Methods and systems for evaluating an imager that produces bi-chrome images from a scanner or a digital imaging device. A method of evaluating an imager includes generating an image with a hand-held imaging device, the image having pixels of a first color and a second color. The generated image may be analyzed to determine information about particles of the first and second color contained in the image. Each particle comprises contiguous pixels of the same color, and the determined particle information comprises information on the size and count of the particles of the first and second color. The method may further include determining if the image is unacceptable based on predetermined objective criteria and the particle information.