Claims
- 1. A photographic printing system for producing prints in response to input digital images, the system comprising:a high-speed exposure unit that exposes a photosensitive material coated on a substrate, such exposure being in response to the input digital image; a chemical processor unit that receives and processes the exposed photosensitive material to form visible dye images on the substrate; a backprinting unit that receives the substrate having the visible dye images and prints information on the opposite surface of the substrate to the dye image; and a cutting unit that produces separate sheets of printed images after the backprinting unit prints information.
- 2. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the high-speed exposure unit is capable of exposing at least one thousand five hundred four-inch by six-inch images in an hour.
- 3. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the cutting unit further sorts and packages the printed images.
- 4. The photographic printing system of claim 1, further including a scheduler that organizes the input digital images into batches of printing jobs.
- 5. The photographic printing system of claim 4, wherein the scheduler prepares information to be printed on the back of the substrate, and the backprinting unit receives the information from the scheduler for backprinting.
- 6. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the exposure unit includes a mechanism for loading the substrate having the exposed photosensitive material into a light-sealed magazine such light sealed magazine being transferable to the chemical processor unit, the chemical processor unit includes a mechanism for receiving the loaded photo-sensitive magazine, the exposure unit and the chemical processor unit being separated by an area having ambient light.
- 7. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the exposure unit and the chemical processor unit operate at different rates of prints per unit time.
- 8. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the chemical processor unit and the backprinting unit operate at different rates of prints per unit time.
- 9. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the backprinting unit and the cutting unit operate at different rates of prints per unit time.
- 10. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the high-speed exposure unit and the chemical processor unit include a light sealed path for transport of a batch roll of exposed substrate from the exposure unit to the chemical processor unit.
- 11. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the high-speed exposure unit further comprises a punch unit that removes a plurality of punched-out areas of the substrate, each such punched-out area being synchronized to a respective image exposure.
- 12. The photographic printing system of claim 11, further including a scheduler that organizes the input digital images into batches of printing jobs, whereinthe backprinting unit includes a sensor that detects the punched-out areas and transmits a synchronizing signal to the scheduler based on the detected punched out areas.
- 13. The photographic printing system of claim 12, wherein the scheduler sends backprinting information to the backprinting unit based on synchronizing signal to the scheduler based on the detected punched out areas.
- 14. The photographic printing system of claim 11, wherein the backprinting unit includes a sensor that detects the punched-out areas and prints backprinting information based on the detected punched out areas.
- 15. The photographic printing system of claim 11, further comprising a punch unit that removes a plurality of punched-out areas of the substrate, each such punched-out area being synchronized to a respective image exposure.
- 16. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the punch unit comprises a laser used to remove the plurality of punched-out areas of the substrate.
- 17. The photographic printing system of claim 1, wherein the punch unit removes a punched-out area of the substrate synchronized to each respective subjob.
- 18. A method for high-speed photographic printing of input digital images onto a photosensitive material coated on a substrate, comprising:a) exposing the photosensitive material based on the input digital images; b) chemically processing the exposed photosensitive material to form visible dye images on the substrate; c) after the chemical processing, backprinting information on an opposite surface of the substrate to the dye image; and d) cutting the substrate to produce separate sheets of printed images.
- 19. The method of claim 18, after the exposure and before the chemically processing, further comprising:e) rolling the substrate having the exposed photosensitive material into a light-sealed container; and f) moving the light-sealed container having the loaded substrate.
- 20. The method of claim 18, after the chemically processing and before the backprinting, further comprising:g) rolling the processed substrate onto a roll; and h) unrolling the processed substrate from the roll.
- 21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:e) exposing at least one digital image and a bar code onto an index print for a customer order.
- 22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:e) exposing at least one digital image and a mailing address of a customer onto an index print.
- 23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:e) exposing an identification marking for identifying the roll of the photosensitive material.
- 24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:e) exposing at or near both ends of the roll of the photosensitive material an identification marking for identifying the roll of the photosensitive material.
