Automated Measurement of Positional Accuracy in the Qualification of High-Accuracy Plotters

Systems and methods for assessing plotting device accuracy in aid of a process for qualifying plotter systems. The system and process involve an ideal (virtual) test pattern consisting of digital data defining a nominal grid augmented by geometric features (e.g., closed two-dimensional geometric shapes which respectively surround intersections or vertices of the nominal grid). The plotting device under test is commanded to print a test plot having a pattern that matches the test pattern, but the test plot may deviate from the test pattern. To measure the amount of deviation, first an image of the test plot on the printed medium is captured using an accurate optical scanner. Then a mathematical measurement process, implemented in a computer vision application (e.g., a software package), is employed to detect deviations of the test plot from the test pattern. A statistical analysis is then performed to determine whether the deviations are within specifications.