System and method for detecting barcode printing errors

Abstract

Barcode verifiers automate the verification process by capturing an image of the printed barcode and analyzing the image according to an industry specification. Industry specifications (e.g., ISO/IEC 15416,15415) identify common printing errors and prescribe test methods for detecting and quantifying these errors. Typically, these tests sample a barcode along one or more scan lines. Print errors that are parallel to these scan lines may be missed by the test. The present invention embraces a system and method to detect unprinted lines in barcodes resulting from a printer malfunction and produce a printer malfunction report with information regarding the quantity, position, and magnitude of these print errors.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to barcode verifiers and more specifically to a system and method for optically detecting a barcode printing error and generating a printer malfunction report.

BACKGROUND

When printing barcodes, it is important to insure that each barcode can be read (i.e., scanned) by various barcode scanners in a wide range of scanning environments. As a result, industry standards for barcodes have been created to help insure that different scanners operating in different environments can read the same barcode.

Barcode verifiers capture an image of a barcode and analyze the barcode symbol according to test methods prescribed by the industry standards. The barcode verifiers can report the results of these tests and can alert an operator of problems.

The tests often prescribe sampling a barcode symbol at various locations in order to estimate a quality for the entire barcode symbol. For example a linear barcode, which has dark, variable-width barcode bars aligned in parallel and spaced by light, variable-width barcode spaces, may be sampled along parallel lines transverse to the barcode bar/spaces (i.e., along scan lines). Sampling the barcode in this way may cause the barcode verifier to miss certain printing errors that appear parallel to the scan lines. Printing errors of this sort may be common to many barcode printers.

Barcode printers typically use print heads to print a barcode. The print heads in ink jet printers, dot matrix printers, and thermal printers have a linear array of print elements (i.e., dots) to facilitate printing. Printed barcodes are printed dot-by-dot as paper is fed through the printer. When one print element becomes inoperative (e.g., clogged, stuck, burned-out, etc.) an unprinted line (i.e., gap) may appear in the printed barcode symbol. Since these unprinted lines are formed parallel to the test sampling lines (i.e., along the scan line direction), they may go unnoticed.

Therefore, a need exists for barcode verifier that can detect an unprinted line (or lines) in a barcode symbol along the scan line direction and generate a printer malfunction report.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention embraces a barcode verifier. The barcode verifier includes an imaging module for capturing images of a field of view. The barcode verifier also includes a memory that is communicatively coupled to the imaging module. The memory stores images and a barcode quality verification program. A processor is communicatively coupled to the memory and configured by the barcode quality verification program to create a printer malfunction report by executing a series of ordered steps. The first step is retrieving a stored image from the memory. Next, a barcode symbol is located in the stored image and an unprinted line (or lines) in the barcode symbol is identified. Using the unprinted line (or lines), a printer malfunction is determined, and finally, the processor executes the step of creating the printer malfunction report.

In an exemplary embodiment of the barcode verifier, the step of locating a barcode symbol in the stored image includes creating a box surrounding the barcode symbol in the stored image. The box includes a top edge and a bottom edge. For one-dimensional (1D) barcode symbologies, the top and bottom edges are lines formed from points located at the ends of the bars. These lines are typically perpendicular to the bars. For two-dimensional (2D) symbologies, the top and bottom lines are found in a similar fashion but use modules in the barcode symbol rather than points at the ends of bars. In some symbologies, lines are included as part of the symbol (e.g., the bottom edge of a data matrix) and may be used to help located the barcode symbol. Optionally a left and right edge of the barcode symbol may be found and included as part of the box.

In another exemplary embodiment of the barcode verifier, a box surrounding the barcode symbol in the stored image is created. The box includes a top edge, a bottom edge, a left edge, and a right edge. The step of identifying an unprinted line in the barcode symbol includes (i) detecting gaps in the barcode symbol, (ii) connecting the detected gaps to form a line, and (iii) identifying a line as an unprinted line if the line is aligned within a reasonable percentage (e.g., 5 percent) of the top or bottom edge of the box.

In another exemplary embodiment of the barcode verifier, a box surrounding the barcode symbol in the stored image is created, gaps in the barcode symbol are detected, and the step of determining a printer malfunction includes calculating the thickness of the gaps relative to the length of an edge of the box or relative to the smallest gap.