- 25. The method of claim 18, wherein the chemical processing is performed at a different rate as the exposing rate.
- 26. The method of claim 18, wherein the backprinting is performed at a rate different from the rate of the chemically processing.27.The method of claim 18, further comprising removing a plurality of punched-out areas of the substrate, each such punched-out area being synchronized to a respective image exposure.
- 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:detecting the punched-out areas; and backprinting information unique to each respective one of a plurality of prints based on the respective detected punched-out areas.
- 29. The method of claim 18, further comprising:exposing the photosensitive material with a machine-readable customer-order identifier corresponding to the input digital images; detecting the machine-readable customer-order identifier; and backprinting information unique to each respective one of a plurality of prints based on the respective detected machine-readable customer-order identifier.
- 30. The method of claim 18, further comprising:exposing the photosensitive material with a machine-readable customer-order identifier corresponding to the input digital images; detecting the machine-readable customer-order identifier; detecting the punched-out areas; and backprinting information unique to each respective one of a plurality of prints based on the detected machine-readable customer-order identifier and on the respective detected punched-out areas.
- 31. A batch roll of photosensitive material exposed in response to at least one input digital image from a user, the batch roll comprising:at least one exposed first image that includes a machine-readable marking for identifying the batch roll, such exposed image being located at an end of the batch roll; at least one exposed second image corresponding to the input digital image; and at least one exposed third image that includes identification information of the user.
- 32. The batch roll of claim 31, further comprising:d) at least one exposed machine-readable marking for identifying the batch roll.
- 33. The batch roll of claim 32, further comprising:e) at least one second exposed machine-readable marking for identifying the batch roll, such exposed machine-readable markings being located at the two opposite ends of the batch roll.
- 34. The batch roil of claim 31, wherein the batch roll is chemically developed to form dye images.
- 35. The batch roll of claim 31, wherein the third image further includes a machine-readable marking for identifying a customer order corresponding to the second image.
- 36. The batch roil of claim 31, further comprising a plurality of customer order subjobs, each subjob comprising:a plurality of exposed images corresponding to a plurality of input images for a single user; and a subjob index print having user address information corresponding to the user.
- 37. The batch roll of claim 36, wherein each subjob index print further includes a machine-readable marking for identifying a customer order corresponding to the user.
- 38. The batch roll claim 36, wherein each subjob index print further includes a marking serving as postage.
- 39. The batch roll of claim 36, wherein each subjob index print further includes a thumbnail image corresponding to each of the plurality of exposed images of the corresponding subjob.
- 40. The batch roll of claim 36, further comprising a plurality of first punched-out areas each corresponding to a printed image edge of each respective one of the plurality of exposed images of the corresponding subjob.
- 41. The batch roll of claim 40, further comprising a second punched-out area distinguishable from the plurality of first punched-out areas and corresponding to a respective one of the subjobs.
- 42. A digital printing system for producing prints in response to input digital images, comprising:a digital printer for producing prints; an image-rendering unit for rendering the input digital images to generate rendered digital images, wherein the image rendering is independent of specific characteristics of the digital printer; and an image processor for processing the rendered digital images in accordance with the one or more specific characteristics of the digital printer, such processed images being subsequently used by the digital printer to produce the prints.
- 43. The digital printing system of claim 42, further comprising:an image cache for receiving the rendered digital images from the image rendering unit and for storing the rendered digital images.
- 44. The digital printing system of claim 43, further comprising:a scheduler for scheduling the rendered digital images stored in the image cache to be printed by the digital printer.
- 45. A photographic printing system for producing photographic prints in response to input digital images, comprising:a photographic printer that produces a dye image on a photosensitive material coated on a substrate in response to the input digital image; an image-rendering unit for rendering the input digital images to generate rendered digital images, wherein the image rendering is independent of specific characteristics of the photographic printer; and an image processor for processing the rendered digital images in accordance with the one or more specific characteristics of the photographic printer, such processed images being subsequently used by the photographic printer to produce the photographic prints.
