EasyMedia - Re-Linearization

This article covers Re-linearization, the EasyMedia maintenance step used to verify and adjust an existing linearization over time.

Why re-linearize?

Re-linearization helps maintain stable output quality and process consistency over time. It is recommended when production conditions may have changed since the original calibration.

Typical causes include:

• Changes in ink, such as aging or a different batch
• Changes in media, such as aging, a new lot number, or a shift in white point
• Changes in printer performance, such as printhead condition or maintenance state
• Changes in the production environment, such as temperature, humidity, or power conditions

Regular re-linearization can also support process control by helping you monitor and compensate for these variations.

Re-linearize Process

1. To access re-linearization, you must first open the EasyMedia module. 
2. Then select the printer and its calibration project (media and print mode). 
3. Go to the the Linearization step in EasyMedia and select Relinearize:
   
4. Click "Next".
5. In the lower part, you can choose to:

   • Print and measure a target:

     Linearization settings Print settings Measurement settings

     1. First, select your spectrophotometer device.
     2. Choose the targets to measure. For more details, please refer to your device technote.
     3. Click "Next".

     1. The next interface allows you to configure the target print settings, such as loading, quality, and scale.

          Info

        You can also configure advanced printing settings using the Printer and Media buttons (as in the Print Module > Printer and Media tabs). The Special Options button lets you adjust alignment, orientation, and other settings.

     2. Below, you can set "Ink Clipping" values globally and for each ink.

          Good to know

        The "Ink Clipping" option helps prevent unwanted bleed before printing a test pattern, functioning similarly in transitions, linear applications, and ink limits. This option is particularly useful if you know that you cannot deposit a large amount of ink on your media. By setting a smaller global ink limit, you can effectively avoid dirtying your printer.

     3. Click "Print".
     4. Once printing is finished, click "Next"

     1. In the measurement interface, click the "Setup..." button. This opens a separate window.

          Info

        The available setup options and the measurement process depend on the spectrophotometer model being used. For more details, please refer to the corresponding technote. If no technote is available, you can refer to the example of a Barbieri spectrophotometer setup.

     2. Click "OK" to apply changes, if any, and close the window.
     3. Click "Start" to begin the measurement.
     4. Once the measurement is complete, click "Next".
   • Load an existing measurement file: As the name suggests, "Load an existing measurement file" allows you to load a measurement file from different sources:
     • Load the last measurement file
     • Load a file in the project's directory
     • Load another file
     • Import from the current linearization file (.ppi files)
6. Once the measurement is complete, you can compare the re-linearization curves with the target curves:
   
   
   You might be interested in reading: Verify a Linearization Curve.
    
7. Click "Next".

Re-linearization Decisions

In the "Re-linearization statistics" screen, EasyMedia displays the reading deviations by comparing the current measurements with the target data, and advises whether the readings should be used or disregarded:

In some cases, re-linearization may not be recommended. For example, this can happen if the media white point has changed significantly, if a different spectrophotometer is used, or if the density of the re-linearization target has shifted too much, indicating that printer or environmental conditions have changed.

Under normal and stable conditions, and when using the same reference spectrophotometer, re-linearization should generally pass.

Next Steps

If needed, you can manually review and adjust the curve after re-linearization, depending on your calibration workflow and validation results.