Over time, the printer begins to perform worse and this is noticeable in the print quality. The appearance of various defects and various stripes indicates wear and tear on the printer parts. Instead of the usual letters, you see stripes of varying widths. They can be one color or multi-colored, located horizontally or vertically, in one or several places on the sheet.
There are many reasons for poor-quality printing, but the most common are wear of parts and clogging of the printing hammer with paint. Next, we will look at both the causes and ways to eliminate them.
If you have an inkjet printer
“Striped” printing in inkjet printers from any manufacturer appears for the following reasons:- When the ink runs out, the chip either blocks the cartridge or, as in HP printers, prints poorly, with streaks.
- The print head, the device that applies the ink, is clogged with dried particles.
- There is air in the print head.
- There is a malfunction in the printing mechanism (loop cable, for example).
Troubleshooting
Step oneCheck how much ink is left:
And this is what a printer from Epson will show (picture above).
And if your printer has a CISS system, a device that supplies the print head with ink from refillable cans, then the utility is not needed. The reservoirs show how much ink is left.
If the problem is that there is not enough ink, simply refill or replace the cartridge.
Step two
The print head may become clogged, in which case it needs to be cleaned. If your device is from Epson, you will find the print head in the printer. And if from HP and Canon, look in the cartridge. To solve the problem in this case, just install another cartridge. But if you don’t want to change it because there is still ink, or buying a print head, for example, in Epson printers, will be too expensive, you can try cleaning it. And do it better using software methods. So:
- Check if there is paper in the printer and in the control program, for example, Head Cleaning, find the “Service” or “Maintenance” tab.
- The program will clean the printing hammer, and you can check how the ink flows from the nozzles or nozzles using the Nozzle Check utility.
HP
Canon
If the problem persists, run the print head cleaning and nozzle check one or two more times. Does not work? Call Mr. Muscle to your home and use his surface cleaner. The chemicals it contains can dissolve dried ink from the print head.
If your printer model produces ink continuously, make sure the holes are clean. The ink may not be able to enter the print head due to lack of air. This happens if there is a filter. It can become dirty and prevent air from flowing freely. Change the filters or remove them completely.
The problem of “strip” printing often occurs when the printer is used occasionally. Make it a habit to run your printer every few days as a preventative measure to keep the ink from drying out. In this case, printing is optional. As soon as you turn on the device, nozzles are supplied a large number of enough ink to last for several days.
Have you changed the ink cartridge or refilled it and the printer stopped printing? It is possible that air has entered the print head and in this case it needs to be cleaned.
Perhaps the print head is faulty? You cleaned it using both software methods and Mr. Muscle, but the problem remained. In this case, it is not a matter of contamination, but a breakdown. The head itself, its parts or the cable may fail.
This problem is common among those users whose printer is actively used every day. The ink supply device may have become unusable due to frequent removal. The problem can only be solved by purchasing a printing mechanism or parts for it. And this is a minus of the Epson inkjet printer, since the part can cost as much as the device itself.
And with HP or Canon printers, everything is solved simply - by replacing the ink cartridge. This is where the printing mechanism is located in printers from these manufacturers. We replaced the cartridge and the problem was solved. True, this also costs money, but that is another problem.
If the printing mechanism is located in the printer, you will not be able to solve the problem on your own. In this case, it is better to contact an office equipment repair shop.
If a laser printer prints in stripes
The laser printer began to print poorly, which means:- The toner is running low.
- The cartridge allows air to pass through.
- The waste toner bin is full of waste.
- The drum or cartridge part is faulty.
- The toner adjustment blade is not installed correctly.
- The magnetic shaft and photodrum are not in contact.
- The magnetic shaft is damaged, or the reason lies in a foreign object getting into it.
Troubleshoot printing problems in different situations
The stripes appear in different places each time
Streaks everywhere in different places when printing may indicate problems with the toner cartridge. Perhaps it is not hermetically sealed?
If the rubber bands on the toner are loose or torn, the toner will spill out. Also check the body of the toner cartridge; perhaps the problem lies in its external damage. If these cases are confirmed, try to eliminate the defect, and if this does not work, you will have to buy a new cartridge.
The stripes consist of individual small dots
This happens if your cartridge was refilled poorly. The problem could also be in the hopper or the metering blade.