- 46. The digital printing system of claim 45 further comprising:an image cache for receiving the rendered digital images from the image rendering unit and for storing the rendered digital images.
- 47. The digital printing system of claim 46 further comprising:a scheduler for scheduling the rendered digital images stored in the image cache to be printed by the digital printer.
- 48. The system of claim 45, wherein the image rendering unit decompresses the input digital images.
- 49. The system of claim 45, wherein the image rendering unit adds a border pattern to the input digital images.
- 50. The system of claim 45, wherein the image rendering unit provides color and tone calibration, sharpening, and white balance to the input digital images.
- 51. A photographic printing system comprising:a scheduler for receiving input digital images and scheduling different sets of digital images to be printed at different photographic printers; a low speed photographic printer that forms dye images on a photosensitive material in response to a set of input digital images scheduled by the scheduler; a high speed photographic printer that forms dye images on a photosensitive material in response to a different set of input digital images scheduled by the scheduler, wherein the high-speed photographic printer is capable of exposing images at a maximum printing rate substantially higher than the maximum printing rate of the low-speed photographic printer.
- 52. The photographic printing system of claim 51, wherein the high-speed photographic printer is capable of exposing images at a maximum rate of at least three times higher than the maximum rate of the low speed photographic printer.
- 53. A photographic printing system comprising:a scheduler that receives digital images and schedules the digital images to be exposed at different exposure units; a low-speed exposure unit that exposes a photosensitive material coated on a substrate in response to the input digital image scheduled by the scheduler; a high-speed exposure unit that exposes a photosensitive material coated on a substrate in response to the input digital image scheduled by the scheduler, wherein the high-speed exposure unit is capable of exposing images at a maximum printing rate substantially higher than the maximum printing rate of the low-speed exposure unit.
- 54. The photographic printing system of claim 53, further comprising:a chemical processor unit that receives and processes the exposed photosensitive material from the exposure unit to form visible dye images on the substrate; a backprinting unit that receives the substrate from the chemical processing unit having the visible dye images and prints information on the opposite surface of the substrate to the dye image; and a cutting unit that produces separate sheets of printed images after the backprinting unit prints the information.
- 55. The photographic printing system of claim 53, further comprising:a chemical processor unit that receives and processes the exposed photosensitive material to form visible dye images on the substrate; and a cutting unit that produces separate sheets of printed images after the backprinting unit prints information.
- 56. The photographic printing system of claim 53, further comprising:a sorter unit that consolidates cut-apart prints of a first subjob exposed on the low-speed exposure unit and a second subjob exposed on the high-speed exposure unit into a single group of prints.
- 57. The photographic printing system of claim 53, wherein the low-speed exposure unit uses photosensitive paper of a first width, and the high-speed exposure unit uses photosensitive paper of a second width different than the first width.
- 58. An enhanced photographic printing system for producing photographic prints in response to input digital images having a plurality of pixels, each of which including color code values, comprising:a) an enhanced photographic paper coated with four color emulsion layers; b) a photographic printer, including: i) an exposure unit for exposing the enhanced photographic paper using four light sources having significantly different spectral characteristics; ii) a chemical processor for processing the exposed enhanced photographic paper to form a dye image corresponding to the digital image.
- 59. The enhanced photographic printing system of claim 58 wherein the four color emulsion layers respectively produce yellow, magenta, cyan and black color dye image after the chemical processing.
- 60. The enhanced photographic printing system of claim 58 wherein each of the four light sources emits substantially in the red, green, blue, and infrared spectral ranges.
- 61. The enhanced photographic printing system of claim 58 further comprising an image rendering unit that converts the color code values in the input digital images to four-color values corresponding to the exposure values of the four light sources in the exposure unit.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED INVENTIONS
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/234,461, filed on Sep. 21. 2000.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
4-314047 |
Nov 1992 |
JP |
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60/234461 |
Sep 2000 |
US |