There are three options for checking the color profile. The first method is to print black and white photographs - they must be black and white, without color impurities. You need to look after the ink has completely stabilized and with the source for which the color profile was ordered. The second way is to print photos and compare them with a calibrated monitor. It is possible that you will have to compare in paper simulation mode. Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, CorelDraw can do this. 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 shooting indoors. We tried to collect images without obvious color deviations.
Typically, a three-color cartridge has a higher yield when printing six-color photos than three ink colors because the ink is consumed from both cartridges rather than from just one. For these systems, all cassettes must be installed when printing photos.
Exit information may be good Starting point when choosing the right photo printing system. However, cartridge yield is only one of several factors you need to consider when you want to get the best results from your photo printing.
You may need to follow a few simple steps to add more printers. To ensure that you have the latest printer software, do not install the version that came with your printer or make it available on the manufacturer's website.
Three blocks of images are presented:
- Checking RGB drivers. Printing from Windows using native printer drivers. RGB color profile.
- Checking Photolabs (wet printing). RGB pictures.
- Checking CMYK plotters running under RIP programs. CMYK test pictures.
RGB test images
If it does not detect this, a dialog box will appear on the screen asking you to manually specify these add-ons. Make sure that the settings in this dialog box match reality to get the full benefit of your printer. If you don't see your printer, select Add Printer from the pop-up menu. A dialog box appears with a list of printers in local network. The printer may appear in the minutes list. A single key on the printer panel allows you to print a test page without a computer and is also associated with the “reprint” function. This is where you can reprint the last document sent to the printer. Pressing this button again will print the correct number of copies. |
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Printing speed, both text and graphics, is relatively high at base resolution. For example, printing 10 pages of text takes 30.8 seconds. Print quality is quite good, although you may have reservations about fine lines merging and uniform surfaces where you see noise. Printing costs are high, mainly due to the relatively high price of standard or enhanced toner. The launch toner has a capacity of approximately 700 pages. In sleep mode, the device consumes only 0.6 W, which is very low. The printer has a 250-sheet drawer and a multipurpose feeder that holds a single sheet or envelope. The main paper bin has a capacity of 100 sheets. There is an optional sheet tray on the back of the machine that provides a near-plain paper path, which is useful when printing on envelopes, for example. |
Printer testing method
The testing methodology for different types of printers differs due to several factors. But during the testing process, experts still adhere to certain general standards and a more or less uniform approach. One could even say that over several decades, which became a period of rapid development of the printing market, a list of rules for conducting printer testing techniques was formed. True, each type of printing device has its own specific rules. For example, the testing process for color laser and inkjet printers is somewhat different from testing dot-matrix or dye-sublimation printers.
Unlike higher models in this series, the printer does not have a built-in device duplex printing. Unfortunately, enthusiasm is dampened by the high cost of printing and the prospect of frequent ink cartridges. In our editorial office, we had the opportunity to test this interesting device in practice. It's time to go to the results of our tests. Our tests are not synthetic, but they are practical - they allowed us to evaluate the suitability of the printer under test for specific photographic applications. Since we were primarily interested in the printer, there was a device for creating photo images, so we carried out quality and performance tests, which we performed from this angle, by printing in the photo quality and best quality settings.
The greatest importance in the process of testing printers is given to the quality characteristics of printing and the performance of the printing device. After all, these are the indicators that concern the potential buyer the most. Of course, along with print quality and performance, the user is also interested in the cost of the printer itself and the costs associated with its maintenance. IN Lately When testing a printer, attempts are made to characterize the printing device in terms of whether the print quality provided corresponds to the stated cost.
Tests - speed in photo mode
The first speed has passed speed tests. In this second, ink is applied to the paper by both moving the head to the right and left, and due to the slightly reduced printing accuracy, it is a way of discouraging professionals when it comes to creating high-quality photographic prints.