In another exemplary embodiment of the barcode verifier, a box surrounding the barcode symbol in the stored image is created, an unprinted line (or lines) is identified, and the step of determining a printer malfunction includes locating the position of each unprinted line relative to the top or bottom edge of the box.

In another exemplary embodiment of the barcode verifier, the step of determining a printer malfunction using the unprinted line (or lines) includes counting the number of unprinted lines.

In another exemplary embodiment of the barcode verifier, the barcode verifier includes a graphical user interface for displaying information to a user. The graphical user interface is communicatively coupled to the processor and configured by the processor to display the printer malfunction report.

In another exemplary embodiment of the barcode verifier, the printer malfunction report is stored to the memory.

In another exemplary embodiment of the barcode verifier, the printer malfunction report includes (i) a printer malfunction alert, (ii) an unprinted-line quantity, (iii) the thickness of each unprinted line, and (iv) the location of each unprinted line.

In another aspect, the present invention embraces a method for generating a printer malfunction report from a barcode image. The method includes the step of using an optical device to capture an image of a barcode, having a plurality of barcode bars. Next, the method includes the steps of locating the barcode within the image and creating a box to surround the located barcode. The box created has (i) a top edge that is perpendicular to the barcode bars and aligned with the top of the barcode bars, and (ii) a bottom edge that is perpendicular to the barcode bars and aligned with the bottom of the barcode bars. After the box is created, the method includes the step of detecting unprinted gaps, indicative of a printer malfunction, along each barcode bar. If possible, the edges of the unprinted gaps are connected to form lines that are substantially parallel to the top or bottom edge of the box. Each line is formed with a thickness to fill the corresponding gaps. Next, the method includes the steps of counting the number of lines formed, measuring the thickness of each line, and locating each line with respect to a box edge. If at least one line is formed, then a printer malfunction report is generated. The printer malfunction report includes the number of lines formed, the thickness of each line, and the location of each line with respect to a box edge.

In an exemplary embodiment of the method, a line is considered substantially parallel to the top or bottom edge of the box when the angle between the line and either the top or the bottom edge of the box is less than five degrees.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the thickness of each line is measured in printer dot size.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the printer malfunction report includes a calculation of the number of adjacent print head elements that are malfunctioning based on the thickness of each line.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the printer malfunction report includes guidance for repairing the malfunction.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the printer malfunction report includes print quality measurements of the barcode related to industry standards.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the optical device is a barcode verifier.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the barcode verifier comprises a graphical user interface for displaying the printer malfunction report to a user.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the printer malfunction comprises an inoperative heating element in a print head for a thermal printer.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the printer malfunction comprises an inoperative jet in a print head for an inkjet printer.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the printer malfunction comprises an inoperative pin in a print head for a dot matrix printer.

In another exemplary embodiment of the method, the box created includes (i) a left edge that is parallel to the barcode bars and aligned with the outer edge of the first barcode bar; and (ii) a right edge that is parallel to the barcode bars and aligned with the outer edge of the last barcode bar.

In another aspect, the present invention embraces a barcode scanner for decoding barcodes and verifying barcodes. The barcode scanner includes an imaging module for capturing images of a label. The label includes a user-data barcode symbol encoded with user data and a printer-ID barcode symbol encoded with a printer identity. The barcode scanner also includes a memory that is communicatively coupled to the imaging module. The memory stores the image and a barcode quality verification program. A processor is communicatively coupled to the memory and configured by the barcode quality verification program to create a printer malfunction report by executing a series of ordered steps. The first step is retrieving the image from the memory. The second step is locating the user-data barcode symbol in the retrieved image. The third step is identifying unprinted dots in the user-data barcode symbol. The fourth step is determining a printer malfunction using the unprinted dots. The fifth step is locating the printer-ID barcode symbol in the image. The sixth step is decoding the printer-ID barcode symbol, and the seventh step is creating a printer malfunction report. The printer malfunction report includes the printer malfunction and the printer identity.

The foregoing illustrative summary, as well as other exemplary objectives and/or advantages of the invention, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, are further explained within the following detailed description and its accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1a graphically depicts an exemplary barcode symbol and exemplary scan lines.

