How Do I Fix Messy Printing?
Reader’s Laser Printer Leaves Extra Toner On Pages
Q: Paul, my HP laser printer has started to leave ink along the border of the page and on other unwanted places. I ran the “cleaning tool” which helped but not much and I don’t want to use it each time I print. Any suggestions?
A: Dear Reader,
You do not tell me the model number so I cannot guess how old your printer is, or how you use it, but there are usually two areas to look to for repairing the issue (I believe) you are describing.
* First, Run the cartridge cleaning feature (which you have done). This can be found in your printer’s software, or the Properties window for your printer.
* Then, look to the toner cartridge: it may be very low, or it may be defective. Try inserting a new one and see if you problem goes away. If not..
* It may be the printer’s “fuser unit” has worn out or become dirty. This is a more serious (and expensive) issue that usually calls for part replacement. Look to the HP website to find the part number and cost of a replacement for your specific printer. (You may need to use the part# to look for parts elsewhere on the Web, if your printer is really old.)
With the drop in pricing on laser printers, you may find that simply replacing the whole printer is a reasonable option… particularly if your current one has seen a lot of use already.
Related: The print job won’t stop printing
Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.
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• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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TechPaul,
Excellent advice and instruction…
Rick
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Thank you, Rick. Very kind of you.
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when i try to print all i get is red lines. i have cleaned it but it is still doing it
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Ivy Fletcher,
If it is still under warranty, call the manufacturer. If it’s too old for that, you may want to have a tech take a look..
But, generally speaking, printers are such a cheap item, (cheaper than a technician’s fee) that the “fix” is replacement. (It’s the ink refills where the printer manufacturers profit.)
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Great article. Tried it but still spitting Ink now and then.
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Which did you try? If you tried all three –> new printer.
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The ink on my photographs seems never to dry. I cannot touch them without their smudging. This is a new problem. I have been printing photographs for years and had this problem only with this lot of ink
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Outside my area, but.. I believe it may not be the ink.. it might be the printer (‘fuser unit’). And.. I suppose it might be the ink.
But I would call the printer manufacturer’s ‘tech support’. And you might call the ink maker’s number too..
If your printer’s more than 5-7 years old.. maybe just replace it.
Sorry to be so vague.
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