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A strip of ink patches along a sheet edge, used to measure printing quality.
Also known as: Control strip, Print control bar, Ink strip
A colour control bar is a strip of small ink patches printed along the waste edge of a sheet: solid patches of each process ink, overprints of pairs of them, tint patches at defined percentages, and slur or doubling targets. It is a measuring instrument rather than a decoration — the patches are read with a densitometer or a spectrophotometer to check ink density, dot gain and grey balance against a standard, and the press is adjusted from the readings.
Carries a defined set of patches — solid inks, two-ink overprints, tints at set percentages and slur targets — so that ink density, dot gain and grey balance can be measured against a standard rather than judged by eye.
Contexts: News, Technical drawing
Is read with an instrument rather than by looking at it. A densitometer or spectrophotometer takes a reading from each patch and the press is adjusted from the numbers, which is why the bar is a tool and not a proof of quality in itself.
Contexts: News, Technical drawing
A long narrow strip divided into many small squares of different tones and colours, printed in a row along one edge of a sheet.
Both are printed in the waste margin of a job.