Print Test PageFree print check
Printer alignment test page
AlignmentEvenly spaced crosses
In the print dialog choose Actual size or 100%, and turn off headers and footers. Only this sheet is sent to the printer.
Alignment · US Letter · 1 page
Print this printer alignment test page when vertical lines step sideways or a column of text leans. Aligning the printer head is done from the printer's own menu or its computer app. This sheet shows whether that alignment is holding. It does not run the alignment for you.
What you should see
Crosses are 20 mm apart, horizontally and vertically, on both Letter and A4. Each cross should look square. A whole row that drifts, or a cross whose arms miss each other, is the mark to compare before and after the printer's alignment routine.
The 100 mm line is still on the sheet. Check it with a ruler. If the line is short and the crosses are also squeezed in one direction only, the dialog scaled the page. Fix the scale before you judge the print head.
A sensible order
- Print this sheet once, at actual size, and mark the worst row.
- Run the alignment or "print head alignment" command from the printer panel or the manufacturer's app.
- Print the sheet again on the same paper size.
- If color blocks are also wrong, print the color print test page after alignment, not before.
The print test page is the better sheet for gray steps and small text. This one is only the grid.
Common questions
Will this page align the printer by itself?
No. The crosses are a ruler. The alignment routine has to come from the printer maker, because the correction is stored in the printer.
How far apart are the crosses?
20 mm from center to center, in both directions. Measure two centers if a row looks uneven. Do not measure from the edge of the paper; some printers cannot print in the last few millimeters.
What if only one color is shifted?
That is a color-registration problem. Note which color misses the black cross, then use the manufacturer's alignment, which usually prints its own pattern. Our crosses are black only, so they will not show a single color shifting.