FIG 1.

Inkjet dispensing precision. (A) Extended-dynamic-range dispensing. Bacteria were dispensed by inkjet printing in a 2-fold dilution series and enumerated by plate count. Each data point is the mean from three independent experiments performed on separate days, with error bars representing 1 standard deviation. There was a strong linear correlation (dashed line) between volume dispensed and CFU per milliliter (R² > 0.99). (B) High-resolution dispensing. Bacteria were dispensed using inkjet technology in a $\sqrt[7]{2}$(≈1.10-fold) dilution series and enumerated by plate count. Data points represent the averages from 3 independent experiments performed on separate days using 4 Enterobacteriaceae strains each, with error bars corresponding to 1 standard deviation from the mean. There was a strong linear correlation (dashed line) between dispense volume and CFU per milliliter delivered to wells (R² = 0.98). Dotted lines indicate the CLSI-recommended inoculum range (2 × 10⁵ to 8 × 10⁵ CFU ml⁻¹).