ISO/IEC 29102:2011
(Main)Information technology — Office equipment — Method for the determination of ink cartridge photo yield for colour printing with inkjet printers and multi-function devices that contain inkjet printer components
Information technology — Office equipment — Method for the determination of ink cartridge photo yield for colour printing with inkjet printers and multi-function devices that contain inkjet printer components
ISO/IEC 29102:2011 provides a method to determine the ink cartridge photo yield of ink-containing cartridges (i.e. integrated ink cartridges and ink cartridges without integrated print heads) for colour photo printing with colour inkjet printers and multi-function devices that contain inkjet printer components. Ink cartridge yields determined on one printer model, paper and cartridge configuration are not applicable to another printer model or cartridge configuration even if the ink jet cartridges used in testing are the same. It prescribes the following: the test method that manufacturers, test labs, etc. use to determine ink cartridge photo yield; the method for determination of declared photo yield values from the test results; and the appropriate method of describing the photo yield of cartridges in documentation supplied to the consumer by the manufacturer.
Technologies de l'information — Équipement de bureau — Méthode d'essai de la détermination du rendement des cartouches d'encre pour l'impression de photographies en couleurs avec des imprimantes à jet d'encre et des dispositifs multi-fonctions contenant des composants d'imprimantes à jet d'encre
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INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 29102
First edition
2011-08-01
Information technology — Office
equipment — Method for the
determination of ink cartridge photo yield
for colour printing with inkjet printers and
multi-function devices that contain inkjet
printer components
Technologies de l'information — Équipement de bureau — Méthode
d'essai de la détermination du rendement des cartouches d'encre pour
l'impression de photographies en couleurs avec des imprimantes à jet
d'encre et des dispositifs multi-fonctions contenant des composants
d'imprimantes à jet d'encre
Reference number
ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2011
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
Contents Page
Foreword . iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 2
4 Test parameters and conditions . 4
4.1 Set-up . 4
4.2 Sample size . 5
4.3 Print mode . 5
4.4 Print environment . 6
4.5 Paper Media . 7
4.6 Maintenance . 7
4.7 Test files . 7
5 Test methodology . 8
5.1 Testing procedure . 8
5.2 Procedure for handling streaks . 8
5.3 Procedure for handling a defective cartridge, printhead or printer . 9
6 Determination of the declared yield value and declaration . 10
6.1 Yield of primary cartridges . 10
6.2 Yield of supplemental cartridges . 11
6.3 Test data reporting . 14
6.4 Declaration of the yield . 14
Annex A (informative) Examples of fade . 19
Annex B (informative) Examples of streaks . 20
Annex C (normative) Test reporting form . 21
Annex D (informative) Process flowchart . 24
Annex E (informative) Method for black and white photo yield determination . 26
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC
technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC 29102 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 28, Office equipment.
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
Introduction
The scope of this International Standard is limited to evaluation of ink cartridge photo yield of ink-containing
cartridges (i.e. integrated ink cartridges and ink cartridges without integrated print heads) for colour photo
printing with colour inkjet printers. This International Standard can be applied to colour inkjet printers having
an interface to a computer as well as colour inkjet printers that can not be connected to a computer. This
International Standard can also be applied to the inkjet printer component of any multifunctional device that
has a digital input printing path, including multi-function devices that contain inkjet printer components. Both
liquid and solid ink products can be tested using this International Standard.
The cartridge photo yields of primary cartridges are determined by an end of life judgment, or signaled with
either of two phenomena: fade, caused by depletion of ink in the cartridge, or automatic printing stop, caused
by an Ink Out detection function. The cartridge photo yields of supplemental cartridges are estimated. It is
envisioned that one of the uses of this International Standard will be for the calculation of cost per page (CPP).
