Overview
ISO/IEC 17629:2014 - "Information technology - Office equipment - Method for measuring first print out time for digital printing devices" defines a standardized method to measure the time from job initiation to the complete exit of the first printed sheet, commonly called First Print Out Time (FPOT). The standard applies to digital printing devices and multifunction devices, for both black & white and colour outputs and across marking technologies. It covers test charts, test platform and device setup, measurement procedures, data treatment, and reporting requirements to enable repeatable, comparable FPOT measurements representative of office usage.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Definition of FPOT and related states: clear terms for ready, sleep, and off states, plus concepts such as recovery time and warm-up time.
- Test platform and setup: instructions to record hardware/software platform parameters that may affect measurements (see Annex A), including connection type (USB, Ethernet), OS and driver versions, and optional disk imaging to restore initial states.
- Device configuration: use manufacturer-recommended drivers and factory default print quality/speed settings; document all deviations.
- Test materials and conditions: guidance on sample size, paper orientation, environmental and voltage conditions, and maintenance state.
- Test files and test suite: specifies using defined test files/pages (Annex B) and how to conduct simplex/duplex first-page tests.
- Test method and measurement procedure: step-by-step test runs, required and optional special tests, and automated or manual timing methods.
- Data treatment and presentation: calculations for FPOT from Ready, Sleep and Off states, and reporting formats including summary, full, and full-detailed reports (Annex C, Annex E).
- Normative procedures: procedures to establish FPOT from Ready delay time (Annex F).
Practical applications
- Ensures repeatable FPOT measurement for product development, QA, and benchmarking.
- Enables apples-to-apples comparisons between printers and multifunction devices for procurement and lab testing.
- Helps evaluate power management impacts (sleep/off delays) on user-perceived productivity.
- Supports marketing claims with standardized, auditable measurement and reporting formats.
Who should use this standard
- Printer and MFD manufacturers (performance validation)
- Independent test labs and certification bodies
- IT procurement teams and corporate buyers (device selection)
- Product reviewers and industry analysts
Related standards
ISO/IEC 17629:2014 is published under ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 28 (Office equipment). For broader device productivity and performance assessment, consult related ISO/IEC office-equipment standards published by SC 28 (see ISO/IEC for committee references).
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