the present invention is directed to a liquid droplet monitoring and measuring apparatus for use with a liquid dispensing system of the type comprising a nozzle having a liquid dispensing tip and means for delivering the dispensed liquid through the nozzle onto a receiving substrate . further , the invention provides a method of monitoring and measuring the volume of a liquid droplet as it is being dispensed from a liquid dispensing system comprising a nozzle having a dispensing tip . the main use for the invention is in the fields of drug discovery , genomics , medical diagnostics and other life science - related applications . the invention could also be used in other areas for example in the food industry , cosmetic industry or the chemical industry .