Photographic Print Quality

Photo Print Quality cannot be completely analyzed by purely objective means; while we can measure how accurately individual colors are reproduced, determining which prints people prefer—and why—are elusive judgments, inherently subjective.

Augmenting our standards for the objective measurement of photographic print quality, we have accumulated extensive experience in worldwide managment of Photo Print Quality Focus Groups. This enables us to explore subjective preference for print quality attributes—ranging from overall to assessments of:

• Richness
• Realism (Skin Tones, Sky & Water, Grass & Vegetation, Woods & Textures, near-Neutrals, etc.)
• Contrast and Brightness
• Sharpness and Smoothness, etc.

Printed output can compare color tables and competitive devices in various market segments, among printing technologies, and among competitive ink and media consumables.

Subjective judgments are converted into statistically significant measurements, and supplemented by relevant subjective commentary. Our entire process is tightly controlled:

• Creation of the hundreds of test prints
• Double-blind, pseudorandom sequencing
• Acquisition of participants (professionals, consumers, prosumers, office users, etc.)
• Worldwide deployment
• Data collection and backup
• Application of the latest statistical analysis techniques
• Graphical presentation of results

Document Print Quality

Document Print Quality is even more complex in that it can contain Text, Line Work, Tints and Blends, and Computer Graphics as well as Photographic Images. Again, we can measure how accurately individual colors are reproduced, but determining which prints people prefer, and why, are elusive, subjective judgments. Print Quality must be "over the bar" of acceptability for a user's intended application, or cost and speed do not matter.

Usability & Functionality

SpencerLab's Focus Group central location testing (CLT) usually combines quantitative and qualitative elements. Ease-of-Use and Functionality Focus Groups may encompass the Out-of-the-Box experience through Setup, Initial Operation, Functionality, and Fault Correction—with technical support in its various written, on-line, and on-call forms.

Multiple product attributes can (and should!) be evaluated, as the intended customer will experience the "whole product package"—everything including the product print and media advertisements, ordering of consumables and supplies, packaging, unpacking, setup, installation, documentation, usage, maintenance, and support. Evaluation may include aspects of visual or industrial design, marketing, service and support, human factors and user interface design. Research results can be used by R&D teams to improve existing or future technology, or by sales and marketing teams for competitive marketing purposes.