Master’s Internship or Graduation Assignment in Color Management
Are you applying to the internship?
Job Description
About Canon Production Printing
Canon Production Printing is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-tech printing products and workflow software for the commercial printing market. As a part of the global Canon organization, a renowned provider of imaging technologies and services, Canon Production Printing operates on three continents with a team of approximately 3300 employees (as of the end of 2022). The global headquarters is situated in Venlo, Netherlands.
Job Description
Developing, producing, and maintaining qualitative software and machines for production printing demands a combination of research across various scientific disciplines. One such discipline is Color Management, which ensures color consistency when printing on diverse substrates. Color management presents a captivating field of study for applied mathematicians tackling real-world problems. It involves selecting – and sometimes creatively inventing – suitable algorithmic strategies rooted in mathematical sub-fields such as numerical linear algebra, scientific computing, statistics, and data science.
This particular problem focuses on finding an invertible mapping that linearizes spectral reflectance measurement data with respect to CMYK tone values.
• Color appearance after printing is influenced by the interaction of ink and substrate. Identical ink combinations and amounts applied to different substrates often result in varying colors.
• To achieve color consistency across different substrates, ink amounts must be adjusted accordingly. Understanding the relationship between CMYK ink amounts and resulting colors is crucial.
• Spectral reflectance is a method of expressing color, quantifying the amount of light reflected by a uniformly colored object at different wavelengths within the visible spectrum.
• Combining spectral reflectance measurements of printed test colors with an interpolation-based color prediction model approximates the resulting color for any chosen CMYK pair.
Before interpolation, linearizing spectral reflectance with respect to CMYK enhances the accuracy of interpolation. Commonly, linearization is achieved through basic principles by applying the negative logarithm to spectral reflectance, yielding spectral density. This approach facilitates determining spectral density curves for intermediate Cyan tone values compared to determining intermediate spectral reflectance curves. The former exhibits more linear behavior with respect to C across the entire spectrum, although not optimally.
Your task is to gain a deeper understanding of how spectral reflectance behaves in relation to CMYK tone values and explore alternative strategies for linearizing spectral reflectance.
This opportunity is suitable for a Master’s internship or graduation assignment.
You will be responsible for:
• Independently researching and critically analyzing scientific literature related to the problem.
• Developing and implementing novel approaches to linearizing spectral reflectance using your proficiency in prototyping languages like Matlab or Python.
• Documenting your research findings and presenting them effectively.
In return, you will gain:
• A challenging assignment with skilled coaching and support.
• An internship/graduation compensation of €500,- per month.
• Reimbursement for travel costs if you don’t have a public transport pass.
• Opportunities to network with professionals inside and outside your field of expertise.
Canon Production Printing values collaboration, innovation, and ownership, fostering an environment where individuals can excel, push boundaries, and take ownership of their work.
