Updated 21/05/2024
You may be wondering ‘Why is my printer printing lines?’ When you need to print urgently, this issue can be extremely frustrating if there are missing lines, streaks or banding horizontally across the page you’ve just printed.
A printer printing lines on the page are normally caused by a blocked, dirty, or damaged print head. Blocked ink cartridge nozzles, or not removing protective seals correctly when you installed a new ink cartridge can also cause missing lines of print.
Learn how to fix the printing lines issue, by first choosing from the following:
If you’re looking for a way to fix black lines, smudges or missing sections visit our page:
Black lines down the page – 4 causes and how to fix.
What causes an inkjet printer printing lines?
An inkjet printer printing lines or missing lines on printouts are caused when the printer cartridges or the cartridge carriage which contains the print head becomes dirty or damaged.
Over time, ink can dry and build up on the nozzles where the ink comes out, as the cartridge moves across the page and is transferred onto the paper. This can also cause smudges, blurry print or the wrong colour to come out depending on which cartridge is blocked.
For some brands of printer, such as Epson, an inkjet printer printing lines can also be caused by miss-aligned print heads. This typically happens overtime as the printer gets moved about and you will normally see off coloured streaks or skipping lines where colours have not merged correctly during prints.
How to fix an inkjet printer printing or missing lines
Firstly, make sure that you are using the correct paper type for your printer. Unless you are using plain paper, an inkjet printer requires specific inkjet paper. If you have the incorrect paper type, the ink will not absorb correctly and can cause issues.
If you have recently installed a new cartridge, check that all protective seals have been correctly removed, then try the following steps:
Step 1 – Run the cartridge/print head cleaning process
The following steps will fix most issues…
- From the LCD panel on your printer go to settings and select the clean print head or clean cartridge option.
- Following that run the cartridge alignment option, to fix any colour alignment issues.
- If you don’t have a screen on your printer, on your PC select control panel > Devices & Printers > Right-click the printer in the list and select ‘Printing Properties’. You can normally find the option to clean from here, often in the services tab.
You may need to run the cleaning process up to 3 times to see an improvement. If you’re still experiencing issues move on to step 2…
Step 2 – Clean the cartridges/nozzles
- Print a test page to try to determine which colour is blocked.
- Open the printer door and remove the blocked cartridge(s)
- Use a damp paper towel to gently wipe any dry or blobs of ink away from the nozzles at the bottom or back of the cartridge.
- Place the cartridge on top of a damp paper towel with the nozzle/print head touching the damp part until the ink flows a little (being careful not to get ink on clothing, furniture or skin).
- Reinstall the ink cartridges and try them again.
Step 3 – Clean the ink cartridge carriage/print head.
Dirt or fluff can also build up in the ink cartridge holder where the print heads are located.
- Remove the ink cartridges from the cartridge holder
- Using a dampened cotton swab, gently wipe the underside of the ink holder where the print head is located until completely clean of ink.
- Re-install the inks and try again.
Lastly, through the printers on screen maintenance or settings menu, run the cartridge alignment process to make sure that the print heads are aligned correctly and the prints no longer have streaks of colour across the page.
If the steps above don’t resolve the issue, you will need to replace the ink cartridges, as they may be running out of ink, be damaged or may have dried up.
How to fix a laser printer printing lines on the printout
If your laser printer is skipping or missing lines, this is normally caused when seals haven’t been removed correctly. It can also occur when there is damage to the toner, drum unit, or damage to the fuser unit. To fix the issue follow these steps:
- If available, run the drum/fuser cleaning process from the printer’s menu. Usually found in the print settings or maintenance section.
- If available Run the general clean process.
- Remove the toners/drums (often in one unit) and physically check the drum cylinder for dirt or damage whilst making sure not to touch it (the drum is a green metal cylinder).
- If the drum is damaged or dirty, try to clean it with an air duster (If this doesn’t remove dirt, the drums or toners will need to be replaced with new ones).
- Re-install the toner/drums and try again.
If the steps above don’t correct the issue, you may need to replace the fuser unit in the printer. It may have a build-up of dirt and cannot be cleaned manually.
The above steps will help resolve your issue. Let us know if they helped by commenting below!
