How to print a test page

Put a few sheets of plain Letter or A4 paper in the main tray and slide the guides against the edges of the stack. Clear any error message on the printer's screen first, as most printers won't print a report while an error is showing.

On printers with a screen, look under Reports, Print reports, Information, Tools or Setup. Common choices are a printer status or configuration report, a print quality or diagnostic page, and a network configuration page. Any of them works as a basic test.

Many printers without a display print a self-test or configuration page when you hold a particular button for a few seconds. The button varies by model, so check the manual or the manufacturer's support site. Avoid guessing button combinations, because on some models a held combination restores factory settings.

A clean page with solid blocks of color means the print engine is fine. Gaps, streaks or missing colors point to clogged inkjet nozzles or low supplies. Keep the configuration page: it usually lists the firmware version, IP address and page count.

Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners (Windows 10: Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners) and select your printer.

On Windows 11, click Print test page. On Windows 10, click Manage, then Print a test page. You can also open Printer properties and click Print Test Page on the General tab.

The Windows test page is mostly text: it lists the printer name, driver, port and the driver files in use. If it prints cleanly, the printer, driver and connection all work, and any remaining problem is likely in the app or document you were printing.

Click Open print queue on the same page. A job marked Error, or one sitting at the top without printing, means the computer can't reach the printer or the spooler is stuck. Cancel the job, restart the printer and try again; if the job won't cancel, restart the Print Spooler service.

The simplest test on a Mac is a short document of your own. Open TextEdit from the Applications folder, click New Document and type a few lines of text.

Choose File > Print (or press Command + P), pick your printer from the Printer menu, check the paper size and click Print.

While the job is printing, a printer icon appears in the Dock; click it to see the queue. A status such as paused, offline or an error means the Mac can't reach the printer or printing has stopped. If the printer is paused, click the resume button.

In System Settings > Printers & Scanners, select the printer and click Options & Supplies. If there's a Utility tab, it can open the manufacturer's tool for nozzle checks and alignment pages. Printers set up with AirPrint often don't have one, so use the printer's own menu instead.