Borderless Print Test
Print a full-bleed pattern to test borderless output.
Print settings
Print this on the paper you normally use, then examine each section. What a healthy result looks like is described above each pattern on the sheet.
RunTheTests Borderless Print Test · print at 100% · plain paper
Ink coverage — solid density blocks
Margins — edge rulers (check nothing is clipped)
How this test page works
The page lays down a colour density block and a set of margin markers that run to all four edges of the sheet. When you print it with borderless mode on, the ink should reach every edge with no white showing. Where a printer can't go truly edge-to-edge, the white margin it leaves is exactly what these markers measure — you print the sheet, then judge it against the guidance printed on it rather than trusting a driver setting.
What the results mean
- Edge coverage
- In borderless mode, colour should run off all four edges. A white border means borderless is off, or unsupported for this paper size and type.
- Uneven margins
- If the white border is thicker on one side than the other, the sheet is feeding in slightly skewed or the borderless alignment is off — a feed or alignment issue, not a borderless one.
- Ink pooling at the edge
- Borderless prints slightly oversize and overshoots the paper, so heavy ink right at the edge can smear or pool on plain paper. On photo paper, which is made to absorb it, the edge stays clean.
Common problems and fixes
- I still get a white border
- Borderless has to be enabled in the print driver AND supported for the exact paper size and type you selected — it is usually limited to photo paper in standard photo sizes. On plain paper most printers cannot go borderless at all, so the option is greyed out or silently ignored.
- Content near the edge is cut off
- To guarantee full bleed, borderless mode scales the image up by roughly 2–3% so it overshoots the paper. Anything you place in that outer band is trimmed. Keep text and anything important away from the very edge, or turn borderless off for documents where nothing should be lost.
- The colour at the edges looks different from the middle
- Your browser sends RGB and the driver converts to CMYK, and saturation can shift where ink is heaviest. This is a colour-management effect, not a fault. Your printer's own built-in test print is the authoritative colour reference.
Frequently asked questions
Which paper supports borderless printing?
Usually photo paper in standard photo sizes — 4×6, 5×7, and A4/Letter photo stock. Plain paper rarely supports it, because the overspray that makes full bleed possible would land on the printer's rollers and platen. Check the driver's paper-type list: the borderless option appears only for the sizes and types the printer allows it on.
Does borderless printing use more ink?
Slightly. To reach every edge with no gap, the printer deliberately prints past the paper onto a sponge or gutter beneath it. That overspray is wasted ink, which is one reason borderless is reserved for photos rather than everyday documents.
Why does my printer have no borderless option at all?
Borderless is mainly an inkjet photo feature. Many office inkjets and most laser printers simply cannot do it — a laser's paper path needs a physical gripper margin — so there is no setting to enable. If it isn't in the driver, the hardware doesn't support it.