Updated 21/05/2024
If your printer is leaving black lines on the page when you print, or dirty streaks/blank areas across the page, we can certainly help!
If you’re running low on time or have an important job to do, this issue can be very frustrating, but it’s one of the most common printer issues that many people experience.
The good news is that the issue can be fixed! Read on to find out how.
The image above gives an example of black lines printing down the page. If this is happening with your Brother, Canon, HP, Lexmark, Oki or Xerox printer and you’re looking for a solution then read on….
Here’s what you’ll learn about printers & black lines
Here are some quick links to help you find the correct solution or the information that you need:
- What causes black lines or smudges down the page.
- How to fix the printing black lines issue.
- What causes horizontal lines when printing and how to fix them.
- What causes faint or missing lines and how to fix them.
What causes black lines or smudges down the printer page?
There are several reasons that your printer might be causing black lines or smudges down the page when you print and we’re going to address each one in turn in a process of elimination to help you to fix your problem.
Here are some of the different printer problems and examples of what they look like:
- 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.
Horizontal or missing lines on a printout:
Here’s why it happens & how to fix smudges or lines down your printout. First, run a printer clean process to see if it’s a quick fix, you’d be surprised how many times that works. If it didn’t try the following:
Vertical Black lines or tracks down either side of the page.
Cause:
Inside the printer, the paper is moved along by rubber rollers and in laser printers a piece of film is like a conveyor belt (called a transfer belt). This happens when the rollers or the transfer belt inside the printer get dirty or covered in excess dirt, ink or toner powder, and as the paper is moved through the printer the ‘tracks’ are being left on the page.
This is normally the case when the tracks on the page are located at either end. If the tracks are located all over the page or even in the middle, it could be due to marks or damage to the transfer belt.
Also, if a blob of dirt or old toner is stuck to a roller or the transfer belt, it smudges a line down the paper as it passes.
Solution:
The following steps will help to fix this issue:
- Get a lint-free cloth, rubber gloves (so toner doesn’t get on your hands), some isopropyl alcohol, and a soft paintbrush and gently clean any rubber rollers you can easily reach.
- With a vacuum hoover out any loose toner particles.
- With a lint-free cloth very gently wipe the transfer belt (not all printers have one).
- If all else fails, you may need to replace the transfer rollers/transfer belt.
Warning: make sure you wear gloves and don’t touch the transfer belt film with your fingers or the hoover, you could leave a mark that will cause additional print problems.
Remember to be careful and if you are at all unsure, find a printer technician who is experienced in cleaning the printer.
Missing areas of print (either always in the same place or not)
Cause:
There are a few possible causes of this so you may need to check each in a process of elimination to figure out what’s happening but in most cases, the problem is caused by the drum.
The laser printer works by a laser beam ‘sketching’ the image of what you are printing onto a green metal cylinder called a drum or photoconductor unit. The drum then rolls the toner onto the paper as it passes.
A drum is a replaceable maintenance part of the printer and can either be built into the toner cartridge or separate from the toner located on top of or underneath it.
If the drum is damaged in any way with a fingerprint or dirt on it, it can cause sections of the printout to be missing because the dirt is blocking your image from being rolled onto the page.
It can also be caused by a damaged or dirty mirror that reflects the laser beam or it can be caused by a damaged fuser unit.
The fuser is a replaceable maintenance part in the printer that melts the toner so it stays on the page. It also applies pressure so if some part of it is damaged, it can stop the toner from staying on the page.
Solution:
Unfortunately, these maintenance parts can’t easily be cleaned but the following steps may help to fix this issue:
- Replace the toner if you have a new one spare, it could be defective or running out.
- Replace the drum unit – this will fix the problem most of the time.
- Replace the fuser unit.
Warning: Never touch the green metal cylinder (drum unit)
Once again, remember to be careful and if you’re not sure, get some help.
Smudges on the page (either always in the same place or not)
Cause:
Smudges in the same place – If you see smudges across your page and they are always in the same place, then that normally indicates some damage to either the drum or the rollers (see problem 2 above for a definition of the drum). It could also potentially be a roller.
What’s happening is that the drum or rollers could have a fingerprint or dirt that is smudging the toner on the page as it passes through to the fuser. It is normally caused by the rollers.
Smudges in different places on each print – If the marks are always in different places, then it’s most likely to be a faulty drum, or that the toner cartridge is leaking on to the page causing black streaks.
This can happen if the cartridge has been in an area of high humidity and toner has absorbed moisture causing it to deteriorate / clump together and damaged the cartridge or drum. Toner cartridges have a 2 year expiry date if stored and if opened, only tend to last around 6 – 8 months.
Solution:
Have a look inside the printer and see if you can spot any dirt on the drum or any of the rollers that might indicate a problem. Follow the steps below in turn and do another print before the next step to eliminate the problem.
- Clean the rollers
- Replace the toner if you have a new one spare, it could be defective or running out.
- Replace the drum unit.
- Replace the fuser unit.
Be careful and again if you’re not sure, get some help and don’t forget your gloves so you don’t get toner on your hands.
Printer missing lines on an inkjet printout
Inkjet printers (that use liquid ink), work totally differently than laser printers (that use powdered toner) but we still get the same issues. So if you have horizontal lines when printing with ink, it’s normally caused by a blocked or clogged print head.
You can find the full explanation and how to fix it in our article, ‘Why is my printer printing lines’.
Missing lines down or across the print on a laser printer
If you have missing lines down the page whilst using a laser printer, this is normally down to a damaged drum or fuser. You can find the full explanation and how to fix it on our page; How to fix a laser printer printing lines.
