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How to Measure Ink Density
- 1). Print a sample of your work. To ensure accurate readings, print a piece that is most resembling of your desired project.
- 2). Obtain a densitometer. A densitometer works by measuring the amount of light that is reflected from a printed piece of work. The light is projected is a diagonal angle. It shines the light across the top of the letters, making contact with the non-inked spaces -- i.e., the blank parts of the paper. The light is then reflected up in a straight line and goes into the machine's "eye," where it is then measured and converted into a density unit. A table that is provided with your densitometer tells you what the equivalent density is.
- 3). Determine the percentage of the light reflected from your project, which is converted into density units. The higher the density of an area, the lower the amount of light that is reflected from the paper. The more light that is reflected, the less ink density there is on the printed sample.
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