We can certainly assist you if your printer is leaving black lines down the page or dirty streaks/blank areas across the page when you print!
If you’re short on time or have an important task to complete, this issue can be extremely frustrating, but it’s one of the most common printer issues that many people encounter.
The good news is that the problem can be resolved! Continue reading to find out how.
What causes black lines or smudges down the printer page?
There are various reasons why your printer may be creating black lines or smudges down the page when you print, and we’ll go through each one in turn to help you solve your problem.
Here are some of the various printer issues and samples of how they appear:
Black vertical lines or tracks on either side of the page, sometimes in the middle.
Missing areas of print (either always in the same place or not).
Smudges on the page (either always in the same place or not).
Horizontal lines across the page.
Vertical Black lines or tracks down either side of the page.
Cause:
Rubber rollers move the paper within the printer, and in laser printers, a strip of film acts as a conveyor belt (called a transfer belt). This occurs when the rollers or transfer belt inside the printer become dusty or covered in extra dirt, ink or toner powder, and the ‘tracks’ left on the page as the paper is moved through the printer.
This is usually the case when the tracks on the page are at opposite ends of the page. If the tracks are scattered across the page, or even in the middle, this could be due to transfer belt marks or damage.
A blob of dirt or old toner adhering to a roller or the transfer belt also smudges a line down the paper as it passes.
Solution:
The following steps will help to fix this issue:
Clean any rubber rollers that are easily accessible with a lint-free cloth, rubber gloves (to prevent toner from getting on your hands), isopropyl alcohol, and a gentle paintbrush.
Remove any loose toner particles using a vacuum.
Wipe the transfer belt lightly with a lint-free towel (not all printers have one).
If everything else fails, the transfer rollers/transfer belt may need to be replaced.
Missing print areas (either always in the same place or not)
Cause:
There are a number probable causes, so you may need to check each one in order to figure out what’s going on, but in most situations, the problem is caused by the drum.
A laser beam’sketches’ the image of what you’re printing onto a green metal cylinder called a drum or photoconductor unit. As it passes, the drum rolls the toner onto the paper.
A drum is a replaceable maintenance component of a printer that can be built into the toner cartridge or located separately from the toner on top of or underneath it.
If the drum is damaged in any way, such as with a fingerprint or dirt, areas of the printout may be missing because the dirt prevents your image from being rolled onto the paper.
It could also be caused by a defective or dirty mirror that reflects the laser beam, or by a faulty fuser device.
The fuser is a printer maintenance part that melts the toner so it stays on the page. It also applies pressure, so if any part of it is damaged, the toner will not stay on the page.
Solution:
Unfortunately, these maintenance parts cannot be easily cleaned, but the following techniques may assist in resolving this issue:
Replace the toner if you have a spare; it could be faulty or depleted.
Most of the time, replacing the drum unit will solve the problem.
Replace the fuser module.
Smudges on the page (either always in the same place or not)
Cause:
If you notice smudges on your page that are always in the same spot, this usually indicates that the drum or rollers have been damaged (see problem 2 above for a definition of the drum). It could also be a roller coaster.
What is happening is that a fingerprint or dirt on the drum or rollers is smudging the toner on the page as it passes through to the fuser. The rollers are usually to blame.
If the marks are always in different locations, the drum is most likely to blame.
Solution:
Examine the printer inside to see if there is any debris on the drum or any of the rollers that could signal a problem. To solve the problem, repeat the steps below and print again before proceeding.
Clear out the rollers.
Replace the toner if you have a spare; it could be faulty or depleted.
Change the drum unit.
Replace the fuser module.
Lines missing from an inkjet printout
Inkjet printers (which use liquid ink) operate very differently than laser printers (which use powdered toner), but we still have the same problems. Horizontal lines on an inkjet printer are typically caused by a blocked or clogged print head.
The full explanation and solution can be found in our article, ‘Why is my printer printing lines?’
On a laser printer, there are missing lines down or across the print.
When using a laser printer, missing lines down the page are usually caused by a faulty drum or fuser. The full explanation and how to fix it can be found on our page: How to fix a laser printer printing lines.
Hopefully, one of the solutions listed in the different types of print problems above has resolved your concerns, but if none of the above steps work, it could be a much more serious problem with your printer, and it may be time to consider a new one!
