Controlling quality in the digital print environment

The digital print industry is driving many new and exciting advancements, and is now helping companies personalize color documents with variable data to attract reader attention to a particular message or account detail. The use of color, however, requires a greater degree of quality control. Particularly when color is used in corporate logos, design schemes or dynamic marketing campaigns, print output must be color-perfect, without exception.

Traditionally, quality monitoring has been the responsibility of operators, who have conducted random inspections either visually or by using a handheld tool. Both methods fall short of guaranteeing total quality and efficiency. Handheld tools, for instance, can only check select areas of certain images and usually require the printer to stop. Human inspection only samples the output and, like any other human check, is prone to error.

With the right inline inspection system, each print image can be analyzed at full production speed, ensuring correct and consistent color output. In addition to monitoring color variance, streaks of ink or voids where ink should be can be identified. An example of ink appearing in image areas not designed for any ink:

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Printers using ink-jet technology can experience quality issues when an individual jet, or a group of jets, is idle and ink dries. At first a void is caused due to a clogged jet, but then as the clog breaks free a streak or blob of ink will occur.

A good solution will also provide visual and electronic warnings automatically to alert operators, technicians and managers, enabling proactive troubleshooting and cost avoidance from long runs of poor-quality pieces.