Fixing Faded Pages, Blank Spots & Ink Streaks
You have plenty of ink left, but your pages are coming out with horizontal white lines, faded text, or smeared colors. Before you assume the printer is broken and buy a new one, try these maintenance steps.
Inkjet Printers: Run a Printhead Cleaning
If you don't use your inkjet printer for a few weeks, the liquid ink sitting in the microscopic nozzles of the printhead will dry up and create a clog. This is the #1 cause of streaks and missing colors.
- Go to your printer's touchscreen or the settings menu on your computer's printer app.
- Look for a menu called Maintenance, Tools, or Service.
- Select Printhead Cleaning or Clean Cartridges.
- The printer will make a series of loud noises for about 2 minutes as it forces fresh ink through the nozzles to dissolve the clogs.
- Print a test page. If it's still streaky, run the cleaning cycle one more time.
Inkjet Printers: Printhead Alignment
If your text looks "wavy" or blurry (like it's vibrating), your printhead is out of alignment.
Navigate back to the Maintenance menu and select Printhead Alignment. The printer will print out a page with various blocks of color and lines. You will scan this page back into the printer so it can automatically correct its own calibration.
Laser Printers: The "Rock and Roll" Method
Laser printers use dry toner powder, so they never dry out. However, if a laser printer sits idle for a long time, the powder inside the cartridge can settle and pack tightly to one side, causing faded text on one half of the page.
- Open the printer and remove the toner cartridge.
- Gently rock the cartridge from side to side 5 or 6 times to redistribute the powder evenly.
- Reinsert the cartridge and print a test page.