For many color printing systems, printer calibration is often utilized to return the printer to a known state to ensure consistent color output. In particular, the key visual response of “color balance” is often controlled by the calibration state return. Input color signal noise, generated from the printing system natural variation when printing the calibration target, affects the accuracy and robustness of the calibration outcome. Noise management techniques for managing input color signal noise prior to system calibration are often absent or rely on ad hoc analysis and are usually not based on the return of a well developed printer response that has been extracted from measured signal using advanced noise management methods. This paper describes Part I of an overall method for developing a robust noise management system for printer calibration. In this Part I, the specific development of a high resolution, noise free representation of the printer system state, as defined by quantitative metrics relative to the raw input data is defined and developed.