Color test for epson printer. How to test the quality of inkjet ink at home

It is difficult to focus on an uncalibrated monitor, since the similarity of the print to the monitor screen will be partial.

There are three options for checking a color profile. The first way to print black and white photos - they must be black and white, without color impurities. You need to watch after complete stabilization of the ink and at the source for which the color profile was ordered. The second method is to print photos and compare them with a calibrated monitor. It may be necessary to compare in paper simulation mode. This can be done by Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, CorelDraw. The third way is to print our test images and visually analyze their quality. The fact is that sometimes the printed image itself has a color shift, especially when filming indoors. We tried to collect images without obvious color deviations.

There are two blocks of images:

Checking RGB drivers. Printing from Windows with native printer drivers. RGB color profile.
Checking Photolabs (wet print). RGB pictures.

COLORED TEST PICTURES FOR PHOTO LABORATORY CHECK (WET PRINT).

Test photo. Test photo for printing. Test image for printing. Test photo for checking RGB color profile. Image for tests.

Every user after purchase new technology, seeks to try it out as soon as possible. Of course, this also applies to printers. The only sure way to test the printing device is to print a durable page. This procedure will make sure that all the basic settings of the device have been set correctly, in addition, it will be possible to make sure that the color is transmitted in full accordance with the desired result.

In addition to the information listed, printing a test page on an HP printer will help you find out the exact driver version and model you are using. All the information provided may well be useful in case there are any problems or additional questions.

Test Print on an HP Printer

Left-click the Start button in the taskbar and select Control Panel from the list of services.

Move the mouse cursor over the selected printer and press the right key. The shortcut menu for the printer appears. From the context menu select the command “properties and click on it with the left mouse button.

In the "Properties" menu, open the "General" tab and left-click on the "Test Print" command. If this is the first time the printer is starting up, or it has not been used for a long time, you will need to wait a few seconds (15 to 30) before printing starts. It just takes the printer driver time to collect all the information about the system. In the future, the print processing speed will be higher. The test page parameters of any printer are defined by default and absolutely all printer parameters are tested during printing. The test page may differ from model to model.

When printing finishes, evaluate the test page. It should contain graphics, text, samples of absolutely all colors. There should be no distortion or unevenness. If the print was done with an inkjet printer, then there should be no ink drips.

When the printer finishes printing the page, you are prompted to save the print settings. If all the parameters of the test page suit you, you can simply click on the command “save print parameters by default.

How do I print an HP test page without a computer?

To get started, load regular, white paper of the correct size in the input tray.

Print test page for inkjet printers is printed as follows: turn off the device with the button, press the "Sheet" button without releasing it, press the "ON" button, release it, continue to hold the "Sheet" for about 10 seconds.

What problems may arise?

But sometimes the following problem occurs: The test page was printed incorrectly. In this regard, the question arises of what to do in this case and how to still print this page? So, if the test print page did not print correctly, then one of the possible problems lies in old or “broken drivers.

To solve it, you need to download and install their updated version. But what if this action did not help and the problem related to the fact that the printer does not print is still relevant? In this case, give “Everyone” full rights for “C: \ Windows \ System32 \ spool \ PRINTERS, and then delete the required printing device on the“ HKEY_USERS \ .DEFAULT \ Printers.

In addition, give a regular user the rights that an administrator has and install a brand new driver under his name. After that, you can revoke the previously granted rights from him. You should also disable UAC. If the steps taken do not help, then you should launch the Process Explorer utility and during printing pay attention to what rights are missing.

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To assess the quality of inkjet ink used three types test pages : TF1, TF2 and TF3.

TF1 Test Page used to test the quality of color inks. It analyzes the ability of an ink to produce accurate color reproduction of tints and tones.

Sample TF1 Test Files

The TF1 test page is printed on standard A4 paper. It is a collection of monochrome and color images, multi-colored square "dots" and areas with a gradient fill from zero to one hundred percent.

