Print Test Page
Print a test page in one click. Pick your paper and get a colour test page with CMYK and RGB patches, tint ramps, gradients, fine lines, small type and rulers, made fresh for that paper size. There are eight sheets, a black-only mode and a date and note line, so you can compare prints over time. Measure the printed bar, type the result in, and the tool tells you the real print scale. Download a PDF, or print straight from the browser. Free, with no sign-up and no driver to install.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Sheets are made on your device; nothing is uploaded.
Tick at least one sheet.
Your printer
Sheets
Printed on the sheet
Check the size
Sheets are made in your browser and nothing is uploaded. The preview shows the layout, not how your printer will print the colours.
How to print a test page
- Choose Colour printer or Black only, then your paper.
- Keep the all-in-one sheet, or tick the sheets you want.
- Add a note if you like, such as the paper and print settings. It prints on the sheet with the date.
- Download the PDF, or click “Print now”. In the print dialog choose 100% or Actual size, not Fit to page.
- Measure the 100 mm bar with a ruler and type the length under “Check the size”.
- Compare the sheet with the table below to see what it shows.
What you can use it for
- Checking a new or long-unused printer before a big job
- Comparing prints before and after a change of ink or toner
- Checking that a printer keeps true size before printing patterns, templates or labels
- Finding how close to the paper edge your printer can print
- Seeing how small your type can go before it fills in
- Comparing paper types, with a note on each sheet
Which test sheet to print
Start with the all-in-one sheet. Use the others when you want a closer look at one thing. The ink figures are for US Letter, and they’re rough: they come from the rectangles and lines on the sheet, count overlaps twice and leave out the text. Your driver decides what is really used.
| Sheet | What it checks | Rough ink cover |
|---|---|---|
| All-in-one check | Colour, tints, gradients, fine lines, small type and scale on one sheet | C 7.7%, M 7.9%, Y 7.7%, K 5.5% |
| Colour bars and ramps | CMYK and RGB patches side by side, tint ramps, a full spectrum | C 24.8%, M 24.9%, Y 24.9%, K 10.9% |
| Black and grey | Black-only and composite grey ramps, highlights, shadows, solid black | C 0%, M 0%, Y 0%, K 30.7% |
| Fine lines by ink | Five line weights in each ink, across, down and at an angle | C 1%, M 1%, Y 1%, K 0.4% |
| Registration and alignment | Overlaid targets, vernier ticks and long straight lines | C 0.2%, M 0.2%, Y 0.2%, K 0.7% |
| Type sizes | Sizes from 4 to 24 pt in sans, serif and mono, plus reversed and colour type | C 0%, M 0%, Y 0%, K 10% |
| Size and margins | Rulers, a bank card outline, a 10 mm grid and an edge ruler for margins | C 0%, M 0%, Y 0%, K 0.8% |
| Solid colour bands | Solid bands of each ink, to show stripes and banding | C 19.8%, M 19.8%, Y 19.8%, K 19.8% |
How to read the result
| What you see | What it often means | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| A colour missing from the bars | That ink is empty or not reaching the paper | Check the ink or toner, then run your printer’s nozzle check and cleaning |
| Pale stripes across solid colour | Blocked nozzles or low ink | Run the printer’s own nozzle check, then its cleaning cycle if lines are missing |
| Faded black text | Low ink or toner, or a draft setting | Check the level and print at normal quality |
| Colour fringes on the targets | The colours are not lining up | Run the alignment step in your printer’s maintenance menu |
| Steps or a wobble in long lines | Print-head alignment | Run the alignment step, then print the sheet again |
| A colour tint in the composite grey ramp only | Colour inks or colour settings | Print the black ramp to compare, and check the paper setting |
| Gradient shows bands | A low quality setting or the driver’s dithering | Try a higher quality setting and the matching paper type |
| Sheet comes out small | Fit to page is on | Print at 100% or Actual size |
| Small white type fills in | Ink spread on this paper | Use larger or bolder type on dark backgrounds |
What a test page can and can’t prove
| A test sheet can show | A test sheet can’t show |
|---|---|
| Whether each ink is reaching the paper | Whether every nozzle fires: use your printer’s own nozzle check |
| Stripes, streaks and missing lines | That colours are accurate: that takes a profile and a measuring device |
| How small type and lines can go on this paper | How the same file prints on another printer or paper |
| The real print scale, measured with a ruler | Whether a print will last, or why a printer has a fault |
The preview on this page shows the layout only. Your screen can’t show how the colours will print. A good sheet today doesn’t predict tomorrow’s, so keep the dated sheets and compare them.