Hopefully, any of the solutions listed in the different types of problems with print above will have fixed your frustrations, but if none of the above steps works then it could well be a much more serious problem with your printer and it might be time to think about a new one!
Dear Stuart,
The black lines are throughout the page but only on copies, not on things printed from screen,
so why is that? Alan
Hi Alan,
that sounds like it could be an issue with the scanner function on the machine, the print process is the same but if there are lines on copies, it’s likely to be the process of the copying / scanning that’s causing the issue.
Make sure the glass on the scanner is clean. Also, if it is a duplexer make sure there is nothing jammed in there and that the little strip of glass is clean as well.
I’ve got the same issue. Did you manage to work out how to fix it?
Are you using the auto document feeder? There is a little bit of glass to the side of the main glass tray that the paper is automatically guided over when scanning or copying via the ADF tray. One spec of dirt will create a line in the copy.
Clean the little glass strip! Jeff had it right for me
When scanning, there is a Black bar down the right side of the page, Either through the document feeder or the scanner deck. I have cleaned the glass and run all the cleaning option on the printer, but the black bar persist … but only when scanning. It prints everything just fine so I know it isn’t a problem with the Toners. Is there a way to fix this without completely disassembling the scanner to reseat the cable and clean the scanner bar?
Hi Richard, I’ve heard this issue occuring quite a bit but I’ve never been able to find a solution to it I’m afraid.
I have the same problem, a big black vertical line almost 2 inches wide. My printer is new and I had never use the copy feature, that is when I find the error. It prints well when sending from computers or phone. The problem is when I copy a document.
The copier (depending on the model of the printer) tends to use a scanner and this can be caused by dirt or issues with the scanner. I don’t think there’s much you can do to fix that but it should have warranty if its relatively new.
Can I ask what’s wrong if my printer is printing monochrome and the settings is on coloured mode?
Hi George, what is the printer model?
Hi Alan! First clean the narrow scanner glass. If there is a tiny spec on it, it will scan as a continuous line on the finished image. I went to more calls for that type of image problem. Any dirt/specs on the large platen glass will produce the same image for each copy, even for different documents. The spec on small glass is from the documents, as they go over the glass the ink can rub off causing a spec to adhere to the glass. Sometimes you have to look really close to see it.
Sir,when I copy there is a only one black line show up to down right side on page what can i do plz help…
Hi there, did you recently install a new toner? If so, it could be that the protective strips are still on the toner, otherwise it sounds like a damaged drum unit.
I just wanted to share my solution to this problem. After installing a new toner cartridge into my brother printer (I followed the youtube video) I was having a dark black line printing on the left side of my pages. After reviewing how I installed the cartridge, there is a part in the video where they tell you to slide the cleaning tab to the right and then back again to clean off any old toner before replacing the cartridge, I had not pushed it completely to the left, it sort of snapped into place after pushing it further, this fixed the problem for me. Hope this helps someone!
Just wanted to say Thanks for sharing! I had also just installed a new cartridge and had a thick black line down the side of my pages and this was the fix to my problem.
This fixed ours too!!! An easy fix!! Thank you!!!
Please my Sharp MX-B200 stopped printing and is asking for user intervention (check power cable or printer cable) . I have checked everything, reinstalled the driver, changed the cable, yet it’s not printing. Please how do I fix this
You probably need a technician to have a look at it. It sounds like a more physical error than a software issue. Maybe something wrong with the connections to power lead or printer cable.
My brother printer leaves a strip of like a ghost imprint of stuff from another page right down the middle of every page. It’s basically the same imprint sometimes it might mix in a new couple letters or something. This eventually happens to every brother printer I’ve ever had but I can’t find where the problem is as changing the drum unit does nothing to help
Normally this is caused by a drum unit but as you’ve tried changing the drum, it could be the fuser or rollers. I’d try cleaning the rollers first.
“Slide the cleaning tab to the right and then back again to clean off any old toner before replacing the cartridge.
This worked!
Thank you so much!!
George
Our Sharp MX-3050 again has a damaged transfer belt. the company that repairs the copier said it’s our fault, but we don’t open the copier. How can transfer belts be damaged? We get a thin black line across the center of the page.
Hi Mary Ann,
If the copier isn’t being opened I highly doubt it can be your fault. Damage to a transfer belt normally happens by leaving marks or scratches / damaging the black film by actually messing with it, taking it out or touching it.
I can’t understand how else the damage could occur. Did they give you anymore info?
Stu
I get a faint smudge on the BACK of the paper – I print greetings cards which makes this problem an issue for me! It only happens when I use one paper size. The printer also does not always find the card- again only this size I also use cards in other sizes. All other paper/card sizes I use are fine. This one has been fine too until recently.
I can’t work out why it happens as the smudge would surely be on all paper? I use 6×12” which is fine, it is to 7×10” I have problems with. Any help would be appreciated. It is an eco tank printer Epson.
Hi there, does the smudge always appear the same size and shape or similar in size, shape and position? It sounds like one of the rollers might be causing the mark which may only affect certain sizes of paper due to the positioning. To correct the issue the best way is to clean the rollers in the printer as best you can with a lint free cloth and rubbing alcohol to get the dirt / ink off.
Comment I have three questions please:
1. My Sharp MX-2700N stopped making copies suddenly and afterwards started printing intermittently then, now it would not print anymore rather brings out wide(broad) stripes both for copying and printing. Could this be from the settings please how do I solve this prob.
I cannot scan with my USB; I get USB cannot-be-processed message. How do I solve this?
