How-to · Printer brand
Canon test page and nozzle check
Print a Canon nozzle check pattern from the printer driver, then clean the print head only if lines are missing.
Print the built-in test page
Canon printers differ widely: some have a touchscreen, some have only a few buttons. We cannot give one set of panel steps that works for every model.
- 1Load plain paperLoad plain Letter or A4 paper and make sure the printer is on and shows no error.
- 2Open the maintenance or setup menuOn models with a screen, look in the maintenance or setup menu for a nozzle check or test print option. Names vary by model.
- 3Use your manual for button-only modelsSome models print a pattern from a button sequence. Those sequences are model-specific, so use your printer’s online manual rather than guessing.
- 1Open Printer PropertiesOpen the printer’s Printer Properties (or Printing Preferences, depending on your driver).
- 2Open the Maintenance tabClick the Maintenance tab.
- 3Print the check patternClick Nozzle Check, then Print Check Pattern, and confirm when prompted.
- 4Windows test page (optional)For the plain Windows connection test, use Printer properties, then Print Test Page on the General tab.
Canon’s Mac utility name and location depend on the printer and driver version.
- 1Open your printer’s Canon utilityCheck Canon’s support page for your model to see which utility to open on macOS.
- 2Find the nozzle checkLook under Maintenance or Test Print in that utility for the nozzle check pattern.
- 3Print on plain paperLoad plain Letter or A4 paper and print the pattern.
Canon’s support instructions are written per model, and the older examples we could confirm use a driver Maintenance tab. Newer models may differ, so confirm on Canon’s support site for your exact model.
Run a nozzle check
Based on Canon’s support instructions for the printer driver.
- 1Print the patternIn Printer Properties, click the Maintenance tab, click Nozzle Check, then Print Check Pattern.
- 2Read the patternComplete lines are healthy. Canon describes missing lines or white stripes as a sign the print head needs cleaning.
- 1Open CleaningIf the pattern shows problems, use the Cleaning button that Canon’s nozzle check screen provides.
- 2Print the pattern againCheck the result. If lines are still missing, follow the further steps in your model’s official guide rather than repeating blindly.
Print our own pattern too: nozzle check sheet. Cleaning cycles use ink, so stop after two and recheck.
What a test page tells you
- A nozzle check pattern checks ink delivery. A Windows test page only checks the connection.
- Canon’s own guidance describes missing lines or white stripes in the pattern as the sign to clean the head.
- Menu names and button sequences differ by Canon model. Do not copy a button combination from a forum for a different model.
- Use plain Letter or A4 paper for checks.
Official sources
Steps follow these pages. Menu names can change with updates.
Canon inkjets print a nozzle check pattern so you can see whether the print head is delivering ink evenly. This page covers the parts we can confirm from Canon’s own support pages and is honest about the parts that depend on your model.
The Windows route
Canon’s instructions for its driver say to open Printer Properties, go to the Maintenance tab, click Nozzle Check, and then click Print Check Pattern. Load plain Letter or A4 paper first. That is the quickest way to test a Canon inkjet from a PC.
Reading the pattern
Complete lines are a good sign. Canon describes missing lines and white stripes as the cue to clean the print head. If you need help judging a pattern, our guide to reading a nozzle check shows what each defect means.
Model differences
Canon printers range from button-only models to touchscreen all-in-ones. Some older models print the pattern from a button sequence on the printer. Those sequences are specific to each model, so we deliberately do not list one here. If you want to use the printer’s panel, look up your model on Canon’s support site and follow the steps there.
Test page versus nozzle check
The Windows Print Test Page button, available on the General tab of Printer properties, only confirms the connection. For ink problems, print the nozzle check pattern, our own nozzle check sheet, or the color test page.
Cleaning
If the pattern shows problems, use the cleaning function from the same screen, then print the pattern again. Avoid running cycle after cycle without checking, as cleaning uses ink. If prints stay poor, read streaks or lines, faded print and missing color.
All our sheets are available in Letter and A4 on the PDF hub.
Good habits
Print the pattern on plain white paper and look at it in good daylight. Keep a copy from when the printer was working well so you can compare later. Repeat the check after replacing an ink tank, and note the date on the page so you can see how quickly problems return.