Abstract: A lithographic plate scanner provides more accurate representations of the color intensity of the various image areas of a plate having a fixed image by using only a single photocell to read the solid color bar, the white color bar and the successive image areas in a column of the plate. The readings are stored and a computer compares the image area readings with respect to the color bar readings and determines the amount of ink that must be flowed when the plate is mounted in a printing press to replicate the color in the printing, and stores the same on a floppy disk which is mounted in the printing press computer when the printing occurs.