2. My Sharp MX-2310U always warms up intermittently (at times more than the normal warm up time-20secs) and cleans transfer belt regularly, it also makes some kinda sharp noise on connection to power; are these happenings normal? Also the ADF picks more than one paper sometimes.
I cannot scan with my USB; I get USB cannot-be-processed message.
I cannot print with it, I’ve tried reinstalling the driver but the response is the same. How do I solve these?
3. Can I remove the glass cover and install ADF on my Sharp AR-5618?
Thanks.
Hi, wow lots of problems there!
1. The broad stripes from printing and copying is likely to be the fuser or the drum units not working correctly. For the usb try on the printer menu, setting mode > system setting > USB device check to test the usb is connecting properly.
2. Warm ups are something to do with the fuser unit so that could need replacing. When more than one sheet of paper is taken it is normally due to dirty rollers so they most likely need a clean.For some of the other issues you have I’d say it would be best to get a printer technician to take a look at the issues as I’m not sure exactly what could be causing them.
3. I’ve checked through printer manuals for the Sharp AR-5618 and I don’t believe ADF can be installed to this machine.
Having the same inch wide bar issue, my bar is made up of black and color streaks.
Hi Ralph, if it’s messy streaks, depending on the type of printer (inkjet / laser) it sounds like the rollers or if it’s a laser printer, fuser / rollers that are causing the issue.
Hi,
I get a black line on the left side of print outs on my Brother MFC-9560CDW. Have tried thoroughly cleaning/vacuuming every component.
I am refilling the original cartridge using DYI toner refill kits.
Could the black line be caused by the non OEM refill toner?
Thanks for any help.
Hi there, I’m not too familiar with this printer as it’s a US model but it’s possible refills are the issue. If your printer takes separate drum units or waste toner units, it could be caused by these. Try replacing the drum units if they can be replaced without replacing toners.
different paper quality, like thick label paper. the ink is fading down the page.
Have a look at the following article / tips https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2014/10/faint-print-5-things-that-could-be-causing-your-printer-problem/.
My lines are straight down the middle but nobody seems to have had this? I’ve read the article but it seems to only give a solution for lines down the edges. Also I’m not sure what the transfer belt is or where I would find it…
Hi John, if you can let me know the printer model you have I can help further. Lines down the middle will be caused by the drum or fuser as there aren’t normally rollers in those positions.
I just started having my problem yesterday. I have a Cannon laser printer. printing is fine. but making copies I have black line straight down the middle of my papers. I changed black toner about 2 months ago. Last week I kept getting paper jams when copying, so I reduced the amount of copies trying to make at one time, seemed to have worked. everything was running smoothly till the black line appeared. Black line is not during print jobs, only copy jobs. Any suggestions how to fix this?
Hi Gloria, if the print jobs are fine the problem will be with the copy function / software in the printer rather than problems with things like toners, drums etc…The only thing you can do is try to update the printer software / drivers and see if that fixes the issue. You can normally find printer drivers / software by searching Canon [add your model number here] printer driver and downloading from the Canon website.
Hello sir, my lines are also straight down the middle. Please how do I solve this?! It’s a hp laserjet pro MFP M125A. Thank you
Hi, I’ve had a look at the internal diagram of your printer model and I think it could be due to dirty rollers in the centre of the transfer assembly. The only thing you can try is to clean the rollers inside the printer. If this doesn’t work and you haven’t already tried, replace the toner cartridge with a new one and see if you still get the issue.
What do you mean by “run a printer clean”
Hi there, in your printer menu there will be an option to run a test print or clean process (usually for inkjet printers).
Hi,
I have a Toshiba E-studio 2505H it prints horizontal lines at first after 2-3 printouts its printing good. could you please help me what might be the issue?
Pls see the below URL for the sample blank printout I have taken.
Hi there, I’m not very familiar with this printer but things like this are normally caused by a fuser unit. It could have toner stuck to it and as it heats the toner comes off. The only other thing it could be is a drum unit problem.
I am working with a HP LaserJet M4555 MFP. I am getting good print quality except for three 1 inch smudges along the left margin of the page. I have replaced with a new toner cartridge and still have the issue. They are consistently in the same place. Any thoughts?
Hi travis, that will likely be the rollers in the machine. Anything that looks the same on every print, tends to be rollers or fuser issues.
Our local shop has a Sharp mx1800 copier. It gets a large cyan-coloured bottled-shaped smear down the middle of a page, also some smudging on the other side. I’ve tried pushing the green cleaning rods in and out and also using the other (drum?) cleaning rod. I got one clean-ish copy then back to the same smear pattern. Any ideas? All the best wishes. Simon
Hi Simon, if the mark looks like a big smear then it’s probably either a drum problem or a fuser problem. I’m not that familiar with Sharp machines but generally the fuser doesn’t seal the toner and it smudges as it passed through.
Hi Stuart, the black lines are quite broad, about 1cm, but they go horizontally over the pages
Hi Brandon, if the lines are solid then it’s probably a roller of the fuser that’s the problem (depending on the printer model that you have and type of printer).
My printer is an HP Color Laser Jet Pro M477. There rows of “–” all across and down the page. I looked inside but can’t see any rollers. I need directions on how to get to the rollers to clean them. Printer not under warranty.
If you take the toners out, you can normally find the rollers and other mechanisms behind them or underneath them.
Hi
Please assist. I am using a konical Minolta printer for the office and is printing black lines and even a faded tone on the prints. I changed the toner and cleaned the waste box, but its still printing with lines. Also , even though I placed a brand new toner in the printer, it is still reading that the toner is quarter full. What could be the problem?
