Epson printer test page

Before you start

• Load a few sheets of plain A4 or Letter paper.
• Make sure the screen shows no error and, on EcoTank models, that every tank is filled above the lower line.
• Run the nozzle check before alignment: Epson notes that clogged nozzles can spoil an automatic alignment.

Nozzle check from the control panel

On Epson models with a display, the nozzle check is in the maintenance menu. Epson's pages for the ET-2980/L4360, ET-2550/L475 and WorkForce WF-2630 families use Setup (or the settings icon) > Maintenance > Print Head Nozzle Check, or Nozzle Check on some models. Press the start button and the pattern prints.

Older models without a menu use a button combination held while switching the printer on. The combination differs between models, so take it from your own manual rather than from a forum post.

Nozzle check from Windows or a Mac

• Windows: right-click the printer icon in the taskbar notification area (click the up arrow if it is hidden) and choose Nozzle Check or Print Head Nozzle Check, then Print. It is also on the Maintenance or Utility tab of Printing Preferences.
• macOS: System Settings > Printers & Scanners, select the printer, then Options & Supplies > Utility > Open Printer Utility, and choose Nozzle Check.

Both routes need Epson's own printer driver; a generic driver installed by the operating system may not show the utility.

Reading the nozzle check

Look at each block of lines closely, in good light:

• No gaps: the head is fine. Click Finish; the problem is elsewhere (paper type, quality setting, alignment or the file).
• Gaps or faint lines in one or more colours: run a head cleaning, then print the nozzle check again.
• Almost the whole pattern missing: on models that offer it, Epson suggests a Power Cleaning instead of repeated normal cleanings.

On the ET-2980/L4360 family, Epson says that if gaps remain after three normal cleanings or one Power Cleaning, you should turn the printer off and wait at least 12 hours before checking again; other model pages give different waiting times. If the pattern still does not improve, contact Epson support.

Print head alignment

• Control panel: on models with a menu, Epson uses Setup > Maintenance > Head Alignment (some models split it into automatic and manual options under Print Adjustments).
• Windows: Printing Preferences > Maintenance tab > Print Head Alignment.
• macOS: Open Printer Utility as above and choose Print Head Alignment.

Manual alignment prints numbered patterns; you choose the most even one in each group. Alignment fixes blurred text and doubled or misaligned vertical lines, not missing colours.

On a phone, the Epson Smart Panel app sets up the printer and shows its status; on the models we checked, Epson documents the nozzle check from the panel or the computer.

Then print a real page from your computer

A built-in Epson report proves that the printer, ink and print head work on their own. It does not prove that your computer, driver and connection can send a job. Once the report looks clean, print the printer test page or the colour test page from your browser: if the report is fine but the page from your computer is not, the problem is in the settings, the driver or the connection rather than the hardware.

Print at 100% / Actual size, on plain paper, with Background graphics turned on, so each result can be compared with the next. For general steps on Windows, macOS and phones, see how to print a test page; to check the edges and scale of the print, use the alignment test page.

About this guide

TestDock is an independent site and is not affiliated with Epson. Menu names are quoted from Epson's own support pages for the model families named above; they change between models and firmware, so check the manual for your printer.