Methods and articles for determining invisible ink print quality

A method testing a printer printing invisible encodements in invisible ink that can be captured and decoded by a reader for print quality of the invisible ink comprising the steps of:

• providing a test print media to the printer under test;
• printing a plurality of invisible encodements of test data over a surface of the test print media in a defined spatial order by the printer, said printing of said invisible encodements differing from one said encodement to another wherein the printed encodements differ from one another in contrast in a step tablet manner when subject to a particular wavelength of light;
• and
• imaging the invisible encodements with light of said wavelength, by a reader for reading and decoding each of the invisible encodements;
• and
• determining print quality of the printer by the ability of tile reader to read and decode at least certain ones of the plurality of invisible encodements.

A method testing a printer printing invisible encodements in invisible ink that can be captured and decoded by a reader for print quality of the invisible ink comprising the steps of:

• providing a test print media to the printer under test;
• printing a plurality of invisible encodements of test data over a surface of the test print media in a defined spatial order by the printer, wherein the printed encodements differ from one another;
• and
• imaging the invisible encodements by a reader for reading and decoding each of the invisible encodements;
• and
• determining print quality of the printer by the ability of the reader to read and decode at least certain ones of the plurality of invisible encodements;
• wherein:
• the providing step further comprises the step of:
• applying invisible material that is sensitive to the same wavelength of light as the invisible ink of the printer to the media surface in a plurality of densities in a plurality of spaced apart areas of the media surface, thereby providing step background densities in a test tablet manner;
• and the printing step further comprises the step of:
• operating the printer to print the plurality of invisible encodements of test data in the plurality of spaced apart areas of the media she over the applied invisible materials.

A test target used with a printer printing invisible encodements in invisible ink that can be captured and decoded by a reader, said invisible encodements being sensitive to a particular wavelength of light, the test target comprising:

• test print media having a surface, said surface bearing invisible material that is sensitive to said wavelength of light, said material being disposed on said surface in a plurality of densities in a plurality of different areas of the media surface, thereby providing step background densities in a test tablet manner;
• and
• a plurality of invisible encodements printed by said printer, said invisible encodements being disposed over said surface of said test print media in a defined spatial order,
• whereby the print quality of the printer is capable of being determined by the ability of the reader to read and decode at least certain ones of the plurality of invisible encodements.

A test target used with a printer printing invisible encodements in invisible ink that can be captured and decoded by a reader, said invisible encodements being sensitive to a particular wavelength of light, the test target comprising:

• test print media having a surface, said surface bearing invisible material that is sensitive to said wavelength of light, said material being disposed on said surface in a uniform density in a plurality of different areas of the media surface;
• and
• a plurality of invisible encodements printed by said printer, said invisible encodements being disposed on said surface of said test print media in a defined spatial order over said invisible material, said invisible encodements differing from each other in contrast when subject to said wavelength of light;
• whereby the print quality of the printer is capable of being determined by the ability of the reader to read and decode at least certain ones of the plurality of invisible encodements.

A test target used with a printer printing invisible encodements in invisible ink that can be captured and decoded by a reader, said invisible encodements being sensitive to a particular wavelength of light, the test target comprising:

• test print media having a surface, said surface bearing invisible material that is sensitive to said wavelength of light, said material being disposed on said surface in a plurality of different areas of the media surface;
• and
• a plurality of invisible encodements disposed on said invisible material in respective said areas;
• wherein one of said invisible material and said invisible encodements differs in contrast in said different areas in a test tablet manner;
• whereby the print quality of the printer is capable of being determined by the ability of the reader to read and decode at least certain ones of the plurality of invisible encodements.