For the printer reading the toner half full, it sounds like the printer memory needs to be reset. Take the toners out then power off the machine and unplug for 10 minutes. Then plug back in and power on, then reinstall the toners. The black lines could be caused by dirty rollers but I have a hunch it is likely a drum unit causing the issue. If the printer has replaceable drums, replacing them could fix the issue.
Our Mono HP Laserjet P2055dn is printing with off-set toner down the side from the previous printed document. How can we get rid of this, I’ve gone through the cleaning process and it hasn’t made any difference.
This sounds like a problem with how the paper is being moved through the printer. I’ve never come across it myself but sounds like it could be a transfer belt or roller issue.
Comment my documents has a total black out and dark tick lines on it. what is the cause sir. Thanks
If the page has thick lines then it is likely a roller or drum issue. The rollers need to be cleaned and possibly drum replaced.
My old Canon laser printer prints a broad black line about 2 cm from the right-hand edge of the paper, and the powder (?) is transferred to the orange roller on the cartridge. Can this be cured, I’ve carefully cleaned all the bits that I can get to. I’m very fond of my old printer!
Hi Jean, if you’ve cleaned everything including rollers, it’s more than likely an issue with the drum unit (distributes the toner powder onto the page) or the fuser unit (melts the toner so it sticks to the page) they may need to be replaced to fix the printer and get it working correctly.
Brother 3170CDW, wrinkled pages after a jam and grayish area down each page in between wrinkled areas. I opened the back and above the orange roller is the black roller. A big piece melted off of it, about 2-3″ wide so that low spot is where the paper is getting pressed in and wrinkled and gray. I don’t know what that part is, but I’m going to order a new printer because I don’t see how to get to and replace the black roller easily. I did have good luck with the printer for several years. We bought a Ricoh printer for my husband and his color prints are way nicer looking. The Ricoh printer is a behemoth, but only cost $99 with a set of toners. It won’t work with my iMacs, but works with his PC running Windows 7, so he’s happy with it.
It sounds like your printer has a damaged fuser unit which can be replaced and has product code LY6754001. It would look like:
Thank you so much for dedicating your time to help all of us novices out =)
I have a Samsung M288x Series printer/scanner/fax and it started printing thin black lines horizontally across my pages. About 4 of these lines per page. I already cleaned up the drum (the green part) and the rollers. And I noticed a faint grey line across the drum which won’t come off when I clean. Also one of the rollers gets black ink on one side, so it’s like a ring of black ink that keeps appearing even after I clean it. Which part do I need to replace?
Thank you!
Hi Natalie, the drum will probably need to be replaced as it’s very sensitive not really meant to be touched. If it’s got a grey line on it, this will definitely be causing print issues. Hopefully that will fix the roller issue as well because it could be toner coming loose from the drum and getting on the roller.
the problem of stripes or lines called tracks are left down the pages on the righthand side of every page printed my printer is kyocera M2035dn
what could be the soultion?
thanks
Hi there, have you tried the tips in the article on this page? It’s likely the drum or rollers.
Hey there, I have a brother MFC-8810W all-in-one printer-copier scanner. The printing out and copying works fine including from the feeder tray. No black lines etc. The problem occurs only when I SCAN documents, there’s a distinct brown-faded-ghost vertical band of about 1 cm width extending up one side of every page of the scan. I’ve cleaned all the scanner glasses and, again, the photocopying function also works fine. What could possibly be wrong?
Hi, I’ve heard of this problem before but I don’t believe that it has anything to do with the normal print process but more to do with an issue with the software of the scanner. Unfortunately I don’t have a fix for it. The only thing you can try is to look for a firmware update for your printer online and see if that would fix the problem.
Hi there, I have a Ricoh MPC3003 Printer but, I have a problem with print and copy.
1 . After printing or copying a document, there are short lines appearing at the bottom of the pages end only and not the whole pages.
Please help me on how I can solve this problem.
It’s difficult to say without seeing the problem but if the lines are vertical on the page, it sounds like the rollers are the culprit. Try to give them a good clean.
The green roller on my Samsung laser printer has got scratched so now whenever it prints, it leaves black marks on the white page where the green foil bit on the roller is missing. Is the only option to buy a new roller? They’re quite expensive!
Hi Jean, the green roller is the drum unit. It’s quite sensitive to damage and can even get damaged by fingerprints and things like that. Unfortunately, to stop the black marks on the page, your only option will be to replace it.
How do I replace drums on an HP-3140CW – are they very expensive and do I have to do all 4?
Hi Jane
Here is the manual from Brother, which shows you how to replace the drum units for your HL-3140CW machine.
Your printer will display a message when you need to change the drum unit or units. When the message displays ‘Replace Drums’, all 4 drum units will need to be replaced. If the message states ‘Replace Drum: X’, the X indicates which drum unit needs to be replaced (BK = Black, C = Cyan, M = Magenta, Y = Yellow). For Example, ‘Replace Drum: BK’ states the black drum unit needs to be replaced.
If you wish to buy a new drum unit, here is a link to the original brother DR241CL product which will contain all 4 drum units.
I’ve got a Brother HL-L5100DN laser printer, and it is now producing fine gray vertical lines completely across the page, with all of the lines only about a millimeter apart. The lines started showing up just a few weeks after I had replaced the original toner cartridge with a new Brother cartridge. The odd thing is that when printing many pages, the lines go away after the 4th or 5th page. Then, if the unit goes unused for a while (an hour?), the lines come back again, but then go away after a few pages. I’ve carefully cleaned the drum, but that has had no effect.