Refill the cartridge again and check all the details that we mentioned just above. If the problem is the blade, reinstall it; if the problem is an overfilled hopper, clean it.
Unprinted stripes in any part of the sheet
If the toner is running low or a piece of it gets on the magnetic roller, this problem occurs. The recommendation is simple - refill the cartridge.
A wavy or intermittent stripe is located along the edges of the sheet on one or both sides
The photodrum, the main part of a laser printer, is an aluminum cylinder that is coated with a photoconductive dielectric. The toner is supplied to the drum using a magnetic roller. If you use the printer for a long time, the photoconductive material will rub off on the paper. The way out in this case is to buy a new photodrum.
Horizontal stripes at equal distances from each other
Spilled toner causes poor contact between the drum and the magnetic roller, or the hopper becomes full of waste. Refill the cartridge properly, replace the cable and the problem will be solved.
Any printer, whether laser or inkjet, during operation comes to a stage in its operation when the print quality deteriorates. The printed pages become dull, horizontal or vertical stripes appear on the sheet, the image is printed with gaps (no shading in places), etc. All these troubles can appear for various reasons, which depend on the printing technology used in the devices. For a laser printer, these are problems with the cartridge or drum, and for an inkjet printer, if he prints with stripes, there are malfunctions in the print head, interruptions in ink.
There are not so many reasons for the appearance of “striations” on a sheet coming out of the printer.
A manufacturing defect cannot be ruled out, especially if your newly purchased device begins to draw stripes.
But, if before the appearance of this defect your machine printed well, then in most cases the problem can be fixed at home, and you can do without a trip to the service center.
Checking Ink Levels
First of all, you should check the ink levels on your inkjet printer. To determine the paint level, you can use software, namely a utility that comes with any printing equipment. For example, to determine how depleted the cartridge resources are in HP equipment, you need to launch a program designed to control the device and select the “Approximate ink levels” tab. The utility window is shown in the figure below.
For Epson units the window will look like this:
When the ink level in the cartridge reaches zero, it must either be refilled or replaced with a new one.
If to the printer CISS connected, this program will turn out to be useless. The ink level is easily determined by looking at the transparent CISS containers. If there is enough ink in them, then you should check the cable through which the ink enters the cartridges. It should not contain kinks, the cable tubes should not be pinched by anything, and there should be no air pockets (small areas with air) in them. You should also check the air filters on the CISS tanks. If they are clogged with dust or paint, then there will be no air leaks into the container, and the ink from these containers will stop flowing to the print head, which will cause streaks to appear during printing.
Cleaning the print head
For inkjet printers, it is very important that there is no downtime. Otherwise, due to a long pause, the ink in the print head dries out and clogs the nozzles - the holes through which ink is sprayed onto the paper.
In some models of printing equipment, the print head can dry out within a couple of days of equipment downtime.
But for most devices, it takes 1 to 3 weeks for the ink to dry in the nozzles. In any case, you need to turn on the device regularly so that it can “blow through” the nozzles with ink.
In modern printers and MFPs, the manufacturer has provided the ability to clean the print head using the device itself, with using a proprietary utility. For example, for an HP device this function is called “Cleaning cartridges”.
For Epson printers this function called “Cleaning the Print Head”. This software also allows you to do a preliminary check, which allows you to determine from the printed impression whether the nozzles are actually clogged. This function is useful for saving ink, since when cleaning the print head there is an increased consumption of ink: it is the ink that washes the nozzles.
For Canon devices, to clean the head, in the utility window you need to click on the “Cleaning” item, or “Deep cleaning” - a more advanced type of it, with a high consumption of ink.
If the inkjet printer prints in stripes, it is recommended to repeat this procedure 2-3 times in a row, and let the device “settle” for a couple of hours, after which it can be used for its intended purpose.
If hardware cleaning does not help, you will have to resort to manual washing of the print head as shown in this video.
If the inkjet head is built into a cartridge, it is recommended to soak the nozzles in Mr. Muscle glass cleaner for at least a day. It is desirable that the liquid be green or blue. The nozzles should be soaked in such a way that the detergent does not come into contact with the electrical contacts. After soaking, carefully blot the nozzles with a napkin, insert the cartridge into the printer, and run the standard cleaning procedure described above.
