34 | Troubleshooting
Printing quality problems
If the inside of the printer is dirty or paper has been loaded improperly, you
may notice a reduction in print quality. See the table below to clear the
problem.
The printer
selects print
materials from
the wrong paper
source.
The paper source
selection in the
printer properties
may be incorrect.
For many software
applications, the paper
source selection is found
under the Thin Paper tab
within the printer properties.
Select the correct paper
source. See the printer driver
help screen.
A print job is
extremely slow.
The job may be very
complex.
Reduce the complexity of the
page or try adjusting the print
quality settings.
Half the page is
blank.
The page orientation
setting may be
incorrect.
Change the page orientation
in your application. See the
printer driver help screen.
The paper size and
the paper size
settings do not
match.
Ensure that the paper size in
the printer driver settings
matches the paper in the
tray.
Or, ensure that the paper
size in the printer driver
settings matches the paper
selection in the software
application settings you use.
The printer
prints, but the
text is wrong,
garbled, or
incomplete.
The printer cable is
loose or defective.
Disconnect the printer cable
and reconnect. Try a print job
that you have already printed
successfully. If possible,
attach the cable and the
printer to another computer
and try a print job that you
know works. Finally, try a
new printer cable.
The wrong printer
driver was selected.
Check the application’s
printer selection menu to
ensure that your printer is
selected.
The software
application is
malfunctioning.
Try printing a job from
another application.
The operating
system is
malfunctioning.
Exit Windows and reboot the
computer. Turn the printer off
and then back on again.
Pages print, but
are blank.
The toner cartridge
is defective or out of
toner.
Redistribute the toner, if
necessary. See
"Redistributing toner"on
page 26.
If necessary, replace the
toner cartridge.
The file may have
blank pages.
Check the file to ensure that
it does not contain blank
pages.
Some parts, such as
the controller or the
board, may be
defective.
Contact a service
representative.
CONDITION POSSIBLE
CAUSE SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
The printer does
not print PDF file
correctly. Some
parts of
graphics, text, or
illustrations are
missing.
Incompatibility
between the PDF
file and the Acrobat
products.
Printing the PDF file as an
image may solve this
problem. Turn on Print As
Image from the Acrobat
printing options.
It will take longer to
print when you print a
PDF file as an image.
Your printer has
an odd smell
during initial
use.
The oil used to
protect the fuser is
evaporating.
After printing about 100 color
pages, there will be no more
smell. It is a temporary issue.
The print quality
of photos is not
good. Images
are not clear.
The resolution of the
photo is very low.
Reduce the photo size. If you
increase the photo size in the
software application, the
resolution will be reduced.
Before printing,
the printer emits
vapor near the
output tray.
Using damp paper
can cause vapor
during printing.
This is not a problem. Just
keep printing.
CONDITION SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
Light or faded print
If a vertical white streak or faded area appears
on the page:
• The toner supply is low. You may be able
to temporarily extend the toner cartridge
life. See "Replacing the toner cartridge"on
page 27. If this does not improve the print
quality, install a new toner cartridge.
• The paper may not meet paper
specifications; for example, the paper is too
moist or too rough. See "Selecting print
media" on page17.
• If the entire page is light, the print
resolution setting is too low. Adjust the print
resolution. See the help screen of the
printer driver.
• A combination of faded or smea red defects
may indicate that the toner cartridge needs
cleaning.
• The surface of the LSU part inside the
printer may be dirty. Clean the LSU by
opening and closing the front cover several
times and if the problem still occurs call the
contact a service representative.
CONDITION POSSIBLE
CAUSE SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS