METHOD OF ENGRAVING AN INVISIBLE JOINT WITHIN A GRAVURE PRINTING CYLINDER

A gravure printing cylinder is engraved with a pattern, such as a woodgrain pattern, by sensing and comparing the copy density at opposite ends of the pattern and then engraving the pattern with a correction for the unbalance in the copy density to produce a joint which is less visible to the human eye. A less visible joint is also formed by engraving the starting cells for the pattern at circumferentially spaced locations on the cylinder to produce either a non-linear interwoven joint and/or an irregular zig-zag joint.