Retest PC

Canon Printer Test Page

Print a color, black and white or nozzle sheet on your Canon, then print Canon's own nozzle check pattern from the printer. Steps for each type of control panel are below.

PIXMA, MegaTank, MAXIFY, imageCLASSUS Letter, A4 and PDF
Paper size
Test page
Download PDF11 KB

In the print window, set Scale to 100% or Actual size and Margins to Default or None, so the rulers print true to size.

Ink or toner covers about 24% of the sheet. A page of plain text covers about 5%.

What your Canon test page shows

Match the fault, then follow the fix

These are the faults this page shows most often. Match what you see on the printed sheet for the likely cause and the fix.

White lines or streaks

Blocked print head nozzles leave thin white lines across the color bars. Run the printer’s head cleaning, then print a nozzle check.

Nozzle check page

Black prints gray or not at all

The black cartridge is empty or blocked, or the driver is mixing black from color ink. Check the black level, then clean the head.

Printer not printing black

Blank page

A new cartridge may still have its tape on, or the head is badly blocked. Check both, then print again.

Printer printing blank pages

Something else on the sheet? Every fault with its fix is on the printer test page.

This Canon printer test page prints from your browser to any PIXMA, MegaTank, MAXIFY or imageCLASS printer. It puts every ink, gray steps, fine text and thin lines on one sheet, so streaks, pale colors and missing inks show up straight away. Canon inkjets also print their own nozzle check pattern from the control panel, which shows exactly which ink is blocked. Below you will find how to start it on each type of Canon panel, how to read it, and what to do when the test page prints but your documents do not. Printers from other makers can use the general printer test page.

How to print the Canon printer test page

  1. Load plain paper in the rear tray or the cassette, and pick the same size above the sheet: US Letter or A4.
  2. Choose Full color page for a general check, Black and white page for an imageCLASS laser, or Nozzle check pattern to see each ink on its own.
  3. Press Print this page, choose your Canon in the print window and set the scale to 100% or Actual size.
  4. On a phone or tablet, press Download PDF and print the file from the Canon PRINT app or the share menu.
  5. Compare the sheet with the table below. If a color is wrong, print Canon's nozzle check next.

The nozzle check pattern is Canon's own test page for inkjets. It prints two patterns for each ink and uses very little of it.

PIXMA models with a Setup button (TS3300 series and similar)

  1. Load a sheet of plain paper.
  2. Press the Setup button until 1 appears on the display.
  3. Press the Black button or the Color button. The pattern prints. Leave the printer alone until it finishes.

The same button reaches the other maintenance jobs: 2 is print head cleaning and 3 is deep cleaning.

PIXMA models with a menu screen (TS6400 series and similar)

  1. Load A4 or US Letter plain paper in the cassette.
  2. Press the OK button, choose Maintenance, then Nozzle Check.
  3. Choose Yes and press OK. When the pattern has printed, two confirmation screens appear.

MegaTank models with a small screen (G3060 series and similar)

Press the Setup button, use the left and right buttons to select Maintenance and press OK, then select Nozzle check and press OK.

MAXIFY models with a touchscreen (MB2700 series and similar)

Flick the home screen and tap Setup, then Maintenance and Print nozzle check pattern. Load A4 or Letter plain paper in cassette 1, since cassette 2 cannot be used for this pattern, then tap Yes.

From Windows or a Mac

  • Windows: open the Maintenance tab in the Canon printer driver and click Maintenance and Preferences, or open the Start menu, then Canon Utilities and IJ Printer Assistant Tool. It prints the nozzle check and runs cleaning and alignment.
  • Mac: open System Settings, Printers & Scanners, select the Canon and click Options & Supplies. On the General tab, click Show Printer Webpage. Canon's maintenance page opens in the browser with the nozzle check and cleaning.

The step by step pages for each model are in Canon's online manuals.

How to read the Canon nozzle check

Canon prints two patterns. Compare each against the clean example in the table.

