Retest PC

Nozzle Check

Print steps, fine lines and a solid block in each ink. A gap or white line shows which color has blocked nozzles, and the steps below clear them.

Inkjet and photo printersUS Letter and A4
Paper size
Test page
Download PDF8 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 16% of the sheet. A page of plain text covers about 5%.

Reading your nozzle check

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.

Printer color test page

One color missing

That cartridge is empty, dried out or not seated, or its nozzles are blocked. Reseat it, then run a cleaning cycle.

Printer not printing in color

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

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

Print the built-in test page from your printer

Most printers can print their own test page from a menu or a button. Pick your brand for the steps.

HP printer test pageEpson printer test pageCanon printer test pageBrother printer test pageSamsung printer test pageLexmark printer test pageXerox printer test pageZebra printer test page

Printing from a computer instead? See how to print a test page on Windows, Mac and Chromebook.

This nozzle check page prints a nozzle check pattern for each ink on its own: a staircase of short lines, a block of fine lines and a solid block in cyan, magenta and yellow, then black, with a band and small text in each. Every line comes from the print head's nozzles, so a broken step, a missing line or a white stripe through a solid block shows which color is blocked. It works with any inkjet or photo printer, from Epson, Canon, HP, Brother and others, on US Letter or A4. Use it alongside the nozzle check built into your printer, which the steps below also cover. Once every line prints, a full test print confirms that colors, text and alignment are right too.

How to run a nozzle check

  1. Choose Nozzle check pattern above and the paper size, and load plain paper.
  2. Press Print this page, select your printer and print at 100% with Standard quality.
  3. Look at each row in good light. A magnifier helps with the yellow row.
  4. Note every color with gaps, then run one head cleaning from the printer's Maintenance menu or driver.
  5. Print the pattern again and compare. Repeat up to three times in all.

How to read a nozzle check pattern

What you see What it means What to do
Every step and line present in every color The print head is clear Look elsewhere: alignment, paper or settings
A few broken steps or lines in one color Some nozzles in that color are blocked One cleaning, then check again
White lines across the solid block and band Blocked nozzles that also streak your prints Cleaning, then check again
A whole color pale or missing Ink is not reaching the head Check the ink, the seating and the tape first
Lines present but wavy or doubled The head is out of alignment, not blocked Run the alignment and print the print alignment page

A pattern with the odd missing line can still print text well. Clean when the gaps show up in your prints as streaks or wrong colors, not just because a single line is missing.

The built-in nozzle check draws one short line per nozzle, so it maps the head exactly. Print it whenever this page shows a problem.

  • Epson: on models with a screen, Maintenance, then Nozzle Check or Print Head Nozzle Check. Models without a screen start it with a button hold at power on, and the Windows driver has it on the Maintenance tab. The nozzle check epson guide has the buttons for each model.
  • Canon PIXMA and MAXIFY: the Maintenance or Setup menu prints the nozzle check pattern, and Canon IJ Printer Assistant Tool does the same from Windows. See print test page on canon printer.
  • HP: the Print Quality Report, from the printer's Tools or Reports menu or the HP Smart app, shows color blocks for each cartridge. See the hp print test page steps.
  • Brother: press Ink, then Improve Print Quality and Check Print Quality on most MFC-J and DCP-J inkjets. The machine asks whether the lines are clear and cleans the head if they are not.

How many head cleanings to run

A head cleaning forces ink through the nozzles to push out dried ink, and the used ink drains into a waste pad inside the printer. That is why cleaning costs so much more ink than printing.

  1. Run one cleaning, then print the nozzle check.
  2. Repeat up to three times in a row.
  3. If gaps remain, switch the printer off with its power button and leave it for several hours, ideally overnight. Ink in the nozzles softens dried ink in that time.
  4. Run one more cleaning and check. If the pattern is still poor, use the deeper cleaning many printers offer, called Power Cleaning on Epson and Deep Cleaning on Canon. It uses far more ink, so check the levels first.

Running dozens of cleanings fills the waste ink pad. Epson printers then stop with a message that a part inside has reached the end of its service life. Models with a replaceable maintenance box only need a new box; on the rest, the pad needs a service.

A color stays blank after cleaning

  • Check the ink: an empty tank or cartridge, or one not clicked into place, prints nothing at all. New cartridges often have a strip of tape over the outlet that must come off.
  • Print heads inside the cartridge: most HP and many Canon home printers carry the print head on each cartridge. A new cartridge brings a new head, so if one color stays blank after cleaning, replace that cartridge.
  • Cartridge errors: if the printer reports a problem with one cartridge, take it out, wipe its copper contacts with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with distilled water, let them dry and refit it.
  • Separate print heads: Epson, Canon MegaTank and HP Smart Tank printers have a print head that stays in the printer when you change ink. If rest and deep cleaning do not help, the head needs replacing. HP and Canon sell print heads you can fit yourself for many of these models, while an Epson head needs a service.

When one color will not print at all, the guide for a printer not printing in color covers driver settings and cartridge errors as well.

Keep nozzles from drying out

  • Print a printer color test page once a week. Moving ink keeps the nozzles wet.
  • Switch the printer off with its power button, not at the wall. The printer parks and caps the head before it turns off.
  • Leave cartridges in the printer, and keep spares sealed until you need them.
  • Keep the printer away from heaters and direct sun, which dry ink faster.

What this page cannot check

A browser cannot fire single nozzles. The printer driver turns each line on this page into dots, so one blocked nozzle out of hundreds may not leave a visible gap. The printer's own nozzle check prints one line per nozzle, which is why it is the final word. This page also cannot start a cleaning or read ink levels; use the printer's Maintenance menu or app for those.

Nozzle check questions

What is a nozzle check?

A test print that shows whether every nozzle in an inkjet print head is firing. Each nozzle prints a tiny line, so a blocked nozzle leaves a gap. Printers print their own pattern from the Maintenance menu, and this page prints a larger one for each ink.

How do I do a nozzle check on an Epson printer?

On models with a screen, open Maintenance and choose Nozzle Check or Print Head Nozzle Check. On EcoTank models without a screen, such as the ET-2400, turn the printer off, hold the stop button and press power, and let go when it turns on. The nozzle check epson guide lists the steps by model.

How do I run a nozzle check on a Canon printer?

On PIXMA and MAXIFY printers with a screen, open the Maintenance or Setup menu and choose the nozzle check pattern. From a Windows computer, open Canon IJ Printer Assistant Tool and choose Nozzle Check.

How many head cleanings should I run?

Run one cleaning, then print the check again, and stop after three rounds. If gaps remain, turn the printer off with its power button and leave it for several hours, ideally overnight, before trying again. Each cleaning uses ink and fills the printer's waste ink pad.

Does a nozzle check use much ink?

Very little. The printer's own pattern is a few short lines per ink, and this page covers about a sixth of the sheet. A head cleaning uses far more ink than any nozzle check.

Do laser printers have a nozzle check?

No. Laser printers have no nozzles; they fuse toner onto the paper. Use the black and white printer test page to check a laser printer for streaks and pale patches.