Keyword search is a very important method to find information on Web sites along with link-based browsing. How an information retrieval system displays search results is very important because users spend most of their time in finding, reading and understanding retrieved information. As an application of information retrieval systems, a self-help print quality troubleshooting system was introduced. As a method to show search results, displaying thumbnails is very useful in print defect diagnosis because users don’t have to read and understand complex information in text. This study compared static thumbnail(s) and adaptive thumbnails to display search results to diagnose print defects. Results showed that the one thumbnail static display was worse in terms of user performance and preference. However there was no significant difference between the three thumbnails static display and the adaptive display although the three thumbnails static display was better than the adaptive display on average.