FIG. 1b graphically depicts exemplary scan lines and an exemplary barcode symbol having unprinted gaps in the barcode bars due to a printer malfunction.

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a block diagram of a barcode verifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 graphically depicts an exemplary barcode symbol having unprinted gaps as well as the box and lines used in the creation of printer malfunction report.

FIG. 4 schematically depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for determining a printer malfunction from a barcode image.

FIG. 5. graphically depicts an exemplary label with a user-data barcode symbol and a printer-ID barcode symbol.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention embraces a barcode verifier for detecting print errors in a printed barcode. Barcodes are optical machine-readable representations of data. They may use one or two-dimensional patterns and may be black-and-white or color. One exemplary barcode, shown in FIG. 1, is a linear barcode 1 that includes dark barcode bars and light barcode spaces. The barcode bars and barcode spaces may be different widths to form various patterns. The barcode bars are elongated and are scanned along a scan line perpendicular to the elongated direction.

Scanning printed barcodes requires good print quality. To insure that a printed barcode will be properly scanned, this print quality must be evaluated. Industry standards such as ISO/IEC 15416 and ISO/IEC 15415 serve as guidelines for evaluating barcode quality. In these standards, various tests are described and grading criteria for the test results are established. A printed barcode may be tested to insure that it meets a minimum grade to insure that scan errors are minimized. This evaluation process may be automated with barcode verifiers.

Barcode verifiers are optical devices that capture and analyze images of barcodes. The analysis of an image typically requires the location and segmentation of a barcode symbol within the image. The barcode symbol is tested according to an array of tests specified by a selected standard. Often, additional non-graded parameters are also evaluated by the verifiers (e.g., ink spread) to facilitate additional process control. By monitoring the reports from the barcode verifiers, printing errors may be found and remedied with little loss and before delivering barcodes that are difficult or impossible to scan.

Automated testing of barcodes may not be perfect. Most quality control tests utilize samples to manage complexity while still providing a good estimate of the tested item's quality. In this way, barcode verifiers may sample a barcode by scanning the barcode symbol at various locations. FIG. 1a shows an exemplary barcode 1. A verifier may capture an image of a barcode 1 and analyze its quality along a sampling of scan lines 2. These scan lines may provide a good estimate of the print quality but may miss imperfections, especially when the imperfections are parallel to the scan lines 2.

FIG. 1b graphically depicts an exemplary barcode symbol with print errors 3. The unprinted gaps along each barcode bar may be due to a printer malfunction. These gaps combine to form unprinted lines 4,5 that run parallel to the scan lines 2. Here, the scan lines 2 in FIG. 1b do not encounter the unprinted lines 4,5. A verifier testing this barcode 3 with these scan lines 2 would not detect these printing errors.

The printing defects described so far are common to barcode printers. Barcodes printers may be Ink jet printers, dot matrix printers, or thermal printers. Each of these printers uses a print head. The print head has a linear array of print elements to form a printed mark (i.e., dot). The print elements print a barcode dot-by-dot as paper is fed through the printer and past the print head (which may also move during the printing process). When one print element in the print head becomes inoperative (e.g., clogged, stuck, burned-out, etc.) an unprinted gap may appear in each barcode bar. Due to the nature of the printing process, the gaps appear in each barcode bar at the same height. As a result, these gaps appear as an unprinted line in the barcode symbol running perpendicular to the barcode bar (i.e., parallel to a scan line). In some cases, multiple unprinted lines may occur due to multiple inoperative print head elements. These unprinted lines appear parallel to one another and are typically the same thickness (i.e., one dot), however sometimes, the gaps may be larger, forming thick lines. Thick lines are formed when adjacent print head elements are inoperative. In FIG. 1b the thick unprinted line 5 results from adjacent inoperative print head elements. By measuring line thickness and correlating this measurement to print head element size, the number of inoperative print head elements may be computed.

The present invention addresses the need for a system and method to detect the unprinted lines caused by a print head element malfunction. Such a system/method can generate a printer malfunction report to quantify these print errors. A printer malfunction report may include information regarding the number of unprinted lines, the location of the unprinted lines, and the thickness of each unprinted line. This information may be used to understand and remedy the print head malfunction causing the unprinted lines.

