IEC 62899-302-7:2025
(Main)Printed electronics - Part 302-7: Equipment - Inkjet - Measurement methods of dot placement evaluation for printed electronics
Printed electronics - Part 302-7: Equipment - Inkjet - Measurement methods of dot placement evaluation for printed electronics
IEC 62899-302-7:2025 provides measurement methods for inkjet printing dot placement evaluation for printed electronics.
NOTE: This document only describes the measurement methods, not the evaluation of the printing system.
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
IEC 62899-302-7 ®
Edition 1.0 2025-11
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Printed electronics -
Part 302-7: Equipment - Inkjet - Measurement methods of dot placement
evaluation for printed electronics
ICS 19.080; 37.100.10 ISBN 978-2-8327-0821-7
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either
IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC copyright
or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or your local
IEC member National Committee for further information.
IEC Secretariat Tel.: +41 22 919 02 11
3, rue de Varembé info@iec.ch
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.
About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.
IEC publications search - IEC Products & Services Portal - products.iec.ch
webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform Discover our powerful search engine and read freely all the
publications previews, graphical symbols and the glossary.
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical With a subscription you will always have access to up to date
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, content tailored to your needs.
replaced and withdrawn publications.
Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published containing more than 22 500 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and and French, with equivalent terms in 25 additional languages.
once a month by email. Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary
(IEV) online.
IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc
If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or
need further assistance, please contact the Customer
Service Centre: sales@iec.ch.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD. 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative reference . 6
3 Terms, definitions, and abbreviated terms . 6
4 Parameters and measurement methods . 7
4.1 General . 7
4.2 Environmental conditions . 7
4.3 Dot placement consideration . 7
4.3.1 General . 7
4.3.2 Evaluation . 8
4.4 Measurement methods . 8
4.4.1 General . 8
4.4.2 A printed example . 8
4.4.3 Origin in a printer . 9
4.4.4 Origin(s) on a medium . 13
4.5 Evaluation . 16
5 Report . 17
Annex A (informative) Printing results . 18
A.1 Examples of printing results . 18
A.1.1 Printed result . 18
A.1.2 Image data processing (see Annex B for detailed image processing) . 18
A.1.3 Image processing result . 20
A.2 Other experiments . 21
Annex B (informative) Examples of image processing . 23
B.1 General . 23
B.2 Image processing for dot placement measurement . 23
B.2.1 General . 23
B.2.2 Colour conversion (if needed) . 23
B.3 Image stitching . 25
B.3.1 General . 25
B.3.2 Image stitching technology . 26
Bibliography . 29
Figure 1 – Example of printed result . 9
Figure 2 – Example of processed image . 10
Figure 3 – Radius and circularity . 11
Figure 4 – Example of a calculated dot and an expected dot . 12
Figure 5 – Example of printed result on medium with origin(s) . 13
Figure 6 – Example of processed image . 14
Figure 7 – Example of a calculated dot and an expected dot . 15
Figure A.1 – Example of printed result . 18
Figure A.2 – Example of processed data after binarization . 19
Figure A.3 – Example of processed data after finding the circle(s) and centres . 20
Figure A.4 – Printed example (or sample) of printed dots with varied sizes . 21
Figure A.5 – Printed example of printed dots with position errors (dot deviation from
target substrates) . 22
Figure A.6 – Printed example (or sample) of printed dots with satellites . 22
Figure B.1 – Original image (same as in Figure A.1) . 23
Figure B.2 – RGB histogram of the image shown in Figure B.1 . 24
Figure B.3 – HSL histogram of the image shown in Figure B.1 . 25
Figure B.4 – Binarized image by using a threshold in L-axis . 25
Figure B.5 –Image with reference marks . 26
Figure B.6 – Example of aligning and stitching . 27
Figure B.7 – Example of aligning and stitching . 28
Table A.1 – Example of result . 21
Table B.1 – RGB data of Figure B.1 . 24
Table B.2 – HSL data of Figure B.1 . 24
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
Printed electronics -
Part 302-7: Equipment - Inkjet - Measurement methods
of dot placement evaluation for printed electronics
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC Publication(s)”). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights in
respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, IEC had not received notice of (a) patent(s), which
may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent
the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch. IEC
shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 62899-302-7 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 119: Printed Electronics. It is
an International Standard.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
119/559/FDIS 119/561/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
A list of all parts in the IEC 62899 series, published under the general title Printed electronics,
can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
– reconfirmed,
– withdrawn, or
– revised.
INTRODUCTION
Inkjet technologies, historically confined to the realm of imaging printing or conventional
"graphics printing", have undergone significant advancements in recent years. The emergence
of cutting-edge technologies specific to inkjet print-heads, functional inks, and print-head
driving mechanisms has extended the application of these technologies into a novel field known
as “functional printing”, encompassing areas such as printed electronics.
This document articulates the methodologies employed to gauge "inkjet printed position
accuracy", a crucial parameter in ensuring the requisite print quality. The assessment of this
accuracy necessitates the selection of an appropriate medium, as delineated in
IEC 62899-302-4, underlining its importance in achieving the desired output.
1 Scope
This part of IEC 62899 provides measurement methods for inkjet printing dot placement
evaluation for printed electronics.
NOTE This document only describes the measurement methods, not the evaluation of the printing system.
