ISO 29861:2009

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 29861
First edition
2009-11-15

Document management applications —
Quality control for scanning office
documents in colour
Applications de gestion de document — Contrôle de la qualité pour le
balayage de documents de bureau en couleurs




Reference number
ISO 29861:2009(E)
©
ISO 2009

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ISO 29861:2009(E)
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ISO 29861:2009(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 29861 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 171, Document management applications,
Subcommittee SC 1, Quality.
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ISO 29861:2009(E)
Introduction
This International Standard is to be used in conjunction with ISO 12653 and describes procedures for the
evaluation of output quality of a colour scanning system for office documents. ISO 12653-2 describes
procedures for evaluating the output quality of a black-and-white scanning system for office documents, using
the test target specified in ISO 12653-1.
Factors which affect the quality achieved by a document scanning system are:
a) physical scanning irregularities;
b) uniformity of exposure;
c) chromatic sensitivity of the photosensing unit;
d) contrast;
e) threshold setting;
f) reproduction of half-tones;
g) resolution;
h) scale.
The methods given in this International Standard
⎯ can be used to
⎯ set up the system initially to yield satisfactory images,
⎯ check for consistent quality,
⎯ check that equivalent performance is being obtained from another system; and
⎯ are intended to
⎯ enable the operator to check that the scanner is correctly set up,
⎯ inform the operator of the capabilities and limits of the scanner,
⎯ enable the user to monitor image quality over a period of time,
⎯ enable the user to draw up quality assessment procedures.
If the whole system is checked, from input to output, the results obtained can vary depending on the different
items of equipment used. For example, one visual display unit screen might be poorly set up, giving worse
quality than a well set up screen. It is thus important to establish the parts of the system on which to perform
the tests. If tests are required for other parts of the system, then it might be necessary to repeat the tests as
appropriate.
The regular use of the methods in this International Standard can ensure a given level of quality to be
maintained.
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ISO 29861:2009(E)
Many systems include test procedures in their software. These tests can be performed in conjunction with the
test methods defined in this International Standard.
This International Standard uses the test chart, Test Chart No.2 (CMYK), defined in
ISO/IEC 15775:1999/Amd.1:2005, N4-1, as the test document.

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 29861:2009(E)

Document management applications — Quality control
for scanning office documents in colour
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies test methods for evaluating the consistency of the colour output quality
over time from the colour reflection scanning of office documents.
It is applicable to assessing the output quality of colour scanners used in the office. It is particularly applicable
where office documents containing half-tone and/or continuous tone colour areas are being scanned.
The test methods do not require specialist equipment that is not normally available in the office for the
evaluation of the results. The test methods are based on the visual examination of the output of an office
document scanner in comparison to the original test target.
It is not applicable to black-and-white only scanners or scanners used for the scanning of transparent or
translucent documents.
This International Standard is to be used in conjunction with ISO 12653, which specifies a test method for the
evaluation of the quality of output from black-and-white office document scanners.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 12651, Electronic imaging — Vocabulary
ISO 12653-1, Electronic imaging — Test target for the black-and-white scanning of office documents —
Part 1: Characteristics
ISO 12653-2, Electronic imaging — Test target for the black-and-white scanning of office documents —
Part 2: Method of use
ISO/IEC 15775:1999/Amd.1:2005, Information technology — Office machines — Method of specifying image
reproduction of colour copying machines by analog test charts — Realisation and application — Amendment 1
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this International Standard, the terms and definitions given in ISO 12651 apply.
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ISO 29861:2009(E)
4 Preparation
4.1 Initial system set-up
Tests shall be run under typical office operational conditions. Any required warm-up period shall be allowed
before these tests are carried out.
Where possible, the manufacturer's instructions with regards to initial cleanup of the equipment and calibration
routines should be followed, using the manufacturer's target, before these tests are carried out.
A number of PC software manufacturers provide systems which enable the calibration of colour images
created from colour scanning systems. Where such software is available, their results may be used to
supplement the visual results detailed in Clause 6.
4.2 Black-and-white scanning
Tests specified in ISO 12653-1 and ISO 12653-2 which
...