Check the print size
Every sheet has a 50 mm bar at the bottom, and the larger sheets have a 100 mm bar and a 4 inch bar. Measure the bar with a ruler and type the length into “Check the size”. If a 100 mm bar measures 97 mm, your print scale is 97%, and a custom scale of 103.1% would bring it back. Measuring across and down also shows if the two directions differ.
The Size and margins sheet has lines 1 to 10 mm in from each edge. The first line you can see tells you the margin your printer leaves on that side. It also has a bank card outline of 85.60 × 53.98 mm, the ID-1 size in ISO/IEC 7810, so you can check the scale without a ruler.
| Paper | Size | Long bar on the sheet |
|---|---|---|
| US Letter | 215.9 × 279.4 mm | 100 mm |
| A4 | 210 × 297 mm | 100 mm |
| US Legal | 215.9 × 355.6 mm | 100 mm |
| Tabloid (11 × 17 in) | 279.4 × 431.8 mm | 100 mm |
| A3 | 297 × 420 mm | 100 mm |
| A5 | 148 × 210 mm | 100 mm |
| 5 × 7 in photo | 127 × 177.8 mm | 100 mm |
| 4 × 6 in photo | 101.6 × 152.4 mm | 50 mm |
The PDF asks your viewer to open the print dialog at actual size, but some viewers ignore that, so check the setting yourself. Browser printing sends RGB colour only, so use the PDF if you want the CMYK patches as CMYK. Source for the card size: ISO/IEC 7810 on Wikipedia.
Related print tools
- Paper Sizes: every standard sheet size
- Print Size Calculator: how large an image will print
- PPI Calculator: pixel density from size and resolution
- RGB to CMYK and CMYK to RGB: convert colour values
- Graph Paper: printable grids at a set size
More free print tools
Getting a file ready to print?
Paper sizes, print sizing and colour conversion: free tools that run in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing uploaded.
See all free tools →Frequently asked questions
How do I print a test page?
Choose your paper, then download the PDF or click Print now. Print at 100% or Actual size. There’s nothing to install and no sign-up.
What is a color test page?
It’s a sheet of solid colours and tints that shows whether each ink is reaching the paper evenly. Look for missing colours, pale stripes and blocks that don’t match each other.
Does this work with my printer?
The sheets are ordinary PDF pages, so any printer that can print a PDF can print them. Choose Black only if your printer has no colour ink.
Is this the same as my printer’s nozzle check?
No. Your printer’s own nozzle check comes from its maintenance menu and is built into the printer. These sheets pass through your PDF viewer and driver, which turn colours into dots. They show whether ink is reaching the paper, but use the printer’s own check to look at the nozzles.
Will printing this clean my print head?
No. A test sheet only shows what’s happening. If lines are missing, run the cleaning cycle from your printer’s maintenance menu or app.
Does a good test page mean my colours are accurate?
No. It can show a missing or weak ink, but it can’t tell you the colours are correct. For that you need a colour-managed workflow with a profile for your printer and paper, and a measuring device.
Why is the printed sheet smaller than it should be?
Usually “Fit to page” or a similar setting is on, which shrinks the page to fit the printer’s margins. Choose 100% or Actual size. Then measure the 100 mm bar, or hold a bank card to the outline on the Size and margins sheet.
How do I check true size without a ruler?
Print the Size and margins sheet at 100% on Letter, A4 or larger and hold a bank card over the outline. Cards like these are 85.60 × 53.98 mm, so the card should match the box.
Why do the CMYK and RGB patches look different?
They’re sent in two different colour models. Your PDF viewer and driver convert each one in their own way, so patches with similar names can print differently. That’s normal.
What does the black and composite grey comparison show?
The first ramp uses black ink alone. The second is RGB grey, which many printers mix from colour inks. A colour tint in the second ramp only points to the colour inks or the colour settings.
How much ink does a test page use?
The tool shows a rough figure for each sheet, worked out from the shapes on it. Your driver decides the real amount. The colour bars, solid colour bands, and black and grey sheets use the most, so print those only when you need them.
Are the files uploaded?
No. Every sheet is made in your browser and nothing leaves your device.
Can I use this as a test pattern generator?
Yes, for paper. It makes colour bars, grids, line patterns and ramps at exact sizes. It doesn’t test screens or video, and it isn’t a broadcast test card.
Is this page linked to any printer brand?
No. Made Good Designs isn’t affiliated with any printer maker, and this page makes no claim about any printer, ink or paper.