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Greyscale Printer Test Page
A grey ramp with no colour in it makes tonal problems, colour casts and scaling errors impossible to miss.
Set scaling to 100%. Choose Actual Size in the print dialog, never Fit to page — scaling distorts every measurement on this sheet. The Download PDF button hands you that same sheet as a ready-made file, so there is no scaling decision to get wrong.
How to print the Greyscale Printer Test Page
- Print at 100% scale on plain paper.
- Read the ramp left to right and note any step that repeats or jumps.
- Look at the ramp from a low angle — colour casts that are invisible head-on become obvious.
- Check that the concentric circles are perfectly round.
- Compare the five density patches for banding across their width.
- Print again after any setting change to confirm the effect.
Reading the result
| Ramp runs smoothly from white to black | Tonal reproduction is correct. |
| A step has a colour tint | One channel is out of balance. Print the CMYK page to identify which one — a neutral grey requires all three colour channels in the correct ratio. |
| Two adjacent steps are identical | Tone is being clipped. Check the print quality setting and any toner-density control in the driver. |
| Concentric circles are oval | Scaling. Set the print dialog to Actual Size / 100%. |
| Density patches band across | Fuser or drum issue on laser; uneven ink deposition on inkjet. Compare with the solid block on the black and white page. |
Also check
- Black and white page — Adds solid black, line pairs and a type scale, so you can tell a tonal problem from a resolution problem on the same sheet.
- CMYK separation — A tint in the grey ramp means one channel is off in the mix. The separation page prints each channel alone so you can identify which one.
- Gradient and banding page — Banding inside the density patches is worth confirming on a continuous ramp, where a partial nozzle fault is unmistakable.
- Alignment page — Oval circles here are almost always scaling rather than tone, but the alignment page shows whether the same distortion affects geometry across the whole sheet.
- Resolution chart — A ramp can look flat because tone is clipped or because fine detail is unresolved. The line pairs tell you which of the two you are actually looking at.
Related test pages
- B&W printer test page — Removing colour from the equation isolates density, toner coverage and fine detail problems.
- DPI Chart printer test page — Printers advertise one resolution and deliver another. This chart measures what you actually get.
- Alignment printer test page — If lines that should be straight come out crooked, or text looks doubled, the printhead is out of alignment. This sheet measures it.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my greys look green or pink?
The printer is mixing colour inks to build grey and one channel is off. Print in black-only mode, or run the colour calibration routine to rebalance the mix.
What causes banding in grey patches?
Uneven ink or toner deposition — typically a partially blocked nozzle, a worn drum, or a dirty fuser. The nozzle check will tell you which.
Is this page useful on a laser printer?
Yes — it is arguably more useful on laser, where toner density and fuser faults are the common failure modes and show up most clearly in neutral greys.
How do I compare two greyscale prints fairly?
Judge them side by side under the same light, not minutes apart from memory. Daylight and warm bulbs change apparent grey differently, and a ramp that looks neutral on a desk lamp can show a clear cast in daylight. Keep the first sheet and compare it directly after any setting change.
Why do light greys band while dark areas look fine?
Light tones need the smallest ink or toner volume, so they expose uneven delivery first. Dark areas mask the same fault because coverage is nearly total. Banding confined to light steps points at delivery rather than density calibration.
Can I fix a grey colour cast by replacing a cartridge?
Not usually, and not first. A cast that appears only in greys is normally a driver or calibration problem. Try black-only printing and the printer colour calibration routine before spending on ink, and replace a cartridge only when the nozzle check also shows gaps.
Why does the ramp look different from the same greys on my screen?
Screens emit light while the page reflects it, so identical percentages never match one another. What matters is internal consistency: every step should be clearly distinct from its neighbours and free of any tint. Compare the ramp against your own earlier prints rather than against a monitor.