Print Test Page Generator

Features

• A frame with corner registration marks for checking margins and alignment
• Gradient bars (black-to-white and full hue) to reveal banding
• CMYK-approximate solid patches: cyan, magenta, yellow, black, red, green, blue, white
• A 0 to 100 percent grey wedge in 5 percent steps, 21 patches
• Hairlines at 1px / 0.5pt / 0.25pt to find how fine the printer can go
• A type-size ladder from 6pt to 24pt for transfer and legibility checks
• A millimetre alignment grid (1 mm fine lines, 10 mm bolder lines)
• A4 / A5 / Letter, portrait / landscape, 72 / 150 / 300 DPI
• Sizes converted precisely from the DPI, so 300 DPI prints at actual size
• Choose 1 to 3 pages, with colour and fine content on separate sheets

How to use

1. Pick the paper, orientation and DPI (use 300 DPI for actual size)
2. Toggle the grey wedge / patches and the alignment grid as needed
3. Download the PNG
4. Print at 100 percent with no scaling, or tell the print shop to print actual size

FAQ

How do I print it at actual size?

Two steps. First, choose 300 DPI here, so A4 becomes 2480 by 3508 pixels and one pixel is exactly 1/300 inch. Second, in the print dialog do not tick fit to page or scale to fit; choose actual size or 100 percent. Doing only the second step, or neither, lets the printer scale it and the measured frame will not be 210 by 297 millimetres. After printing, measure the distance from the frame to the paper edge (it is 10 millimetres here). If it measures 10 millimetres, the whole chain is at actual size.

Why include a grey wedge and hairlines?

Because they test the two things printers most often get wrong. The grey wedge runs 0 to 100 percent in 5 percent steps: if several patches merge into black, or the midtones shift colour, the ink or transfer is off. The hairlines come in three weights (1px, 0.5pt, 0.25pt), four lines each: if one weight is broken or missing entirely, that printer cannot be trusted at that thickness, and you know which line widths to avoid in your layout.

Will the greys be neutral?

Often not, and that is normal. Inkjet printers mix grey from colour inks, so midtones tend to shift cyan or magenta, and lasers drift too. The wedge lets you see at a glance which range drifts: if the 30 to 60 percent band leans red, be careful with the midtones when you process photos. Judge colour under a standard light source (daylight or a viewing booth); under warm indoor light everything looks yellow.

How are the pages split?

With one page, gradients, patches, grey wedge, hairlines, type and grid all sit on page one. With two, page one holds the colour content (gradients, patches, wedge) and page two the hairlines, type and grid. With three, those three groups each get a page. Turning off the grey wedge / patches or the alignment grid simply removes that content from every page.