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Colour printer test page

Print one sheet focused on colour: solid inks and mixes, tint steps for each ink, a full hue ramp, grey balance and skin tones. It shows missing colours, streaks, colour casts and banding at a glance.

PDF · A4PDF · Letter

In the print dialog choose 100% / Actual size (not Fit to page), turn on Background graphics, and pick the same paper size as here.

TestDock colour test pagePaper: A4 (210 × 297 mm) · print at 100% / actual size, colour mode onSOLID INKS AND TWO-INK MIXES (CMYK)CMYKM+YC+YC+MC+M+YTINT SCALES 10–100% PER INKCMYK10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%HUE RAMP: FULL AND PASTEL (RGB)GREY BALANCE: CMY MIX NEXT TO BLACK INK25%: CMY | K50%: CMY | K75%: CMY | KSKIN TONES (RGB)CHECK ON THE PRINTED SHEETEvery ink patch is solid, with no streaks or missing colourEach tint step is distinct from 10% to 100%The hue ramp is smooth, without bands or gapsCMY greys look neutral next to the black-ink greysOriginal pattern. Visual check only, not an ICC calibration.TestDock colour test pagePaper: US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) · print at 100% / actual size, colour mode onSOLID INKS AND TWO-INK MIXES (CMYK)CMYKM+YC+YC+MC+M+YTINT SCALES 10–100% PER INKCMYK10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%HUE RAMP: FULL AND PASTEL (RGB)GREY BALANCE: CMY MIX NEXT TO BLACK INK25%: CMY | K50%: CMY | K75%: CMY | KSKIN TONES (RGB)CHECK ON THE PRINTED SHEETEvery ink patch is solid, with no streaks or missing colourEach tint step is distinct from 10% to 100%The hue ramp is smooth, without bands or gapsCMY greys look neutral next to the black-ink greysOriginal pattern. Visual check only, not an ICC calibration.

How to print it

  1. Load plain paper, or photo paper if you are checking photo quality, and choose A4 or US Letter.
  2. Press Print test page or download the PDF.
  3. In the print dialog choose 100% / Actual size, colour (not greyscale) and turn on Background graphics.
  4. Compare the sheet with the checklist printed at the bottom.

For a general check of text, lines, alignment and scale, use the printer test page.

Reading the colour sheet

  • A solid ink is missing or striped: that cartridge is empty or its nozzles are blocked. Run the nozzle check and cleaning from your printer's maintenance menu or app.
  • Mixes are wrong (C+Y not green, M+Y not red): one of the two inks is weak. The tint scale of each ink shows which one.
  • Tint steps run together at the light or dark end: the printer cannot reproduce that range on this paper, or the paper type setting is wrong.
  • CMY greys are clearly coloured next to the black-ink greys: a colour cast, often from a low or clogged cartridge.
  • Bands across the hue ramp: print-head alignment or nozzle problems; try high quality mode for comparison.

About the colours

The PDF writes the ink patches, tint scales and grey balance in CMYK, and the hue ramp and skin tones in RGB. Your printer driver still converts everything to its own inks, so results depend on driver, paper and settings. This is a visual check, not an ICC colour calibration.

Questions

Why do my colours look different from the screen?

Screens mix light (RGB) and printers mix ink (CMYK), so some bright screen colours cannot be printed. Paper type and driver colour settings also change the result.

How much ink does it use?

More than a text page, because of the solid patches, but still far less than a full-page photo. Print it when diagnosing a colour problem rather than routinely.

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