The invention relates to a method of producing a validated print-out comprising: (a) providing a printing apparatus comprising a memory, a processor, a printhead and a spectrophotometer, the printhead and the spectrophotometer being mobile along a scan axis; (b) loading an original virtual image data into the memory; (c) creating a modified virtual image which comprising the data from the original virtual image and a virtual original series of color patches representative of a color gamut, the modified virtual image being in the form of raster data; (d) provide 5 a print-out of the modified virtual image on a media using the printing apparatus to obtain a printed image comprising a printed series of the color patches representative of the color gamut; (e) scanning 6 the printed series of the color patches representative of the color gamut using the spectrophotometer to provide a spectrophotometer output; (f) analyzing 7 the output using the processor to compare the output to an admissible range stored in the memory; (g) if the output is within the admissible range, validate the print-out of the modified virtual image 8, and, if the output is outside of the admissible range, either validate the print-out of the modified virtual image after an analysis of the position of the data points of the modified virtual image in relation to an admissible color gamut, or change the modified virtual image and repeat steps d- to g- until validation of a print-out of a modified virtual image.