Analysis methods developed specifically to determine the presence of ink and other optically active components in paper machine white waters or other process effluents are not available. It is generally more interest¬ing to quantify the effect of circulation water contaminants on end products. This study compares optical techniques to quantify the dirt in process water by two methods for test media preparation and measurement: direct process water filtration on a membrane foil and low-grammage sheet formation. The results show that ink content values obtained from various analyses cannot be directly compared because of fundamental issues involving test media preparation and the varied methodologies used to formulate the results, which may be based on different sets of assumptions. The use of brightness, luminosity, and reflectance and the role of scattering measurements as a part of ink content analysis are discussed, along with fine materials retention and measurement media selection. The study concludes with practical tips for case-dependent measurement methodology selection.