It's much faster normal mode. You have to admit that the test printer is not a speed demon. For the sensory analysis of the capabilities discussed in this article, we used a special test sheet, as mentioned above at the beginning of the page. Everything is complemented by two full-color saturated scales that allow you to track the fullness of individual colors.
Regardless of what type of printer is being tested, be sure to pay attention to the following parameters:
1. specifications printer, its hardware capabilities;
2. the printing technology used, its advantages and disadvantages;
3. design of the printing device body, quality of its execution;
4. printer software, availability useful programs and their effectiveness;
5. Printer equipment upon delivery.
The results of our test turned out to be very interesting. That doesn't mean it's perfect—the technological limitations in many printers of this type often come to mind when we look closer at individual color reproduction. In this case, the Achilles heel is blue because the transition between them and blue is not as smooth as one might expect. Additionally, neutral tones tend to drift slightly towards green - very subtle and very noticeable, but easily noticeable when two prints are next to each other: fresh and slightly reddened.
Checking the printer's print quality
Print quality depends on many factors, and when testing a printer, it will be determined depending on the printing technology used by the printer, as well as depending on the thickness of the paper, ink and software printer.
It is the connection of all these factors that makes it possible to make a final “verdict” on the quality characteristics of the printer being tested.
At this price it's hard to expect anything worse, because it completely disqualifies the device under test. We must admit that accurately estimating printing costs is very difficult for us. What operating costs are we talking about here? Average jet printer it is powered by cartridges costing from thirty to even more than one hundred zlotys, and the capacity ranges from seven to just over twenty milliliters. As mentioned, in this type of power supply, some of the ink in the container is not consumed and is therefore wasted.
The ink cartridges for the printer under test are, as we already know, bottle-shaped and have a capacity of 70 milliliters. They cost very little because they cost about 50 gold each. This makes it easy to realize potential savings. Thus, it is not as low as the equipment, functionality, format of papers served or, finally, the ink palette. The buyer should be aware that in order for this equipment to be returned, it must be heavily used, especially if they decide to purchase it with a package that extends the warranty.
When assessing print quality, special attention should be paid to the level of color rendering and the ability to accurately convey the halftones of the original image. Very often, the transmission of halftones depends on whether the printer is able to provide high-quality and uniform shading of various areas, especially light areas of the image.
To determine which printheads need to be cleaned and whether they need to be aligned, print a test sheet using the following steps. With this test printer, you can see if the print quality needs improvement. Review the print quality of the four color blocks formed by short diagonal lines on the proof print. Repeat this procedure at least 5 times if you still have problems with print quality. If the line lengths are still short after the fifth cleaning and test printing, replace the appropriate ink cartridges. The machine begins to print a test sheet. . Cleaning the print head.
In many ways, print quality also depends on the resolution of the printer, that is, the factor that affects the level of printing of small image details. In this regard, it is worth noting that in most cases, the print resolution declared by the manufacturer does not correspond to the real state of affairs, and real indicators can only be discovered during testing of the printer.
Texts and graphics of all tested models are printed in very good quality. You may have some doubts about the fidelity of the colors reproduced, but the edges of fonts and images are sharp, and the toner's color coverage is equal and accurate. The worst problem is photo printing. All tested devices in this competition are very diligent. Prints show graininess and a distinct loss of detail from the original image.
Harmful substances in toner and their emissions
Colored laser printers have four individual cartridge with toner in four primary colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. It's not a perfect device, but it doesn't overwhelm us or emit excessive amounts of microchips. After the final assessment of the quality of these devices, two denominations were deducted for harmful substances present in the toner and emitted during operation of the printers. Lasers are neither quiet nor energy efficient.
Basic methods for assessing print quality
The procedure for checking the quality of a print involves a subjective and objective assessment of the image made by the printer.
Subjective assessment of a print involves visually examining the print to determine print defects that are visible to the naked eye.
This fast printer, which provides very good quality print. However, among the equipment tested, it mainly differs in the small amount of harmful substances contained in the toner and released into the environment during operation. Once you have invested in a quality printer, it is normal to think about using ink, toner and paper of the same quality.