Existing barcode verifiers may assign a lower grade to barcodes with unprinted lines but this assignment is often random. In some cases, the verifier may detect the unprinted lines, while in other cases the verifier may not detect the unprinted lines. This variability leads to grading inconsistencies, and grading may not be repeatable. What is more, these barcode verifiers may detect the unprinted lines, but they cannot identify the printer malfunction or provide other information to help remedy it.

The present invention embraces an optical device that can report (i) the presence of an unprinted line, (ii) the cause of the unprinted line (i.e., printer malfunction), and (iii) explain the malfunction (e.g., number of inoperative print head elements). The optical device may be a barcode verifier or a barcode scanner configured to perform barcode verification.

Typical barcode scanners attempt to read barcode symbol data only (i.e., no verification). While hand-held scanners (e.g. 2D imagers) cannot perform full verification without some type of mounting and or lighting procedure, they can perform the analysis embraced by the present invention. A barcode scanner enabled with a barcode quality verification program can read a barcode symbol, evaluate missing lines, and create a maintenance report (i.e., printer malfunction report). Consequently, a barcode scanner can trigger an alert informing a user that a printer is close to failure before the printer produces unreadable barcodes.

The printer malfunction report described could take many forms. The report might be ordered data stored in memory and accessed by reporting software. For example, a printer malfunction report may enhance/support other barcode verifier tests/evaluations (e.g., ISO/IEC 15416 and/or 15415 tests). The printer malfunction report may also be part of a quality control process and provide alerts to an operator when a print head exhibited certain behavior (e.g., the number of unprinted lines exceeded a threshold). The printer malfunction report may be used by an operator to troubleshoot or diagnose a printer issue.

The printer malfunction report may be displayed by a graphical user interface (e.g. integrated with a barcode verifier) to display results to a human operator. The displayed results could comprise data from many barcode tests. The displayed results could allow an operator to monitor print head deterioration and replace the print head before any unreadable barcode symbols were printed.

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a block diagram of a barcode verifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. The barcode verifier 10 captures an optical image of a barcode 1 within a field of view 7. The barcode is printed on a target item 6 (e.g., label, packaging, etc.). The barcode may be one-dimensional (e.g., linear barcode) or two-dimensional (e.g., Data Matrix, PDF417, Aztec Code, QR Code, etc.). The barcode verifier captures an image of the barcode using an image sensor 11. The image sensor 11 uses an imaging lens (or lenses) to form a real image of the field of view 7 on an array of photo sensors (e.g., CCD, CMOS sensor, etc.). Electronic signals from the photo sensors are used to create black-and-white or color images. The images are stored on a memory 15 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, a hard-drive, etc.) and may be recalled by a processor 12 for barcode verification.

The processor 12 is configured by a barcode quality verification program stored in memory 15 to analyze the barcode and create a printer malfunction report. The processor 12 is configured by the program to execute the steps of (i) retrieving a stored image from the memory, (ii) locating a barcode symbol in the stored image, (iii) identifying an unprinted line or lines in the barcode symbol, (iv) determining a printer malfunction using the unprinted line or lines, and (v) creating a printer malfunction report.

In the step of locating a barcode symbol in the stored image, a box is created to surround the barcode symbol. FIG. 3 graphically depicts an exemplary barcode symbol 3 as well as the box 18. The program's step of identifying an unprinted line in the barcode symbol configures the processor to execute the steps of analyzing the image to (i) detect gaps in the barcode symbol 4,5 (i.e., gaps in each barcode bar), (ii) connect the detected gaps to form unprinted lines 19,20, and (iii) identifying a line as an unprinted line if the line is aligned within 5% of the top or bottom edge of the box. A line is aligned (i.e. parallel) within 5% of the top or bottom edge of the box if the angle formed between these line 19,20 and the top/bottom of the box 18 is less than five degrees (i.e., 5% of 90 degrees is roughly 5 degrees)

Once the box and the lines are created, the processor 12 may analyze the lines to create metrics reported in a printer malfunction report. One such metric is the number of lines. For the example shown in FIG. 3 there are four lines.

