This printer alignment page prints a 5 mm grid with a circle and square that each measure 100 mm, blocks of vertical lines in black, cyan, magenta and yellow, small text, rulers and marks along every edge. Each part answers a different question. Jagged lines or doubled letters mean the print head is out of alignment, a grid that slants means the paper feeds crooked, an oval circle or short rulers mean the page was scaled, and the edge marks show where your printer stops printing. It works with inkjet and laser printers on US Letter or A4, next to the alignment pattern your printer prints for itself. To check inks and text at the same time, print the general print test page as well.
How to use the printer alignment page
- Choose Alignment grid above and the paper size, and load plain paper.
- Press Print this page, choose your printer, set the scale to 100% and the margins to None.
- Look at the vertical line blocks and the small text first, then hold a ruler against the circle in both directions.
- Compare the grid with the edge of the paper and find the first edge mark that printed on each side.
- Fix what you find with the steps below, then print the page again.
What the alignment page shows
| Part of the sheet | What it checks | A good result |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical lines in each ink | Print head alignment between passes | Straight, sharp lines with no steps |
| Small text | Doubled printing | Crisp letters with no shadow |
| 5 mm grid | Paper feed and skew | Square to the paper edge, every cell the same |
| Circle and square | Scale in both directions | 100 mm across, both ways |
| Rulers | Print scale | 100 mm and 4 in exactly |
| Edge marks | Printable area | The first visible mark is your printer's margin |
Jagged vertical lines or doubled text
An inkjet head prints in both directions as it moves across the page. When the two passes drift apart, straight lines come out with small steps and text looks doubled or blurred. It often starts after the printer is moved or new cartridges go in. Run the printer's own alignment, then print this page again:
- HP: printers with a screen offer Align Printhead or Align Cartridges in the Tools or Maintenance menu, and the HP Smart app lists it under print quality tools. The hp printer test page guide covers each type of HP.
- Epson: Maintenance, then Print Head Alignment, where you choose the most even pattern in each group. The epson printer test page guide has the steps for button models.
- Canon: Maintenance, then Print Head Alignment, either automatic or manual, or from Canon IJ Printer Assistant Tool on Windows. See the canon printer test page guide.
- Brother: the Maintenance or Ink menu has alignment next to the print quality check on most inkjets.
Laser printers have no print head to align. On a color laser, colors that do not line up need the color registration or calibration step in the printer's menu.
The HP alignment page will not scan or prints blank
HP all-in-ones such as the DeskJet 2700 and 2800 series print their own alignment page after you fit cartridges, then ask you to scan it.
- Lay the page printed side down on the scanner glass, against the corner marked by the icon next to the glass.
- Close the lid fully and follow the prompt on the printer or in HP Smart, which usually means pressing a copy or start button.
- If the printer says the alignment page was not detected or cannot be read, wipe the scanner glass, reprint the alignment page and scan it again.
- If the alignment page itself is blank or has missing colors, remove any tape from the new cartridges and check them with a nozzle check before aligning again.
If alignment still fails, the printer will usually let you skip it and print normally. Check the result with this page.
Lines slant or the page prints crooked
When the whole grid sits at an angle to the paper edge, the head is fine and the paper is entering at an angle. Slide the paper guides against the stack so it cannot twist, but not so tight that the sheets bow. Fan the paper before loading, do not overfill the tray, and wipe the feed rollers with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with water. A printer that skews on every sheet after that may have a worn pickup roller.
The circle is oval or the rulers measure short
- Both directions short by the same amount: the print window scaled the page. Set Scale to 100% or Actual size.
- Wrong paper size: an A4 page printed on Letter paper, or the reverse, is shrunk to fit. Pick the size that is in the tray.
- Borderless printing on: borderless modes enlarge the page slightly so it runs off the edges. Turn it off for this test.
- Only one direction short: the paper is slipping as it feeds. Clean the rollers and use fresh paper.
Find your printer's margins with the edge marks
Short marks sit 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 mm from the middle of each edge. The first mark that printed on each side tells you where your printer's printable area begins. Inkjets commonly print to about 3 mm from the edge and laser printers to about 4 to 5 mm, and nothing outside that border will ever print, whatever an app's margins say. If a document keeps losing its edges, set its margins wider than the gap the marks show.
What this page cannot fix
A browser cannot move the print head or change how the printer lines up its passes. Only the alignment tool in the printer's menu, app or driver can do that, so use this sheet to find the problem and check the result. If you print the alignment PDF instead, the printer test page pdf a4 list has both paper sizes, and they need Actual size in the print window to measure true.
Alignment page questions
What does a printer alignment page look like?
A printer's own alignment page has rows of numbered patterns, or on HP all-in-ones, a sheet of blocks that the scanner reads. This printer alignment test page shows a grid, a 100 mm circle and square, vertical lines in each ink and edge marks, which reveal alignment, skew, scale and margins at once.
Why does my printer keep printing an alignment page?
HP all-in-ones print an alignment page after every cartridge change and wait for you to scan it. Lay the page face down on the scanner glass and finish the scan, and the printer stops asking. If it repeats after every restart, reseat the cartridges, since the printer may be reading them as new each time.
Why is my printer alignment page blank?
The cartridges are not printing: protective tape left on a new cartridge, an empty cartridge or blocked nozzles. Fix that first, because alignment needs every color to print. The guide for a printer printing blank pages covers each cause.
How do I align the print head on a Canon PIXMA?
Open the Maintenance or Setup menu on the printer and choose Print Head Alignment, or open Canon IJ Printer Assistant Tool in Windows and choose Print Head Alignment. Many PIXMA models print a pattern and read it themselves; others ask you to pick the best pattern from each row.
Does aligning the print head fix streaks?
No. Alignment fixes jagged lines and doubled text. White lines and streaks come from blocked nozzles, which a head cleaning and a nozzle check page fix.