The behavior of nano- and microdispersions, i.e. stability, flow, separation, packing behaviour, particle size distribution and particle deformability are of fundamental importance for the application of the dispersions in diverse fields. The present work reports on the use of multisample analytical centrifugation for the investigation of packing, compression, demixing behavior and particle size distribution to characterize dispersed systems in the nanometer and micrometer range. The new multisample approach uses the STEP-technology. Space and time resolved extinction profiles quantify the alteration of particle concentration and packing behavior during centrifugation. The sedimentation kinetics of rigid non-interacting particles (2 to 50 % v/v) can be exactly described by the phenomenological equations and the corresponding flux density function, and exhibits the so-called type I and type II sedimentation. The packing density, obtained after compression, is related to the total interparticle potential energy. By using different additives interaction between particles can be shifted from nearly hard sphere behavior to strong attraction which results in flocculated systems. Additional information is obtained about the strength and elasticity of particle networks by analyzing the relative change in sediment volume after increasing/decreasing the excess pressure in multiple cycles. The paper further covers the determination of the particle size distribution from space and time extinction profiles for dispersions, with monomodal, multimodal and broad particle size distributions. An approach to account for effects of hindered settling and multiple scattering in concentrated dispersions is presented. Experimental results from concentrated suspensions and emulsions will be compared with those of other measurement techniques.