Process and system for defining and visually depicting colors from the components of arbitrary color models

Abstract

A process and system for depicting a combination of process colors and spot colors on a radiant light source such as a computer monitor screen. The invention provides a user-definable “meta-ink” color which is made up of the components of the process colors and the spot colors. Shade values are assigned to each of these components to create the meta-ink color. This meta-ink color then replaces the document color for visual depiction on the radiant light source. This process and system provides a more accurate depiction of the representation of the printed image.

1. A system for determining a coordinate set for visual depiction onto a computer monitor of a process color having at least one spot color applied to it, said system comprising:
 means for defining the process color into process color components and percentage values; 
 means for defining the at least one spot color into spot color components and percentage values; 
 means for converting said process color components and their percentage values into a coordinate set values for visual depiction; 
 means for determining said coordinate set values of said at least one spot color components; 
 means for applying percentages to said coordinate set of values of said at least one spot color components according to said percentage values for said at least one spot color components; 
 means for determining a value for said percentages of said at least one spot color components layered onto said coordinate set of values converted from said process color components; and 
 means for converting said determined value for said percentages of said at least one spot color components layered onto said coordinate set of values converted from said process color components into said coordinate set. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1  wherein said means for converting said process color components into said coordinate set values includes:
 means for setting said coordinate set values for said process color components to said coordinate set values for the color white if there are no process color components. 
 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1  wherein said means for determining a value further includes:
 means for determining said value by an iterative process for each of the spot colors sequentially layered on the previously determined said value until said value is finally determined. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1  wherein said means for assigning said percentages of said spot color components according to said shade value includes:
 means for applying percentages to each of the components of the coordinate set values according to said percentage value for those components. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4  wherein said means for determining a value includes:
 means for determining a value for each of the coordinate set components for each of said percentage values for each of said coordinate set components layered onto each of the components of said coordinate set values converted from said process color components. 
 
     
     
       6. A system for visually depicting a document having at least one spot color applied onto a document process color on a computer monitor screen, said system comprising:
 means for defining the document process color; 
 means for defining each of at least one spot colors to be applied onto the document process color; 
 means for applying shade values to each of said document process color; 
 means for applying shade values to each of said at least one spot colors; 
 means for defining a new color based on the shade values applied for each of said document process color and for each of said at least one spot color; and 
 means for applying said defined mew new color to a document depicted visually on a computer monitor screen. 
 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 6  wherein said system further includes:
 said means for defining the document process color includes:
 means for defining the process color components of the document process color; and 
 
 said means for applying shade values to each of said document process color and to each of said at least one spot color includes:
 means for applying a shade value to each of the process color components of the document process color. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The system of claim  6  7 wherein said system further includes:
 said means for defining each of at least one spot color to be applied onto the document process color includes:
 means for defining the spot color model components of each of the at least one spot color to be applied onto the document process color; and 
 
 said means for applying shade values to each of said document process color and to each of said at least one spot color further includes:
 means for applying a shade value to each of the components of each of the at least one spot color to be applied onto the document process color. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 6  wherein said system further includes:
 said means for defining the document process color includes:
 means for defining the process color components of the document process color; 
 
 said means for defining each of at least one spot color to be applied onto the document process color includes:
 means for defining the spot color model components of each of the at least one spot color to be applied onto the document process color; and 
 
 said means for applying shade values to each of said document process color and to each of said at least one spot color further includes:
 means for applying a shade value to each of the process color components of the document process color and to each of the spot color components of each of the at least one spot color to be applied onto the document process color. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 6  wherein said means for defining a new color includes:
 means for layering on each of said at least one spot color onto said document process color sequentially in an iterative process. 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 6  wherein said means for applying said defined new color to a document depicted visually on a computer monitor screen includes:
 means for converting the defined new color obtained from said means for defining a new color into a spot color model for display onto a computer monitor screen. 
 
     
     
       12. A process for digitally depicting a document having a combination of process colors and spot colors on a computer monitor screen, said process comprising the steps of:
 defining the process colors; 
 defining the spot colors; 
 assigning shade values to each of said process colors; 
 assigning shade values to each of said spot colors; 
 defining a color based on the combination of said assigned shade values for each of said process colors and for each of said spot colors; and 
 applying said defined color to the document visually depicted on the computer monitor screen; and 
 wherein at least one of the above said steps is performed using a computer. 
 
     
     
       13. The process of  claim 12  wherein said step of defining process colors and the spot colors further includes:
 converting said process color into an RGB value. 
 
     
     
       14. The process of  claim 12  wherein said step of defining the process colors and the spot colors further includes:
 determining the RGB value for the spot color. 
 
     
     
       15. The process of  claim 12  wherein said step of defining a color based on the combination of said assigned shade values for each of said process colors and for each of said spot colors further includes:
 determining a value for said defined color based on each of said spot colors shaded by said assigned shade value layered onto each of said process colors. 
 
     
     
       16. The process of  claim 12  wherein said step of defining the process colors and the spot colors includes:
 defining the process colors by the components of the process color model; and 
 defining the spot colors by the components of the spot color model. 
 
