Decode test with laser prints

Aim : Identify the minimum cell size of color c code, possible to decode from laser prints

Supporting printing companies : Company R & Futaba Kougei Printing

«Used codes and decoding environment»

cell standard : 162×162mm
redundancy level : 3 levels (level 1 [10% restoration), level 2 (20% restoration), level 3 (30% restoration)]
cell size : 5 types (0.1×0.1mm, 0.125×0.125mm, 0.15×0.15mm, 0.175×0.175mm, 0.2×0.2 mm)
importing device : scanner [CANON SCAN LIDE 90] (resolution600dpi)
laser printer : Canon, Ricoh (total 22 devices) - printer selection : based on printers currently on the market.

Brand and type of printer, and printing paper

«Canon»

• Printer type : 4 types

LBP5050 / LBP5100 / LBP5300 / LBP5400

• Paper : 3 types

• multipurpose paper
• OP paper (office planner paper)
• color copy paper

• Output resolution

600dpi & 1200dpi

«Ricoh»

• Printer type : 9 types

GX3000s / CX3500 / SP C210SF* / SP C221SF* / SP C220*/ SP C411 / SP C710 * / SP C711 / SP C810/810M

• Paper : 2 types

• multipurpose paper
• color copy paper
• * For [GX3000s] 3 types of paper was tested ("multipurpose paper, gel jet print paper, canon glossy paper")

Table of test results for laser printers(laser080830.pdf)32kb

*The document is in Japanese

«Conclusion»

• Canon

"OP paper" most suit the canon laser printers.
The decoding accuracy for "Multipurpose paper" and "color print paper" are low. Especially for "color print paper," codes that were above cell size 0.35 mm and redundancy level 3, imported under 1200dpi were readable.

• Ricoh

The difference in paper types or printing method were not seen, however, the result significantly changed according to printer types. For gel jet printers, if glossy paper was used, the code can be decoded up to cell size 0.16 mm with redundancy level 3. Possible factor for this is the small amount of stain during printing.
However, if the paper take the ink more, the decoding accuracy may increase.
Paper with high decoding accuracy have distinct borders between cells. Colors which use 2 inks to print, tend to . The minuteness of cells affect the decoding accuracy.

Reference: about gel jet printers

Gel jet printers are significantly different from ink jet printers for its ink, which has high paper osmosis and fixation. The fixation speed is indicatively high compared to other inks, which prevents ink stains, which

*Notation
The results do not compare the printing performance of each printer brands. The results are exclusively based on the print testings of Color C Code. Please note that the results do not provide any guaranteed information of the attributes of Color C Code. Colour Code Technologies has no responsibility for any accidents that ensued from these results.