testpageforprinter

Laser printer test page

Free test sheets for laser printers in Letter and A4. Check streaks, faint print, ghosting, smears and stray marks, and see what the makers say each defect means.

Which sheet to print on a laser

Laser printers fuse toner onto the page, so their problems look different from an inkjet’s: streaks along the page, faint or gray areas, repeated images and toner that smudges. These sheets make those defects easy to see. Print at actual size (100%) on the plain paper you normally use. Most of these sheets also come as pictures, so if your app only opens images, use the printer test images (PNG).

SheetWhat it shows on a laserLetterA4Page
Black & white test page
Black text, lines and gray steps for streaks, faint areas and density.Letter PDFA4 PDFDetails for Black & white test page
Solid black test page
One full block of black, so streaks, faded areas and uneven density stand out.Letter PDFA4 PDFDetails for Solid black test page
Blank page test
An almost empty page, so stray marks, a gray background or repeating spots stand out.Letter PDFA4 PDFDetails for Blank page test
Grayscale test page
A 21-step gray wedge and large gray blocks for uneven density and banding.Letter PDFA4 PDFDetails for Grayscale test page
Text clarity test page
Text from 3 pt to 14 pt and reversed text for sharpness and toner spread.Letter PDFA4 PDFDetails for Text clarity test page
CMYK test page
For color lasers: each toner on its own, so a weak or missing color stands out.Letter PDFA4 PDFDetails for CMYK test page
Color test page
For color lasers: solid color swatches and 10% ramps for color balance.Letter PDFA4 PDFDetails for Color test page

What the makers say each defect means

These steps come from Brother, HP and Canon manuals for specific models. Menu names and settings differ between printers, so check the manual for yours.

Vertical lines or streaks

  • Brother says to clean the corona wire inside the drum unit, then replace the toner, then the drum. It also warns that a corona wire tab left out of its home position leaves a vertical stripe.
  • HP (Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277) says toner, paper and dust that build up inside the printer can cause streaks, lines and smears, and suggests a cleaning page. Its Print Quality Page shows whether streaks come from one toner cartridge, which HP says to replace, or from another part.
  • Canon (imageCLASS) points to the paper, the toner and cleaning the fixing assembly from the printer’s menu.

Faint or light print

  • Brother says to turn off Toner Save, clean the drum and corona wire, then replace the toner or drum.
  • HP says to check the supplies status page and, if the whole page is too light, to turn off EconoMode in the driver.
  • Canon says to check the paper, then the toner or drum, which may be near the end of its life.

Ghosting (a faint repeat of the image)

  • Brother says to check the media type setting, then the drum.
  • Canon lists replacing the toner, a Reduce Ghosting setting on some models, and cleaning the fixing assembly.

Smears, or toner that rubs off

  • Brother says to check the media type setting and use its Improve Toner Fixing option.
  • HP says to check that the paper type setting matches the paper, print a cleaning page, and use paper designed for laser printers, not paper made only for inkjets.
  • Canon says to use suitable paper, check the toner and run Clean Fixing Assembly.

Gray background, spots or repeating marks

Print the blank page test to see these clearly. Canon has cleaning and special modes for a gray background on some models, and HP lists toner specks and repeating marks among the problems its cleaning page is for. Brother says spots that repeat at a fixed distance point to the drum. On its HL-L2400 series that distance is 94 mm (3.7 in), and it gives a drum dot check sheet to find the spot. Other models use other distances.

Colors that do not line up (color lasers)

  • Brother (HL-L3210CW series) says to use its Color Registration function when solid areas of color or images have cyan, magenta or yellow fringes. It runs from the printer’s menu.
  • Canon (imageCLASS LBP633Cdw) says a shift in the positions of the toner colors, which it calls print color mismatch, can make printouts look blurry, and corrects it with Correct Print Color Mismatch in the Adjustment/Maintenance menu.
  • HP (Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277) says to calibrate the printer for misaligned color, colored shadows or blurry graphics, from Color Calibration in the Print Quality settings.

The registration targets on the CMYK test page and the center target on the alignment test page show colors that do not line up. Print one before and after to compare.

Built-in test pages on laser printers

  • Brother: a Test Print and a Printer Settings report, from the printer’s menu.
  • HP: the Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277 prints a Print Quality Page from its Reports menu, plus a supplies status page and a cleaning page.
  • Canon: reports and lists from the menu, including a consumables status report on the imageCLASS MF753Cdw.

Laser or inkjet?

Laser printers have no ink nozzles or print head to clean or align, so the nozzle check does not apply. On the color lasers we checked, colors that do not line up have their own registration or calibration routine, described above. If you have an inkjet, use the inkjet printer test page. For a step-by-step diagnosis, see streaks or lines, smudges, faded print and blank pages.

Sources checked: Brother HL-L2400 series, improve the print quality, clean the corona wire, clean the drum unit, test print and printer settings, and HL-L3210CW series, color registration. HP, Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277 user guide (PDF), improve print quality section. Canon, imageCLASS MF269dw, MF753Cdw printing problems, cleaning the fixing assembly and reports and lists, and imageCLASS LBP633Cdw, correcting print color mismatch. Last checked 2026-10-06.

Good questions

Which test page should I print on a laser printer?
Start with the black and white test page and the blank page test. Together they show streaks, faint print and stray marks. On a color laser, add the CMYK test page.
Does a laser printer need a nozzle check or head alignment?
Not a nozzle check. Laser printers use toner and a drum, not ink nozzles, so there is no print head to unclog or align. A color laser can still print its colors out of line, and the Brother, Canon and HP color models we checked have a color registration or calibration routine for that. See the colors section above, and follow the steps in your printer’s manual.
My laser printer has a built-in test page. Should I use it?
Yes. Brother’s HL-L2400 series can print a Test Print and a Printer Settings page, and HP’s Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277 prints a Print Quality Page that shows whether a defect comes from one toner cartridge. Printing one alongside our sheet helps separate a printer problem from a file or driver problem.
Why does toner rub off the page?
Brother, HP and Canon all point to the paper and the paper type setting. HP also says to use paper designed for laser printers, not paper made only for inkjets. See the smears section above.