Patent ID: 8602518

Claim:
An inkjet printer having a test pattern printed by a plurality of printheads in the inkjet printer that enables printhead position analysis from image data of the test pattern comprising: a controller configured with programmed instructions to operate the plurality of printheads in the inkjet printer to form a test pattern on an ink image receiving surface that is positioned within the inkjet printer; the test pattern on the ink receiving surface including a plurality of arrangements of dashes on the ink image receiving surface, each arrangement of dashes having a predetermined number of rows and a predetermined number of columns, each row of dashes having at least two dashes and each dash in a row of dashes within an arrangement of dashes being separated from each adjacent dash in the row by a same first predetermined distance in a cross-process direction, and each column of dashes having at least two dashes and each dash in a column of dashes in the arrangement of dashes being separated from an adjacent dash in the column of dashes by a second predetermined distance, each dash in a column of an arrangement of dashes being ejected by a single inkjet ejector in a printhead of the inkjet printer, a plurality of unprinted areas on the ink image receiving surface, each unprinted area separating adjacent arrangements of dashes; an optical sensor positioned within the inkjet printer opposite the ink receiving surface to generate image data of the dashes in the plurality of arrangements of dashes on the ink receiving surface; and the controller being operatively connected to the optical sensor to identify positional data about the dashes in the plurality of arrangements with reference to the image data received from the optical sensor.