How to Print a Test Page

A test page is the quickest way to find out where a printing problem sits. This guide shows how to print a test page from Windows 11 and 10, a Mac, a Chromebook, an iPhone or an Android phone, and from the printer itself, and what each one proves. If the printer's own test page prints, the printer works. If the test page from your computer prints too, the driver and the connection work. If you want to judge print quality as well, print the printer test page here, which shows every color, gray steps, fine text and the print scale on one sheet.

Quick checks

Before you print anything, spend 30 seconds on these:

• The printer is switched on, shows ready rather than an error, and has paper in the tray you use.
• Nothing is stuck in the print queue. One failed job holds back every job after it.
• On Wi-Fi, the printer and the computer or phone are on the same network.
• A new cartridge or toner has had all its tape and packing removed.

Which test page do you need?

Start with the printer's own report when nothing prints at all. Start with the computer's test page when the printer prints its report but ignores your documents.

Print a test page in Windows 11

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Select Bluetooth & devices, then Printers & scanners.
3. Select your printer in the list.
4. Select Print test page. Windows sends the page and the printer should start within a few seconds.

The same page has Printer properties, which opens the classic window with a Print Test Page button on its General tab. Either one prints the same Windows test page.

Print a test page in Windows 10

1. Open Settings and select Devices, then Printers & scanners.
2. Select your printer and select Manage.
3. Select Print a test page.

The older Devices and Printers route

This works in Windows 10 and in Windows 11 builds that still have the Control Panel page:

1. Open Control Panel and, under Hardware and Sound, select View devices and printers. Typing control printers in the Run box (Windows + R) opens the same window.
2. Right-click your printer and select Printer properties. Plain Properties opens a different window without the test page button.
3. On the General tab, select Print Test Page.

On recent Windows 11 updates, Devices and Printers may open the Settings page instead. Use the Windows 11 steps above in that case.

From a command prompt

Microsoft's printui command prints a test page to a named printer, which helps when Settings will not open or you look after several computers:

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /k /n "Printer name"

Use the printer's name exactly as Settings shows it, inside the quotes.

What the Windows test page shows

The Windows test page is mostly text. It opens with a short message saying the printer is installed correctly, then lists the printer's properties: its name and model, the port it uses, the driver name and version, and Color Support. Two things are worth checking on it. If Color Support says No on a color printer, the driver is not set up for color, so reinstall the maker's driver. And the port should match how the printer is connected: a USB port for a USB printer, a network or WSD port for a network one.

How to print a test page on a Mac or MacBook

System Settings has no test page button, but the print queue has one in its menu:

1. Open Print Center from Applications, then Utilities. You can also press Command + Space and type Print Center.
2. Select your printer in the sidebar.
3. In the menu bar, choose Printer, then Print Test Page.

On macOS Ventura and earlier, open System Settings (System Preferences on older versions), then Printers & Scanners, select the printer and click Print Queue or Open Print Queue. The same Printer menu is in the menu bar.

Some printer drivers add their own test in Options & Supplies. With Epson's driver, the Utility tab has Open Printer Utility for the nozzle check. Canon's driver opens its maintenance page from Show Printer Webpage on the General tab. Xerox points out that its Mac driver has no test page button and suggests printing a line typed in TextEdit instead.

To check print quality from a Mac, open the color test page in Safari, press Command + P and set the scale to 100%.

Print a test page from a Chromebook

ChromeOS has no test page button, so you print a page instead:

1. Make sure the printer is set up: open Settings, search for Printers and open the printer settings. Save the printer if it shows in the list of available printers.
2. Open the print test page in Chrome and press Ctrl + P.
3. Under Destination, choose your printer. Select See more if it is not listed.
4. Select Print.

If the printer does not appear, both devices must be on the same network. You can add a printer by its IP address with Add printer manually, using the IPP protocol.

Print a test page from an iPhone or iPad

iPhones and iPads print through AirPrint, which most current printers support over Wi-Fi.

1. Open the test page in Safari.
2. Tap the Share button, scroll down and tap Print.
3. Tap Printer and choose your printer.
4. Set the number of copies, then tap Print at the top right.

The printer must support AirPrint, and the printer and the iPhone must be on the same Wi-Fi network. If the printer does not show up, print its network report from the printer's own menu to check which network it is on.

Print a test page from an Android phone

1. Open the test page in Chrome.
2. Tap the three dot menu, then Share and Print.
3. Choose your printer at the top of the print preview, then tap the print button.

If your printer is not listed, install its maker's print app or print service from Google Play, then try again. The phone and the printer must be on the same Wi-Fi network.

Print a test page from the printer itself

Almost every printer can print a test page with no computer at all, from a button hold or the menu on its screen. It is the best first test when nothing prints, because it takes the computer, the cable and the network out of the picture. A few examples from the makers' guides:

• Epson ET-2400: turn the printer off, hold stop and press power, then let go of both. The nozzle check prints.
• Canon PIXMA TS3300 series: press Setup until 1 shows, then press Black or Color.
• Brother HL-L2400D: with only the Ready light on, press Go three times.
• Xerox B210: hold Cancel for about 4 seconds, until the light blinks fast.
• Zebra ZD421: press FEED and CANCEL together for two seconds.

Each maker uses its own name for these pages, which helps when you search their support sites:

When the test page will not print

What you do next depends on which test page failed.

The printer's own report prints, but the computer's test page does not. The printer works, so the fault is on the computer:

1. Open the print queue and cancel every job.
2. Restart the Print Spooler. Open Services, double-click Print Spooler and select Stop. Open the folder %WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers and delete the files in it, then start the Print Spooler again with its startup type set to Automatic.
3. In the print queue window, open the Printer menu and make sure Use Printer Offline is not ticked.
4. Remove the printer in Printers & scanners and add it again, using the full driver from the maker's support site rather than a basic one.

The full set of computer side fixes is in why is my printer not printing, and network printers that show as offline are covered in printer offline Windows 11. A USB printer that never shows up in Windows at all is a connection problem: see USB device not recognized.

Both test pages print, but your documents do not. The printer, the driver and the connection are fine. Try printing a PDF from a different app: if that works, the fault is in the first app's print settings.

Nothing prints, not even the printer's own report. Check the printer's screen or lights for an error, such as a paper jam, an open cover or an empty cartridge, then turn it off for a minute and on again.

The page feeds through but comes out blank. Ink or toner is not reaching the paper. See printer printing blank pages.

When it is a hardware fault

If the printer's own test page still shows faults after a cleaning cycle and fresh ink or toner, the problem is inside the printer. On inkjets, print the nozzle check after each cleaning and stop after two or three cleanings: if lines are still missing, the print head is worn or dried out. Some printers take a replaceable print head and others build it into the ink cartridge, so a new cartridge is a cheap first step on those. On laser printers, marks that repeat down the page usually come from the drum or the fuser, and the drum is often part of the toner cartridge.

Before you pay for a repair, check the warranty on the maker's support site. The status or configuration report usually shows the serial number they ask for, and the dated test pages you printed are useful evidence of the fault. For an out of warranty home printer, a print head or fuser repair can cost close to the price of a new printer, so get a quote before you agree to it.

Test page questions