While this International Standard measures a portion of this cost, it is not used as the sole component of CPP
calculation. Additional factors need to be considered for accurate CPP calculations.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
Information technology — Office equipment — Method for the
determination of ink cartridge photo yield for colour printing
with inkjet printers and multi-function devices that contain
inkjet printer components
1 Scope
The purpose of this International Standard is to provide a method to determine the ink cartridge photo yield of
ink-containing cartridges (i.e. integrated ink cartridges and ink cartridges without integrated print heads) for
colour photo printing with colour inkjet printers and multi-function devices that contain inkjet printer
components. Ink cartridge yields determined on one printer model, paper and cartridge configuration are not
applicable to another printer model or cartridge configuration even if the ink jet cartridges used in testing are
the same.
This International Standard prescribes the following:
the test method that manufacturers, test labs, etc. use to determine ink cartridge photo yield;
the method for determination of declared photo yield values from the test results; and
the appropriate method of describing the photo yield of cartridges in documentation supplied to the
consumer by the manufacturer.
This International Standard is only intended for the determination of ink cartridge photo yield. No other claims
can be made from this testing regarding quality, reliability, etc.
This International Standard can be used to determine the yield of any cartridge that is used during the printing
of the photo test file defined in ISO/IEC 29103.
This International Standard is not for use with printers whose minimum printable size is equal to or greater
than A3. This International Standard is not intended to measure the yield of photo printing on paper size larger
than 4x6, L or A6. In addition, this International Standard is not for use with industrial printers or point of sale
printers. It only applies to desktop printing systems.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application 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.
ISO/IEC 29103, Information technology — Office equipment — Colour photo test pages for measurement of
ink cartridge yield for colour photo printing
ISO/IEC 24711, Method for the determination of ink cartridge yield for colour inkjet printers and multi-function
devices that contain printer components
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
fade
phenomenon in which a significant colour change occurs due to ink depletion
NOTE 1 If a printer exhibits fade, a five minute pause is allowed to provide for recovery of the ink delivery system and
printing can continue. If fade appears on the next page, then the cartridge is judged at end of life and the additional page
printed after the five minute pause is not counted in the yield calculation. If fade does not appear on the next page, then
printing can continue until the next fade or ink out is encountered.
NOTE 2 For examples of fade, please consult Annex A.
NOTE 3 In some printer systems, fade can occur prematurely due to the way that ink is provided to the printing system.
NOTE 4 It can be helpful to use the first photo test suite print samples from the first cartridge set for colour comparison.
NOTE 5 A blue light source (such as a blue LED) can be used to help in the detection of yellow fade.
3.2
streak
thin lines of colour that appear in test images
NOTE 1 Streaks differ from fade in the width.
NOTE 2 If streaks occur in two or more out of four consecutive test pages, then a streak removal operation is required.
NOTE 3 Streaks can appear due to a number of reasons; thermal issues and clogged nozzles being two of the main
causes. Comparisons are made using the phenomenon sample provided in Annex B.
3.3
streak removal operation
procedure used to restore the print performance by removing streaks
NOTE 1 It is often called a nozzle cleaning operation.
NOTE 2 If streaks are observed in two or more out of four consecutive test pages, first the printer can be left idle for
five minutes. Then an additional four pages are printed. If the streaks are still observed, then a streak removal operation is
conducted according to the latest printer manufacturer documentation. Due to the significant amount of ink that is used for
cleaning, the maximum permissible number of times that the streak removal operation can be used on a given cartridge is
prescribed in 5.2.1. All test pages printed during this process will be included in the page count for determining the yield.
3.4
print head alignment operation
function that aligns newly installed print heads
NOTE If it is mandatory according to the latest printer manufacturer documentation, this operation is performed
during testing. The pages used in the alignment procedure are not counted in the measurement of yield.
3.5
ink low
warning generated by the printing system when it has determined that the amount of ink is such that a
cartridge change may be required soon
NOTE It does not indicate that the system is out of ink.
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
3.6
ink out
signal generated by the printing system when the usable ink in the system is depleted and the printer stops
printing
3.7
end of life
condition determined by one of two mechanisms: fade or ink out
NOTE 1 Fade is defined in 3.1 and ink out is defined in 3.6
NOTE 2 For cartridges containing multiple colour inks, end of life is defined when the first colour exhibits fade or ink out.
