Start with the defect you can actually see
Choose the print pattern first. Printer Vitals only uses the photo analyzer where its current measurements can add evidence.
Lines or streaks
Separate broken color-channel elements from repeated horizontal banding.
Horizontal banding
Measure repeated density variation across four tonal levels.
A color is missing
Cross-check each CMYK channel using both line and solid-field evidence.
Black is missing
Check whether black is weak across two independent test zones.
Print looks faded
Distinguish broad fading from a single weak color channel.
Text or images look blurry
Rule out scale, source-file and printer-setting issues without pretending a phone photo is a sharpness meter.
Ink smears or transfers
Use a physical-paper troubleshooting path; automated smear classification is outside the current analyzer.
Output is shifted or resized
Measure page-relative scale, rotation and offset from known printed references.
What the analyzer can measure
| Finding | Measured now? | Best next page |
|---|---|---|
| Broken line elements | Yes | Printing lines |
| Horizontal banding | Yes | Banding test |
| Weak or missing CMYK channel | Yes, relatively | Missing colors |
| Scale, rotation or offset | Yes | Alignment test |
| Ink smear / transfer | No direct score | Smearing checks |
| Fine text sharpness | No direct score | Blurry output checks |
Use the controlled sheet when measurement helps
The A4 and US Letter test sheets give the browser known line patterns, tonal fields, geometry references and CMYK swatches. For symptoms outside that scope, the troubleshooting page says so instead of forcing the analyzer into the answer.