It is not recommended to soak and wash the inkjet head from an Epson printer at home, since it is very “capricious” and can easily be rendered unusable. The price of a new head is comparable to the price of a new printer. Therefore, if you suspect that the nozzles have dried out, it is better to contact a service center.
Problems with encoder strip and disk
Also, the reason that a white stripe appears when printing, which is repeated at the same distance, may be the presence clogs on the encoder disk. It is usually located on the left side of the machine on the paper feed shaft. The disc is made of transparent plastic and has special markings.
When there is dust, paint or other contaminants on the disk markings, the optocoupler sensors are not able to correctly read the information, and the paper is positioned incorrectly. You can also use Mr. Muscle to clean the disc. It is important that this product is intended for cleaning glass and contains ammonia.
The carriage into which the cartridges are inserted is positioned along the encoder tape. It is a transparent strip of plastic with strokes applied to it. It is located near back wall(inside the device).
If dirt gets on the tape, then the correct carriage positioning gets lost, and the text or image when printed is shifted to the side at regular intervals. Wipe this tape with the same product as the encoder disk. Just be careful during this procedure. If the tape comes off the fasteners, you will have to disassemble half of the device to put it back in place.
Important! Acetone and other solvents cannot be used to clean the encoder disk or tape, as this can erase the markings.
Why does a laser printer print in stripes?
Before looking for the reason why a laser printing machine streaks, it is necessary to have at least a minimal understanding of the structure of the unit. It can be clearly seen in the following figure.
When printing on a laser printer, the appearance of streaks can be caused by the following reasons:
- damage to the photodrum;
- broken contacts between the magnetic shaft and the photodrum;
- toner has run out;
- damage to the magnetic shaft;
- cartridge leakage;
- Waste bin overflowing.
Drum damage
The photodrum is an aluminum shaft that has a special coating that is sensitive to optical radiation. Only the outer layer is sensitive to laser radiation, which becomes thinner over time and wears off in some places.
Even if wear is not visually detected, thinning of the active layer still affects print quality. In this case, along the edges of the sheet black stripes appear. As the active layer on the image drum wears, the stripes will expand.
It should be noted that toner consumption in these areas will be higher because the thickness of the toner layer on the drum will be high. As a result, other parts of the cartridge or the printer itself, for example, the thermal unit, may fail.
Although there is a method for restoring the active layer on the photodrum, it is not very effective. The best way out In this situation, the part will be replaced with a new one.
Lost contact between the magnetic roller and the photodrum
If a sheet comes out of the printer with horizontal stripes located at the same distance relative to each other, this is a sign of poor contact between the photodrum and the magnetic shaft.
Such a nuisance arises when the toner spills or the waste bin overflows. This defect may also occur after improper cartridge refilling or wear of the shaft, squeegee, photodrum. The problem is solved by replacing failed components or refilling the cartridge with high quality.
Out of toner
You can tell that the cartridge is running out of toner if marks appear on the sheet. white stripes having different widths.
What should I do if I run out of toner? The answer is obvious: replace or refill the cartridge.
Damage to the magnetic shaft
The main purpose of the magnetic roller is to transfer toner to the photodrum. Since the toner has abrasive particles, it is because of them that the magnetic roller wears out.
If the magnetic shaft is damaged, the following printing defects become noticeable:
- white voids appear on the sheet;
- gray blots appear, evenly spaced on the paper;
- pale print;
- uneven filling of the image.
Also, if the magnetic shaft is damaged, horizontal wavy stripes.
This problem can only be solved by replacing the shaft.
Cartridge leaks
This indicates that the seal of the cartridge is broken. vertical stripes, located chaotically, and each time in a new place.
You need to remove the cartridge from the device and check whether toner is spilling out of it. If this is the case, then you should check this element for mechanical damage, whether the rubber seals are inserted well to prevent the toner from spilling out. If cracks or other irreparable damage is detected, the cartridge must be replaced.
Waste bin is full
The cartridge contains a squeegee that removes unused toner. The latter is disposed of in a special container called a waste bin. This compartment is usually cleared when replacing cartridge. If the hopper is not cleaned, it will become overfilled with toner, which will spill out. The following figure shows the effect caused by overfilling the waste compartment.
By the way, such a black stripe appears if the squeegee (the blade that cleans the drum) is worn out, deformed, or a foreign object, such as a paper clip, has gotten under it.
The squeegee looks like the picture below.