Hi Bill, vertical lines are normally caused by toner sticking to the rollers or the fuser so first thing to check is that the rollers are clean from any toner. If the lines are solid all the way down the page, try running a clean process on your printer and check for firmware updates.
I am getting faint black smudgy tracks, only on the left side of my prints and only when printing 10 or more pages at a time, only when printing double sided. The smudging is always worse on the back side of the paper but it is not always in the same spot If printing only one page, or only single sided, I don’t have a problem. Any ideas?
Depending on the printer you have it will wither be the fuser unit getting toner clogged and smudging across the page or the rollers being very dirty. Switch the printer off and unplug it. Check the rollers first because they can be cleaned with a lint free cloth and isopropyl alcohol to remove the dirt / debris. If that doesn’t work and the fuser can be replaced in your printer, try to have a look to see if it’s dirty first (I wouldn’t attempt to clean it) before you decide to replace it with a new one or not.
My HP 4700 was working beautifully but suddenly stopped printing all colors and now it’s also printing black lines on the BACK of the page. The lines are vertical and about 1/4″ wide and 1.25″ from the sides. Have tried these self fixes: run print diagnostics page, color band test is blank for the colors except black; have run the cleaner; rotated the motors on each color cartridge in the component test; manually wiped the toner cartridge to clean excess toner; did a full calibration. Help!
If it’s on the back of the page, it sounds like the rollers that move the paper through the printer are the culprit. The positioning certainly sounds like it is. The only thing you can do is clean the rollers with a lint free cloth and rubbing alcohol to try to remove the dirt.
I have Hp Laserjet 3052 printer.A vertical black line to the left side of the page is printed from top to bottom of my prints…What should i do?
It sounds like an issue with the roller that moves the paper through the printer. It will need to be cleaned. If that doesn’t work, it will likely be a drum issue which would need to be replaced.
I have an Epson WorkForce 845. It just recently started producing equal distanced cyan horizontal lines on all printouts. I’ve cleaned the printhead several times using the printer software as well as used a printhead cleaning solution, which was very messy. But neither seemed to effect or stop the lines. What should I do?
The only thing you can do is try a new cyan cartridge to see if the problem is fixed. It will either be a problem with the print head (beyond needing a clean) or with the individual cartridge.
Hi Stuart I have an HP laserjet 2600n. The pages come out with black lines or other color vertical lines down the pages. I’ve cleaned the transfer belt and even if i do so before each print, i get the lines. I’ve even replaced toners to see if they were leaking. Would a cleaning kit help? Any solutions? is this repair something a layperson can do? It’s an old printer, but was amazing until this. Thank you!
Hi Lori, we used to have a 2600n in our office, it was a great printer. No I don’t think cleaning kits will help. It’s not the drums because they are built into the toners and if you’ve changed them it will rule that out. It could be the rollers if lines are to either side of the page but not the centre or it’s likely to be the fuser unit, it may have muck on it or be damaged. Unfortunately I don’t think you can get them replaced these days because the printer is so old.
Hi Stuart, my Brother HL-2250DN is printing black lines at 1 side. The weird thing is that this only happens when it prints double sided pages and the lines only appear on 1 side. I already tried to clean the printer inside and cannot find a solution on this page.
Do you know what the issue could be and how I can fix it?
Thanks!
It definitely looks like a roller issue. One of the rollers inside when the second side prints seems to be marking the top of the page. If the printer sends the page out after the first page has printed and then pulls it back into the printer for the second page, it will probably be the rollers located where the paper comes out that need a good clean.
Hello Stuart,
I have a Ricoh Sp C840. It is printing strange white somewhat fuzzy lines that go all the way across the page horizontally. Sometimes they look blue, other times they look white. There’s two bigger ones at the bottom of the page and then fainter ones in the middle and toward the top. What could this be?
Thank you in advance!
The problem that you described sounds like an issue with the fuser or transfer belt, something could be stuck to it that is causing a mark as it’s rolling through the printer at the end. You may be a able to clean it but you’d be better having a look at the manual for your printer to see if you can access it. Also be careful and make sure the printer is switched off for a while as the fuser gets very hot when in use.
My horizontal lines down the left side are green. I’ve tried cleaning it with alcohol, but no such luck..
Depending on your printer it could also be damage to a drum unit or fuser unit causing the issue.
I have a HP Color Laser Jet Pro MFP M476. I can print fine. Making a copy is totally different. I have black lines through out the whole page. Nothing shows up from copying. Just black lines on whole page. I’ve tried cleaning the glass and ran cleaning. Nothing changed. Can you help me?
Hi there, I’ve heard this issue a few times now but I’m afraid it’s more of an issue with the scanner hardware or the software than the printing process. the only thing you can try is to update the firmware of the printer and see if that fixes it. To update the firmware search google for HP M476 firmware and download / install from the HP website. You may alos need to do the same thing for the driver.
Hi Stuart Deavall
I have printer HP Laser jet 3050 All-in-one while printing first page is completely fine while printing in second page print is coming some smudges on paper, document is not clear. Please suggest, i am waiting for you reply
It sounds like a drum issue, have you tried a different toner cartridge?
Yes after changing different cartridge also same issue, getting smudges on paper
Hi Suresh, its likely to be one of 2 other things. The rollers could be dirty inside the printer or the fuser unit has an issue. Unfortunately if its the fuser, and as the printer is quite an old one. You might find it difficult to replace. It’s possible it could be cleaned but don’t touch the fuser while the printer is on. Let the printer cool down, then unplug it for 60 minutes and have a look to see if it’s dirty. The fuser will normally have its own roller and a heating element as it melts toner to the page.
