Painted panels were prepared in a wide range of gloss and in three achromatic colors (white, middle grey, and black) by varying the composition and heat treatment of an automotive acrylic‐lacquer system. Magnitude scaling was used to estimate visual dissimilarities between the members of all possible pairs of specimens in series of 15–20 samples. The data were analyzed by multidimensional scaling using several commercially available computer programs. The experiments were carried out and the results are discussed for evaluation of several types of gloss: distinctness‐of‐image, specular, contrast, sheen, and reflection haze. The resulting interval scales were all unidimensional. The visual data were correlated with a variety of instrumental gloss measurements made on the same specimens by using commercially available glossmeters.

Visual observations on gloss have identified approximately six types of gloss. To study the interrelations among these a method for the multidimensional scaling of gloss was devised. Two sets of painted specimens were examined. The first set covered a wide range of gloss using specimens that were a single grey color. The second set covered a more restricted range of gloss but consisted of black, grey, and white specimens. The results for these particular specimens under the particular viewing and illuminating conditions described yielded unidimensional interval scales. These interval scales were then correlated with the instrumental measurements obtained from the specimens. Equations relating the visual data to the instrumental data were derived.

A Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) is defined for a digital binary printer to satisfy demands of MTF for an optical system. For many practical reasons, a Contrast Transfer Function (CTF) is found to be more useful. A binary image model is used to determine major dependencies of CTF from parameters of system (printer -paper) that produced image. A computerized system is described for measurements of the Subjective Quality Factory (SQF) of a digital printer. The SQF can be compared (cascaded) to other electrooptical systems serving as an image quality merit function, characterizing the ability of the whole system to reproduce and print images.