To get rid of the printing defect, you will need to clean the waste bin or replace the blade.
Printing streaks and other defects
DID YOU KNOW THAT ALMOST ANY CARTRIDGE PRINTING DEFECT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY BREAK UP PRINTER REPAIR? As a general rule, if a printer prints streaky or has repeated print defects, it is quite often the cartridge that is to blame, and in 95% of cases, that cartridge has already been refilled. So that you can at least roughly imagine what happened to your brainchild, let’s first figure out what types of defects there are, using the example of an A4 printer with a cartridge with a capacity of 2000-3000 copies. The most common defects and the reasons for their occurrence are described below:
For COLOR printers and MFPs:
1. Vertical stripes of a certain color (including mixed colors, for example green) across the entire sheet at the beginning of the cartridge life - one of the cartridges is poorly cleaned (for green - yellow or blue, possibly both); If in the middle of the resource, the cartridge is filled with low-quality toner.
in this particular case, this is a Samsung CLX-2160 device, the cartridges of which are simply barrels of toner, and the toner build-up did not arise in the toner cartridge, but in the image unit development unit in the device. On the left in the picture you can clearly see that the yellow toner block has toner build-ups on the dispensing blade, which reduce the supply of yellow toner in the areas of the build-up and increase it in adjacent areas, to which the blue one immediately reacted.
2. Vertical stripes of all colors - all cartridges are poorly cleaned; If the cartridges are in the middle of their life, the cartridges are filled with low-quality toner.
3. The background on a sheet of a certain color/two or more colors - the cartridge of this color is filled with the wrong toner; the cartridge is poorly cleaned from the remnants of the previous toner; The dispensing blade of the cartridge is installed with the wrong clearance.V in this case The blue cartridge dispensing blade is not cleaned (white and blue vertical stripes) and is not installed correctly.
4. The cartridge adds toner at the beginning of its life - poor quality refilling.
5. The cartridge adds toner in the middle of its life - low-quality toner is loaded.
6. Faint printing of any (all) colors at the beginning of the resource - poor-quality cartridge refilling; the wrong toner is loaded; The optics of the device are dusty; The transfer belt in the machine is worn out; The photodrums in the cartridges are worn out (after several refills).Here the Magenta laser in the device becomes dusty, possibly together with wear of the photo roller in the cartridge.In general, Magenta on many HP-Canon flower beds over time prints paler than other colors due to dust in the optics of the laser responsible for Magenta. The thing is that it is lower than others and more dirt and dust fall on it)
7. Faint printing of all colors in the middle of the resource - low-quality toner is refilled; the photodrums in the cartridges are worn out (after several refills).
8. Various (repeating and non-recurring) defects with new original cartridges- the transfer belt of the device is damaged; one (all?))) of the cartridges was hit hard and dropped. this cartridge fell heavily))
For MONOCHROME printers and MFPs:
Vertical stripes:
1. White:
1.2. A white stripe (usually in the center of the sheet) with unclear boundaries, the width of which increases from copy to copy - most likely your cartridge is simply running out))).
1.3. A white stripe with clear boundaries means that a foreign object has entered the toner hopper in the cartridge (it is possible that a screw or paper clip can become magnetized to the magnetic shaft of the cartridge for HP-Canon); a piece of toner petrified due to changes in humidity in the same place; there is a foreign object in the laser unit of the device, perhaps cockroaches are in it (they love to live on circuit boards in office equipment).
1.4. Wide, lighter stripes relative to the main background in the picture (background fill) - the toner in the cartridge is damp; dusting of the laser unit.
1.5. Thin, lighter stripes relative to the main background in the picture (background fill) - your cartridge is poorly cleaned.
2. Black:
2.1. A black or dark gray stripe(s) grips the edge of the sheet with unclear boundaries - the photodrum in the cartridge is worn out.
ON THE RIGHT there are black stripes - in this case this wear is almost maximum... sometimes it can be worse)))
2.2. A black or dark gray stripe(s) that does not cover the edge of the sheet, but usually on the edge, indicates that the cartridge waste bin is overfilled.
2.3. Anywhere on the sheet, does not catch the edge, from narrow 1 mm to wide 2 cm - there is a foreign object in the cartridge waste hopper (a piece of dirt, wool, paper, poplar fluff in summer, etc.); the squeegee of the cartridge waste hopper is damaged; The dosing blade of the cartridge is worn.