When I print using my HP M177FW Laser jet, after about 6 or 7 pages a black line starts to appear (about the width of a pencil line). If I let the printer cool down and print again, the line disappears. It’s ok if I print 1 or 2 sheets out at a time, but returns when the print run reaches about the 6th or 7th page again. What could be causing this?
Hi Tom, it sounds like an issue with the fuser which is the part that melts the toner and applies pressure to seal it to the page. It typically gets hotter as more pages print so maybe it’s malfunctioning or has damage. also sometimes toner can stick to it and cause lines down the page. If you still get the same issue even after installing a new toner cartridge, then it will most likely be the fuser.
Hi Stuart. I have a HP color laser jet pro Mfp M476nw, it stop scanning with error message 15. asking me to turn of the printer. I did all that still no printing no scanning and no copying.
Unfortunately, scanning issues are out of my wheelhouse. I’m not sure how you would fix the issue other than installing the latest firmware / drivers.
Hi Stuart,
Thanks for writing this and answering questions.
Hi Stuart. I’m hoping you can help me as I’m frustrated & having a hard time fixing my printer problem. I have done some troubleshooting online but can not seem to fix the problem. I have a Brother, model MFC-9130CW.
I have cleaned the corona wires (on all four toners) & run a few test pages. There is an area of several thin/smaller lines that are close together, all in the same area (tiny amounts of space between some lines) on the printed page, about 3/4 across the page from the left edge of paper. Together these lines make up a thick vertical streak going from the top to the bottom of the paper. It is grayish/black in color & it is not happening with the other colors. The drums all say they are at 58% life, and I have never replaced them. Is it the problem despite only being half way used???? I looked the drums over & have wiped away any little spots that could be causing a mark but it did not fix it. I have checked the toner belt, there are some faint horizontal lines, different colors, that I’m guessing could be dried toner perhaps, but I do not see any marks, dents or scratches that look like it could cause vertical lines. I’m out of ideas on what to do, any suggestions?
Hi there, it sounds like you’ve checked most things that should normally correct the issues. I’m afraid it’s now down to a process of elimination where you’d have to replace parts with new ones to see if it fixes the issue. The drums would be the first one to check as they tend to be the cheapest.
Thank you for taking the time to write this article. My Brother laser printer had a black line running just right of center. I did just as you said, taking a soft paint brush and dry rag and gently cleaned the rollers.
Worked like a charm! I’m in the middle of finalizing Mother’s Day gifts, so this was invaluable! You saved me!
Best wishes!
Can one send you a scan of the printer problem?
If you can share a link via the comments section I will take a look.
Mr. Deavall
My printer/fax Brother MFC 7360N has never had this issue prior and only last week I could scan to PDF just fine. Today I have a huge thick dark vertical line down the center and I have with alcohol cleaned all the roller and glass surfaces to no avail. Any help would be wonderful.
Dave
Hi Dave, I think this is more likely a software / firmware issue or a technical fault with the scanner / light. First thing to try is updating the printer firmware / and PC drivers but if that doesn’t work, it’s probably in need of a call to Brother.
Hi Stuart,
I have a Brother HL 2270DW laser printer that print a grey border (approximately 0.5 cm) at the top of the page on odd pages only when printing in duplex mode. Any idea if it due to the fuser or the drum? Thanks in advance for your help.
Hi there, it’s more than likely the rollers that need cleaning where the paper is taken back into the printer for the second side. I’d suggest trying to clean all rollers that you can see and hopefully that will resolve the issue.
Super helpful! Thanks so much for this!
I have a Xerox Phaser 3330 and get black marks but only on the 2nd page of two sided prints. Can you suggest what could be wrong
It sounds like dirt on the rollers. Certain rollers will only be used in duplex printing. If you can get to all the rollers try to wipe them clean.
I have a hp pro M521, It prints and copies fine. When they scan to there PC the copy has a line down the page. Of course I check and clean the glass and it seems to take care of the issue but comes back after a short time.
Hi there, this is quite a common issue but unfortunately I haven’t been able to find a solution to it. I’m afraid there doesn’t seem to be a way to fix it at the minute so I’d suggest speaking to HP who might be able to offer replacement parts.
I have sent my HP 3015 to the graveyard and have been using a Brother MFC 8480DN and a new HP LaserJet Pro M404dn. I do lots of printing and the printer needs to pull from each tray as indicated by the scanned downloaded documents. On both of these latest printers, when the trays run out of either letter or legal, the printers pull from the tray that has paper in it. This causes my legal docs to be cut off or my letter docs to be too long. Is there anyway to get the printers to stop printing if the designated tray runs out of paper? This sounds ridiculous, I know.
Hi Linda, that sounds very frustrating and it’s a very good question. Most printers that do pause the printing so you can refill the tray but its automatic and not really a setting as far as I’m aware. We had a similar problem in our office a few years back and unfortunately there wasn’t a solution other than some newer printers just pause the printing when a tray runs out.
Canon 246 Laser – Had two thick dark lines down the sides of each printed page. Tried cleaning the cartridge, and changing cartridges – no change. Changed drum – success.
Before lockdown my HP colour laser printers were working fine. The office was closed for several month with the heating on frost control.
When I came back, the laser printers (all 3) were trailing all colours particularly magenta through the prints.
I cleaned the roller on one printer and opened and installed sealed brand new toner cartridges.
Problem sorted on that printer. Still to do he rest.
I notice there have been no similar postings.
Is it possible that the moisture in the office has made the toners damp enough to create this problem?
