This Epson printer test page prints from your browser to any EcoTank, WorkForce or Expression printer and to older Epson inkjets. One sheet shows all four inks, cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK), in solid bars, fades and fine text, so you can see straight away whether a color is missing, streaked or pale. Epson printers also print their own nozzle check pattern without a computer, and that pattern is the quickest way to see which of the cyan, magenta, yellow and black nozzles are blocked. The steps for every type of Epson control panel are below.
Print the Epson printer test page from your browser
- Load plain paper and pick the same size above the sheet: US Letter or A4.
- Choose Full color page for a general check, Black and white page to check the black ink alone, or Single color page to test one ink tank or cartridge on its own.
- Press Print this page, pick your Epson in the print window, and set the scale to 100% or Actual size.
- Set the paper type to plain paper. A photo paper setting on plain paper lays down far more ink than the paper can hold.
- Compare the result with the table below, then run the nozzle check if any color looks wrong.
Run the built-in Epson nozzle check
The nozzle check prints a short block of fine lines for each ink. It uses very little ink, so print it before you run any cleaning cycle.
EcoTank models without a screen (ET-2400 and similar)
Epson's steps for the ET-2400 use the buttons at power on:
- Press the power button to turn the printer off.
- Load a few sheets of plain paper.
- Hold down the stop button and press the power button to turn the printer on.
- When the printer turns on, release both buttons. The pattern prints after a few seconds.
Other EcoTank models without a screen use their own button combination, so check the user's guide for your model on Epson Support if this one does not start the pattern.
EcoTank, WorkForce and Expression models with a screen
On models with a screen, such as the ET-2800 and ET-4800, load plain paper, press the home button if needed, select Maintenance, then Nozzle Check, and press the start button. Other models call it Print Head Nozzle Check, and on some of them Maintenance sits inside Settings. After the pattern prints, the screen asks whether it has gaps and offers a head cleaning if it does.
From Windows or a Mac
- Windows: right-click the Epson printer icon in the taskbar and choose Nozzle Check or Print Head Nozzle Check. If the icon is not there, open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, select the Epson, open Printing preferences and use the Maintenance tab.
- Mac: open System Settings, Printers & Scanners, select the Epson, click Options & Supplies, then Utility and Open Printer Utility. Choose Nozzle Check.
Print the Epson network sheet and a Windows test page
The network status sheet lists the IP address and Wi-Fi details, which you need when a computer cannot find the printer.
- ET-2400: hold the network status button for at least seven seconds. Letting go earlier prints a network connection report instead, which checks the Wi-Fi link.
- ET-4800: press the home button, then choose Settings, Network Settings, Print Status Sheet and press start. Connection Check in the same menu prints the connection report.
To check the computer side as well, print the Windows test page: open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, select the Epson, then Printer properties and Print Test Page. If it prints, Windows, the driver and the connection all work.
Epson calls the same stop and power hold a product check on many models without a screen: if the pattern prints, the printer itself works and any fault lies with the computer or the connection. Some older Epson inkjets use the paper or ink button in place of stop, so check the user's guide for yours.
How to read the Epson nozzle check
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Every line present in every color | Print head is clean | Nothing, the fault is elsewhere |
| A few gaps or faint lines in one color | Some nozzles are blocked | Run one head cleaning, then print the check again |
| Most of a block missing | Badly blocked nozzles or no ink reaching the head | Power Cleaning, after checking the ink level |
| Lines present but text looks doubled | The head is out of alignment | Run Print Head Alignment and print the print alignment page |
For a larger pattern that shows each ink in steps and fine lines, use the nozzle check pattern page.
Gaps that stay after cleaning
Epson's advice is to alternate a head cleaning and a nozzle check up to three times. Each cleaning flushes ink through the head, so running many in a row wastes ink without helping.
- Run a head cleaning from the Maintenance menu, the Maintenance tab or Epson Printer Utility, and wait until the power light stops flashing.
- Print the nozzle check again.
- After three rounds without improvement, turn the printer off and leave it for at least 12 hours. Ink often softens a dried blockage in that time.
- If lines are still missing, run Power Cleaning. It uses much more ink, and cleaning may not run at all when ink is low, so check the levels first.
- Never open the printer's cover or turn it off during a cleaning cycle, which Epson warns can damage it. Turn it off with the power button, not at the wall, so the print head is capped and does not dry out.
If the pattern shows gaps right after you refill an EcoTank, check the FAQs on the support page for your model before running repeated cleanings.
Epson prints a test page but not your files
When the nozzle check or a Windows test page prints but your files do not, the printer works and the problem is on the computer side. Epson's own checklist for this:
- Delete stuck jobs: on the Maintenance tab of the Epson driver, click Print Queue and cancel everything.
- Make sure Windows is using the Epson driver for your model. Basic drivers that Windows picks by itself limit what the printer can do.
- Set the Epson as the default printer and check that the port in Printer properties matches how it is connected, USB or network.
- Check that the printer is not shown as offline or paused. On a Mac, select the Epson in Print Center and make sure printing is not paused.
If it still fails, why is my printer not printing covers the spooler, port and driver fixes in full, and printer offline covers network printers that drop off.
Epson receipt printers
Epson TM receipt printers have their own self-test. Turn the printer off, hold FEED and turn it on. It prints the firmware version and communication settings. Press FEED again to continue with a page of letters, numbers and symbols. To test the print width and darkness from a computer, use the receipt printer test page.
What this test page cannot check
The browser sends a page to the printer like any document, so it cannot read ink levels, start a cleaning or see error lights. Colors on the sheet also depend on the paper and quality settings, so compare two sheets only when they were printed with the same settings. For color accuracy beyond a quick check, print the color test page for printer with its photo patches.
Epson test page questions
How do I print a nozzle check on an Epson ET-2400?
Turn the printer off and load a few sheets of plain paper. Hold down the stop button and press the power button, then let go of both when the printer turns on. The nozzle check pattern prints after a few seconds.
Is there an Epson printer test page button?
Epson printers have no single test page button. On the ET-2400 and similar models without a screen, a button hold at power on prints the nozzle check, and models with a screen keep it in the Maintenance menu as Nozzle Check or Print Head Nozzle Check. The Windows driver and the Mac Epson Printer Utility can also print it.
How many times should I run Epson head cleaning?
Epson suggests alternating a cleaning and a nozzle check up to three times. If the pattern still has gaps, turn the printer off and leave it for at least 12 hours before trying again, then use Power Cleaning if lines are still missing.
How do I print a test page on an Epson printer from a Mac?
Open Print Center from Applications, then Utilities, select the Epson and choose Printer, then Print Test Page. For the nozzle check, open System Settings, then Printers & Scanners, select the Epson, click Options & Supplies, then Utility and Open Printer Utility. That button appears when Epson's own driver is installed.
Can I get an Epson printer test page as a PDF?
Yes. Choose the page and the paper size above, then press Download PDF. A4 and US Letter versions are available for the color, black and white, nozzle and alignment sheets.
What does an Epson nozzle check pattern look like when it is good?
Each color prints as a block of short, evenly spaced lines with no gaps. Missing or broken lines in a block mean that color's nozzles are blocked, and an almost empty block calls for Power Cleaning.