There is a black stripe on the LEFT - there was a piece of paper in the waste bin of this cartridge.
2.4. Thin throughout the sheet - wear of the photodrum of the cartridge; the cartridge waste bin is full; the cartridge is poorly cleaned.
in this case, the overflow of the mining bin is especially visible at the edges
Horizontal stripes:
1. White:
1.1. Seven/eight stripes (depending on the diameter of the magnet), usually not wide - poor contact on the magnetic shaft of the cartridge.
2. Black:
H Four stripes on the sheet, bright, with clear boundaries - the contact inside the photodrum in the cartridge is damaged.
four stripes on the sheet are not very bright, with unclear boundaries - the photodrum of the cartridge is overexposed (the brightness of the stripes depends on the degree of exposure); defect of the thermal film (Teflon shaft) in the oven of the device.
There is a bad contact of the photo roller in the cartridge.
b) Eight stripes on the sheet, bright, with clear boundaries - the corotron contact in the cartridge is damaged.
Other defects:
1. Grayish spots, covering the edge of the sheet, repeated 4 times on the sheet - the photodrum of the cartridge is worn out.
2. Repeating lines, spots and dots on the sheet (4 repetitions) - the photodrum in the cartridge is worn out; something sticky has gotten onto the photodrum in the cartridge and toner has adhered to it (wipe with a rag with medical alcohol); defect of the thermal film (Teflon shaft) in the oven of the device.
Here you can see a defect in the thermal film of the HP 4250, although a sticky stain (for example from champagne) on the photo roller would give approximately the same effect.
3. Overlay of image fragments, usually over the entire sheet (repeating image) - the cartridge corotron is worn out.
4. Decreasing image saturation towards one of the edges of the sheet - in the cartridge, the magnetic shaft from the pale edge is not pressed sufficiently against the photodrum.
5. Waves when printing gray halftones - the toner in the cartridge is damp; toner mixed different brands(sometimes just different parties); the dosing blade of the cartridge is worn out; toner with a higher percentage of iron oxides is filled in (observed in HP-Canon cartridges).
6. Gray “worms” of varying degrees of brightness anywhere on the sheet, repeated 6-8 times - toner of different brands is mixed (sometimes just different batches); the dosing blade of the cartridge is worn out; toner with a higher percentage of iron oxides is filled in (observed in HP-Canon cartridges).
7. Gray background across the entire sheet - toner of different brands, batches, and manufacturers is mixed in the cartridge.
8. Brother has splashes and blots all over the sheet, concentrated in a wide stripe - the cartridge is poorly cleaned.
9. Toner is pouring out of the cartridge - poor-quality refill; The cartridge was shaken violently.
10. Faint printing - wear of the magnetic roller, wear of the photo roller, low-quality and/or unsuitable toner (including on new compatible or counterfeit original cartridges); The laser unit in the device is dusty, the power of the laser diode in the device has dropped.
in this case, the power of the laser diode dropped.
11. Blurred image - the gears in the device have been erased, the lubricant of the thermal film in the device has dried out.
here the lubricant for the thermal film of the device has run out.REPAIR URGENTLY NEEDED
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information taken from fillprint.ru
Widespread computerization has contributed to the widespread use of printers, with the help of which it has become possible to reduce the number of handwritten documents, replacing them with printed ones. Today, such printing devices are widely used in accounting, scientific and medical institutions, as well as in enterprises of various industries. In addition, they are readily used by schoolchildren and students when preparing essays, coursework and diploma works.
Common Causes of Streaks
Printers are reliable electromechanical devices, but errors and malfunctions occur in their operation. Wherein the most characteristic drawback of these devices is the bands, appearing during the output of information to solid media. And in order to understand the reason for their occurrence, you should take into account the difference in the printing principles of the two most common types of printers: inkjet and laser.
Since approaches to the method of transferring information from electronic form to external media(usually paper) these devices are different, then the problem will be resolved in different ways. Currently, printers from HP, Samsung, and other well-known manufacturers are widely used, which are used for printing:
- special quick-drying ink - relevant for new generation inkjet printers and multifunctional devices, for example, the Epson Print Factory series of printers (Epson L120; L355, etc.) or Canon MFPs of the PIXMA series (Canon MG2440, MP280, etc.).
- fine powder (toner) – used in laser MFPs and printers.