Using the TF1 test page, you can objectively evaluate both the color rendition of any one inkjet ink, and organize a comparative test of several types of ink.

To determine the color quality of the inkjet ink, the resulting TF1 test pages are digitized using a color scanner. The resulting files are used to define RGB components in specific areas of the page. To do this, using a graphical editor Adobe photoshop the result of the transmission of the basic colors of the ink is recorded, and the obtained data is entered into the color table. The resulting table allows you to determine the coefficient of correctness of reproduction of ink of various colors and shades. This coefficient is calculated by the formula:

Formula for determining the correctness coefficient

The lower the color and tint fidelity ratio, the more accurate color reproduction the inkjet ink will provide for your printer.

The data obtained when checking the color quality of inkjet ink allows us to build a graph in which we plot the distance on the X-axis and the pixel values on the Y-axis. We connect the dots and get a single line, the dips and peaks on which indicate an unbalanced color transfer. If there are no dips and peaks, then the color rendition is balanced. The recommended deviation range for RGB values should not exceed 255.

The next test page that is used to evaluate inkjet ink quality is the TF2 page.

TF2 Test Page

TF2 Test Page Is a PDF file consisting of several groups of elements, which, in turn, include six independent parts, located vertically and horizontally. Groups of elements of the TF2 test page are numbered, with each previous element slightly larger than the next. The print quality of the smallest parts of the test page determines the resolution of the inkjet ink.

TF2 test pages are used to test monochrome and color inks for inkjet... Use A4 paper to print TF2 pages. However, when testing monochrome inks, standard office paper is used, and when testing color inks, photo paper is used.

The third type of test pages are TF3 files used to determine the quality of black monochrome ink.

The perfect test list. This example shows what a flawless print should look like.

Recurring black dots located vertically on a white test sheet. This test list characterizes the most common type of defect - pinhole breakdown of the drum photolayer. Breakdowns are of different diameters: from barely distinguishable points to greasy spots. In this case, it becomes necessary to completely replace the drum, since there is no technology for its restoration. This decision is accepted depending on the client's requirements for the print quality, since small punctures when printing only text are practically indistinguishable and there is no need to replace the drum unit. But over time, the dots increase in size. Then it will be possible to think about replacing such an important component.

Rejection of the magnetic shaft. A vertical bar on a black test sheet indicates a scratch on the magnetic shaft, which is a defect. In this case, the magnetic roller must be replaced, since the light stripe significantly impairs the print quality of text and pictures.

Solid vertical black stripe on a white test sheet. The appearance of a solid or intermittent vertical one black or several stripes along the edges of the white test sheet indicates serious damage to the photo layer on the drum. Otherwise, such drums are called "burnt". These defects are well distinguished with the naked eye. The photo layer at the site of damage has a characteristic brown color or, if absent, exposes the next layers. The imaging drum must be replaced. On a black test sheet with such defects, you can see a dashed strip along the edge.

An example of a marriage of Samsung and Xerox cartridges. They are different from defects on HP and Canon cartridges due to differences in technology. Spots on both test sheets, vertical stripes on the black test sheet, and repeating horizontal dots on white indicate the need to replace the large rubber roller, the drum unit.

Toner is low. The photo shows what the test print looks like when the toner in the cartridge runs out. This is especially noticeable on the black test sheet. This example is not a defect. It's just time to refill the cartridge.

Divorces and waves on light dough. The appearance of streaks and waves on a light dough indicates improper storage of the cartridge, as a result of which it becomes damp. In this case, the consumable must be cleaned of the old toner and refilled again.

Vertical streak, faint print. Faint print, a well-distinguishable vertical stripe on the black test results in scratches on the magnetic roller, as well as its strong wear. The same signs appear when the drum unit is burnt out. To improve print quality, it is advisable to replace worn and damaged components.