What are compatible cartridges?
Our toner and ink are designed to provide first-class print quality, helping you save paper, time and money. The small drop allows the printer to create vibrant images and clear texts for which it was made. Our new generation of inks offers an extraordinary range of colors, creating even more vibrant images. Visit the "Brother Earth" section to receive additional information about our commitment to the environment.
- New technology wax means that toners are now oil-free.
- This gives your documents a professional quality matte finish.
An objective assessment of a print involves a number of more complex procedures aimed at identifying printing defects. In the process of objective assessment of a print, the test image is first placed in a reference scanner, after which it is converted into an electronic version. Then the difference between the original and the digital version of the photo is determined. This is done using special software that allows you to record RGB indicators from special “dies”. When digitizing an image, a scanner may, of course, allow some error. To prevent this, the scanner is calibrated before testing.
What are counterfeit cartridges?
However, problems may arise with the use of these products. They may not install easily and print quality may be significantly lower. Leaks can easily occur, causing not only lower page yield, but in some cases can damage your device. Compatible and counterfeit inks may block the printer nozzles and cause leakage, which may cause damage. As in any industry where quality is important, printer inks and toners have been targeted by counterfeiters.
In case of testing black and white printers The procedure for assessing print quality is greatly simplified, since the study of color characteristics is not required in this case.
Checking the Printer Print Speed
All manufacturing companies in the documentation included with the printer indicate such a printing characteristic as its speed. This “value” is measured in pages per minute, and it refers to different modes printer operation.
But you should not unconditionally trust the specified data on the printing speed of a printer, since you cannot be sure that when measuring the speed indicators of their printer models, all manufacturers use the same reference documents.
Therefore, if you need to compare the speed performance of printers from different brands in order to decide on the device you need, it is best to trust the results of independent testing conducted in good laboratories. Independent testing involves using the same templates to test the print speed of printers belonging to different brands. It is this data that will allow you to more or less objectively compare the speed characteristics of printers.
Printer printing speed is tested using electronic A4 format models of three various types. The first layout is 1 black and white page with text. The second layout is 1 page with text and graphic elements. The third layout is 1 page with a color photo, which is printed on high-quality photo paper in maximum quality print.
When printing all three types of test pages, the countdown time runs from the moment printing starts until the page is completely printed.
Main types of printer tests
Basic printer tests include tests that subsequently allow comparison of print quality and speed. various models printers.
To make it more convenient to compare the characteristics of printers with different print formats (for example, A4 and A3), paper of the same size is used during testing for such printers.
There are only seven main printer tests:
1. Test to determine the quality and speed characteristics of color printers. Test printing is carried out on office paper and high quality photo paper.
2. Test to determine the quality characteristics of black and white printing. Test printing is carried out on A4 office paper.
3. Test to determine the speed characteristics of black and white printing. Test printing is carried out on A4 office paper.
4. Test to determine the speed characteristics of mixed printing, which consists of elements of text, color and black and white graphics. Test printing is carried out on A4 office paper.
5. Test to determine the resolution of black and white printing. Test printing is carried out on A4 office paper.
6. Test to determine the resolution of color printing. Test printing is carried out on A4 office paper.
7. Ink test to determine its resistance to moisture. Testing is carried out using damp cotton wool and only after the print has dried.
Additional printer tests
In addition to the seven main tests for printers, which allow you to analyze the level of performance of the printing device of its basic functions, there are additional methods for testing printers that are focused on the study and analysis of operating characteristics additional features printing device.
Additional tests for printers include the following:
- checking the quality and speed of printing on the surface of CDs;
- checking the quality and speed of printing on roll paper;
- checking the quality and speed of printing on thick media.
Additional testing for the printer is determined, first of all, by the presence of a particular function in the printing device.
How the printer is tested
The printer testing procedure begins with calibrating the device's print heads. This is necessary in order to ensure the highest level of print quality, color rendition, and detail printing available to the printer.