Pattern Good Needs cleaning
Pattern A (fine lines) Every line present Lines missing in one or more colors
Pattern B (blocks) Even color with no streaks Horizontal white streaks through the block
Any color Prints in both patterns One color missing completely

Cleaning when the pattern has gaps

Canon's order of steps keeps ink use down:

  1. Run a print head cleaning (Setup button 2, the Maintenance menu or IJ Printer Assistant Tool), then print the nozzle check again.
  2. If the pattern still has gaps after two cleanings, run a deep cleaning (Setup button 3 on the TS3300 series). It takes 1 to 2 minutes and uses more ink.
  3. If deep cleaning does not fix it, turn the printer off, wait 24 hours and run the deep cleaning again.
  4. If the problem stays after that, replace the FINE cartridge on cartridge models. If a new cartridge does not fix it either, the printer needs a Canon service center.

When every line is present but text looks doubled or straight lines look jagged, the head needs aligning instead. Run Print Head Alignment from the same menus, then check it with the print alignment page.

imageCLASS laser printers

imageCLASS printers use toner, so there is no nozzle check. Print the Black and white page above for monochrome models, or the full color sheet for color models, and look at the solid areas:

  • Pale or uneven print usually means low toner. Take the cartridge out and rock it gently from side to side to spread the toner, then print again.
  • Marks that repeat at the same distance down the page come from a roller or the drum. Some imageCLASS models have the drum built into the toner cartridge and others take a separate drum unit, so replace whichever part your model uses.
  • The printer's own reports come from its menu on many imageCLASS models with a display: press Menu, then Output Report (Output Rprt. and Print List on touch panel models). The User Data List shows the settings and the Consumables Status Report shows the toner.
  • A Windows test page proves the driver and connection work: in the Canon driver's properties, open the General tab and click Print Test Page.

Canon test page works but nothing else prints

If the nozzle check or a Windows test page prints, the Canon itself works and jobs from your apps are getting stuck on the way. Check these in order:

  1. Open the print queue and cancel every job in it. A single broken job holds back everything behind it.
  2. Restart the Print Spooler in Windows Services, which clears jobs the queue window will not remove.
  3. In the queue window, open the Printer menu and untick Use Printer Offline.
  4. Make sure Windows is using the Canon driver for your model. Remove the printer and add it again with the driver from Canon's support site if it shows a basic driver name.
  5. On a Mac, delete the printer in Printers & Scanners and add it again, so macOS picks up its current address.

A network printer that keeps going offline needs the steps in why is my printer offline, and printer not printing covers the rest of the computer side.

What this test page cannot check

A web page can send a sheet to the printer but cannot talk to it. It cannot read ink levels, start a cleaning or read Canon's error codes, which flash on the printer's lamps or show on its screen. Colors also shift with the paper type set in the print window, so use the same settings each time you compare. For ink by ink checks there is a larger nozzle check pattern page, and the printer color test page adds photo patches for judging color.

Canon test page questions

How do I print a test page on a Canon printer without a computer?

Print the nozzle check pattern from the control panel. On the PIXMA TS3300 series, press Setup until 1 shows on the display, then press the Black or Color button. Models with a menu screen keep it under Maintenance as Nozzle Check or Print nozzle check pattern.

Is there a Canon printer test page button?

There is no button marked test page. On small PIXMA models the Setup button steps through numbered maintenance jobs: 1 is the nozzle check, 2 is cleaning and 3 is deep cleaning. You start the one shown with the Black or Color button.

How do I print a Canon test page from a Mac?

Open Print Center from Applications, then Utilities, select the Canon and choose Printer, then Print Test Page. For the nozzle check, open System Settings, Printers & Scanners, select the Canon, click Options & Supplies, then Show Printer Webpage on the General tab to reach Canon's maintenance page.

Why does my Canon printer print a test page but nothing else?

The printer is fine and the computer is not getting jobs to it. Clear the print queue, restart the Print Spooler, turn off Use Printer Offline and make sure the Canon driver for your model is installed, not a basic one. The full list is in the section above.

What should a Canon nozzle check pattern look like?

Pattern A should show every line with none missing, and pattern B should show no horizontal white streaks. Any missing line, white streak or missing color means the print head needs cleaning.

Why does my Canon print a blank test page?

If the nozzle check is blank as well, no ink is reaching the paper. Check the ink level, make sure the FINE cartridges or the print head are seated, then run a deep cleaning. A blank page only from a computer points to the driver instead. See why is my printer printing blank pages.