Hi Jess, yes for sure moisture and humidity can cause a lot of problems with printers. It does sound like the cartridges were damaged and could only have been from their environment if no one has been around.
Thank you! I am the new tech hero in the office!
My new HP OfficeJet Pro 6970 prints a garbled line of black characters on the back of the page. How do I fix that?
Hi Glen, that sounds very strange. I can only imagine its a setting somewhere in the printer but its not something I’ve come across before. It could be something on the software of the document that you’re printing.
Hi Stuart, I have a Samsung CLP-680ND. When printing in color, there is a wide yellow band running down the length of the page. Even if there is only one word in color in a multipage document, every page will have the yellow streak. In black and white there is no problem.
I had the same problem before, and now again. The previous time I replaced the yellow toner, and it was OK, but after a few prints, the same problem returns. Why would only the yellow toner leaks? (if it is a leak). Thanks.
Hi Sarel, it sounds like you have a faulty cartridge (normally the green drum inside the cartridge causes this issue). All you can do is try a new cartridge but if you have the same issue again it could be an issue with the fuser unit.
Hi Stuart,
I have a Xerox 6510N and recently I have been having multiple lines running down the page (about 3/4 of the way across for about an 1.5 inches). I have taken apart the printer and discovered on the yellow drum cartridge there is black toner in that same location. I cleaned up the drum and even replaced the black cartridge and it still continues to build up there. I was even printing blank pages with no text and it was showing the black lines on the page. What is causing this build up on the drum cartridge?
It could either be a fault with the toner (the hopper is pushing out too much toner / more than needed and causing a build up) or a fault with the drum (it’s not distributing all the toner and causing a build up).
Hi Stuart,
I have a Canon MG2550S. Printing is no problem but I needed to print a presentation with a colour picture. Clean black lines (like bars) are running through the picture part of the presentation. Help. Thank you in advance for your advice.
That could be a print head issue (needs cleaning, re-aligning or replacing) or it could be leakage and dirt on the rollers. I’d try to wipe down the rollers inside the printer first to make sure that isn’t the problem.
Hello, HP Officejet Pro8610, I know it’s so old, but suddenly it started malfunctioning: ok with printing documents from pc; if I scan a page on the glass I can see immediately the page full of tiny lines, the same if I make a copy from the glass. I rarely use ADF, anyway I get the same results. Desperate. Tried to clean the heads of the cartridges. Updated the software…
Hi there, it sounds like the scanner is broken. Unfortunately I’ve never found a way to fix this issue when I’ve come across it in the past.
I have the same vertical line issue. One day it fine and the next day a heavy black line down the middle of the page. I changed the cartridge with no change. Same vertical line issue. What I don’t understand is that I can run a test page and it comes out perfect. If I try to print or copy same vertical line problem. How can this be? Is this some kind of programing issue? Never had this problem before. Suggestions?
Hi James, vertical lines are mostly down to the rollers but in your case it’s strange that the test print comes out ok. It could be either technical or software issues so its a bit of a trial and error fix where you’d have to firstly clean inside / rollers with a lightly damp cloth (lint free), update firmware in case its a software issue and the last few things it could be on a Laser printer is fuser unit or transfer belt but they would be expensive fixes and maybe not worth it when you don’t know for sure it will fix the problem. If it happens on every print, I doubt its software issues but that’s easy to check just by using different programs (like word, or a pdf for example).
I should have mentioned that my printer is a HP LaserJet 3050 All-In-One
hello, i have a bizhub 220 konika minolta, and it always appear black lines when i print ( 0,5 cm line). 0,5 cm line and after a distance of 9 cm it appears another line and then another one and so on, depending on the paper size. what could be the problem?
Hi Paula, it sounds like dirt on the rollers but could also be dirt on the fuser / corona wire.
Hi :I have a Sharp MX2640 printer.. When printing in color, a faint green line appears in the first quarter of the image “vertical” parallel to the width of the paper.
Hi there, that sounds like a possible issue with either the cyan / yellow toners or drum units. All you can really do is try to replace them and see if it fixes the issue.
Hi Stuart. I have an HP Laserjet 6p. I know, old. It has recently started ghosting, so even when I don’t print a page, just a blank one, I get lines of toner down the page. All the way across and all the way down the page. Quite faint. Have tried a different toner cartridge but it makes no difference. What is the culprit? Thanks
Hi Jeremy, ghosting is normally an issue with either the transfer belt / rollers (so first thing to try is cleaning out the printer inside / wiping the rollers with a lint free cloth and isopropyl alcohol) or the fuser unit which unfortunately wouldn’t be replaceable on your machine because of the age.
hie thanks a lot for your help I have a problem with my hp toner printer it prints grey instead of black when I refill so how may I solve
Hi, try the following page for advice: https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2014/10/faint-print-5-things-that-could-be-causing-your-printer-problem/
Hello, I have an HP laserjet 100 colour mfp m175nw which is printing thick black lines across the page (no vertical) and sometimes adds yellow or red to the sides of the thick black lines. It is the same even when printing a diagnostics page – any thoughts?
Try the following page for help https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2022/04/why-is-my-printer-printing-lines-how-to-fix/
Canon MF445dw printer copier fax has a vertical line through the middle of the printed page. Tried cleaning the glass with no result. What is the best option for this ? The printer is only a few months old. Thank you kindly.
I have written another article on lines across the page, see if any of the tips there help: https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2022/04/why-is-my-printer-printing-lines-how-to-fix/
HP OfficeJet 6962 – Printer has ink in it but it prints blank pages. I’m guessing its a bad/dirty drum or mirror?
