Colour Test Page
Print a colour test page and diagnose banding, wrong colours or fading.
Print this page, then look at the blocks and gradient. Even, solid colour with a smooth fade means the printer is healthy. Bands, missing colours or fading each point at a different problem — tell the tool what you see below.
RunTheTests colour test · print at 100% · check for banding, missing colour and fading
What did the printout look like?
How this test page works
The page prints solid colour bars, a blended spectrum and skin-tone patches — the things that expose printer problems most clearly. You print it, look at the result, and tell the tool what went wrong; each symptom points at a different cause, from a blocked nozzle to a colour-management setting.
What the results mean
- Banding
- Regular horizontal lines across the blocks — the signature of a partly blocked print head. The nozzle-check page confirms which channel.
- Wrong colours
- Solid but inaccurate hues. Almost always colour management — paper type, profile or a "vivid" setting — rather than the printer itself.
- Fading
- Weak output across everything usually means low ink; weak in one colour only means a nozzle problem.
Common problems and fixes
- The colours are close but not exact
- That is normal for an RGB-to-CMYK conversion on a home printer. For accurate colour, set the correct paper profile and turn off enhancement options — or use the printer’s own calibration.
- One colour is missing entirely
- That is a blocked nozzle, not a colour setting. Run the nozzle-check page and then a cleaning cycle.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my printed colours not match my screen?
Screens emit light and mix colour additively (RGB); printers absorb light and mix subtractively (CMYK), and the two gamuts do not fully overlap. Some vivid screen colours simply cannot be reproduced in ink. Matching them needs profiled paper and calibration, not a brighter cartridge.
Should I use plain or photo paper?
Match the paper to the driver setting, whichever you use. The mismatch — photo settings on plain paper, or the reverse — is a far more common cause of bad colour than any hardware fault.