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



recurring black dots arranged vertically on a white test sheet. This test sheet characterizes the most common type of marriage - a spot breakdown of the photoconductor photolayer. Breakdowns come in different diameters: from barely visible dots to greasy spots. In this case, it becomes necessary to completely replace the photoconductor, since there is no technology for its restoration. This decision is made depending on the client's requirements for print quality, since small dot breakdowns when printing only text are almost indistinguishable and there is no need to replace the photoconductor. But over time, the dots increase in size. Then it will be possible to think about replacing such an important component.



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



A solid vertical black line on a white test sheet. The appearance of a continuous or intermittent vertical single 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 clearly visible to the naked eye. The photo layer at the site of damage has a characteristic brown color or, if absent, exposes the following layers. The photoconductor must be replaced. On a black test sheet with such defects, a discontinuous band is visible along the edge.



An example of the marriage of Samsung and Xerox cartridges. They differ from defects on HP and Canon cartridges due to the difference in the technological device. Spots on both test sheets, vertical streaks on the black test sheet, and repeated horizontal dots on white indicate the need to replace the large rubber roller, photoconductor.



The toner is low. The photo shows what the test sheet looks like when the toner 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 a light dough. The appearance of streaks and waves on a light test indicates improper storage of the cartridge, as a result of which it has become damp. In this case, the consumable must be cleaned of old toner and refilled in a new way.



Vertical stripe, pallor print. The paleness of the print, a well-defined vertical stripe on the black test result from scratches on the magnetic roller, as well as its strong wear. The same symptoms appear when the photoconductor is burnt out. To improve print quality, it is advisable to replace worn or damaged components.



Toner stuck on the squeegee. Sometimes toner can stick to various parts of the cartridge due to the temperature rise in the printer during operation, significantly reducing 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 impact on print quality.

It is difficult to focus on an uncalibrated monitor, since the similarity of the print with 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 look after the ink is fully stabilized and at the source for which the color profile is 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.

Two blocks of images are presented:

• Checking RGB drivers. Printing from Windows native printer drivers. RGB color profile.
• Checking photo labs (wet printing). RGB pictures.

COLORED TEST PATTERNS FOR PHOTOLABORATORY CHECK (WET PRINT).

Test photo. Test photo for printing. Test image for printing. Test photo to check the RGB color profile. Image for tests.

As a rule, immediately after purchasing a brand new printer, users need to check it for quality. To check the quality and performance of the printer, there are special test pages. In addition, these same sheets can also be used to clean the print head, which is prone to clogging over time.

A test page is a special image for checking the black and white or color printing of the printer, which you just need to print on your device.

To use the test page, select the desired image in the article, right-click on it and select "Open image in new tab" .

The screen will display a picture in full size, on which you need to right-click and select the item. "Save Image As" .

Next, connect your printer to your computer, installing the necessary drivers if necessary, and then turn it on. Right-click on the saved image and select "Print". In the window that appears, select your printer and start printing.

Test images

Image 1: To check the print quality of tri-color systems (also used to clean the print head)

Image 2: To check the print quality of four color systems

Image 3: To check the print quality of six-color systems

Image 4: To check the print quality of black and white and color photos

Image 5: To check the print quality of portraits and other shots with faces

Image 6: To check the print quality of the black print head. Also used for cleaning

Using a suitable image, you can check the print quality of your printer to make sure it is fully functional.

Today, almost everyone can afford an entry-level color laser printer. CHIP tested 15 models costing from 5300 rubles. CHIP tested 15 printers It seemed that not so long ago, color laser printers were used only in the corporate sector and cost a fortune. Today, a good home model can be purchased for less than 6,000 rubles. Most tested devices can print in color both texts with graphics and photographs - however, the latter only if the requirements for their quality are not very high, since laser printers (especially budget ones) are significantly inferior to inkjet and sublimation printers in terms of photo printing. But the cost of black-and-white prints is much lower than that of inkjet models. Therefore, for those users who mainly print documents and graphics, this class of printers will be the best choice. In our test, we proceeded from the fact that for a buyer of a budget laser printer, quality, speed and convenience of printing are primarily important. Therefore, the respective disciplines contribute equally to the overall evaluation of the devices.

Optimal balance

None of the printers earned the maximum overall score in the test: a gain in one, as a rule, is compensated by a concession in another.

Print quality

Laser printers work according to the following principle. The most important part of the device is the photodrum, which is a cylinder with a special coating, which is capable of changing its electrical characteristics under the influence of a laser beam. Inside the printer, this material receives a negative electrical charge from a special charge roller. After charging, the process of "illumination" of the negatively charged surface of the shaft takes place. Illumination is produced by a laser beam directed by means of a movable mirror. In this case, the toner particles also receive a negative electrical charge. They are attracted to the exposed areas of the photoconductor and repelled from areas that have retained a charge.

The toner is then transferred from the photoconductor to the positively charged paper, where it is fixed by means of a heating roller, the temperature of which is about 200 ° C. There are also light-emitting diode (LED) printers, which are also often referred to as laser printers. In them, printing occurs in exactly the same way, but instead of a laser beam, the photodrum is electrified with the help of a fixed line of LEDs located along its entire length. Such models have a number of advantages: all parts of the drum are evenly illuminated in them, while classic laser printers often have a fuzzy image at the edges. In addition, LED printers are smaller, and the lack of a movable mirror increases the reliability of the device. It was the Oki C110 LED printer, which deserved the title of the optimal choice, that showed the best results in terms of print quality among all, even much more expensive test participants. It is curious that this model is the most affordable in the test and is focused on home use. But the device of the SOHO segment of the same manufacturer - C310dn - showed a more modest result in photo print quality. However, there are some nuances here.

Since absolutely all tested devices showed excellent results in the “quality of text printing” discipline, it is necessary to pay attention first of all to the features of graphics and photo output. Here, the C310 is inferior to the C110, especially when printing photos, but it wins in terms of the cost of prints. Samsung CLP-415NW (fifth place) showed the same results up to a point in the same nominations as Oki C110. However, it costs twice as much. In general, it should be noted that even in terms of photo and graphics print quality, all tested devices showed good and excellent results. The difference in image quality is only visible with a strong increase in small details of the image.