In the event that the printer can continue printing after ink out is reported, the cartridge will still be considered at end of life.
3.8
end of testing
point of time when all of primary cartridges are consumed three times per printer under testing
3.9
photo test suite
series of pages defined by ISO/IEC 29103 that are printed as separate jobs
3.10
individual cartridge photo yield
number of pages printed between cartridge installation and end of life
3.11
declared cartridge photo yield
at or below the lower 90 % confidence bound of the mean
NOTE 90 % confidence bound of the mean is prescribed in 6.1 and 6.2.
3.12
primary cartridge
major contributing cartridge for ink consumption
NOTE 1 The minimum number of primary cartridges to be tested for different printing systems is prescribed in 4.2.
Cartridges that reach end of life (as defined in 3.7) first are classified as primary cartridges. They should be consumed at
least three times per printer at end of testing (as defined in 3.8).
NOTE 2 Colour inkjet printers commonly utilize a set of different colour inks to improve quality of photo images. The
number of different colour inks ranges from 3 to more than 10. Ink usages of different colours are not designed to be
uniform. In order to maintain testing time and cost at a reasonable level, the definition of primary cartridges is introduced in
this International Standard.
3.13
supplemental cartridge
cartridge that is not classified as primary cartridge
NOTE The determination of yield for supplemental cartridges is made according to the procedure prescribed in 6.2.
3.14
proxy cartridge
primary cartridge to be utilized for estimating yield of supplemental cartridges
NOTE The definition of proxy cartridges is prescribed in 6.2.
3.15
photo paper
coated paper for photo printing
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
3.16
content type selection
selection that specifies the content for printing
NOTE Examples include photo and document. This can be selected by the user or in some cases by the printing
system based on the automatic media detection.
3.17
paper media selection
selection that specifies the type of media
NOTE This can be selected by the user and/or by the automatic media detection.
3.18
print quality level selection
user selection that specifies the various levels of printed image quality and enhancement
NOTE 1 Examples include normal, best or highest.
NOTE 2 Some printers might not have all of the selections specified in 3.16, 3.17 and 3.18 available.
4 Test parameters and conditions
4.1 Set-up
Place the printer on a horizontal surface and set-up the printer according to the installation guide provided in
the printer user's manual. If a printer has the capability to use both PC connection and another method of data
input for photo printing, the PC connection shall be used for testing. If a printer does not have PC connection
capability, the method of delivering photo test page suite to printer and printing procedure shall be included in
the test report. Use the most recent printer driver available from the manufacturer's website or the supplied
driver with the printer. The driver version shall be specified on the test report. Cartridge installation shall be
completed following the instructions in the cartridge installation guide. If there is a contradiction between the
printer and cartridge manuals for the cartridge installation, the cartridge manual will take precedence except if
changes are recommended for printer or driver settings.
At the start of the test, all printers shall be set-up using a set of priming cartridges to insure that the ink used in
testing is primarily for printing, not for initial priming/cleaning. After the printer is set-up according to the
manufacturer’s instructions, the priming cartridges shall be used to print until consistent images are generated.
The priming cartridges shall be removed and replaced with new cartridges that will be used for testing yield.
The pages printed during priming operation will be included in the test report. But, those pages are not
counted towards yield. Even if required by the printer, print head alignment does not have to be performed on
the priming cartridges. The replacement of the priming cartridges with the first set of test cartridges may be
done all at once or staggered individually. If done all at once, all test cartridges begin with photo test suite
number 1 and continue until end of life. If the staggered start method is used, the test suite number shall be
tracked separately for each cartridge. The test start method shall be included in the test report.
Print quality level selection shall be at factory pre-set configuration for the printer and default installed
condition for the driver and shall be included in the test report. Any user selectable ink conservation modes,
(for example, draft mode) shall be disabled during testing. If content type selection to photo is available on the
printer, it shall be set to photo and included in the test report.
