Print one sheet to check every ink, gradients, alignment and fine detail. Then use the table below to see what a streak, band or missing colour means and how to fix it. Works with HP, Canon, Epson, Brother and any colour laser.
In the print dialog choose Scale: 100% / Actual size, turn off Fit to page, pick the paper you loaded (), and use Normal quality (not Draft). Colour pages: make sure Colour (not Grayscale) is selected.
Measure the 100 mm bar at the bottom of your printout with a ruler and type the length. We tell you if the printer shrank or enlarged the page.
Preview of the exact sheet that prints. Only this sheet prints — the rest of the page is hidden.
One A4 or Letter sheet with nine numbered checks. Each one points at a different part of the printer, so you can see exactly what is wrong instead of guessing:
Every sheet also has a 100 mm and 4 inch ruler, corner targets and a date line, so you can check scale, see if an edge was cut off, and keep "before and after" prints when you clean the print head.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| One colour missing or very pale | Empty cartridge, clogged nozzles, tape left on a new cartridge | Check ink levels, run head cleaning, reseat the cartridge, then print that colour's single-ink sheet |
| White horizontal lines through solid blocks | Blocked nozzles (inkjet) | Run nozzle check and head cleaning 1–2 times. Don't run more than 3 in a row — it wastes ink |
| Missing steps in the nozzle staircase | Specific nozzles blocked | Same as above; print again after cleaning and compare with the dated first print |
| Coloured fringes around the registration targets, doubled lines | Print head or colour registration out of alignment | Run "Print head alignment" (inkjet) or "Colour registration / calibration" (colour laser). Then print the alignment test page |
| Visible steps or bands in the gradients | Draft mode, wrong paper setting, partly blocked nozzles | Print in Normal or Best quality with the right paper type selected |
| Wrong colour cast (everything greenish, reddish…) | One ink weak, or a third-party/refilled cartridge | Look at the tint ramps to find the weak ink; try the single-ink sheets |
| Black looks brown or blotchy | Printer is mixing CMY to make black (black cartridge empty) or "Grayscale using colour ink" setting | Check the black cartridge; in the driver choose "Black ink only" for grayscale |
| Smudges or ink marks | Dirty rollers, wet ink, thin paper | Clean the paper-feed rollers, use thicker paper, let pages dry |
| Ruler measures less than 100 mm | "Fit to page" or a scale below 100% | Set Scale to 100% / Actual size and check again with the scale checker above |
Use the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black buttons above to print a sheet that uses only that ink: a solid block, 10% and 5% ramps, a gradient, a nozzle staircase, fine lines and text from 5 to 24 pt. This is the quickest way to confirm which cartridge is the problem.
Most online test pages are pictures. This one is drawn as vector graphics in real millimetres, so it stays sharp at any printer resolution, prints at exactly 100% on A4 and US Letter, and does not need the browser's "Background graphics" option. Only the test sheet prints — the menus and text on this web page are hidden automatically, so you always get exactly one clean page.
Note: your screen and browser use RGB colour. The printer driver converts the blocks to its own inks, so the result shows how your printer prints everyday documents and photos, which is what most people want to check. For a black-only check, see the black and white printer test page.
Choose A4 or US Letter, press Print test page, select your printer, set Scale to 100% (Actual size), keep Colour mode on and print. Or download the PDF and print it from any PDF viewer.
Every solid block is even with no white lines, each of the 10 tint steps looks different, the gradients are smooth, the colour wheel shows 24 distinct hues, every step of the nozzle-check staircases is present, and the registration circles show no coloured fringes.
That ink cartridge is empty, its nozzles are clogged, or the protective tape is still on a new cartridge. Run the printer's head-cleaning utility once or twice, then reprint the single-colour sheet for that ink to compare.
Usually clogged print-head nozzles on an inkjet. Run a nozzle check and head cleaning from the printer menu. If lines remain after 2–3 cleanings, leave the printer for a few hours and try again, or replace the cartridge if your printer has the head built into it.
Screens show light (RGB) while printers mix inks (CMYK), so some bright screen colours cannot be printed exactly. Plain paper also makes colours duller. Use the correct paper-type setting and compare prints with each other rather than with the screen.
Yes. It is a normal page printed from your browser, so it works with any inkjet or colour laser printer on Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, Android and iPhone.
A moderate amount — about as much as a page with a few photos. If you only want to check one ink, print the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow or Black single-ink sheet instead.
No. The sheet is drawn in your browser. Nothing about your printer or computer is sent anywhere.