The values ascertained from printer's copies (8, 9), for ink zone presetting, are supplied to a color supply detection computer (3) via a film/plate scanner (4). Before the various scanning areas in accordance with scanning patterns (7) are summed up, the zonal preset values ascertained by the ink supply detection computer (3) undergo a correction in accordance with the value furnished by a weighting computer (16) for each scanning area. This optimizes the presetting of the ink zones. As a function of the corrected values taking the subject to be printed into account, ductor rollers (22) and rubber rollers (21) can be controlled in order to improve the ink penetration as a function of the subject in the circumferential direction as well.