     
     
       17. The process of  claim 16  wherein said step of defining a color includes:
 assigning shade values to each of said components of the process colors; and 
 assigning shade values to each of said components of the spot colors. 
 
     
     
       18. A system for digitally defining a color formed from at least two color models, said system comprising:
 means for selecting at least one color component from a first color model; 
 means for selecting at least one additional color component from at least one other color model; and 
 means for assigning percentages to each of said selected color components from said first color model and from said at least one other color model to create a user-defined color. 
 
     
     
       19. A method comprising:
 selecting at least one color component from a first color model;   selecting at least one additional color component from at least one other color model;   assigning shade values to each of the selected color components from the first color model and from the at least one other color model to create a user-defined color; and   wherein at least one of said selecting and assigning is performed using a computer.   
     
     
       20. A system comprising:
 a document production process represented in composite form which is to be rendered on a first rendering device with one or more colors from a first set of color models;   means for creating one or more user-defined meta-ink colors;   means for creating one or more approximations of the document production process by approximating the document production process in composite form with the one or more user-defined meta-ink colors, wherein the one or more approximations of the document production process are capable of being rendered by a second rendering device; and   means for creating one or more intermediate representations of the document production process in composite form by approximating the document production process.   
     
     
       21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first rendering device comprises a printing press. 
     
     
       22. The system of claim 20, wherein the second rendering device comprises a computer display. 
     
     
       23. A system comprising:
 a document production process including one or more document colors;   a first rendering device capable of rendering documents in accordance with a first set of color models;   a second rendering device capable of rendering documents in accordance with a second set of color models; and   a meta-ink color capable of being used by the second rendering device in rendering an approximation of the document production process, the meta-ink formed, at least in part, by assigning shade values to a component of a color in the first set of color models and to a component of a color in the second set of color models.   
     
     
       24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first rendering device comprises a printing press. 
     
     
       25. The system of claim 23, wherein the second rendering device comprises a computer display. 
     
     
       26. The system of claim 23, wherein the first set color models includes one or more of the following: a Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black (CMYK) process color model, a Hexachrome color model, a Red-Blue-Green (RBG) spot color model, and a user-defined color model. 
     
     
       27. A method comprising:
 accepting a production process document which is to be rendered on a printing press with a first set of one or more color models;   creating an intermediate composite representation of the production process document by approximating the production process document in composite form with a second set of one or more color models capable of being rendered by a computer display; and   rendering an accurate depiction of the production process document on the computer display based on the intermediate composite representation of the production process document; and   wherein at least one of said accepting, creating and rendering is performed using a computer.   
     
     
       28. The method of claim 27, wherein creating an intermediate composite representation comprises:
 defining a set of one or more process colors used in the production process document;   defining a set of one or more process spot colors used in the production process document;   assigning shade values to each of said one or more process colors used in the production process document;   assigning shade values to each of said one or more spot colors used in the production process document; and   defining a color based on the combination of said assigned shade values for each of said process colors and for each of said spot colors.   
     
     
       29. The method of claim 27, wherein said rendering an accurate depiction of the production process document on the computer display based on the intermediate composite representation of the production document comprises applying the defined color to the intermediate representation. 
     
     
       30. The method of claim 27, wherein the first set of one or more color models includes one or more of the following: a Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black (CMYK) process color model, a Hexachrome color model, Red-Blue-Green (RBG) spot color model, and a user-defined color model. 
     
     
       31. The method of claim 27, wherein the first set of one or more color models is different than the second set of one or more color models. 
     
     
       32. The method of claim 27, wherein the second color model comprises a meta-ink color model. 
     
     
       33. A system comprising:
 a first set of one or more graphical user interface (GUI) components configured to receive an indication regarding at least one color component from a first color model;   a second set of the one or more GUI components configured to receive an indication regarding at least one additional color component from at least one other color model; and   a third set of the one or more GUI components configured to assign shade values to each of the selected color components from the first color model and from the at least one other color model to create a user-defined color.   
     
     
       34. The system of claim 33, wherein the first set of one or more GUI components, the second set of one or more GUI components, and the third set of one or more GUI components are all displayed concurrently within the same window. 
     
     
       35. The system of claim 33, wherein the first set of one or more GUI components, the second set of one or more GUI components, and the third set of one or more GUI components are all displayed in separate windows. 
     
     
       36. The system of claim 33, wherein one or more GUI components from the first set of one or more GUI components, the second set of one or more GUI components, and the third set of one or more GUI components comprise a drop down list. 
     
     
       37. The system of claim 33, wherein one or more GUI components from the first set of one or more GUI components, the second set of one or more GUI components, and the third set of one or more GUI components comprise a slider bar. 
     
     
       38. The system of claim 33, wherein one or more GUI components from the first set of one or more GUI components, the second set of one or more GUI components, and the third set of one or more GUI components comprise a text box. 
     
     
       39. The system of claim 33, wherein one or more GUI components from the first set of one or more GUI components, the second set of one or more GUI components, and the third set of one or more GUI components comprise a color palate.