When your print quality changes – light copy, streaks unintended lines or dots – try changing the toner cartridge. It may be that your cartridge has run out of toner or that a recently installed cartridge is defective.

If your print quality has deteriorated slowly over time, dust and excess toner may be the cause. By cleaning a few of your printer’s internal parts, you may be able to solve the problems. Check your printer’s user guide to find out how to locate and clean such parts as the transfer guide, paper feed guide, fuser assembly, etc. Be certain you that you unplug your printer before cleaning any internal parts and be careful around the fuser – it’s hot!

A change in print output that occurs after a paper change may mean that you are using the wrong paper for your printer (again, check the user guide) or that the paper has been installed upside down. Most reams of paper have an arrow on their packaging that indicates which side of the paper is designed to be printed on. If the printed paper is curling excessively, try flipping the paper over in the input tray and run a test print. Also check that you are using the correct type of paper in a laser printer. The laser printers can use many types of laser and copy paper successfully; however, inkjet paper can cause many problems as it is coated and can not stand the high fuser temperature.

Your printer’s parts will wear out in time. The best way to ensure that your printer produces consistent, high quality output is to have it checked annually by a professional service technician. If you call us for a maintenance checkup, we’ll examine all your printer’s parts, clean them and replace those that are worn or damaged.

If your printer is sending error codes or a series of light patterns, please refer to your user’s guide, or write them down and call us.