Another metric is line thickness. Line thickness may be expressed relative to a box dimension (e.g., percentage) or may be converted to a printer dot size. For the example shown in FIG. 3, there are three thin lines 19 (e.g., one dot) and on thick line 20.

Another metric computed may be line position. Thick lines may be processed to compute the number of adjacent print head elements that are malfunctioning. The position may be expressed relative to coordinate system created by the box (e.g., height from the bottom). Again, this may also be converter to printer dot size to correlate these numbers to the printer's print head.

The printer malfunction report may be stored in the memory 15 and communicated to a user via an input/output (I/O) module 13. The I/O module 13 may be integrated with the barcode verifier or a separate device that is communicatively coupled to the barcode verifier. In either case, the I/O module 13 may include a graphical user interface and may display visual and/or auditory information and receive information from a user (e.g., typed, touched, spoken, etc.).

In some embodiments, the barcode verifier 10 may communicatively connected using a communication module 16 to a computer or a network via a wired or wireless data link. In a wireless configuration, the communication module may communicate with a host device over the network via a variety of communication protocols (e.g., WI-FI®, BLUETOOTH®, CDMA, TDMA, or GSM).

The subsystems in the barcode verifier 10 are electrically connected via a couplers (e.g., wires, traces, etc.) to form an interconnection subsystem 14. The interconnection system 14 may include power buses or lines, data buses, instruction buses, address buses, etc., which allow operation of the modules/subsystems and the interaction there between.

FIG. 4 schematically depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for determining a printer malfunction from a barcode image. The method begins by capturing an image of a barcode 30 (e.g., linear barcode) using an optical device (e.g., barcode verifier). Next, the barcode is located within the image of the barcode 31 and a box is created 32 to surround the spatial extent of the located barcode within the image. The barcode bars are then analyzed (e.g., edge detection) to find any unprinted gaps indicative of a printer malfunction. If no gaps are found then no printer malfunction is found and the process ends. If, however, gaps in the barcode bars are found 33, then the gaps are connected form lines within the box 34. Each line is created to fill the gaps so that the line thickness represents the gap size in the barcode bars. The lines formed are checked to insure that they are parallel to the box edge 35 (e.g., angle between lines and box top is less than five degrees). If the lines are not parallel then some other defect has caused the print error. If the lines are parallel 35 then the number of lines are counted and the thickness of each line is measured 36. Finally, a printer malfunction report including the number of lines formed, the thickness of each line, and the location of each line with respect to a box edge is generated 37.

In some embodiments, information regarding the printer that created a barcode symbol (i.e., the printer ID) may be encoded within a 1D or 2D barcode symbol printed on the same label as the barcode symbol containing user data. Here, the term label may represents any substrate carrying a symbol created by a printer. For example, a label may include a paper/plastic substrate onto which a barcode is printed. Alternatively, a label may include some faceplate material engraved with a barcode. Further, a label may be thought of as a barcode marked directly onto the surface of an item.

When a barcode scanner (or barcode verifier) detects unprinted dots (or lines) on a label, the printer ID symbol on the label may be decoded to identify the printer that created the printing error. This identification may facilitate service for the printer. Further error/printer data may be collected over time. Statistics may be applied to the collected data to aid in understanding the errors associated with a printer (or printers). This statistical information could be particularly helpful in, for example, creating repair and/or maintenance schedules for printers.

An exemplary label 8 is shown in FIG. 5. The label includes two symbols. The first symbol is linear barcode 3 representing the user data (i.e., user-data barcode symbol). This first symbol is the symbol scanned by an application to perform a function (e.g., luggage identification). The second symbol on the label 8 is a printer identification barcode symbol (i.e., printer-ID barcode symbol) 9. The printer-ID barcode symbol 9 is encoded with the identity of the printer that printed the label (i.e., the printer identity).

The printer-ID barcode symbol 9 in FIG. 5 is a data matrix symbol encoded with a printer identity (e.g., “PRINTER 24”). The printer-ID barcode symbol 9 is used to identify the printer that created the label 8 to facilitate maintenance and/or repair functions. While printer errors may also affect the printer-ID barcode symbol 9, the present invention may report errors for these symbols as well as the user-data barcode symbol 3.

