Method for in situ measurements of ink jet printed ink drops

A laboratory simulation technique that is able to study in situ drying of ink jet printed ink drops and to predict results of ink jet printing on a given substrate before mass production has been developed. The technique includes drop formation (ink jetting), imaging, and data processing. The imaging and data processing parts of the system also enable analyzing industrially-printed materials. A possibility to predict mass production results using less then 1 ml of ink is demonstrated. High flexibility makes the system applicable for different optimization tasks such as ink-substrate matching, ink formulation optimization, drying technology development, etc. By analyzing different quality parameters we give a rigorous definition of roundness and show its importance in evaluating print quality.