White stripes when printing on a laser printer

Have you ever been annoyed by the bothersome white borders that appear on printed documents? You’re not the only one who uses a laser printer. These stripes have the power to truly ruin an otherwise polished, professional print. But fear not—determining their cause and a workable solution don’t have to be difficult.

When there is a problem with the toner or internal parts of the printer, white stripes typically show up. Knowing the underlying cause of an issue can help you solve it faster, whether it’s a paper jam, an issue with the toner cartridge, or something more basic.

We’ll dissect the typical causes of these stripes in this post and walk you through a few easy troubleshooting techniques. You can quickly restore your printer to producing clear, sharp prints with a little knowledge.

TOP # 5. Chaotic stripes and artifacts? Eliminate cartridge depressurization!

Check the integrity of the sealing rubber bands if the cartridge is not tight; if they are, the toner appears to be leaking out.

Unpredictable streaks and relics

Even after taking all the required steps, the printer continues to print in stripes. Make a 24/7 support request to the MosToner service center!

Users of printing equipment frequently need to find a solution to the following issue: why do laser printers print in stripes? It goes without saying that office equipment, and MFPs in particular, gradually lose quality over time, leading to the appearance of stripes during printing. However, this issue plagues even recently purchased laser printers. What then is the cause?

Contamination or miscalibration of the print head

You can fix all of these issues by using the printer’s service features. The associated processes can be carried out via the driver that is installed on the computer or by using the buttons or touch panel on the printer body. Now let’s look at the final approach.

Perform the following computer actions to clean the print head:

• Go from the “Control Panel” to the “Devices and Printers” section.
• Right-click on the printer name, then select “Settings” or “Properties”. The printer driver settings window will open.
• Go to the “Maintenance” tab.
• Select the “Cleaning the print head” item, then click the “Run” button. Follow the instructions on the screen.
• If simple cleaning does not help, run the "Deep cleaning" function. This procedure will require a relatively large amount of ink, but the print head cleaning will be performed more efficiently.

The capacity to clean the entire ink supply system is another feature of contemporary Canon printer models. To initiate the relevant function, perform the following actions:

• Select the “System Cleaning” item in the “Maintenance” tab of the driver settings window.
• The program will prompt you to select a group of cartridges on which the cleaning operation will be performed. You can select all the proposed groups.
• Next, select the “Initial Check Items” item. The screen will display the requirements that must be met before starting the system cleaning procedure.
• Click the “Run” button, then “OK”, the cleaning procedure will be launched.
• If cleaning the ink supply system does not lead to the desired result, the manufacturer recommends turning off the printer for 24 hours, then repeating the procedure.

If the print head miscalibration is the cause of the stripes on the prints, the issue can be resolved as follows:

• Load several sheets of paper into the printer.
• Open the “Maintenance” tab in the printer driver settings window on your computer.
• Select the “Special Options” item.
• In the new window, switch the checkbox to the “Manually align heads” position, then click the “OK” button.
• The “Maintenance” tab of the driver settings window will open again. Now select the “Printhead Alignment” item.
• Click the “Align Printhead” button in the newly opened window.
• Follow the instructions on the screen.

TOP #5. Chaotic stripes and artifacts? Remove cartridge leaks!

Check the integrity of the sealing rubbers if the cartridge is leaking; if they are damaged, the toner appears to be spilling.

Unpredictable streaks and relics

Even after taking all the required steps, the printer continues to print in stripes. Make a 24/7 support request to the MosToner service center!

Users of printing equipment frequently need to find a solution to the following issue: why do laser printers print in stripes? It goes without saying that office equipment, and MFPs in particular, gradually lose quality over time, leading to the appearance of stripes during printing. However, this issue plagues even recently purchased laser printers. What then is the cause?

Printing defects

The printing flaws that are visible on the printout are listed below, along with the circumstances surrounding their appearance. The only way to determine the cause of printing flaws like consistently faded or oversaturated images—in some cases, you can even feel the volume of the image—is to disassemble the cartridge and measure the waste.

1. If there is a metering blade, it is worn out. 2- There is wear on the magnetic shaft 3. The toner is wet or mixed with toner from various brands.

Download the Test Sheet to view the printing defects.

