Patent ID: 7738147

Claim:
A method of monitoring at least one printing parameter of a printer comprising: establishing a printing environment with at least one printer and a control arrangement coupled via a communications network; measuring one or more printing parameters of a material to be printed by the at least one printer using a rotary encoder, said measuring comprising: transmitting the rotational movement of the material using a rotary encoder having a shaft; generating a plurality of electrical pulses by rotating a disc coupled to the shaft having a plurality of slots through a light barrier; and deriving the one or more printing parameters from the phase shift of the plurality of electrical pulses; encoding the one or more printing parameter to form a printing parameter message; transmitting the printing parameter message using a data transmitting unit coupled to the communications network, wherein measuring one or more printing parameters of a material comprises measuring any of the direction of a material transport and printing material consumption; monitoring the printing parameter using the steps of: receiving the printing parameter message via a data receiving unit, wherein the data receiving unit is coupled to the communications network; decoding the printer parameter message using a decoding unit; and monitoring the printing parameter received using a printing parameter monitoring unit, the printing parameter monitoring unit coupled to the decoding unit; determining states using an image evaluation unit configured to determine the following states: the correctness of the horizontal alignment of a print head; the correctness of the vertical alignment of said print head; the magnitude of deviation of the horizontal alignment of said print head; the magnitude of deviation of the vertical alignment of said print head; and the straight emergence of a printing medium from said printer upon determining said states, printing the material based on all said states on at least one additional printing system, forming a printout; and determining print value criteria using the printout and a sensor arrangement, wherein the print value criteria are used in a comparison of the printing parameter.