About Stuart DeavallI have been working in the printing industry with TonerGiant for over 16 years, and I'm the resident technical printer expert, helping people fix their printer problems for over 14 years. I have taken part in many training courses with HP, Samsung, Brother, Canon and Xerox to further my knowledge, and I'm also the Digital Marketing Manager at TonerGiant.co.uk (degree qualified).
yes it helped me alot. thanks
My Name is Babu.P. I am also working for this Printer field. Many times i faced these problems. Now we got one printer Canon LBP2900b. we are facing the same problem. ( I had replaced- LSU,Controller Board,Transfer roller,Cartridge and cleaned the mainboard ‘s sensor condacts and all) now i will try to replace the fuser unit.
Thank you,
I have an Epson ecotank 15000 printing horizontal lines in all colors and it will print maroon for red. what do I need to do to fix this problem.
Hi, it sounds like you have a print head issue. It may need flushing and cleaning.
Hi, I got a Laserjet 500 color M551 and it print lines on the first 5 or 6 prints when turned on. After this it prints fine. What can it be?
Sounds like an issue with the fuser which is slow to heat up but once hot enough the problem stops.
Hi I volunteere for an autism charity we have a hp laserjet printer which in last 4 month on left side of a4 paper when we print things out there are marks which are pronounced darkness which leads to lighter patterns to just before middle of the sheet and we don’t know why we have very little funds so I just need advice thank you
Hi Debbie, try the advice on this page: https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2017/05/black-lines-down-the-page-4-causes-and-how-to-fix/
HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e
Printing “Color” Issues
Horizontal lines across the document and photos. The photos look like window blinds. I’ve changed the ink three times and I’ve cleaned the print heads with 90% alcohol, I’ve also checked for printer updates. I did an alignment twice. The problem is most severe at the top and bottom of the printed documents. The black text is very good, only color issues. Thank you for any help that you might provide.
That is strange, if the black was affected too I’d say it was possibly dirty rollers but it does sound like an issue with print heads. All you can do is try new colour inks or if the printhead is a separate unit, it may need replacing.
I have a brother laser printer. A horizontal black line appears on pages that becomes accentuated the more copies are printer. The toner is new. Any helps?
Brother laser printers normally have a separate drum, it could be an issue with the drum.
We have a brand new tr150 canon. When printing photos we have lines through the photo. We have done several clean ups and removed and cleaned everything manually but the problem still persists.
Any ideas?
It could be a blockage on the print head, try alternative cartridges or cleaning the underside of the print head.
I have an Hp deskjet 2722e, used it last week fine.
Now it’s printing with missing lines.
Tried restarting, cleaning online etc.
Unfortunately, it could be an issue with the cartridges, you may need to try replacement inks. If that doesn’t work, the print head could be damaged.
I have a Brother Laser Printer MFC-L3770CDW It worked fine for the first few years then I put in a new Brother toner cartridge and it started to print heavy black lines and smudges all over anything I tried to print. I took out the cartridges cleaned everything per their instructions, ran print cleaner papers through it several times, and recently purchased new Drums Units. It only got worse. I even used original brother cartridges but nothing works. Can you tell me if there is anything more I can do to fix the lines and smudges? I can’t print anything even in color because of the black lines
Hi there, if you’ve tried new toners / drums, it sounds like the fuser unit might have a fault. It’s the part that melts the toner on to the page. That part can be quite expensive and fiddly to replace but it’s the only thing left to try really.
I have the same one you have and it worked great changed the timer and black line in same place every page printed. Never done it till I changed the ink.
Hi, I have a Canon G7020. I recently purchased this printer and all of my prints have these very thin faint black horizontal lines (that look like college-ruled paper lines). I have tried running all maintenance features and hand-cleaned the rollers but am still running into these issues. A lot of the troubleshooting advice I’m seeing online is for cartridge-based printers but mine has refillable tanks. Do you have any idea how to resolve this issue?
Hi Gabrielle, it’s likely to be a print head issue. I’m hearing that it’s becoming quite a common issue with these ink tank printers. I believe, the issue is that they need to be used every day or the ink builds up and dries on the print heads either blocking them up or causing issues like you have described. The only thing you can try is to check the part where the ink comes out and wipe with a lightly dampened cloth to try and remove any build up.
Hello & Help! My Epson EcoTank ET-16600 only has a little over 200 uses and prints colored lines over my paper but ONLY when using the rear feed (which I need to do for larger prints).
