The ERIC reading measures the overall darkening affect due to the residual ink, not the actual amount of ink present.
The average ERIC would depend on the distribution of the ink particles:
If all residual ink particles are agglomerated into a few large specks, its affect on the overall appearance of the paper is relatively small. The paper would appear brighter, resulting in low ERIC readings.
If all the ink particles are uniformly distributed or dispersed in the sheet, the effect of the particles is much greater and the overall appearance of the sheet is much darker than when the particles were agglomerated, and the ERIC readings will be much larger.
The ERIC measurement is a tool used for optimizing the ink removal process in
recycling. ERIC measurements made after each stage in the deinking process allow for standards to be established for monitoring the process and early detection of upsets in the process. When a floatation cell’s efficiency (in terms of ink removal) suddenly goes down indicated by rising ERIC readings, action must be taken to correct the situation quickly. The ERIC reading provides an unbiased, consistent measurement of the recycling process.
Because of large and heterogeneous dispersed specks, speck analysis is more suitable than ERIC (effective residual ink concentration) for determination of ink removal efficiency of recycled office paper . ERIC measurment is more suitable for ONP-OMG