Printer Gradient and Banding Test Page

How to print the Printer Gradient and Banding Test Page

Print in Best/High quality — draft mode produces banding by design.
Judge the continuous ramp first, viewed at a slight angle under good light.
Then check that the 32 steps of the stepped ramp are evenly spaced.
Compare channels: a fault in one colour points at that cartridge, a fault in all four points at mechanics.
Run one cleaning cycle, wait five minutes, reprint and compare directly against the first sheet.
Keep the first sheet — comparing two prints is far more reliable than judging one from memory.

Reading the result

Both ramps are smooth	No banding. Ink delivery is even across the sweep.
Stepped ramp jumps, continuous ramp is smooth	Normal — the steps are deliberately discrete. What matters is whether the step sizes are even.
Continuous ramp shows visible stripes	Classic banding: specific nozzles are not firing at certain densities. Run one head cleaning cycle and reprint.
Stripes appear only in one channel	Isolated clog. Use the nozzle check to confirm which row, then clean once.
Both ramps band in the same place	Mechanical — paper feed variation or a fuser problem rather than ink. Check the paper type setting and the tray loading.
Steps are unevenly spaced	Density calibration is off. Run the printer's colour calibration or density adjustment routine.

Also check

Nozzle check — Stripes in one channel resolve to a specific nozzle row there, which tells you whether one cleaning cycle is enough or the head needs longer.
Colour test page — Confirms hue and saturation are correct once the ramp is smooth, so you do not chase a colour problem that was actually banding.
Resolution chart — Band-like patterns that appear in fine line pairs as well as in ramps may be halftone interference rather than missing nozzles.
Alignment page — If the stripes line up with the grid rather than with the sweep direction, the paper feed is varying instead of the ink supply, and no cleaning cycle will fix it.

Related test pages

Nozzle Check printer test page — A nozzle check is the fastest way to find out whether an inkjet printhead has clogged nozzles. Print this page and read the gaps.
Colour printer test page — One sheet that exercises every colour channel at once: bars, a smooth gradient, a mixing grid and a type scale.
CMYK printer test page — Separating the four process channels makes it obvious which ink is underperforming — and by how much.

Frequently asked questions

Why does banding only show in gradients?

Solid bars print at one density, so every nozzle fires identically. Gradients vary density continuously, so partial or intermittent nozzle failure becomes visible as stripes.

How many cleaning cycles should I run?

Two maximum, with a rest between. Beyond that you are burning ink without benefit — leave the printer on overnight instead so ink can rehydrate, then test once.

Is banding a printer defect or an ink problem?

Usually ink: a partial clog or a low cartridge. Only when banding appears across every channel at the same position should you suspect hardware.

Does paper quality affect banding?

Yes. Coated and glossy papers give ink more time to level out, which hides mild banding; uncoated plain paper shows every inconsistency. Test on the paper you actually print on — a clean result on photo paper says nothing about your everyday output.

Is banding worse at higher resolution?

Often, because finer droplet placement leaves less margin for a partially blocked nozzle. If banding appears only at the highest setting, drop one step and compare. If it clears, the head is marginal rather than blocked, and further cleaning will only waste ink.

How long should I wait before judging a fresh print?

About thirty seconds on plain paper. Wet inkjet output keeps spreading and shifting as the paper absorbs it, so stripes you see immediately can fade as it dries, and a cast judged too early can look worse than the finished sheet.

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