Epson L210 prints in stripes – troubleshooting by printout

1. Vertical light (not printed) strip closer to the central part of the sheet usually appears when the toner is running out. The smaller it remains, the wider the strip and the paler print. If the toner is enough, the defect can be caused by a malfunction of the system of its supply. In this case, you need to refuel or replace the cartridge.
2. The strips consist of dark (color) points scattered across the sheet. With each print, they appear in different places. This happens after refilling the cartridge, when some of the toner spills out, or from overflow of the waste buffer. You need to clean the cartridge, make sure it is tight. Remove dirt from the buffer.
3. A narrow, unprinted strip with clear edges along the sheet. Light stripes in the form of thin lines. Usually the toner does not fall on a separate section of the sheet due to the obstacle. The culprit, as a rule, is a foreign body (paper clips, coins, crumbs, etc. p.) between the magnetic roller and the cleaning blade. The problem of cleaning from a foreign body will be solved.

We also carry out repairs and refueling. Canon Error E15

If a laser or LED printer is “striping”

Problems with the printer’s optical unit, thermal transfer system (oven), or cartridge could be the cause of stripes on LED and laser prints.

Cartridge problems

• The toner is almost out.
• The toner is spilling out of the container due to a loose closure.
• The waste bin is full.
• A foreign object has gotten inside the cartridge.
• The photo drum is damaged or worn out – an element of the cartridge in the form of a cylinder, to which toner sticks under the influence of laser or LED illumination and is transferred from it to the paper.
• The photo drum cleaning blade (squeegee) is damaged.
• The magnetic roller is damaged or worn out – an element that charges toner particles, due to which the latter stick to the illuminated areas of the drum.
• The magnetic roller is not fully in contact with the photo drum.
• The blade of the toner dosage is incorrectly fixed, which removes its excess from the magnetic shaft.
• The sealing elements of the drum and magnetic roller are damaged.
• The connection units, mechanical parts and other parts of the cartridge are faulty.

The heating and pressure rollers of the oven are typically damaged or worn out, which results in issues with fixing the dye on the paper.

Optics problems are frequently linked to contamination of the latter by dust or spilled toner rather than a flaw.

Reasons for the appearance of stripes during printing

First of all, issues with the cartridge cause black/black stripes to appear when printing on paper. Wear on the cartridge’s parts, inadequate toner powder (for laser printers) or ink (for inkjet printers) in the cartridge, improper maintenance, or improper cartridge refilling can all contribute to poor print quality in the final product.

Preventive work is usually the best way to address the issue of horizontal or vertical dark stripes. The need for repairs to the unit occurs less frequently.

When a user purchases a multifunctional printer, or any other type of printing device (e.g., Epson, Samsung, Kyocera, Panasonic KX, etc.), which replicates printing processes at the highest level, they should be aware that the quality level may deteriorate over time. At this point, one might wonder how this is possible and how the printer is able to print black stripes. It’s very easy to explain.

The device typically comes with a demo cartridge installed at the time of purchase, set to a specific volume. During printer printing operations, the quality of the images will gradually deteriorate as the ink in the cartridge runs out. Black stripes on paper that indicate the need to refill the cartridge could be evidence of this. You can keep using the printer after the refueling process.

But not every user is aware that there is a specific resource for all cartridge consumables (Panasonic, Kyocera, Samsung, Epson, Xerox, and others). You will therefore need to replace any worn parts and do proper maintenance on the consumable after the second or third refill.

The cartridges’ mechanism is not very intricate. It is also quite possible to replace it yourself if you know what parts it is made of, what each one does, what it is accountable for when transferring digital data to paper, and what issues it can cause. Once you have a firm grasp on the parts of cartridges, you will not only be able to make significant savings but also enhance the quality of your own prints.

White stripes on the document

When printing on a laser printer, the presence of white stripes indicates that either the toner cartridge has run out or the laser itself is malfunctioning. The ink runs out when there’s a broad white stripe running the whole width of the page; this will get worse every time you try to print a sheet of paper after that. It is important to remember that shaking the cartridge after the toner runs out will not improve print quality and could cause major damage or even failure to the photo drum. Refilling the cartridge will solve the issue.

If toner is present but the stripes persist, the laser is probably the source of the issue. This isn’t always a serious issue. It’s highly likely that the optics were contaminated by dust, tiny insects, or paint particles. You must keep an eye on the printer’s cleanliness and, if required, use a lint-free cloth to clean the laser mirror in order to avoid this.

