Print Test Page – Free Printer Test Page (Color & Black)

Print this page to check that your printer is working properly. One sheet covers the usual problems: missing or faded colors, white streaks from clogged nozzles, blurry text, crooked lines and pages that print at the wrong size.

Because it prints from your browser, it tests the whole path from your computer to the paper — driver, Wi-Fi or USB connection and paper feed — not just the print head. Choose US Letter or A4, add the printer name and date if you want to keep the sheet for reference, and print at 100% (Actual size).

How to print it

Pick the paper size above, and add the printer name and date if you want to keep the printout.
Click Print test page (or Download PDF and open it).
In the print dialog, choose your printer and set the scale to 100% or Actual size.Use plain paper unless you are testing photo paper.

How to read the printout

Solid colors: Each block should be one even color. A missing block points to an empty cartridge or clogged nozzles in that ink; thin white lines across a block are clogged nozzles.
Gradients: Each strip should fade smoothly from white to full color. Visible steps or bands usually mean a low print-quality setting or a print head that needs cleaning.
Gray steps: All 11 steps should look different. If the dark steps merge into black, the printer is printing too dark; if the first steps disappear, too light.
Detail: The star should stay sharp until close to the center, the 0.1 pt line should be visible and the 4 pt text readable with a magnifier.
Large areas: Large blocks show streaks, banding and uneven density that small swatches hide.
Size and border: The rulers should match a real ruler exactly, and the border should sit 0.5 in (12.7 mm) from every edge.

Something wrong on your print?

Tap the problem you see for the usual causes and what to try.

Nothing prints at all

Usual causes: The job is stuck in the queue, the computer is sending to a different (often offline) printer, or the printer is not connected.

Check that the printer you picked in the print dialog is the right one and shows as online.
Clear the print queue, then turn the printer off and on.
On Wi-Fi printers, make sure the printer and computer are on the same network; print the printer’s own network report from its menu.
If the printer prints its built-in test page but not from the computer, reinstall the driver or re-add the printer.

A color is missing or looks wrong

Usual causes: Empty or dried cartridge, clogged nozzles, protective tape on a new cartridge, or a cartridge or ink bottle in the wrong slot.

Check ink levels and make sure all protective tape is removed from new cartridges.
Print the Nozzle Check page (or the printer’s built-in nozzle check) to see which ink is affected.
Run one head cleaning, then check again. Do not run more than two or three in a row.
If one color is replaced by another, check that each cartridge or ink bottle is in the right slot.

White lines or streaks across the page

Usual causes: On inkjets: clogged nozzles. On laser printers: low toner or a dirty or scratched drum. On thermal label printers: a dirty or dead print head dot.

Inkjet: run the nozzle check and one head cleaning, then print the test page again.
Laser: remove the toner cartridge and rock it gently side to side to spread the toner; clean the corona wire if your drum has one.
Thermal: clean the print head with isopropyl alcohol and let it dry.
If lines appear in exactly the same place after cleaning, a part (print head or drum) may need replacing.

Faded or light print

Usual causes: Draft or toner-save mode, low ink or toner, the wrong paper type setting, or partly clogged nozzles.

In the print dialog, set quality to Normal or Best and turn off draft, economy or toner-save mode.
Make sure the paper type in the dialog matches the paper in the tray.
Check ink or toner levels, then run a nozzle check.

Smudges, ink spots or toner marks

Usual causes: Ink not dry before the next sheet lands, ink on the rollers or inside the printer, or on laser printers loose toner or a dirty fuser.

Let prints dry before stacking them, and choose the right paper type so the printer uses the right amount of ink.
Clean the paper rollers with a lint-free cloth and a little water.
Marks repeating at the same distance down the page come from a roller or the drum — measure the gap and check your manual.

Jagged, doubled or crooked lines

Usual causes: The print head is out of alignment, or the paper is feeding in at an angle.

Run Print Head Alignment from the printer’s maintenance menu or the driver’s Maintenance tab.
Adjust the paper guides so they touch the stack on both sides, and do not overfill the tray.
Print the Alignment Test page to see whether the problem is the head (doubled lines) or the paper (uneven margins).

Page printed too small, too large or cut off

Usual causes: The print dialog is scaling the page, or the paper size setting does not match the paper.

Set Scale to 100% or “Actual size”, and turn off “Fit to page” or “Shrink oversized pages”.
Make sure the paper size in the dialog (Letter or A4) matches the paper in the tray.
Print the Print Scale Test page and measure the rulers.

More test pages

Color Printer Test Page

Black and White Test Page

CMYK Test Page

Nozzle Check Page

Printer Alignment Test Page

Photo Test Print

Print Scale Test (Actual Size Check)

HP Printer Test Page

Epson Printer Test Page

Canon Printer Test Page

Brother Printer Test Page

Label Printer Test Page

Weekly Inkjet Maintenance Page

Frequently asked questions

How do I print a test page?

Click Print above (or Download PDF and open it), choose your printer, set the scale to 100% or Actual size and print on plain paper. On Windows 11 you can also print the built-in Windows test page: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → choose your printer → Print test page.

What should a good test page look like?

Every color block is solid and even, the gradients change smoothly, all 11 gray steps look different, the thin lines are unbroken, small text is sharp, and the ruler marks measure exactly 1 inch and 1 centimeter.

Why is one color missing from my test print?

Usually an empty cartridge, clogged nozzles or the protective tape still on a new cartridge. Check the ink levels, then run the printer’s nozzle check and head cleaning. If black prints but one color does not, the problem is that color’s cartridge or nozzles.

Does this page use a lot of ink?

More than a page of text, because of the large solid blocks. To keep an inkjet’s nozzles from drying out between jobs, print the Weekly Maintenance Page instead — it uses far less ink.