Registration & Margin Test
Print edge rulers to find the unprintable margin.
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 Registration & Margin Test · print at 100% · plain paper
Margins — edge rulers (check nothing is clipped)
How this test page works
A box drawn to the page edges shows exactly how much of the paper your printer can reach, revealing the unprintable margin that clips full-bleed designs.
What the results mean
- Unprintable margin
- The gap between the paper edge and where ink starts. Most printers cannot print to the very edge without a borderless mode.
Common problems and fixes
- Content is clipped even though the document has margins
- The application's margin and the printer's unprintable area are different things, and the larger of the two wins. If the document allows a 5 mm margin and the printer cannot reach within 8 mm of the edge, three millimetres are lost. This sheet shows the printer's real limit so you can design inside it.
- The bottom margin is much larger than the others
- That is normal on most printers. The trailing edge is where the paper leaves the feed rollers, and the mechanism needs to keep hold of it, so the unprintable margin at the bottom is often two or three times the others. Any layout that assumes symmetrical margins will look wrong at the foot of the page.
- Borderless mode is not available
- Most printers offer it only for photo paper in specific sizes, because it works by deliberately overspraying the edges, which needs paper that can absorb the excess. On plain paper in a standard size the option is simply absent — not a fault, and not something a driver setting will unlock.
Frequently asked questions
Why can’t my printer print to the edge?
Most printers grip the paper with rollers that leave an unprintable border, typically a few millimetres. Some support a "borderless" mode for photo paper; otherwise design with a safe margin inside the clip line this test reveals.
Why can printers not print to the edge?
Because the paper has to be gripped and guided while it moves, and the rollers holding it occupy the margin. Borderless printing works around this by printing slightly beyond the paper edge onto an absorbent pad inside the printer, which is why it needs supported paper sizes and why it produces waste ink.
What safe margin should I design to?
Measure your own printer with this sheet rather than trusting a number, since it varies by model and by tray. As a starting point, keep important content at least 10 mm from every edge and expect the bottom to need more. For anything commercially printed, the print shop's own specification replaces all of this.