TestDock

Printer alignment test page

Print one sheet with millimetre rulers, nested margin frames, circles inside a square, diagonals and groups of fine vertical lines. With a ruler you can check whether the printer prints at true size, feeds the paper straight and lays down single, straight lines.

PDF · A4PDF · Letter

In the print dialog choose 100% / Actual size (not Fit to page), turn on Background graphics, and pick the same paper size as here.

TestDock alignment & scale test pagePaper: A4 (210 × 297 mm) · print at 100% / actual sizeRULERS (MM): HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL020406080100120140020406080100Circles 10–40 mm radius, 80 mm squarePRINT-HEAD ALIGNMENT: LINES SHOULD BE SINGLE AND STRAIGHT0.1 mm0.2 mm0.3 mm0.5 mmDiagonals: lines should be straight, without stepsCHECK ON THE PRINTED SHEETRulers measure true millimetres on both axesCircles are round and the square has equal sidesVertical lines are single, not doubled or jaggedThe frame and all four corner marks are completeOriginal pattern. If lines are doubled, run your printer's own print-head alignment.TestDock alignment & scale test pagePaper: US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) · print at 100% / actual sizeRULERS (MM): HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL020406080100120140020406080100Circles 10–40 mm radius, 80 mm squarePRINT-HEAD ALIGNMENT: LINES SHOULD BE SINGLE AND STRAIGHT0.1 mm0.2 mm0.3 mm0.5 mmDiagonals: lines should be straight, without stepsCHECK ON THE PRINTED SHEETRulers measure true millimetres on both axesCircles are round and the square has equal sidesVertical lines are single, not doubled or jaggedThe frame and all four corner marks are completeOriginal pattern. If lines are doubled, run your printer's own print-head alignment.

How to print it

  1. Choose A4 or US Letter under Paper to match the paper in the tray.
  2. Press Print test page, or download the PDF in your paper size.
  3. In the print dialog choose 100% / Actual size. Fit to page or Shrink to fit scales the sheet and makes the rulers useless.
  4. Have a ruler ready. Measure on a flat surface once the ink is dry.

What to check

  • Scale: the vertical ruler is 100 mm long and the horizontal ruler is marked in mm. Measure both. If they are short or long by the same amount, something scaled the print; if only one direction is off, the paper feed may be slipping.
  • Shape: the square is 80 mm on each side and the circles have radii of 10 to 40 mm. Ovals or an unequal square also point to uneven scaling.
  • Margins: the outer frame sits 12.7 mm (½ in) from each paper edge, with frames 5 and 10 mm further in. If the outer frame is cut off on one side, your printer's printable area is smaller there or the paper is offset; the inner frames show by how much.
  • Skew: the frames should run parallel to the paper edges and the diagonals should meet the corners. A slanted frame means the paper went in at an angle — adjust the paper guides and try again.
  • Print-head alignment: four groups of vertical lines, 0.1 to 0.5 mm thick. Each line should be single and straight. Doubled, jagged or stepped lines are typical of a misaligned inkjet head, often most visible in fast or bidirectional printing.

If lines are doubled or the scale is off

  • Run your printer's own print-head alignment from its maintenance menu, driver utility or app, then print this page again. This page cannot align the head itself; only the printer's routine can store new alignment values.
  • If the scale is wrong, check the print dialog again for scaling, paper size and any “fit to printable area” option, and compare with the downloaded PDF.
  • If edges are cut off, see whether the printer has a borderless or margin setting, and check the paper size in both the dialog and the printer.
  • For two-sided printing, use the duplex test page. For text, colours and grey steps on one sheet, print the printer test page.

Questions

Why are my lines doubled or jagged?

On inkjet printers this usually means the print head is misaligned, so passes printed in different directions do not line up. Run the alignment routine in your printer's maintenance tools. Blocked nozzles cause gaps rather than doubled lines.

My 100 mm ruler prints as 97 mm. What happened?

Most likely the print was scaled, for example by Fit to page. Choose 100% or Actual size and check that the paper size in the dialog matches the paper in the tray. Small differences of a fraction of a millimetre can also come from paper feed and ruler accuracy.

Related tests