I have done all maintenance cleaning options. (Using with Photoshop & iMac ios12)
Hi Sally, it sounds like the rear feeder is temperamental on these printers. I’ve just been reading the instructions and there’s all kinds of warnings about not suing specific paper types / thicknesses on the rear feeder or it will cause issues like the one you described.
thank you, helped out alot..
Hi, l have a HP Photo-smart C4780 scanner, photo, printer,.
On printing a document it is okay until you get to the last few lines and not printing them. Leaving the document not complete.
I think if its only the very end of the document and always the same its something to do with printer drivers / the software rather than a fault with the printer cartridges etc…Try updating the printer firmware or drivers.
I have an epson L14150, I have run lots of print head and power cleaning, only magenta has lines, when printing nozzle check it is okay but when printing image only magenta has lines, how to fix?
It sounds like the printhead has a blockage somewhere. All you can do is try to clean where the ink comes out to clear the residue or run the cleaning cycles on the printer. Ink tank printers tend to be temperamental.
My name is Iyabode, I’m using Canon CP 1000 and my printer is drawing line since a month ago. Please what can I do?
The only thing you can do with a CP1000 is try a new cassette.
Hi,
I have a Canon 2425i copier. I have vertical dark lines accross my prints. I have cleaned the fuser unit but it keeps showing after a few copies.
It will be either the fuser needs to be replaced or there’s an issue with the drums.
Good day my printer does not have any removable cartridges, how do I clean the ink compartments? It is a Epson L3111.
The only thing you can do with these printers is clean via the options on the printer menu.
I have a Dell 3110cn colour printer and every page prints with horizonal bands of each colour (black-blank-magenta-yellow-cyan) from top to bottom
I would try and update the printer drivers to see if that fixes the issue.
Hiya,
I have an HP Color LaserJet pro MFP M281fdw and we have faint vertical black lines on all printed paper.. Black ink Cartridge is at 20% .. any ideas what is causing it ?
Try the tips on our other page https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2017/05/black-lines-down-the-page-4-causes-and-how-to-fix/
I have an hp envy portrait 7100 printer and its printing black horizantal lines in every print i ran the cleaning stuff i dont know anything about them any help would be apreiciated it says tbe cartridges are 3/4 full
It sounds like there’s an issue with the print head or cartridges, all you can do is replace them or try to wipe the print head underneath to remove excess ink.
Thanks for al, the useful advice. I am not sure if my particular problem will be resolved but it certainly gives me a number of this to try, and shows you really understand these devices and the challenges they can create.
We have a HP4200tn it has started making lines on the left side of the page and has missing spots and smudges on the right side. We have tried cleaning the rollers and using compressed air to blow everything out. Any ideas on this?
Hi, if its not the rollers causing the issue, it will likely be a drum or fuser issue. The drums are built into the toners on your printer. Have you tried a replacement toner? I would try that first and if it doesn’t work, it’s more than likely in need of a new fuser.
Hi I have an EPSON XP – 2205 and it has just started leaving lines on the page , It was working great up until today and I only use the Black more then all the others . If I change the cartridge will that help ????
Try the print head cleaning process / alignment on your printer and if that doesn’t work, see if you can see any build up of ink around where the ink comes out of the nozzles. It may just need a clean.
Hi,in my Epson L220 ,the colour prints are fine but if it’s black then the line appears. Black and white prints are always with horizontal lines, cleaned the head but still facing the same use, kindly advise
It sounds like there may be a bit of build up where the ink comes out / as the carriage moves across the page. All you can do is look for the build up and clean it when you find it.
Hi, I have a HP Laserjet CP1025 and a while ago it started leaving a wide blank line down the middle of the page when printing. I have replaced the cartridges and the drum unit and have cleaned the rollers but the issue persists. Would you have any advice or idea of what is causing this issue?
Hi, as you’ve changed the toners and drum, the only thing left that it could be is the fuser unit or transfer belt. the fuser is the part that uses heat and pressure to seal the toner to the page and transfer belt moves the paper through the printer. Is there toner loose inside the printer? Unfortunately, these are the most expensive parts to replace and not always easy to get.
I have an Epson T3850 and a vertical line appears when i usee the feeder for printing. I have run the print heard cleaner. any other suggestions?
Hi Peggy, I have a different bit of advice for black lines down the page which you can find here: https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2017/05/black-lines-down-the-page-4-causes-and-how-to-fix/
I have a Cannon imageClass MF8580Cdw that prints thick black horizontal lines, and sometimes in color. The toner is new and was doing this before a new black toner was replaced. I have tried the maintenance cleaning options according to the manual. It is hit or miss, some pages will print clean.