Inkjet MFPs and printers

When printing, the following factors are frequently the cause of stripes on an inkjet printer:

• lack of ink;
• damage to the integrity of the cartridge;
• the presence of dirt on the encoder parts (ribbon, disk);
• malfunctions of the print head.

You must follow this algorithm in order to identify the issue and get rid of printing flaws.

The cartridge is out of ink

First, make sure there is ink in the cartridges to prevent stripes from appearing. If not, the empty containers are swapped out for full ones and the ink is replenished without waiting for the ink to run out.

Counseling! You should use the printer management program’s "Check ink level" function if it is not possible to visually determine how much ink is left.

Usually, the stripes vanish when the cartridge is refilled.

Breach of the cartridge tightness

Ink spills inside the printer if the cartridge’s tightness is compromised. In this instance, the print head’s parking spot and the rubber squeegee meant to clean it get soiled. As a result, when the print head nozzles come into contact with unclean surfaces, they clog and the printer starts to "streak." Using a specific cleaning solution, the parking unit and the squeegee are cleaned to remove the flaw.

Contamination of encoder parts

• encoder tape — a translucent film with markings that ensure carriage positioning;
• encoder disk — a toothed wheel with lines applied to it that determine the position of the paper during printing.

The solid media will occasionally skip during printing if the tape and/or disk are dirty because the printer will no longer be able to read part of the markings that were applied to them. Consequently, the sheet will have white stripes (gaps) that are either vertical or horizontal. By cleaning the parts’ surfaces, the flaw is removed.

Counseling! Using a dry cloth to remove any dirt from the encoder parts is the best method. You can wet it with water and repeat the process if this doesn’t work. However, you must then wipe the disk and dry the tape. Using cleaning liquid on these parts is not advised as it may harm the markings that have been applied.

The ink has dried

A long period of inactivity can cause some of the printer’s (MFP) print head nozzles to clog with dried ink. The printer then begins to "streak" after that. The following features can be turned on one after the other to fix this malfunction.

1. “Nozzle Check”. This starts printing a test page, which will help diagnose the cause of the malfunction.
2. “Print Head Cleaning”. If necessary, this procedure can be performed several times, with a pause of at least 5 minutes between them.

Crucial! Print heads can only be cleaned by software on printers that have a specific type of pump. In the absence of any, cleaning the heads is done by hand with cleaning solutions.

The printer’s head is cleaned with a specialized service liquid if the "streak" persists even after software cleaning. Moreover, you can attempt to soak the dried ink using cold or hot techniques (boiling, steaming, etc.) if the print head is integrated into replaceable cartridges (as in the case of Canon MP230, MP250 printers, and other manufacturers utilizing FINE technology). Additionally, ultrasonic cleaning of the head nozzles will be a successful technique in the event of severe clogging. But even with such drastic measures, the cartridge needs to be changed if the stripes do not go away.

When the print head of an Epson L210, L222, or other printer is fixed in place, the nozzles must be carefully cleaned with a specific cleaning solution using a lint-free wipe and a medical syringe with a thin needle.

Print head recalibration

The user may occasionally find themselves in a scenario where the ink cartridges are full, the nozzle test is positive, but the print is fuzzy, there are still stripes on the paper, and the print is blurry. In this instance, the printer’s service program should activate the Print Head Calibration function, which should be helpful.

In the same place

The latter case is incredibly uncommon. We are discussing continuous striped printing, after all, but only in the same region. This issue typically arises with laser printers.

What is the cause of it? Consider how long this equipment has been devotedly serving you if you’re wondering why a laser printer prints stripes in the same spot. After all, these kinds of occurrences are frequently noted on models that have been in operation for a while. This occurs as a result of the shaft deforming. or any outside harm (dust, sand, tiny objects, etc.).

Additionally, you should check the state of the thermal film if you’re wondering why the printer prints stripes in the same spot. Normally, it’s under the cartridge. Furthermore, this area is extremely weak. Even the smallest impact from an object outside the printer means that a complete repair will likely be necessary. Damage to the thermal film is extremely rare, only in practice. It is now standard practice to replace any computer hardware before it becomes outdated. Additionally, this frequently aids in preventing circumstances where printing issues occur.