To supplement the present disclosure, this application incorporates entirely by reference the following commonly assigned patents, patent application publications, and patent applications:

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In the specification and/or figures, typical embodiments of the invention have been disclosed. The present invention is not limited to such exemplary embodiments. The use of the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The figures are schematic representations and so are not necessarily drawn to scale. Unless otherwise noted, specific terms have been used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. A method comprising: capturing an image of a barcode;creating a box to surround the barcode in the captured image, wherein the box comprises top and bottom edges perpendicular to lines of the barcode and respectively aligned to the top and bottom of the lines in the barcode;detecting unprinted gaps along each line from amongst the lines of the barcode, the unprinted gaps indicative of a printer malfunction;connecting the unprinted gaps to form gap lines aligned in a direction parallel to at least one of the top and bottom edges of the box, wherein each gap line is of a thickness so as to fill corresponding unprinted gaps in the barcode; andgenerating a printer malfunction report based on the formation of the gap lines.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the printer malfunction report comprises at least one of an indication corresponding to a presence of an unprinted line, a cause for the printer malfunction, and details associated with the printer malfunction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the printer malfunction report is utilized for printer quality control measures for triggering alerts indicating at least one of a malfunctioning of a printer, an expected malfunctioning behavior of a printer, to operators.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the printer malfunction report is utilized by an operator for at least one of enhancing existing printer test evaluation measures, troubleshooting, and diagnosing issues related to printers in order to prevent future malfunctioning of printers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a line is substantially parallel to the top or bottom edge of the box when the angle between the line and either the top or bottom edge of the box is less than five degrees.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a thickness of each line is measured in printer dot size.

7. A system, comprising: an imaging module for capturing images of a machine readable indicia;a memory communicatively coupled to the imaging module, wherein the memory stores instructions for verifying quality of the machine readable indicia; anda processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the instructions for: identifying at least one of an unprinted line and lines in the machine readable indicia captured by the imaging module;determining a printer malfunction based on the identification; andproviding a printer malfunction report based on the determination of the printer malfunction.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein identifying at least one of an unprinted line comprises: detecting gaps in the machine readable indicia; connecting the detected gaps to form a line; and identifying a line as an unprinted line if the line is aligned within 5% of a top or bottom edge of the machine readable indicia.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein determining a printer malfunction comprises calculating a thickness of the gaps.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein determining a printer malfunction comprises counting the number of unprinted lines.

11. A system comprising: an imaging module for capturing an image comprising at least one of a user-data indicia encoded with user data and a printer-ID indicia encoded with a printer identity;a memory communicatively coupled to the imaging module, wherein the memory stores quality verification instructions; anda processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the quality verification instructions for: identifying unprinted dots in the user-data indicia;determining a printer malfunction using the unprinted dots;decoding the printer-ID indicia; andproviding a printer malfunction report comprising the printer malfunction associated with the printer identity.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein decoding the printer-ID indicia provides a printer ID utilized for identifying a printer and printer component of the printer, causing the printing error.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the printer malfunction associated with the printer identity is utilized to aid error monitoring, maintenance, and repair of the printer.

14. The system of claim 11, determining a printer malfunction comprises calculating a thickness of gaps formed by unprinted dots.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein determining a printer malfunction comprises counting the number of unprinted dots.

16. A method comprising, capturing an image comprising a user data indicia encoded with user data and a printer-ID indicia encoded with a printer identity;identifying unprinted dots in the user data indicia;determining a printer malfunction using the unprinted dots;decoding the printer-ID indicia to obtain a printer identity of a printer associated with printing of any of the user data indicia and the printer-ID indicia;providing a printer malfunction report comprising the printer malfunction associated with the printer identity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the printer malfunction report comprises at least one of an indication corresponding to a presence of an unprinted dot, a cause for the printer malfunction, and details associated with the printer malfunction.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the printer malfunction report is utilized for printer quality control measures for triggering alerts indicating at least one of a malfunctioning of a printer, an expected malfunctioning behavior of a printer, to operators.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the printer malfunction report is utilized by an operator for at least one of enhancing existing printer test evaluation measures, troubleshooting, and diagnosing issues related to printers in order to prevent future malfunctioning of printers.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein determining a printer malfunction comprises counting the number of unprinted dots.