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Laser Printer Test Page
Laser faults live in density, fusing and geometry, and none of them involve nozzles. This sheet measures how evenly toner is laid down and whether it stays on the paper.
Set scaling to 100%. Choose Actual Size in the print dialog, never Fit to page — scaling distorts every measurement on this sheet. The Download PDF button hands you that same sheet as a ready-made file, so there is no scaling decision to get wrong.
How to print the Laser Printer Test Page
- Load plain white paper and set the media type in the driver to plain or plain bond.
- Open this page and pick the black and white pattern for a clean read on toner alone.
- Set quality to High — economy modes thin out solids and imitate a failing cartridge.
- Set scaling to Actual Size or 100%.
- Print and let the sheet cool for a few seconds before handling it.
- Scratch a corner gently with a fingernail: toner that lifts means the fuser, not the cartridge, is the fault.
Reading the result
| Solid areas are even and dark | Toner level, transfer and fuser are all working. Anything remaining is geometric or a driver setting rather than a consumable fault. |
| Solids look grey or patchy | Low toner, a worn drum, or a transfer roller that is not making full contact across the width. Shaking the cartridge is a diagnostic only — if the print improves it is nearly empty, and refilling will not restore density. |
| Text looks washed out but solids are fine | The print mode is too light for the media, or the driver is in economy. Move to High quality and reprint before replacing anything. |
| A ghost image repeats down the page | The fuser is not releasing toner cleanly, or the drum is retaining the previous image. The repeat pitch usually matches the drum circumference, which tells you which of the two it is. |
| Toner rubs off when you scratch it | Fusing temperature or pressure is wrong for the stock, or the media type in the driver does not match what you loaded. Never assume a dead cartridge before you have checked the media setting. |
Also check
- Gradient and banding page — Density faults that a solid block hides appear immediately as stripes in a ramp, which is why the ramp is the better test for a partly worn drum.
- Alignment page — Separates a mechanical feed problem from a consumable one — geometry that is square rules out the tray and rollers entirely.
- Inkjet test page — If you own both, comparing them shows which faults follow the document and which follow the machine.
Related test pages
- B&W printer test page — Removing colour from the equation isolates density, toner coverage and fine detail problems.
- Greyscale printer test page — A grey ramp with no colour in it makes tonal problems, colour casts and scaling errors impossible to miss.
- Banding printer test page — Solid bars hide banding. Gradients expose it. This page prints both, side by side, for each channel.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell a laser fault from an inkjet fault?
Toner faults appear as even density problems — pale solids, patchy blocks, ghosting — while inkjet faults appear as gaps, streaks and feathered edges. A laser has no nozzle plate, so if you can see a row of fine gaps in a pattern, you are looking at something else entirely, usually a worn drum or a transfer artefact.
Why does my laser printer fade after a few pages?
That pattern usually points at the fuser warming up or toner settling rather than an empty cartridge. Print this sheet twice, several minutes apart: if the second is darker, temperature is the variable, and the cartridge has plenty left.
Is ghosting the same as banding?
No. Ghosting is a faint repeat of something already printed, which is a drum or fuser problem. Banding is horizontal striping across a solid area, which is a transfer or density problem. The pitch of the repeat is the quickest way to tell them apart.
Does paper weight matter on a laser printer?
More than people expect. Heavier stock needs more fuser heat and more dwell time, and running it as plain bond will produce exactly the rubbing-off symptom above. Set the media type correctly and retest before deciding anything is broken.
How often should I print a laser test page?
When output changes, after a cartridge change, or after the machine has sat unused. Toner does not dry out the way ink does, so there is far less value in routine testing — the sheet is a diagnostic, not a maintenance item.