A microarrayer for spotting solution onto a receiving surface in an automated
microarray dispensing device. Elements of the present invention include: at least one dispense head for spotting the receiving surface, at least one
light source capable of illuminating the receiving surface, at least one camera operating in conjunction with the at least one
light source. The at least one camera is capable of acquiring and transmitting surface image data to a computer. The computer is programmed to receive the surface image data and analyze it. The computer will then generate post
analysis data based on the analysis of the surface image data. The post
analysis data is available for improving the spotting of the solution onto the receiving surface. In a preferred embodiment, the surface image data includes information relating to receiving surface alignment, information relating to spot quality, and receiving surface identification information. In a preferred embodiment, the analysis of the information relating to receiving surface alignment enables the computer to make automatic adjustments to the relative positions of the at least one dispense head and the receiving surface to increase the accuracy of the spotting. In a preferred embodiment, the analysis of the information relating to spot quality identifies a spot as pass or fail. An operator is then able to
rework the spot. In a preferred embodiment, the analysis of the receiving surface identification information enables the computer to track each receiving surface. In a preferred embodiment the receiving surface is a plurality of slides.