Hi there, there isn’t a drum in an OfficeJet machine as its ink only. It could be a damaged or blocked print head on the individual inks or cartridge carriage.
Samsung C480FW, dirty drum roller (yellow colour) and transfer belt. Successfully cleaned the transfer belt, but the drum roller continuously producing the toner dirt. Have shaken out the drum roller but it didn’t help in reducing / speed up the drum roller cleaning progress.. how should I clean the drum roller? When I print, it came out yellow almost entire page and the actual item I printed out still came out sharp.
Unfortunately, you can’t clean the drum as it will damage the cylinder if touched. All you can do is get a replacement drum unit.
Hi. I have a Canon MG3070s printer. The printing is fine but for the copying side, I just noticed that there will always be this vertical black line and two shades of color like one is greyish and the other is light grey but still can be seen that cover half of the paper whenever I tried to use the printer for copied material. Is there any solution to solve this?
Hi Lina, I’m not very experienced with the copying side of things but I’ve heard before that this sort of issue is caused by dirt inside the copier/scanning bed. I’m not sure how you would get inside to clean that I’m afraid!
Hi Stuart, I have a Canon IR-ADV 250i and it keeps printing vertical lines on almost the entire paper. Did some digging and thought it had something to do with the drum but after cleaning the drum it’s even worse than before. Just came across your writeup and I’d please like to know a fix you’d recommend. Thanks.
Hi there, it is normally a symptom of drum issues. It might also be dirt on the rollers. Unfortunately all you can do is try a new drum, they don’t do well when cleaned as they aren’t meant to be touched.
Your comments all seem to refer to laser printers. I have an Epson inkjet XP-255
Hi there, inkjet lines are normally caused by dirty rollers or dirty / damaged print heads.
Konica Minolta bizhub c224e
I have black lines going across the bottom 2″ of the paper when printing and when copying. They are not solid all the way across the page, they can start at the left edge for a couple inches and then disappear and reappear in the center of the paper for a couple of inches and then disappear again and then start again until the right edge of the paper. If the lines don’t start on the left edge of the page, the lines appear about 3″ from the left edge of the paper and then disappear and then reappear for about 3″ and disappear. What is the issue?
Have a look at: https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2022/04/why-is-my-printer-printing-lines-how-to-fix/
Hi, I purchased 2x Dell 3330dn commercial laser printers going back in 2012 and was used on a daily basis while the other was stored away in case of a emergency.
After selling my business in March 2023 I decided to hook up my brand new unit to my home computer and unfortunley facing alot of challenges!!!
There are missing spaces on the print out and its mainley on the left side….going forward I was advised to purchase new toner as the one in the box may have dried up after all these years.
After changing the toner I was still facing the same issue and after close inspection I realised there was a bit of damage on the drum and made decision to also replace this at the same time with no luck!!!
To be fairly honest I am not very clued up with printers and there’s always a limit to how much money you can throw at these!!
So can someone for the sake of god help me to solve this issue as it would be a shame for me to go and scrap this as originally paid a lot of money.
First thing to try is to make sure all the rollers are clean. After that, it would be a drum or fuser unit problem. As you’ve replaced the drum, I’d guess at the fuser unit but to be honest, printers normally have a life of about 5 years so it could be on it’s way out and better to just replace it.
Hello. My Lexmark T649 printer is printing black lines horizontally all over the page, approximately 28.3mm apart. I ran a diagnostic print page and it says to replace the charge rollers. I have no replaced the charge roller and transfer roller. Is there more than one charge roller, I only found one? I have also replaced the toner cartridge. Should I replace the fuser or drum unit to fix the problem? Do you have have a part number? I can’t find compatible options. Thank you for your help
It’s strange for a laser printer to do that but it is normally down to the fuser or drum units. Cheapest thing to replace is the drums so I would try those first. Unfortunately I can’t seem to find any information on the T649 model number. Is it definitely a T649?
Hi, our office HP LaserJet Pro 200 color MFP printer suddenly started making a 1/4 inch thick horizontal black line across the page, repeating approx. every 3 inches. Sometimes there are 2 or 3 1/4″ thick horizontal lines close together that repeat about every 3 inches. I have changed the black toner cartridges 4 times from different manufacturers, and I have carefully cleaned the roller of each black cartridge several times. I have read this whole thread… should I replace the drum? or the fuser? Would LOVE your help asap! Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth, try the advice on my other article here https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2022/04/why-is-my-printer-printing-lines-how-to-fix/
I think it would likely be the fuser as normally drums are built into the toners on a HP printer. Fusers are quite hard to find for HP machines unfortunately so you may need the help of a technician.
There is a line down one side of my trifolds. The line does not appear on regular copies.
Do the rollers need to be cleaned? If so, is there a video showing the rollers on the finisher and how to clean?
Thanks
That does sound like the rollers but could also be drum or fuser if you’re using a laser printer. What model is your printer?
My Lexmark #M7155 Acts Up Occasionally and Prints A Medium Line Down The 40% Right side.
I Will Wipe & Clean Several Times With No Effect. Then … All Of a Sudden It’s Gone … For A While And Then It Appears again.
What’s Up doc??? Got Any advice???
This could actually be an issue with build up on the corona wire / fuser and once the printer heats up enough it clears down. It could also be caused by drums or rollers. Firstly try to clean any rollers inside the printer (lint free cloth and isopropyl alcohol), then try changing the drums. If that doesn’t work, you may need a fuser replacement, I’m unsure if they can be cleaned without causing damage to them.
Many Thanks for the help