Page 1 of 5 Print quality and troubleshooting You can solve many print quality problems by replacing a supply or maintenance item that has reached the end of its intended life. Check the operator panel for a message about a printer consumable. Refer to Determining the status of supplies in the User s Reference for information about other ways to identify consumables that need to be replaced. Use the following table to find solutions to print quality problems. Repeating defects Either the toner cartridges, the photodeveloper cartridge, or the fuser are defective. Marks occur repeatedly only in one color and multiple times on a page: Replace the item if the defects occur every: 35 mm (1.38 in.) for the toner cartridges You may want to print the Print Quality Test Pages to look for defects. Refer to Printing the Print Quality Test Pages in the User s Reference the for more information. Marks occur down the page repeatedly in all colors: Replace the item if the defects occur every: 35 mm (1.38 in.) or 95 mm (3.74 in.) for the photodeveloper cartridge 95 mm (3.74 in.) or 128 mm (5.04 in.) for the fuser Color misregistration Color has shifted outside of the appropriate area (top to bottom or left to right) or has been superimposed over another color area. Turn the printer off. Remove and reinstall the photodeveloper cartridge. Turn the printer on. White or colored line Either the toner cartridges, the fuser, or the photodeveloper cartridge are defective, or toner has accumulated in front of the printhead or on the printhead lens. Replace the color toner cartridge causing the line. If you still have the problem, replace the fuser and the photodeveloper cartridge. Clean any spilled toner you see in the printer housing near the printhead using a soft, clean lint-free cloth. Clean the printhead lens. Refer to Cleaning the printhead lens in the User s Reference.
Page 2 of 5 Streaked horizontal lines The toner cartridges may be defective, empty, or worn. The fuser may be defective or worn. Replace the toner cartridges or fuser as needed. Streaked vertical lines Toner is smeared before fusing to the paper. If paper is stiff, try feeding from another tray. Replace the color toner cartridge causing the streaks. Print irregularities Paper has absorbed moisture due to high humidity. You are using paper that does not meet the printer specifications. The toner cartridges may be empty. Load paper from a fresh package in the tray. Avoid textured paper with rough finishes. Make sure the printer paper type setting matches the type of paper you are using. Replace the needed toner cartridge. Print too light Print too dark The Toner Darkness setting is too light. You are using paper that does not meet the printer specifications. The toner cartridges are low on toner. The toner cartridges are defective or have been installed in more than one printer. The Toner Darkness setting in the Color Menu is too dark. Load paper from a new package. Avoid textured paper with rough finishes. Make sure the paper you load in the trays is not damp.
Page 3 of 5 Transparency print quality is poor (Print has inappropriate light or dark spots, toner is smeared, horizontal or vertical light bands appear, or color does not project.) Toner specks Toner rubs off the paper easily when you handle the sheets. Gray background You are using transparencies that do not meet the printer specifications. The Paper Type setting for the tray you are using is set to something other than Transparency. Toner is in the paper path. The Paper Weight setting in the Paper Menu is wrong for the type of paper or specialty media you are using. The Toner Darkness setting is too dark. Use only transparencies recommended by the printer manufacturer. Make sure the Paper Type setting in the Paper Menu is set to Transparency. Change Paper Weight from Plain Weight to CardStock (or other appropriate weight). Uneven print density The toner cartridges and the photodeveloper cartridge are defective. Replace the toner cartridges and the photodeveloper cartridge. Ghost images The photodeveloper cartridge is not functioning properly. Make sure the Paper Type setting is correct for the paper or specialty media you are using.
Page 4 of 5 Clipped images (Some of the print is cut off on the sides, top, or bottom of the paper.) Incorrect margins Skewed print (Print is inappropriately slanted.) Blank pages Solid color pages The paper curls badly once it prints and exits to the output bin. Guides in the selected tray are set for a different size paper than what is Guides in the selected tray are set for a different size paper than what is Auto size sensing is set to Off, but you loaded a different size paper in a tray. For example, you inserted A4 size paper into the selected tray but did not set the Paper Size to A4. Guides in the selected tray are not in the correct position for the paper size An incorrect media type is loaded in the tray being printed from or the Paper Type setting does not match the type of media The toner cartridges are defective or empty. Your printer requires servicing. The Paper Weight setting is wrong for the type of paper or specialty media you are using. Move the s in the tray to the proper positions for the Move the s in the tray to the proper positions for the Align the optional 530-sheet drawer and duplex margins with the margins used for tray 1. Refer to the Setup Guide for instructions on adjusting the margins for tray 2 and the optional duplex unit. Move the s in the tray to the proper positions for the Load the correct type media for your print job or make sure the Paper Type setting is correct for the paper or specialty media you are using. Change the Paper Weight setting. Print quality troubleshooting To help isolate print quality problems, print the Print Quality Test Pages. 1 Make sure the printer is on and the Ready message appears. 2 Press and release Menu until you see Utilities Menu, and then press Select. 3 Press and release Menu until you see Prt Quality Pgs, and then press Select. The pages are formatted. The Printing Quality Test Pages message appears. The pages print. The message remains on the operator panel until all the pages print. The Print Quality Test Pages contain seven pages. There are four pages representing the colors the printer can produce - cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. There are two pages containing test patterns in black or shades of gray, and one page of text containing printer information like page count, installed memory, and so on. The printer returns to the Ready state after the Print Quality Test Pages print.
Page 5 of 5 Once the pages print, use the defect spacing chart as follows to correct the print quality problem. To obtain the defect spacing measurement, count the number of black lines between each print defect. Measurement Problem Solution repeats at every 8 units for one color. repeats at every 8 units for all colors. repeats at every 11 units. repeats at every 20 units. repeats at every 27 units. One of the toner cartridges or fuser Fuser Replace the cartridge showing the defect. Replace the photodeveloper cartridge first. If the problem is not resolved, replace the fuser. If you have another type of print quality problem, refer to the Troubleshooting chapter in the User s Reference on the Publications CD.