Is your printer streaking, fading, or printing dull colors? Before you buy new cartridges, print one of our free test pages to diagnose the problem. Each PDF is free, no signup needed.

1. Black Printer Test Page (PDF)

Checks black toner density, text sharpness at 5 sizes, fine-line quality, and print-head alignment. If the solid black block looks gray or streaky, your black cartridge may be running low — or the printhead may just need cleaning; the steps below show how to tell.

Download Black Test Page PDF

2. Color Printer Test Page (PDF)

Checks all four color cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) with solid blocks, smooth gradients, and color-on-black registration text. If one color looks washed out while the others are vivid, that color is the suspect — clean first (see below) before you replace anything.

Download Color Test Page PDF

3. Printer Diagnostic Page (PDF)

Full-width CMYK bands reveal white streaks and faded zones at a glance; the alignment grid shows wavy lines or misregistration. Print this one when something looks "off" but you can't tell which cartridge is at fault.

Download Diagnostic Page PDF

One honest note: these PDFs are visual check pages. They don't replace your printer's built-in nozzle check and cleaning utilities — for inkjets, run those from the printer's maintenance menu; they test and clean the nozzles in a way a printed page can't.

How to use a test page

1. Download the PDF and print at 100% scale (no "fit to page").
2. Compare your print to the descriptions above.
3. Don't replace anything yet. Faded or streaky output is often a clogged printhead or uneven toner distribution, not an empty cartridge. Run your printer's cleaning cycle first, then reprint the test page. For toner cartridges, gently rocking the cartridge side to side can redistribute the powder. Only if the same fade or streak stays in the same place after cleaning is the cartridge the likely problem.

How to read your test page

A test page only helps if you know what it is telling you. Read yours in this order:

• Are the color bands even? Each color should print as a solid, uniform band. A band that fades from one side to the other points at that color's cartridge running low or settling unevenly.
• Is one channel missing entirely? If cyan, magenta, or yellow is absent while the rest print, that cartridge is empty, badly seated, or still has its sealing tape on. Reseat it before ordering anything.
• Are the gradients smooth? The grey and color ramps should shade gradually. Visible steps or bands in the ramp (banding) point at a worn drum or a driver quality setting set too low.
• Do any marks repeat? The same spot at regular intervals down the page is a rotating part reporting damage. Measure the spacing — it names the part. The full method, with the repeat-distance table, is in our printer printing problems guide.
• Is the black text crisp? Fuzzy or shadowed text on an otherwise clean page is usually alignment or calibration — run the printer's built-in routine from its menu before blaming supplies.

Found a defect you cannot name? The symptom-by-symptom diagnosis guide starts from exactly these pages. And if you run printers for an office, our IT help desk printer checklist turns this page into a 10-step routine your whole team can use before opening a ticket.

Need cartridges? We stock compatible and genuine OEM cartridges for Brother, Canon, HP, Lexmark, Xerox, Dell, and more — browse by printer model.

Free for personal and office use. No email required.