Some models of printing devices require the installation of additional cartridges to ensure high-quality printing. When testing in such cases, these cartridges are installed. This allows you to get more accurate results when testing.
Printing during testing is carried out with automatic installations print. However, quite often, especially if the printer supports a large number of printing modes, the testing process involves printing in all valid modes and analyzing its results.
The process of testing a printer is largely determined by the characteristics of the printing device being tested, its capabilities and functions.
Test template files for the printer
Five types of test pattern files are used to test the printer's print performance.
| The TF1 file is used when testing the quality and speed characteristics of color printers, as well as when analyzing the printer’s ability to produce high-quality color reproduction and the transmission of halftones and shades. Test printing of the TF1 file is carried out on office paper and high quality photo paper. File TF1 is a sheet of A4 paper on which a special target is depicted. This target contains several color drawings, as well as one black and white image. They help make a subjective assessment of the printer's print quality. In addition, this target contains a black triangle with gradient fill from 0% to 100% and a plate consisting of multi-colored sections. The 7 colors on a solid have different intensities and specific values in the RGB color space. This plate serves to objectively evaluate the color rendering provided by specific model printer. |
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 | To check the printer's black-and-white and color resolution, use the TF2 test file. When checking black and white print resolution, use office paper standard size A4. When checking color printing resolution, A4 photo paper is used. The TF2 test PDF file is an image consisting of several groups of elements. Each group of elements, in turn, is also divided into six separate parts. The elements of each group are numbered, and each subsequent element is slightly smaller in size than the previous one. Individual group element test file TF2 is a triangle. Half of the triangles in each group are vertical and the other half are vertical. In accordance with the quality of printing of each triangle by the printer, the resolution of the printer is determined. |
 | The TF3 test template file is used to determine the quality of black and white text printing. To check the print quality using the TF3 file, standard A4 size office paper is used. The TF3 test file is a doc format document. This document consists of lines of various sizes typed various types fonts using in various ways styles. After printing this file, it becomes possible to determine the print level. The readability of small fonts also indicates the printer's resolution. The printer's black and white print speed is measured using the TF4 test file. During the testing process, standard A4 size office paper is used. |
The TF4 test file is a doc format document consisting of 1 page with text in 10 point New Roman font with single line spacing and standard style.
The period of time during which the printer is able to print this page, and is an indicator of monochrome printing speed.
The start of the time count in this case is the beginning of the printer's job execution. The countdown ends when the printed sheet leaves the printer and enters the tray.
The printer's mixed print speed is measured using the TF5 test file.
Mixed printing involves printing black and white and color text, as well as black and white and color graphics.
The TF5 test file is printed on a standard sheet of A4 office paper.
The TF5 test file is a doc format document with text and graphic content. The text in the TF5 test file is printed in Times New Roman font, 10 point. The text style is standard, the spacing between lines is single.
The graphics in the TF5 test file are represented by 2 images in the form of diagrams.
Checking the color quality of the printer
To measure the quality of a printer's color reproduction, methods similar to the principles of testing scanners are used.
The color quality testing process begins with digitizing a scanned TF1 test file. Digitization is carried out in color mode with the maximum resolution of the scanner. The resulting file is used to define RGB components in certain areas. This is done using graphic editor Adobe Photoshop as follows: in all areas of different brightness, the results of the transmission of seven colors (red, green, blue, yellow, black, purple, cyan) are recorded.
After this, all received data is entered into a color table, and using this data, the correctness of the printer’s reproduction of various colors and shades is determined. This coefficient is determined using the formula
K= ((Red1-Red2) + (Green1-Green2) + (Blue1+Blue2)) / 77, where
K – coefficient of correctness of color reproduction by the printer;
Red1, Green1, Blue1 – data of control color points on the reference image;
Red2, Green2, Blue2 – data of control color points in the scanned image.
As a result, the smaller the calculation result, the more accurate color rendering the printer provides.
Checking the color balance and halftone quality of the printer