There are many reasons why a printer prints in stripes. . And all of them, as a rule, are caused by contamination and/or wear of the printing mechanisms and their parts. However, each malfunction is characterized by its own type of stripes, which can be: narrow and wide, wavy, monochrome and colored, white (unprinted areas), and also consisting of small lines and dots. They can also be placed on a sheet of paper in different ways:
- along or across;
- repeat at regular intervals or appear in random order;
- be anywhere.
What malfunction corresponds to each type of stripe, and what to do to eliminate it in laser and inkjet printing devices, will be described in the relevant sections.
Inkjet MFPs and printers
When an inkjet printer experiences streaking when printing, it is often due to the following reasons:
- lack of ink;
- violation of the integrity of the cartridge;
- the presence of dirt on the encoder parts (tape, disk);
- print head problems.
To diagnose the problem and eliminate printing defects, you need to adhere to the following algorithm.
The cartridge is out of ink
They begin to combat the appearance of streaks by checking the presence of ink in the cartridges. If there are few of them, then the containers are filled or replaced with full ones, without waiting for the ink to run out.
Advice! In situations where it is not possible to visually check the level of remaining ink, you should use the printer management program (the “Checking Ink Level” function).
As a rule, after refilling the cartridge, the stripes disappear.
Cartridge leakage
If the seal of the cartridge is broken, ink will spill inside the printer. In this case, the print head parking space and the rubber squeegee designed to clean it become dirty. As a result, the print head's nozzles become clogged upon contact with soiled parts, and the printer begins to “strip.” The defect is eliminated by washing the parking unit and squeegee special cleaning liquid.
Contamination of encoder parts
In cases where the printer begins to produce sheets or photos with stripes that are located at the same interval relative to each other, the user needs to pay attention to the condition of the encoder parts. These include:
- encoder tape - translucent film with markings that ensure positioning of the carriage;
- encoder disk - a gear wheel on which strokes are applied that determine the position of the paper during printing.
If the tape and/or disk becomes dirty, the printer will no longer see part of the markings applied to them, and the solid media will periodically skip during printing. As a result, horizontal and/or vertical white stripes (spaces) will appear on the sheet. The defect is eliminated cleaning the surface of parts.
Advice! It is best to clean encoder parts from dirt with a dry cloth. If this does not help, then you can moisten it with water and repeat the procedure. But after this you need to wipe the disc and tape dry. It is not recommended to use cleaning fluid for these parts - the markings on them may be damaged.
The ink is dry
If the printer (MFP) is not used for a long time, then part of the nozzles of its print head becomes clogged with dried ink. At the same time, the device begins to “strip” when printing. This problem can be resolved by sequentially activating the following functions.
- « Checking the nozzles" This starts printing a test page that will help diagnose the cause of the problem.
- « Cleaning the print head" If necessary, this procedure can be performed several times, maintaining a pause between them lasting at least 5 minutes.
Important! Programmed cleaning of print heads can only be done on printers equipped with a special pump. If it is not there, then the heads are cleaned manually using cleaning liquids.
If the printer continues to “strip” even after program cleaning, the head is washed with a special service fluid. And when The print head is built into replaceable cartridges(for example, in Canon printers MP230, MP250 and other manufacturers using FINE technology), then you can try to soak the dried ink using cold or hot methods (boiling, steaming, etc.). And in case of severe clogging, ultrasound is an effective method for cleaning the nozzle head. However, if even after such radical methods the stripes do not disappear, then the cartridge must be replaced.
When The print head is permanently fixed in the printer(Epson L210, L222, etc.), then carefully clean the nozzles with a special cleaning liquid using a medical syringe with a thin needle and lint-free wipes.
Print head calibration
Sometimes the user may find himself in a situation where the cartridges are full of ink, the nozzle test result is positive, but there are still streaks on the paper, there are fuzzy lines, and the print is blurry. In this case, the “Print head calibration” function, which is activated from service program printer
Laser printers and MFPs
The appearance of streaks during printing on laser printers is caused by the following reasons:
- The toner cartridge will soon run out of toner;
- the cartridge is depressurized;
- the magnetic shaft is damaged;
- the toner waste bin is full;
- play of the toner dispenser blade;
- photodrum surface defects;
- poor contact with the magnetic roller and/or drum.
