Printer Ink Test Page.
Print this ink test page and check the CMYK density bars, fade strips and solid black band — fading, streaks or a colour cast show which ink is failing.
How to read the results
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| The lightest steps (10–25 %) fade or vanish | That channel is low or nearly empty — refill or replace the cartridge. |
| White streaks cross the solid black band | A clogged nozzle or dirty feed roller — run a nozzle check and clean the rollers. |
| CMY-mix grey looks warmer or cooler than the true-black grey | One colour is over- or under-firing, so the colour balance is off. |
| Bars look grainy or blotchy, not solid | Low ink, the wrong paper or economy mode — refill and match the media setting. |
Frequently asked questions
What is an ink test page?
It is a sheet of solid colour bars, density steps and gradients that shows how well each ink cartridge is printing. Fading, streaks or a colour cast reveal low ink, a clogged nozzle or a balance problem. It is a quick way to check ink health before you buy new cartridges.
How can I tell which cartridge is low?
Look at the density bars for each colour: a healthy channel prints all five steps distinctly, while a low one fades out in the 10–25 % steps or looks pale overall. The gradient fade strip makes it clearer — a low cartridge drops to white early. Compare all four channels side by side.
Why are there white streaks in the black band?
Horizontal white streaks across a solid fill usually mean a clogged nozzle or a dirty, worn feed roller laying ink unevenly. Run a nozzle check to confirm the channel, then clean the head and wipe the rollers. Streaks that repeat at a fixed spacing point to a roller rather than a nozzle.
The greys don’t match — what does that mean?
The page prints two greys: one mixed from cyan, magenta and yellow, one from black only. If the CMY grey looks warm (reddish) or cool (bluish) next to the true black, one colour is printing too strong or too weak. That is a colour-balance issue you can often fix by cleaning or recalibrating.
Will this use a lot of ink?
One page uses a modest amount — mostly the density bars and the black streak band. If you are low, switch on the economy comparison to preview a 50 % row, or print in draft mode. It is far cheaper than replacing a cartridge you did not need to.
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