof is as follows:
Part exposure (40%) 1. Blue filter positive Black print positive Total Part exposure (60%) blue Blue filter positive exposure 2. Black print positive+ Green filter positive Red filter positive Total exposure Green filter ti Total 3 green Black print positive exposure 4 Red filter positive 123 Black print positive exposure Eifective relative exposure times:
(1) 1.6 seconds (2) 2.4 seconds (3) 4 seconds (4) 4 seconds.
As in Example 1, there are 2 exposures using the blue filter onto a photographic material for the silver dye bleach process:
The first with the blue filter and black print positive and the second exposure additionally with the green filter positive and red filter positive. The green and red exposures remain the same as in Example 1. After the exposures, a positive direct-viewing image is obtained, which comes close to the printed product produced with the same separation components.
Relative density values measured as in Example 1:
tive plus green filter positive plus black pn'nt positive.
The blue exposure is again subdivided into 40% exposure for the first part exposure of the blue filter positive and black print positive at 60% exposure for the second part exposure, in which blue filter, green filter and red filter positives and the black print positive are used. In this way yellow is mixed into the magenta and cyan color of the color proof.
As regards the density values it should be mentioned that a trained eye can detcet a difference of about 0.03 density unit.
EXAMPLE 3 Instead of the customary cyan color shade, a reddish cyan is desired, in which additionally the maximum density of the cyan layer must also be reduced. The procedure is here as follows:
- Total Blue filter positive Black print positive Eigg Part exposure (75%) 2. Green filter positive Black print positive Total Part exposure (257 green 3 Green filter positirfe exposure Total Black print positive exposure Red filter positive 4 Red filter positive Red Black print positive exposure 5. Black print positive ga Eifective exposure times:
(1) 4 seconds (2) 3 seconds (3) lsecond (4) 4 seconds (5) .05 second.
Step 5 reduces the maximum density of the cyan layer.
The screened separation component positives of an original color image are copied onto a photographic material for the silver dye bleach process in the same way as described in Example 1. The exposure times of the part exposure depend again on the desired percentage mixing of one base color into the other base color. Equally, the exposure to reduce the cyan density depends on the desired change.
These exposures give a positive direct-viewing image which comes close to the printed product. produced with the same separation components.
What is claimed is:
1. In a process for the manufacture of a screened, photographic color copy simulating a multi-color print, in Which the screened positive color separation components of the original, which appertain to the individual colors, are exposed together with the screened black separation component and, if appropriate, the black separation component alone is additionally exposed onto a light-sensitive positively working silver dye bleach color-photographic material, the improvement which comprises exposing at least one of the color separation components (i) together with the black separation component and at least partially together with at least one of the remaining color separation components (ii) with the light of the color appertaining to the color separation component (i) onto the light-sensitive silver dye bleach color-photographic material, and processing the material thus exposed to give a screened, positive direct-viewing image which possesses base colors matching the printing inks.
2. Process according to claim 1, which comprises coexposing the second color separation component (ii) for 10 to 100% of the total exposure time of the color separation component (i).
3. Process according to claim 2, which comprises coexposing the second color separation component (ii) for 40 to of the total exposure time of the color separation component (i). i
4. Process according to claim 3, which comprises simulating with the photographic color copy a multi-color planographic printing product.
References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,841,492 7/1958 Greham 96-30 3,576,627 4/1971 Wirth 9623 NORMAN G. TORCHIN, Primary Examiner A. T. SURO PICO, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 9617, 45, 59
US00162674A 1970-07-24 1971-07-14 Color-photographic proofing process Expired - Lifetime US3796575A (en)

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CH1129170A CH545491A (en) 1970-07-24 1970-07-24 Process for the production of a screened, photographic color copy simulating a multicolor print

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CA (1) CA941214A (en)
CH (1) CH545491A (en)
DE (1) DE2136064A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2103241A5 (en)
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NL (1) NL7110201A (en)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3969115A (en) * 1974-10-15 1976-07-13 Rcs Color Labs Graphics process using a composite of color separated negatives
US4203360A (en) * 1977-05-05 1980-05-20 Madwed Steven R Method for silk-screen printing
US4425417A (en) 1979-09-17 1984-01-10 Ingalls Marjorie D Method for preparation of a color proof from a set of color separation films, masks or the like
US4818663A (en) * 1986-04-15 1989-04-04 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Photographic materials and color proofing system
US5288570A (en) * 1990-09-05 1994-02-22 Hoechst Celanese Corporation Composite black and white substrate for color proofing films
US5360688A (en) * 1990-09-05 1994-11-01 Hoechst Celanese Corporation Composite black and white substrate for color proofing films
US5579044A (en) * 1993-08-20 1996-11-26 Intergraph Corporation Digital proofing system

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA1147188A (en) * 1979-01-30 1983-05-31 Richard D. Ingalls Pre-press color proofing by light exposure to photographic media
US4553835A (en) * 1982-02-11 1985-11-19 Morgan Jr James T Process for producing pre-press color proofs
EP0219560B1 (en) * 1982-02-11 1991-06-05 James Thomas Morgan Process for producing pre-press color proofs

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3969115A (en) * 1974-10-15 1976-07-13 Rcs Color Labs Graphics process using a composite of color separated negatives
US4203360A (en) * 1977-05-05 1980-05-20 Madwed Steven R Method for silk-screen printing
US4425417A (en) 1979-09-17 1984-01-10 Ingalls Marjorie D Method for preparation of a color proof from a set of color separation films, masks or the like
US4818663A (en) * 1986-04-15 1989-04-04 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Photographic materials and color proofing system
US5288570A (en) * 1990-09-05 1994-02-22 Hoechst Celanese Corporation Composite black and white substrate for color proofing films
US5360688A (en) * 1990-09-05 1994-11-01 Hoechst Celanese Corporation Composite black and white substrate for color proofing films
US5579044A (en) * 1993-08-20 1996-11-26 Intergraph Corporation Digital proofing system
US5767887A (en) * 1993-08-20 1998-06-16 Optronics International Corporation System for plotting graphic Images

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GB1328299A (en) 1973-08-30
BE770407A (en) 1972-01-24
FR2103241A5 (en) 1972-04-07
NL7110201A (en) 1972-01-26
CA941214A (en) 1974-02-05
CH545491A (en) 1973-12-15
DE2136064A1 (en) 1972-01-27

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