Paper media selection shall be set to photo paper. In case of multiple choices are available for photo paper
setting, selection made for testing shall be included in the test report. If user selectable automatic media
detection is available on the printer, it shall be disabled to make sure the same ink amount to be consumed for
different media. If automatic media detection is used, it shall be noted on the test report. If these settings can
not be verified, then testing shall occur with automatic media detection on. If the printer and driver settings
differ, then the driver defaults shall be used.
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
Any scaling to assure that the photo test suite is printed correctly shall be based on printer system or driver.
To facilitate automated testing, the photo test suite may be pre-generated using the printer driver. This is often
accomplished using a print to file command. This method is only valid if it does not affect the measured yield.
If a pre-generated file is used, it shall be noted on the test report.
4.2 Sample size
Colour inkjet printers commonly utilize different colour inks and/or overlays to improve quality of photo images.
Number of different colour inks/overlays for colour photo printing is quite diverse. Some of the printers may
utilize more than 10 different colour inks/overlays. Ink usages of different colours are not designed to be
uniform. In order to maintain testing time and cost at reasonable level, major contributing cartridges are
defined as primary cartridges in this International Standard. The rest of cartridges are regarded as
supplemental cartridges. During testing, cartridges that reach end of life (as defined in 3.7) first are classified
as primary cartridges.
The minimum number of primary cartridges to be tested is determined based on the number of cartridges
utilized for printing system. Inkjet cartridges are designed in two common styles, single colour and multi-colour
contained cartridges. The number of cartridges may be smaller than the number of colour inks/overlays. The
minimum number of primary cartridges for various printing system is listed in Table 1.
Primary cartridges shall reach end of life (as defined in 3.7) at least three times on each of the printers tested.
Regardless of the minimum number of primary cartridges specified in Table 1, all of the cartridges depleted
three or more times on all tested printers shall be treated as primary cartridges. The minimum number of
printers for testing is three. For example, if the number of primary cartridges is three, at least 27 cartridges
shall be tested. (3 primary cartridges x 3 cartridges to reach end of life x 3 printers)
To represent yield variations due to cartridge and printer manufacturing tolerances, it is acceptable that
additional engines and/or cartridges be used in testing.
Table 1 — The Minimum Number of Primary Cartridges
The Minimum Number
Printer system
of Primary Cartridges
1 cartridge system 1
2 cartridge system 1
3 cartridge system 2
4 cartridge system 3
6 cartridge system 3
7 or more cartridge system 3
When testing additional printers and primary cartridges above the minimum, an effort shall be made to test an
equal number of primary cartridges on each printer. For example, if an additional printer were to be tested for
3 primary cartridges, then the minimum number of cartridges to be tested would be 36 (3 primary cartridges x
3 cartridges to reach end of life x 4 printers).
When testing cartridges for a commercially available product, it is recommended that cartridges and printers
be procured from various sources, or sampled from different production lots. The printers and cartridges shall
be within their useful life as stated in their user’s manual.
4.3 Print mode
Colour inkjet printers commonly need to service the printing system after a number of prints, or when the
device has been powered down or not used for a given amount of time. This servicing uses ink that could
have been used to print additional photos. It is realized that customers do not normally print in a continuous
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
fashion. But, the yield test will be run in semi-continuous simplex printing to decrease testing time and
increase the repeatability of the testing process. Each photo test page shall be printed as a separate print job.
This allows for some intra-job servicing and calibration to take place.
Additional pauses may take place due to paper refills and idle time due to end of work days, but pauses are
not required. All print settings shall be documented in the test report to sufficient level to allow testing to be
reproduced by a third party.
NOTE Depending on printing conditions, the yield experienced by a given user may vary significantly from the yield
measured by this test method.
If a printer has capability to print both borderless and bordered, photo test suite shall be printed without border.