Hi Eric, the lines will be being caused by drums or the fuser. I think that in your printer, the drums are built into the toners so changing the toner would have fixed the issue and as it’s happening on colours as well, its likely a build up on the corona wire (the hot hot wire that fuses toner to the page). The fuser can get build up or get damaged and sometimes clear itself then build up again. I think you will need a technician to replace or clean the fuser on your printer as it’s not as straight forward to remove as cartridges.
And if that didn’t work what I do? Replace the printer head? Bc I did all this and then came to your sight
The last resort is normally a printhead issue. If you’ve tried everything else, it’s likely the only solution.
Hello, we have an HP color laser jet pro MFP M479fdw that is printing red lines along length of paper. Changed all the toner cartridges. Ran all the maintenance menu selections. Could it still be a cartridge? Or do we assume something else. Reliable certified professional service is not really a thing in the country we are in.
I doubt it’s the toner if you get the same issue with a new set. It could be some toner stuck to the fuser wire or a roller somewhere. Is it a uniform red line or a messy one?
I have an HP Smart Tank Plus 559. The print quality is OK if printing script in a Word document (.doc) but for other formats and particularly if images or pictures are present then horizontal grey lines appear across the whole document.
Sounds like one of the colour printheads is blocked. I’m not sure if they are accessible to clean or flush in a smart tank printer but sometimes you can get cleaning fluids to flush them.
Hello, I am IT Clerk in a big department, we’re using few konica minolta copiers. When Printing, the print comes out with black smeared all over the sheet. What should I do.
It will be a toner cartridge fault or a drum issue. Replace the toner first and see if that corrects the issue. If it doesn’t try replacing the imaging drums.
Addendum: I do not have this problem when printing from iPhone or the MAC computer.
I have an ET4850 printer. When printing on the printer there is a horizontal blank line, maybe two lines in height, across the middle of the copy. I have done all the alignment test numerous times and the head cleaning routine 4 times. The test look fine. This blank line does not appear when printing from an iphone or the mac computer. Only when copying on the computer.
It sounds like a firmware or printer driver error. Most likely the printer drivers need updating on the computer as its not affecting a mobile device. If you mean when only copying on the printer, then it could be a firmware issue.
I have an HPENVY 7640
I GET PINK LINES GOING ACROSS A PHOTO WHEN PRINTING IT. I HAVE CLEANED THE PRINT HEAD WITH A DAMP PAPER TOWEL AND UNDER THE PRINT HEAD WITH A QTIP AND IT STILL DOESN’T PRINT RIGHT. IF I HAVE TO REPLACE IT EVEN THOUGH IT STILL HAS INK IN IT WILL HP GIVE ME A NEW ONE?
If your printer is still in warranty (less than 12 months old) they should replace it for you.
i get lines on my copies when i print from the scanner and then when the feeder tray is open. i bought a new laser jet cartridge to replace the one that was also leaving (two lines only) lines on the copies. i am a cpa and there are no lines when i print directly from the program or if i just print something that i lay on the glass and do not close the feeder door. the printer is about one and half years old and i do try to take care of it. i have cleaned as instructed per the instructions that come with
That’s a very strange problem but it must be an issue with either dirt on the scanner glass or something wrong with the feeder tray. Sometimes these things happen but likely you will need a technician to look at it.
I have a HP Pro Wide 477 DW
New cartridges only Black not printing.
Printing one page okay on paper then blank or partial on the print sent to printer.
Advanced cleaning completed
Replaced printer Tray Unit
HP Cleaning Sheets completed
Deleted Printer from device & installed printer OK with all software updates to date.
Attempted with change to paper density
Cleaned roller with cleaning fluid
Still not printing correctly.
Any advice welcome , due to the costs and time invested already.
Thank you
It might be a fuser issue, do the blank pages come out messy or completely blank?
Hi I have a Cannon Colour Image Class Printer. MFB42Cdw, My paper keeps showing up having two -five horizontal lines which are blue and red. Can you tell me what this can be?
It sounds like issue with either the toner or drums for the cyan and magenta cartridges. I’m not sure if the drums are part of the toner cartridges for this model so you may just need to try new cyan and magenta toners to see if it fixes the issue.