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Black and White Test Page

Print this black and white test page to check black ink or toner: solid black, 21 gray steps, checkerboards, fine lines and small text.

Paper size:
Tip: print at 100% scale

Set Scale to 100% (Actual size) and turn off "Fit to page". The ruler on the sheet should measure exactly 100 mm. If the print dialog shows a different paper size, pick Letter or A4 there too, or print the PDF.

To keep color ink unused, choose Grayscale or Black ink only in the print dialog or the printer settings.

Preview of the Letter sheet. It prints at full size.

PDF – Letter

How did it print?

Hold your printout next to the screen and pick what you see. You get the likely cause, the page to print next and what to do.

Pictures are illustrations of each problem, not photos of real prints.

What it checks

This page is drawn in black only, so it tests the black cartridge or toner on its own. It has six numbered zones; the same numbers are printed on the paper.

  1. Zone 1: Solid black. A 60 × 30 mm block of 100% black. It shows how dense your black is and whether light lines or blotches break it up.
  2. Zone 2: Gray steps. 21 steps from white to black in 5% increments. They show where your printer starts to lose detail in light grays and dark shadows.
  3. Zone 3: Checkerboards. Checkerboards with 2 mm, 1 mm and 0.5 mm squares. Clean squares mean sharp dots; squares that merge into gray mean ink or toner is spreading.
  4. Zone 4: Lines. Line grids from 0.1 to 1 mm, horizontal and vertical, plus a 36-ray star. Thin lines should stay unbroken and the rays separate until close to the center.
  5. Zone 5: Text. The same sentence from 4 to 14 pt in sans-serif and serif type, to check how small your printer can print readable text.
  6. Zone 6: Size check. A 100 mm ruler and a 4 inch ruler. If they measure short, the print was scaled.
Black and white printer test page with a solid black block, 21-step grayscale, checkerboards and fine lines (Letter)
Black and white test page, Letter size. Zone numbers match the list.

How to print in black only

A black and white page can still use color ink: some printers build dark grays from cyan, magenta and yellow. Switch the print to black or grayscale before you print, keep the scale at 100% and pick the paper size you loaded.

Windows

In the Chrome or Edge print dialog, set Color to Black and white. For the printer's own setting, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select the printer and open Printing preferences. The option depends on the driver: look for Grayscale, Black & White or Black ink only.

Sources: Microsoft Support: Print in Microsoft Edge (opens in a new tab); Microsoft Support: Fix poor print quality in Windows (opens in a new tab)

macOS

In the print dialog, turn off Print in Color. It only appears when your printer can print in color. Some drivers add their own grayscale option under the printer's features in the same dialog.

Source: Apple Support: Print settings on Mac (opens in a new tab)

The browser's Black and white setting turns the page gray before it reaches the printer. The driver's Black ink only setting is the one that keeps the color cartridges idle, so use it when you have the choice. Step-by-step help for each device is in the printer test page guide.

Reading the gray steps

Count how many of the 21 steps you can tell apart. On plain paper the darkest two or three steps often merge, and that is normal. Watch for these problems instead:

  • Several light steps look white: the printer drops the lightest grays, which usually means low ink or toner or a Toner Save mode.
  • The steps jump unevenly: some look the same and the next one is much darker. The ink or toner is low, or the print quality setting is Draft.
  • Light lines cross the strip: clogged nozzles on an inkjet. Run the head cleaning and print again.
  • The grays look brown, green or blue: the printer is mixing gray from color inks. Print again with Black ink only or Grayscale.

On a laser printer, faded steps across the whole page point to low toner. If only one side of the page is faded, the toner cartridge is near its end or the toner inside has settled.

Lines and text

Checkerboards (zone 3). The 2 mm and 1 mm boards should show crisp squares. The 0.5 mm board can look gray from a distance, but up close you should still see squares. If it prints as a solid gray patch, ink or toner is spreading into the paper: set the right paper type, or use smoother paper.

Lines (zone 4). Each grid should have separate, even lines. A 0.1 mm line that breaks up or fades means the printer is at its limit or a nozzle is weak. Doubled or jagged vertical lines on an inkjet call for a print head alignment.

Text (zone 5). Read down from 14 pt. The smallest size where the letters still have clean edges is the practical limit at your current settings. Fuzzy or shadowed letters at 8 pt and above point to alignment or to too much ink for the paper.

Still unsure? The How did it print? cards at the top of the page match common problems to fixes.

FAQ

Does a black and white test page use color ink?

It can. Many inkjets mix dark grays from color inks unless you tell them not to. Choose Black ink only or Grayscale in the printer settings to keep the color cartridges out of it.

Why does my black print gray or faded?

The usual causes are low ink or toner, Draft or Toner Save mode, or a paper type setting that doesn't match the paper. On an inkjet, clogged black nozzles also make black look gray and streaky: run the head cleaning and print this page again.

Why is there a line down every page from my laser printer?

A line that runs down the page in the same place every time usually comes from the drum or the toner cartridge. A scratched drum leaves a dark line; a gap in the toner leaves a light one. Swapping in a new cartridge or drum unit confirms which part is at fault.

Is this page useful for laser printers?

Yes. Solid black, gray steps and fine lines show toner density, fading and banding on laser printers just as they show ink problems on inkjets. Print it with toner saving turned off so you see the printer at full strength.

More test pages