If borderless printing is not allowed for a printer under testing, photo test suite can be printed with border. It
shall be noted in test report. Any scaling to assure that the photo test suite is printed correctly shall be based
on printer system or driver.
4.4 Print environment
The temperature can have a profound effect on test results. For this reason, the test shall be carried out
according to the following test conditions:
Temperature: Testing room average 23.0 °C 2 °C
Readings to be made with a running average of 1 hour with readings recorded at
least every 15 minutes, all running average temperatures are to be between
20.0 °C and 26.0 °C.
EXAMPLE: An example of the calculation of the temperature is shown below for temperature readings
taken on 15-minute intervals for the testing of one cartridge.
Table 2 — Running Temperature Calculation Example
Testing Room
t t t t t t t t t t t t
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Average
Temperature t 24.0 23.4 20.5 24.2 23.6 22.0 25.5 24.7 22.1 20.8 22.0 23.5 23.0
i
Running Average T N/A N/A N/A 23.0 22.9 22.6 23.8 24.0 23.6 23.3 22.422.1
i
Running Average T = (t +t +t +t )/4
i i-3 i-2 i-1 i
Testing Room Average = (t +t + … +t )/12
1 2 12
From this the testing room average would be 23.0 °C, the maximum running
average reading 24.0 °C and the minimum running average reading 22.1 °C.
These values can be found highlighted in the table of temperature measurements.
It shall be noted that the testing room average for temperature are averages of all
measurements, not the running averages.
Humidity: Humidity shall be within the range recommended by the manufacturer for operating
the device.
Environmental conditions shall be included in the test report. The maximum and minimum running averages
for temperature shall be reported for each cartridge tested. Please see Annex C for test reporting form.
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ISO/IEC 29102:2011(E)
All materials shall be temperature acclimated to the test room environment. Prior to testing, the printer, paper
and cartridges shall be acclimated to the above conditions. Before acclimation, packaging and shipping
materials shall be opened with care to prevent damage to the cartridges during acclimation. Paper may be
acclimated in the ream wrapper.
Any water condensation shall be avoided when printer, paper and cartridges are carried in the test
environment
4.5 Paper Media
The paper utilized in this test represents photo paper. If photo paper is tested, it shall conform to the printer’s
list of approved photo papers for colour photo printing. If automatic media detection can be disabled and yield
results are not affected by the type of paper, plain paper that shall conform to the printer’s list of approved
papers can be utilized for testing to reduce the cost for testing. If automatic media detection can not be
disabled, tester shall utilize photo paper.
Size of paper used in this test shall be 4x6, L or A6 size. It is recommended that the test will be performed
with 4x6 sized paper if it can be utilized for a printer under testing. But, if a printer under testing is not capable
of printing on 4x6 sized paper and/or L or A6 is of dominant paper size in the nation, L or A6 sized paper can
be utilized for testing. Tester may use larger sized paper only if yield results are not affected by the size of
paper.
The paper manufacturer, manufacturer's paper model and/or code, and size for the paper that is actually used
in the test shall be noted on the report. When available, weight for the paper is actually used shall be noted on
the report.
4.6 Maintenance
Printer maintenance shall be performed according to the printer and cartridge user's manual.
4.7 Test files
The test image suite used shall be as specified in ISO/IEC 29103. The test shall be conducted using the most
recent official electronic test image suite as the input. The most recent official file can be located at
(http://www.iso.org/jtc1/sc28). Failure to use the exact file specifications will invalidate test results. OS
provided photo printing tool (for example, Windows photo printing wizard) will be used to send photo test suite
to the printer. The method used for connection between the host computer and the printer shall be recorded
on the test report. For automated testing, a pre-generated print file can be used if the results are equivalent to
direct printing methods. This will be recorded on the test report. The version of the test file, the printer driver
version and OS provided photo printing tool version and type will be included in the test report. Before starting
the test, a sample file set shall be printed to check the image and assure the proper size.
NOTE There are often several OS provided photo printing tools available; each version can have an impact on the
yi
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