Color ink-jet printing: Evaluation of print quality on different paper substrates

Ink-jet printing has gained a dominant position among the technology choices for on demand generation of color hard copies from the computer. Reduction of ink-related problems, low cost, improved resolution, and less-demanding substrate requirements have become important advantages. This study\u27s primary objective is to evaluate, both subjectively and objectively, the effect of various paper properties on the quality of print obtained from a color ink-jet printer. The initial stage of this investigation involved a subjective evaluation of the different prints by a panel of observers. A dual scaling analysis of the subjective responses indicates that for the paper substrates selected, Color Density is the predominant attribute, with Sharpness constituting a lesser second attribute. The product of their respective objective measures, Density Range and Subjective Quality Factor (SQF) appears to be an easily-measurable, overall indicator of print quality. SQF is affected by opacity and brightness of the papers, while density range is affected by the smoothness. It also becomes evident that lower-quality xerographic paper results in better prints than premium xerographic papers under color ink-jet printing. With ink-jet printing, paper substrate affects all the main print quality factors including pattern, sharpness and color reproduction. This study also demonstrates that Penetration and Spreading are two related phenomena, yet are different in terms of their effect on print quality. Spreading can take place either on the surface of paper or inside the paper structure