By carefully looking at the stripes on the solid media, you can easily determine the reason for their appearance, and therefore the method for eliminating the malfunction. The main symptoms, the factors that caused them and ways to solve the problem are given in the table.
| Type of stripes | Cause |
| White stripes or poorly printed areas began to appear in the middle of the sheet. | This indicates that the toner cartridge is running low and will soon need to be replaced or refilled. |
| The sheet contains a large number of chaotically located stripes of arbitrary width. | Such a defect indicates damage to the housing parts of the cartridge. It is recommended to place white paper on the table, remove the cartridge from the printer and shake it over a sheet of paper. If toner spills on it, the cartridge body is depressurized and must be replaced. |
| There is a white vertical stripe on the printout. | Most likely, a piece of tape, a paper clip, or another foreign object is stuck to the magnetic shaft. It is necessary to carefully inspect the shaft and remove the cause of the printing defect. |
| Faded black stripes run across the solid media. | This defect indicates that the magnetic shaft is worn or damaged. Replacing it will solve the problem and these stripes will disappear. |
| During printing on solid media, dots and small lines appear, which during further work take on the appearance of horizontal or vertical stripes. | You can get rid of them by clearing the hopper of any remaining toner. The same streaks may appear if the metering blade is loose or dirty. It must be cleaned of dirt and securely fastened. |
| There are dark stripes along the edges of the printed sheets. | The printing defect is caused by wear of the sensitive layer applied to the photodrum. The streaks will disappear once the image drum is replaced. |
| The print came out of the printer with horizontal stripes of different shades, located at the same distance from each other. | The cause of the defect is a broken contact on the photodrum (gray stripes) or magnetic shaft (black stripes). It is necessary to clean the contacts, as well as other contaminated parts. In addition, it is advisable to check the fullness of the toner waste bin and the condition of the drum surface. If necessary, detected deficiencies are eliminated. |
Advice! It is advisable to clean the hopper during each refill or replacement of the cartridge.
As can be seen from the above, in most cases the cause of a malfunction of a “strip” printer is determined by the type and nature of the stripes. The most common causes include running out of ink/toner or the print head. But there are also more serious problems, however, you can eliminate them yourself if you have some skill and desire.
Reliable printers of 2019
Printer KYOCERA ECOSYS P3045dn on Yandex Market
Printer KYOCERA ECOSYS P2040dw on Yandex Market
HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553n Printer on Yandex Market
Printer Canon i-SENSYS LBP212dw on Yandex Market
Printer KYOCERA ECOSYS P5026cdw on Yandex Market
There are several reasons why a printer may print in stripes. To understand where the problem lies and fix it, you should start with the simplest. Subsequently, it will be possible to gradually find the breakdown and deal with it.
Cleaning using software
First, you should run the nozzle cleaning program from the software. It is impossible to single out one algorithm of actions here, since this option is often called differently for each model and printer. However, the cleaning must be started programmatically, after which you will need to wait a little and follow all the instructions. Once the operation is completed, you need to print a test page on the printer. Usually this is enough for the problem to go away.Refueling
If the above steps do not help, then most likely the cartridge is out of ink and needs to be refilled. In this case, you should find instructions on how to do this for your printer, since the models are different and require an individual approach. After this, you will need to print a test page and see if the problem is resolved.Head and nozzles
Sometimes the cartridge has streaks because its nozzles are very clogged or the head is faulty. In any case, you will need to disassemble the cartridge and troubleshoot. In this case, it is also needed for a specific model. It is important to know that this is necessary periodically, then the problem will not arise.After all, commercially available inks are in most cases inferior to the original ones. As a result, they clog the cartridge nozzles and dry out. If cleaning does not help, then the problem lies with the print head. In this case, you will need to take the printer to a service center, since you cannot do it yourself.
Shaft and thermal film
If the black stripes are located in one place, then the shaft should be inspected. It deforms over time and this leads to such results. The problem may also be due to a foreign object getting on it, removing which will help get rid of the streaks.In addition, the reason for such printing of the printer may be thermal film. It may have been damaged, in which case it is recommended to replace the cartridge with a new one. When removing the cartridge from the printer, you should check to see if the toner is spilling out of it. You can determine this yourself. You should pull out the cartridge and shake it. If this was the problem, then your hands will be stained with black paint. Here you need to replace the cartridge with a new one, so