Abstract: A printing device for the production of a plurality of print jobs having different image contents. The execution time, as well as the correspondingly necessary working steps for producing the printing form having the different image contents of the individual print jobs is intended to be optimized or minimized, so that a printing machine which is operated in accordance with this method or is effectively connected to such a data processing device is able to produce the largest possible number of print jobs in a predefined time. According to the invention, this is achieved in that the image contents of the various print jobs are compared with one another pixel by pixel and in the respective color separations, whereupon the defining of the execution sequence for producing the print jobs is performed to the effect that, for example, the number of working steps needed to rewrite an existing printing form for the next printing form and/or the execution time needed for this, is minimal.

Abstract: A print job allocation system interlinks customers of a plurality of printing plants located throughout the world and a plurality of printing plants located throughout the world. The system includes a network for connecting the printing plant customers and a plurality of printing machine control devices controlling a plurality of printing machines in the plurality of printing plants. The system also includes a print job processor which receives print job data from the printing customers and printing machine data from the printing machine control devices. The print job processor processes the data received and allocates print jobs by matching desired print job requirements to available printing machine capacity and capabilities. Using various print job criteria, the print job processor selects one or more printing machines from one or more printing plants which provide for optimum use of the world-wide printing machines and optimum performance of the printing and distribution of the printed products.

Abstract: A print job allocation system interlinks customers of a plurality of printing plants located throughout the world and a plurality of printing plants located throughout the world. The system includes a network for connecting the printing plant customers and a plurality of printing machine control devices controlling a plurality of printing machines in the plurality of printing plants. The system also includes a print job processor which receives print job data from the printing customers and printing machine data from the printing machine control devices. The print job processor processes the data received and allocates print jobs by matching desired print job requirements to available printing machine capacity and capabilities. Using various print job criteria, the print job processor selects one or more printing machines from one or more printing plants which provide for optimum use of the world-wide printing machines and optimum performance of the printing and distribution of the printed products.

Abstract: A quality control system for a printing plant adapted to efficiently and accurately correlate information needed for printing quality control, which information had required at least an element of human mental correlation in the past. A printing console has a video camera aimed at a printed sheet on the console, a light source having a position related to that of the video camera, measuring devices such as scanners for measuring particular areas of the printed sheet, and control keys for zonal press controls such as control of zonal ink supply. A processor is associated with an image memory adapted to create an electronic image of the printed sheet on the table. The processor also has access to a reference memory in which is stored a further representation of the image along with coordinates for quality control zones.

Abstract: A control system for a printing plant comprising a central computer and a plurality of substantially identical peripheral computers. The central computer has a memory including a table defining the functions of each peripheral computer. The table is transmitted for storage in definition memories of the peripheral computers. The table includes a list of allowed or non-allowed interface units for each of the peripheral computers. Each of the peripheral computers includes an array of connectors for interfacing with auxiliary equipment. Each peripheral computer is capable of polling the busy or non-busy status of each connector and utilizing that information in conjunction with information in the definition memory to determine the functions assigned to it.

Abstract: A system and associated method for low cost image scanning and automatic ink adjustment control in a printing press. The system dispenses with automatically positioned densitometers and the system feedback which associates densitometer position with ink adjusters in the press. Instead, at the outset, image zones in a printed form are associated with ink zones on the press, as determined by the particular form being printed. The operator is then led to take manual densitometer readings of each image zone, and the system determines whether the reading is proper, whether it is within standards, and if the operator should advance to a reading of the next zone, so directs the operator.

Abstract: To sense the positions of ink measuring strips on a printed sheet and to scan the ink measuring strips with a densitometer, the printed sheet is placed on a commerically available digitizing board of the kind including a manually operated stylus and the densitometer is mounted on the positioning head of an X-Y positioning mechanism secured to the digitizing board. Preferably, the printed sheet includes position indicating marks which may be scanned by the stylus so that the position and orientation of the printed sheet with respect to the digitizing board is sensed. For repetitive testing of a number of printed sheets using the same format or arrangement of ink measuring strips, the format referenced to sheet coordinates is recalled from computer memory and transformed to the coordinate reference of the digitizing board using coordinate transformation coefficients based on the sensed position of the printed sheet with respect to the digitizing board.

Abstract: An apparatus to obtain ink density data by scanning color measurement strips on a printed sheet has a densitometer mounted on a digitally-driven X,Y positioning mechanism, an optical sensor for detecting the position and orientation of the sheet with respect to the X,Y positioning mechanism, and a numerical computer for transforming the sheet coordinates of the color measurement strips to the X,Y coordinates of the X,Y positioning mechanism. Thus, the numerical computer can automatically position the densitometer to scan the color measurement strips. In a first embodiment, optical sensor arrays determine the position and orientation of the test sheet with respect to the X,Y positioning mechanism. In a second embodiment, the densitometer itself scans the edge portions of the test sheet to determine the position and orientation of the test sheet.

Abstract: A remote control terminal for a printing machine has a single central display for indicating all machine functions and accepting operator input of all the control information and which is easily used by a machine operator of ordinary skill. The control terminal has a transparent matrix switch and a machine diagram template overlayed on a color monitor under computer control. Control of the printing machine is a hierarchal process starting from the selection of a machine status area indicated on the machine diagram. Fault signals, however, are indicated directly and automatically for immediate operator attention. Selected correction possibilities are offered so that the operator does not need to investigate the possible location or cause of the defect. Machine functions and subsystems are color coded on the machine diagram. Similarly, machine data is color coded to distinguish input areas, set points, measured values, adjustments, and legends and messages.