Make your own printer test image

peter nelson posted a response to thread:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=004OVA

 

suggesting creation of a printer test image in Photoshop he has

been using. I also made a whole set of test images a few years

ago and below are directions for easily creating one to test

resolution. I most recently did this to prove the local

Lightjet 5000 did not provide much more resolution when pixels

per inch of real information were above about 250. I've seen

several threads on this forum, which simply printing some of

these test images could have resolved what otherwise was

considerable opinions based upon the subjective.

 

My below process is just one of many ways in Photoshop to reach

the same type of test image. A veteran Photoshop user ought

to be able to create it rather easily by their own methods.

The directions are slightly terse to keep the post short.

Also the forum posting window combines multiple lines to save

space so I preceded lines with [ so someone could paste this

all into a word processor and exchange <Returns> for [ to

make this much more readable.

 

If one of you whom owns an Epson 2200/7600 prints one of these

images, please post some details of the results, as I like many

on the forum are interested in buying one of those Ultrachrome

ink machines. If prodded I will go into some detail as to what

I discovered with the Lightjet 5000. Note the test is more

accurately upon the combination of printer, paper, inks, and is

affected also by one's RIP so please give those details also.

 

What is created are groups of one, two, and four, pixel wide

alternating lines of primary and secondary colors at both vertical

and horizontal orientations. Beyond what is below one could

expand this and change the contrast of the colors. Additional

test components like incremental gray scales and color hues can

also be easily constructed into a more general test image.

 

After an image is printed it may be inspected by say an 8x loupe

although a more useful evaluation would be with a 20x or 30x

microscope.

 

============================================================

In Photoshop:

 

[File...New (Pop up window opens.)

[(enter text in fields)

[Name pr_test400_1 (if saved pr_test400_1.psd)

[Resolution 400 pixels/inch

[Width 200 pixels

[Height 100 pixels

[Mode RGB Color

[transparent

[ok (Pop up window closes; window with pr_test400_1 opens.)

 

[Window...Show...Tools

[Window...Show Info (if not already shown; ruler units pixels)

[Window...Show Layers

[Edit...Preferences...Guides & Grid

[Color Black

[style Lines

[Gridline every 8 pixels

[subdivisions 8

[General

[interpolation Nearest Neighbor

[ok

 

[View...Show...Grid

[View...Snap to...Grid

[(Toolbox select default colors black foreground white background.)

[(Click box below hand tool to reset to default color.)

 

[<Ctrl>+ (Key until zoom shows 1600% which is maximum.)

[(Position window to view upper right corner.)

[(On Toolbox select rectangular marquee tool, ie m.)

[(This small transparent image displays 8x8 grid squares with)

[( 1 pixel subdivisions.)

 

[(Select one of the 8x8 grid squares near the top of the image.)

[Edit...Fill (Fill pop window appears.)

[use Background Color

[ok (8x8 square fills white.)

 

[(In this 8x8 square select top 1 pixel row 7 pixels across.)

[( ie 1x7, on top row of one of the 8x8 grid squares.)

[Edit...Fill (Fill pop window appears.)

[use Foreground Color

[ok (1x7 rectangle fills black at top of 8x8 grid square.)

[Edit...Copy (or <Ctrl>c)

[Edit...Paste (or <Ctrl>v)

[<Ctrl>v

[<Ctrl>v

[<Ctrl>v

[(Creates 4 each 1x7 black rectangles all in different layers.)

[(Toolbox select Move Tool, ie v )

[(On Layers pallette select layer 2.)

[(Move layer 2 rectangle to row 3 of 8x8 leaving column 8 white.)

[(On Layers pallette select layer 3.)

[(Move layer 3 rectangle to row 5 of 8x8 rectangle.)

[(On Layers pallette select layer 4.)

[(Move layer 4 rectangle to row 7 of 8x8 rectangle.)

[(Layers box select Merge Visible which will leave name Layer 3.)

[select...Deselect (or <Ctrl>d )

[File...Save (or <Ctrl>s )

[(Image is 8x8 square of alternating black and white 1 pixel)

[( lines with column 8 white.)

 

[(Mouse select this full 8x8 square.)

[<Ctrl>c)

[<Ctrl>v (Paste a total of 8 times, by repeating.)

[v (move tool)

[(On Layers pallette select layer 4.)

[(Move layer 4 8x8 immediately below the layer 3 8x8.)

[(Note no intervening transparent spaces.)

[(Repeat above till all 7 each 8x8 squares in a vertical column.)

[(Layers box select Merge Visible which will leave name Layer 9.)

 

[<Ctrl>- (repeat till 800%)

[(On toolbox select Magic Wand Tool, ie w.)

[(Deselect Anti-aliased, field at top of Photoshop window. )

[(Select black rows in second from top 8x8 grid square.)

[(Use <Shift> to add to multiple selections.)

[(Double click on the Tool Box Color, below Hand Tool, )

[( to pop up the Color Picker window.)

