Troubleshooting Print Devices Lesson 003: Print Quality Issues Part 2

Speckling on Output

Occurs whenever there are random dots or toner spots on a printout.

What does speckling on output indicate in a laser printer?

Loose toner will be found inside the printer.

How does a tech fix the issue of speckling on output in a laser printer?

Clean the inside of the printer with a toner-safe vacuum or use a damp cloth.

Vertical or Horizontal Lines

Typically caused by dirty feed rollers or a damaged photosensitive drum.

How is the problem of vertical or horizontal lines fixed in a printer?

Replacing the drum or cleaning the rollers.

Toner Not Fusing Properly

The printout may smudge or smear when touched because the toner isn’t heated enough to bond with the paper.

What causes the issue of toner not fusing properly?

The heated roller in a fuser assembly isn’t heating up properly.

What is the first step for troubleshooting a heated roller in a fuser assembly not heating up all the way?

Verifying it’s voltage and heat output.

What does a tech do if he finds a faulty fuser in a laser printer?

Replace it.

Double Images/Echo Images/Ghosting

Condition in which the remnants of a previous printout appear on a new one.

Why does ghosting usually happen?

When the drum fails to clear excess toner between print jobs.

How is ghosting usually fixed?

Replacing the drum, sometimes including the toner.

Incorrect Chroma Display

Occurs when the colors in the printout don’t match the expected output.

What is the most common cause for incorrect chroma display?

A toner or ink cartridge was installed into the wrong slot.

What is the most common fix for incorrect chroma display?

Ensure the correct cartridges are placed in the appropriate slots.

Outside of the most common cause, what might be the cause of incorrect chroma display?

Problem with the printer drivers or software.

What is a less common fix for solving the issue of incorrect chroma display?

Reinstalling or updating the drivers.

Colors Missing From Printout

Could be due to an empty or clogged ink or toner cartridge.

What does a tech usually need to do in order to fix the issue of colors missing from printouts?

Replace the empty cartridge or clean the contacts between the cartridge and the printer using isopropyl rubbing alcohol.

Garbled Printouts

Occur when the characters on the page are jumbled, corrupted, or unreadable.

What is the most common cause of garbled printouts?

Software or driver related issue, causing data sent to the printer to become corrupted.

What is the most common fix to the issue of garbled printouts?

Reinstalling or updating the printer drivers.

What should a tech ensure if the issue of garbled printouts persists beyond the normal fix?

Print job data is being correctly processed by the spooler and printer settings

Missing Dots in Printer Characters or Images

Printhead pins can wear down overtime from repeated impact, leading to incomplete characters.

How it the issue of missing dots in printer characters or images resolved?

Replacing the printhead.