An Objective Resolution Metric for Digital Printers

Resolution is a measure of the ability of an imaging system to reproduce fine details, something an increasing number of digital printer users care passionately about. Despite this interest, resolution is not routinely measured or specified by printer manufacturers. Among the reasons is the absence of industry standard resolution metrics for digital printers. In this initial paper, the authors explore some of the reasons resolution metrics for digital printing systems are not well established or widely used. In particular, we examine the idea that printer resolution can be determined from input test patterns composed of arbitrary or continuously varying spatial frequencies. Methods based on this approach risk confounding information losses due to image sampling with printing limitations of the system under test. We propose an alternative metric based on test patterns that are matched to the addressability of the target printer. A procedure for measuring prints of these test patterns and determining resolution from those measurements is described. It is hoped that printer manufacturers and others with an interest in printer resolution will evaluate this proposed metric and contribute to its refinement and adoption as a standard for defining, measuring and reporting this important imaging characteristic of digital printing systems