[(In the HSB fields enter:)

[H 0 (red=0 degrees)

[s 100%

[b 80%

[ok

 

[Edit...Fill (Fill pop window appears.)

[use Foreground Color

[ok (Changes lines in second 8x8 to red.)

[<Ctrl>d

 

[(Double click on the Tool Box Color, to pop up Color Picker.)

[H 60 (yellow=60 degrees)

[ok

[(Wand select all black rows in the third from top 8x8 square.)

[Edit...Fill

[use Foreground Color

[ok (Cchanges lines in third 8x8 square to yellow.)

[<Ctrl>d

 

[(Repeat for squares 4, 5, 6, 7 using 120, 180, 240, 300 deg.)

[(7 8x8 squares 1 pixel row colors within a white background.)

 

[m (marquee too)

[<Ctrl>- (Repeat to zoom out to 700%.)

[(Select all 7 each 8x8 squares.)

[<Ctrl>c

[<Ctrl>v ( Repeat paste 8 times, which now shows 8 layers.)

[v

[(On Layers pallette select layer 10.)

[(Move layer 10 8x8 to immediately right of left row of 8x8's.)

[(Repeat this on layers 11 thru 16.)

[(This creates a 7x8 group of 8x8 squares.)

 

[(On Layers pallette select layer 10.)

[w (Magic wand tool)

[(Select a white area. This ought select all white areas.)

[(On Toolbox select Eyedropper tool.)

[(Sample the red in the second from top 8x8.)

[Edit...Fill

[use Foreground Color

[ok (Red fills previous white areas of leftmost 8x8.)

[<Ctrl>d

 

[w (Magic Wand tool)

[(Select all the white areas in second column of 8x8.)

[(on Toolbox select Eyedropper tool)

[(Sample the yellow in the third from top 8x8.)

[Edit...Fill

[use Foreground Color

[ok (Yellow fills white areas in third column of 8x8.)

[(Repeat for other sets of squares using green, cyan,)

[( blue, magenta, and black. Leave column 8 as is, white.)

[(Layers box select Merge Visible. Leaves name layer 16.)

[(Image is a 56x64 rectangle.)

[<Ctrl>s (Save file)

[<Ctrl>- (Repeat to zoom out to 500%.)

[m

[(Select full rectangle of image thus far created.)

[<Ctrl>c

 

[File...New

[Resolution 400 pixels/inch

[Width 64 pixels

[Height 56 pixels

[ok

[<Ctrl>v (Paste whole image in.)

 

[image...Rotate Canvas...90 degrees CCW

[select...All (ie <Ctrl>a )

[<Ctrl>c

[(Select pr_test400_1 window.)

[v

[<Ctrl>v

[v

[(Move pasted group 8 pixels to right of first group.)

[(Layers box select Merge Visible.)

[<Ctrl>s

[(Select other Un-titled window and close it without saving.)

 

[image...Image Size

[Check Resample Image

[Check Constrain Proportions

[Width 2400

[Height 1000

[ok (Note Nearest Neighbor still selected.)

[File...Save As

[File Name print_test400_2

[(For print_test400_2.psd ie 2 pixel line widths.)

[(This creates a twice as large image as print_test400_1.)

 

[image...Image Size

[Check Resample Image

[Check Constrain Proportions

[Width 4800

[Height 2000

[ok

[File...Save As

[File Name print_test400_4

[(For print_test400_2.psd ie 4 pixel line widths.)

[(This creates a 4 times as large image as print_test400_1.)

[image...Canvas Size

[Anchor to top left corner

[Width 600

[Height 600

[ok

 

[File...Open

[print_test400_2

[<Ctrl>a

[<Ctrl>c

[(Select window for print_test400_4.)

[<Ctrl>v

 

[File...Open

[print_test400_1

[<Ctrl>a

[<Ctrl>c

[(Select window for print_test400_4.)

[<Ctrl>v

 

[(On Layers pallette select layer 19.)

[v

[(Move the two 2 line rectangles below the left 4 line rectangle.)

[(On Layers pallette select layer 18.)

[v

[(Move the two 1 line rectangles below the right 4 line rectangle.)

[(Layers box select Merge Visible. Leaves name layer 19.)

[image...Show...Grid (Turns grid off)

[(One might label image with 6 point black text:

[(1, 2, 4 for line widths and 400 ppi 600x600 )

 

[<Ctrl>s (Saves print_test400_4.psd)

 

==============================================================

 

The image is now complete. The other two files, print_test400_1

and print_test400_2 may be deleted. 400 pixel per inch is used

because all printers will be within that range. However one line

widths at 300 ppi with corresponding 2 and 4 line widths at 150 ppi

and 75 ppi might also be built.

 

-David Senesac

 

Any chance you could post this file? Or if you want to email it to me, I'll serve it up using my hosting service...

Sure. I emailed the 269kb .psd image to you in an attachment.