Rainbow Bars: Helps the printhead align and confirms that the printer is not bleeding ink in areas meant to be left blank.Color Intensities Graph: Helps identify color replication and helps to flush the printhead.Most color test pages include the following section:

4.7 How to Print a Printer Test Page with Mac OS (Version 2):Ĭolor test pages should be used for printers that use four or more colors.

4.6 How to Print a Printer Test Page with Mac OS (Version 1):.

4.5 How to Print a Printer Test Page with Windows XP.

4.4 How to Print a Printer Test Page with Windows Vista.

4.3 How to Print a Printer Test Page with Windows 7.

4.2 How to Print a Printer Test Page with Windows 8/8.1.

4.1 How to Print a Printer Test Page with Windows 10.

In general, there are two types of printer test pages: color test pages and grayscale test pages:

If you don’t use your printer regularly, periodically printing a printer test page can help maintain ink cartridges and save you money in the long run. Printer Status: If your printer will print a test page but is not printing other documents, you can confirm that you are experiencing a system or communication issue rather than a mechanical printer issue.Inconsistent ink flow: If a cartridge is faulty, it may release ink in uneven quantities, thereby affecting both line strength and color composition.Alignment issues: If cartridges are sitting unevenly or if the mechanical components of the printer have been damaged, the resulting printed image may be skewed compared to the electronic source image.When printheads are not used frequently, dried ink can form blockages that negatively impact print performance. Blocked printheads: A printhead is a component of the printer that helps transfer ink to the page.Printer Test Pages can be used to identify many issues, including: Test pages often include text, graphics, and images that, when printed, aim to maintain the health of your printer (and cartridges) while highlighting any issues that your printer may be having. A printer test page is one of the easiest and most effective ways to analyze and calibrate your printer’s performance.

Sample print test page