Overview
ISO/IEC 24712:2007 specifies a standardized colour test page suite for measuring the consumable yield of office printers and multi‑function devices. The suite comprises four “customer” pages (business letter, spreadsheet, newsletter, slide) and one diagnostic page used to determine end‑of‑ink/toner life. Files are provided in a common electronic format to ensure repeatable, comparable yield testing for inkjet, electro‑photographic (laser) printers and all‑in‑one devices with a digital printing path. These pages represent typical office/home documents and are explicitly not intended for photo‑quality evaluations.
Key topics and requirements
- Test page suite: Five pages designed to be printed as a single five‑page job to measure consumable usage consistently.
- File format: Base files are hand‑coded PostScript converted to PDF (version 1.3) with embedded fonts to reduce substitution.
- Colour definitions and conversion: Colours are defined in CMYK in the source PS files; a defined CMYK→RGB conversion is provided to reflect common office workflows. The standard describes three conversion cases (pure K, composite black, and mixed CMYK) to preserve black‑only elements and ensure reproducible results.
- Page geometry and fiducials: Pages sized at 209 mm × 279 mm (fits Letter and A4). Each page includes L‑shaped measurement marks; distances between marks must be 170 mm (short edge) and 250 mm (long edge) ±1% to detect image stretch in feed direction.
- Printing protocol: Tests are valid only when using the most recent official electronic test files and printing the complete suite as a single job. Unique font naming is used to discourage substitution; improper files invalidate results.
- Scope limitations: Not intended for color quality or photographic print testing.
Applications and users
ISO/IEC 24712 is used by:
- Printer and MFD manufacturers for product validation and cartridge yield reporting.
- Independent test laboratories and certification bodies performing yield and consumable life testing.
- OEMs and component suppliers assessing ink/toner formulations and delivery systems.
- Procurement and quality teams evaluating total cost of ownership (TCO) and consumable performance.
Practical benefits include consistent, repeatable consumable yield measurement across device types, enabling apples‑to‑apples comparisons of cartridge life and supporting claims in specifications and marketing.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 19798 - Method for the determination of toner cartridge yield for colour printers and multi‑function devices.
- ISO/IEC 24711 - Method for the determination of ink cartridge yield for colour inkjet printers and multi‑function devices.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 24712, colour test pages, consumable yield, cartridge yield, inkjet, toner, PDF test pages, CMYK to RGB conversion, printer yield testing.