2 Normative reference
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 62899-302-4, Printed electronics - Part 302-4: Medium for inkjet printing dot placement
evaluation
3 Terms, definitions, and abbreviated terms
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
– IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
– ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
colour space encoding
digital representation of a colour space, including the specification of a method for digitally
encoding colours within that space, and defining an encoding range
Note 1 to entry: Multiple colour space encodings can be defined based on a single colour space where the different
colour space encodings have different digital encoding methods and/or encoding ranges. For example, 8-bit sRGB
in accordance with IEC 61966-2-1, and 16-bit scRGB in accordance with IEC 61966-2-2, are different colour space
encodings based on a particular RGB colour space.
Note 2 to entry: A colour space encoding is defined with a number of colour channels, each channel corresponding
to one dimension of the colour space. Encoded colour channel data values indicate a position along the
corresponding dimension in the geometric colour space representation.
Note 3 to entry: sRGB is one of colour space encoding that is defined in IEC 61966-2-1.
Note 4 to entry: scRGB is one of colour space encoding that is defined in IEC 61966-2-2.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:2020, 845-32-018, modified – In the definition "digital encoding
method, and an" has been replaced with "a method for digitally encoding colours within that
space, and defining", and Notes 3 and 4 have been added.]
3.2
RGB
red, green and blue
colour model used to represent colours in terms of the combination of three primary colours:
red, green, and blue
Note 1 to entry: It is widely used in digital displays, imaging systems, and electronic devices, as it directly
corresponds to the way colours are produced on screens and monitors through the additive colour process.
3.3
HSL
hue saturation lightness
colour model used to describe colours in terms of three components: hue, saturation, and
lightness
Note 1 to entry: It provides a more intuitive representation of colour compared to other colour models such as RGB,
especially for human perception
3.4
HSI
hue saturation intensity
colour model used to describe colours in terms of three components: hue, saturation, and
intensity
Note 1 to entry: It is designed to represent colour in a way that is more aligned with human perception, especially
in the context of visual processing and image analysis.
3.5
alignment mark
specific mark or indicator used within the fabrication process to dictate the exact positioning for
alignment, to guide and ensure the correct alignment of various components or layers during
production, thereby maintaining precision and consistency throughout the manufacturing stage
[SOURCE: IEC TR 62899-303-2:2024, 3.2]
4 Parameters and measurement methods
4.1 General
The functionality of printed electronics, achieved through inkjet printing, is manifested on media;
therefore, the characteristics of the media are vital to ensure that the functional material exhibits
its intended purpose. However, assessing inkjet dot placement necessitates specific
measurement techniques that utilize a medium tailored for this evaluation. The medium for dot
placement measurement is detailed in IEC 62899-302-4. Utilizing this medium, this document
outlines the methods to measure inkjet dot placement.
NOTE For this document, a medium is a substrate with (a) certain functional layer(s) to facilitate the ink pinning
process (or step).
4.2 Environmental conditions
The measurement shall be conducted under the following conditions or at the actual printing
environment conditions:
– temperature (23 ± 1) °C
– humidity (50 ± 5) %
Alternatively, if both the customer and supplier agree, the measurement can be performed once
the medium has stabilized within the specified environmental conditions. Since the definition of
"stability" can vary depending on the medium, it is essential that the customer and supplier
engage in a detailed discussion to clarify this aspect prior to conducting the measurement.
4.3 Dot placement consideration
4.3.1 General
4.3.1.1 General
In the domain of printed electronics, inkjet printing is employed in two primary configurations.
4.3.1.2 Printing with moving inkjet heads
In this configuration, the inkjet head(s) is(are) in motion while the medium remains stationary.
The procedure is as follows:
a) Prior to commencing printing, the inkjet print head transitions from its designated home or
park position to a specified origin, serving as the reference point for the printing process.
b) The origin can be a specific point on the medium, often pre-marked by other equipment as
an alignment mark for inkjet printing (hereafter referred to as the "origin on the medium"),
or a point that an inkjet print head can use as a reference point, typically the home position
(hereafter referred to as the "origin in the equipment").
c) During the printing process, the inkjet print head moves from the origin to the predetermined
printing location based on the provided printing data. For example, when drawing a line, the
inkjet print head travels from the origin to the line's starting point without releasing ink,
follows the desired path while dispensing ink to the line's endpoint, stops ink dispensation
upon reaching the line's conclusion, and then returns to the origin without further ink release.
d) Upon completion of the printing task, the print head returns to its home position.
4.3.1.3 Printing with stationary inkjet heads
When inkjet head(s) is(are) stationary, printing is accomplished by moving the medium. In such
cases, additional considerations can be necessary to ensure precise dot placement and
alignment for example the continuous roll-to-roll (R2R) process. These considerations should
encompass the specific characteristics and requirements of those printing systems, including
web tension, substrate material, and other pertinent factors.
4.3.1.4 Significance of dot placement measurement
Given that the accurate placement of dots is paramount to achieving the intended functionality
of the ink, the measurement of dot placement holds considerable significance.
4.3.2 Evaluation
Numerous parameters are associated with inkjet printing. IEC TR 62899-302-5 elucidates the
parameters that affect the results of inkjet printing. The measured results can reveal one or
more parameters of inkjet printing that can impact the printed output. Since these parameters
are closely tied to the inkjet printing system undergoing measurement, it is possible that
standard evaluation method(s) based on measured data will not be suitable.
4.4 Measurement methods
4.4.1 General
As delineated in 4.3.1, the print head operates based on a specific reference point, or an origin,
situated either within the equipment (i.e., the printer) or on the printing medium itself. There are
two primary measurement methods for evaluating inkjet dot position, corresponding to these
origins: 1) an origin within the printer, and 2) an origin on the medium. Both approaches furnish
insights into the accuracy and precision of inkjet dot placement. The selection
...
Questions, Comments and Discussion
Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.
Loading comments...