White stripes on laser printer prints are frequently an indication that there may be a problem with the toner or imaging components in your printer. These streaks typically indicate a problem with the drum unit, a buildup of dust or debris, or a problem with the toner cartridge. You can easily get your prints looking crisp and clear again by being aware of and taking care of these common problems.

Turning off the economy mode

Through negligence or ignorance, the user may independently activate the printer’s economy mode. However, the device itself may also do such a change automatically.

In certain models, the behavior algorithm incorporates a similar mechanism when the powder or ink level is low. As this fact can be corrected much more easily than other ways of "treating" poor printing, it should be verified first.

• Open the list of all connected printers through the quick launch window of programs (Windows + R). In the line, enter “control printers”.
• Find your model and open “Print settings”.
• In the window that opens, on one of the tabs, you will be able to change the print quality, which can be easily changed to suit your needs.

Unprinted areas

While there are a number of potential causes for the appearance of white stripes during printing, it might be necessary to investigate each one in order to rule out the issue; however, the drum is typically the root of the problem.

A green metal cylinder known as a drum or photoreceptor receives a laser beam from a laser printer that is focused on the document you are printing. The toner is then transferred to the paper as it goes through this drum. As a consumable, the drum can be attached to the toner cartridge or be a separate unit.

The dirt on the drum can cause areas of print to be missing when it comes into contact with the page if it is dirty, fingerprinted, or damaged in any other way. In addition, a malfunctioning fuser unit or a dirty or damaged mirror reflecting the laser beam may be to blame for this.

Toner is melted and fused to the page by the printer’s replaceable fuser. It exerts pressure as well, so if any component is broken, it may leave behind islands of unprinted space.

Regretfully, basic cleaning isn’t always the solution, but the actions listed below might help:

1. Refill or replace the old cartridge with a new one, it may simply be out of toner;
2. Replace the photoreceptor – this usually solves the problem;
3. Replace the printer"s fuser unit.
   Warning
   Never touch the green metal drum cylinder. Again, be careful, and if you are unsure, it is better to entrust this work to a professional repairman.

Points on the page (that may or may not be in the same location) If your printer prints in the same spot every time you see spots, there’s probably damage to the rollers or drum (see Problem 2 above for identifying the drum). It might be a roller as well.

This occurs as a result of the toner on the page being smeared by dirt or fingerprints on the drum or rollers as it goes through the fuser.

The drum is most likely to blame if the spots are in different locations. Examine the printer’s interior to see if there is any dirt that could point to a problem, such as dirt on the rollers or drum. To fix the issue, proceed as follows, printing again before moving on to the next step.

1. Clean the rollers.
2. Refill the cartridge or if so replace it with a new one.
3. Replace the drum.
4. Replace the fuser unit.

Possible Causes	Solutions
Low toner levels	Replace or refill the toner cartridge.
Dirty drum unit	Clean the drum unit according to the printer"s manual.
Misaligned or damaged toner cartridge	Reinstall or replace the toner cartridge.
Defective paper	Try using a different type or brand of paper.
Firmware issues	Update the printer’s firmware if available.

Although white stripes on your printed documents can be annoying, they typically indicate a laser printer issue that can be resolved. Finding the source of the issue is the first step in fixing it, whether it has to do with the paper, the drum, or the toner. These stripes are frequently caused by uneven toner distribution or problems with the internal parts of the printer.

Examine the toner cartridge first. Occasionally, the toner may not be seated correctly or may be low on toner. Take the cartridge out and put it back in gently to see if that fixes the issue. If it’s low, a new one could help to remove the stripes.

If the toner isn’t the problem, the drum unit could be the cause. In order to transfer toner onto paper, the drum is essential. If it is soiled or broken, your printouts may have stripes or streaks. Often, the issue can be resolved by carefully cleaning or replacing the drum.

Finally, make sure the paper you’re using is appropriate for your printer. Incompatible or low-quality paper can occasionally result in printing problems. Changing the kind or brand of paper could get rid of the stripes.

White stripes in your prints can often be fixed by methodically examining these possible problems. You can quickly get back to crisp, clean documents with a little troubleshooting.

Related videos

Epson l355 two white stripes on the image / what to do / solution.

Canon and Hp light vertical stripes

Panasonic KX-MB does not print | Light stripes

Vertical light stripes when printing

White vertical stripes when printing, Panasonic KX-MB763 laser printer