Software Assesses Printed Image Quality

MacDermid Autotype, the manufacturer of films and chemicals for the screen printing industry, has launched a software package, designed for printers to assess and improve printed image quality.

MacDermid Autotype, the manufacturer of films and chemicals for the screen printing industry, has launched a software package, designed to make it quick and simple for printers to assess and improve printed image quality.

Called Image Analyser, the new software package has been developed to run on a standard Windows based PC and, for the first time, makes it possible for printers to measure cost effectively the quality of screen printed text and graphics, claimed MacDermid Autotype.

The company said that there are several analyser packages on the market, most of which are complex and can also be quite expensive.

MacDermid Autotype claimed that what is new is that it is making a program accessible and available free of charge to its customers and, therefore, to the industry.

MacDermid Autotype added that that move reflects the company's mission to bring good science to printing to help its customers thrive in a competitive environment by ensuring they get the quality they require.

In the company's opinion, it is generally common practice for screen printers to assess print quality visually, or by the use of instruments, such as profilometers and microscopes.

Although they are important tools for controlling different stages in the printing process they do not directly measure the quality of the finished image, or produce results that can easily be captured or repeated in a scientifically proven manner.

MacDermid Autotpye claimed that by comparison, the new Image Analyser software uses a standard USB connected microscope to magnify and assess the most important areas of each screen printed job, with the output being captured by the software for subsequent analysis and even output to a spreadsheet for further statistical work.

That is carried out in real time and the results stored for use in quality control documentation.

In addition, the new software incorporates a voice help menu, with short pre-recorded voice descriptions and screen shots of all common help topics, making it easier for new users to apply the system and interpret the results, it is claimed.

The captured data is analysed in a number of ways, using a range of measuring modes based on standard geometric shapes, including line, rectangle and ellipse, for instance.

Each mode offers the ability to measure specific criteria.

For example, angle mode allows the user to measure the angle between two lines, whilst the polygon mode provides an analysis of area, perimeter, ellipticity and angle of any polygonal shape, added the company.

Similarly, the thresholding feature allows the image and non-image areas to be measured, providing a reading that can be used in porosity, pearlite and ferrite, defect percentage and other standard analyses.

MacDermid Autotype said that the objective of the Image Analyser software is to help screen printers develop a working methodology that is straight forward, effective and empirical.

The Image Analyser software is designed to be calibrated using a supplied slide and it is available on a 30-day trial basis from MacDermid Autotype.

Professor Steven Abbott, research director at MacDermid Autotype, explained: "Our goal is to eliminate the confusion and variables that are normally associated with printing, turning what has previously been something of a black art in to a scientific, consistent and repeatable process.".

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