Toner build up on the squeegee. Occasionally, toner can adhere to various parts of the cartridge due to the rise in temperature in the printer during operation, significantly affecting print quality. It is necessary to clean the squeegee, remove excess toner from the parts.

We talked about the main defects of cartridges and their effect on print quality.

From a printer for home use, unless, of course, it is used to reproduce photographs, rarely is anything other than clarity of letters and durability required. But if the machine is used for printing color products, the requirements for it immediately increase. And here it becomes important not only the number of dots per inch or the clarity of the image, but also the color.

The printer can be checked for printing using special test pages.

When is the check

Print quality is important for any document, monochrome or color. Accordingly, the testing procedure is carried out in several cases.

When buying a new device, it is often impossible to check the operation of the device in the store. However, at home, nothing prevents the user from downloading the appropriate tests and finding out how the playback quality is true.
Over time, the cartridges run out and you need to either charge the device by purchasing the appropriate set, or buy a new cartridge. However, not all inks are compatible and sometimes you have to look for special ones for HP-equipment. However, it is not only a matter of the mismatch in the characteristics of the liquid for different printing devices - it is also a matter of different colors.

When you purchase a cartridge or refill kit from a licensed store, the likelihood of the ink being exactly the same as your machine is much more likely. However, not all users have a physical or financial opportunity purchase special ink. Accordingly, the user has to select all compatible options.

Of course, after installing a new cartridge, it is necessary to conduct a test in order to understand to what extent the shades coincide with the previous ones.

They also check the color printer during the planned transfer of the apparatus to other inks - from pigment to water, for example. In this case, make sure that the device is working properly.

Test pictures are also required to determine the state of the print head. Over time, it becomes dirty and printing an appropriate image allows you to both determine the level of contamination and clean the nozzles. This procedure is standard and is included in software printer.

Analysis of the operation of the apparatus

To find out how high-quality ink is purchased, a purchased Epson printer is tested. They will need high-quality paper - matte white, since any shade of the sheet will spoil the test, the printer itself and the new ink cartridge.

The test is colorful pictures with certain specified parameters, which allow us to evaluate the gradient, shade compliance, reproducibility and other print parameters. Sami test tasks can be easily found on the Internet and loaded into the memory of HP devices.

Pictures for checking the printer should include:

gradient transition from black to white, with the inclusion of a specified number of shades of gray;
a portrait, or, more precisely, a photograph, with a natural skin color and unmasked pores;
the image of light details on a dark background, as well as dark elements on a light;
test strips with different colors.

In addition, the printheads use a test black page to clean the nozzles or analyze the condition of the printheads. If its shade is not saturated and not uniform, a cleaning procedure should be carried out. In the same Epson for this in the window select "Nozzle check" and the test result is assigned cleaning.

Each such element serves to check one of the playback parameters. If the machine will be used only for home printing, you can limit yourself to the first two parameters.

However, if you intend to print photos for commercial use, you should pay attention to all factors. At the same time, when analyzing the resulting image, one should pay attention not to the exact reproduction of the color in comparison with the original, but to the balance of the selected set of ink.

The color picture for checking the printer is analyzed as follows:

the gray fill is evaluated first. If all of its shades are exactly the same as the reference image, the ink can be used. If the color is distorted in at least one position, alas, the cartridge is far from ideal. It is the very presence of an extraneous shade that makes it possible to determine the inappropriate ink. This is relevant for analyzing the work of any HP-devices - Epson, Canon;
drawing the smallest details, both light and dark, also indicates the quality of the ink. With high-quality materials, the drawing will be as detailed as possible;
Color distortion - best identified by a human portrait or depiction of living objects. The color scheme of inanimate objects - a still life is not so informative, while it is much easier to determine the realism of a human skin tone.

It is possible to correct to some extent the color rendition using the settings of the device itself. If testing your Epson printer is unsatisfactory, you can try using the software settings. To do this, select "Printer settings" in the appropriate tab and adjust the halftone curve.

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