Any office equipment, in particular, MFPs and printers, sooner or later begins to act up. One of the common problems that begins to bother many users over time is the following: the inkjet printer prints with streaks. Most often, the cause of such a printing defect is contamination of the device mechanism with particles of ink and simple wear and tear of its components.

Possible causes and solutions

If your inkjet printer is streaking, the first thing you should do is check your ink levels. For this purpose, you need to launch a utility that allows you to control the printing device and go to the “Service” / “Equipment” tab in the window that opens. Next, run a check, based on the results of which you will be presented with a report in the form of an image. If you have a color printer, the screen will display the level of ink for each color that comes with it. But if you have CISS, i.e. system of continuous ink supply, then in this case it is possible to determine how much ink remains in the consumable hopper only “by eye”, i.e. visually. This is quite easy to do, because the CISS bins are transparent.

If the ink is fine, but the inkjet printer is still printing in streaks, then you should clean the print head. In some inkjet printers this part is located in the device itself, in others it is part of the cartridge. If you have a second type printer, then you can solve the problem of stripes that appear during printing by simply changing the consumables. But if such a replacement is impractical, for example, the cartridge reservoir is still full of inks or buying a new element will cost you money, then you can start cleaning the head. This problem can be solved programmatically using a special utility. If this does not help and the printing printer leaves all sorts of defects on the printouts, then you will have to manually clean the head, for which you should use a special cleaning fluid. Read more about this in this article.

If you have CISS installed, make sure that the holes intended for air to enter the jars are not clogged. But if they are equipped with a filter, then check the degree of contamination. If necessary, remove them or better replace them.

If the following question is still relevant: does your inkjet printer print with streaks, what should you do? Then you should make sure that the print head is in good condition. Those. If neither the software nor the manual method helped solve the problem of white stripes, then perhaps the cause of the defect lies in the head itself or parts associated with it. Most often, failure of this element occurs due to careless handling when removing it or due to frequent use of the device. To eliminate the breakdown, you will have to completely replace the failed part.

To answer the question of why stripes appear when printing on an inkjet printer, you may have to. The fact is that when moving the printer from one place to another, the carriage of the device could become slightly misaligned. You can fix the problem using special software, in which you need to select the “Print head calibration” option and follow all the recommendations that will appear along the way.

The appearance of white stripes, which are located at the same distance from each other, may be due to contamination of an element called the encoder disk. This part is located on the shaft, which is responsible for feeding paper and is a circle with markings made of transparent material. If the lines are covered with dried paint or a layer of dust, the corresponding sensor of the device will not notice them. This will cause the paper to be positioned incorrectly. Fixing the problem involves cleaning the surface of the encoder disk with a cloth. In this case, it must first be moistened with a liquid specifically designed for cleaning such parts. If you couldn’t find it, then a product like “Mr. Muscle”, which contains ammonia, is quite suitable.

Also, the cause of a printing defect may be the encoder tape, which is responsible for positioning the carriage. If its markings become covered with dust or ink, then part of the text when printed is shifted to the left or right. A similar defect will be repeated throughout the entire sheet at regular intervals. This strip with markings in the form of dashes is placed along the main shaft intended for feeding paper. Please note that you need to carefully wipe it, otherwise this tape will easily come off its fastening and in order to put it back in place you may need the help of a specialist.

In addition, the reason for the appearance of streaks can be the banal entry of foreign objects into the mechanism or the sticking of waste ink from a diaper onto the printer carriage. In this situation, clean the carriage yourself. If after all the manipulations your printer prints with spaces, take your device to service center, most likely, it will undergo serious repairs.

There are several reasons why a printer may print in stripes. To understand where the problem lies and fix it, you should start with the simplest. Subsequently, it will be possible to gradually find the breakdown and deal with it.

Cleaning using software

First, you should run the nozzle cleaning program from the software. It is impossible to single out one algorithm of actions here, since this option is often called differently for each model and printer. However, the cleaning must be started programmatically, after which you will need to wait a little and follow all the instructions. Once the operation is completed, you need to print a test page on the printer. Usually this is enough for the problem to go away.

Refueling

If the above steps do not help, then most likely the cartridge is out of ink and needs to be refilled. In this case, you should find instructions on how to do this for your printer, since the models are different and require an individual approach. After this, you will need to print a test page and see if the problem is resolved.

Head and nozzles

Sometimes the cartridge has streaks because its nozzles are very clogged or the head is faulty. In any case, you will need to disassemble the cartridge and troubleshoot. In this case, it is also needed for a specific model. It is important to know that this is necessary periodically, then the problem will not arise.

After all, commercially available inks are in most cases inferior to the original ones. As a result, they clog the cartridge nozzles and dry out. If cleaning does not help, then the problem lies with the print head. In this case, you will need to take the printer to a service center, since you cannot do it yourself.

Shaft and thermal film

If the black stripes are located in one place, then the shaft should be inspected. It deforms over time and this leads to such results. The problem may also be due to a foreign object getting on it, removing which will help get rid of the stripes.

In addition, the reason for such printing of the printer may be thermal film. It may have been damaged, in which case it is recommended to replace the cartridge with a new one. When removing the cartridge from the printer, you should check to see if the toner is spilling out of it. You can determine this yourself. You should pull out the cartridge and shake it. If this was the problem, then your hands will be stained with black paint. Here you need to replace the cartridge with a new one, so

In this article, we will touch on the topic of repairing a computer at home, or more precisely its integral part - the printer. And let's look at a very common problem. Recommendation from Computest!

If you are already on this page, then you probably want to know why the printer started printing with stripes. There may be several reasons. Now we will look at them one by one and try to answer the exciting question: what to do if the printer suddenly starts printing with stripes. You can read about why the printer does not print at all by following the link.

Regarding the printer brand, you shouldn’t pay much attention to it, since the reasons for the stripes are traditionally universal. It doesn’t matter what kind of printer you have - hp, samsung, canon, or any other. If you have a laser printer, then this article will most likely be useful to you.

Black stripes on the sheet are in the same place during printing

There are two typical reasons why laser printer makes a print with dark stripes in the same place. The first reason may be the printer shaft itself, which becomes deformed over time due to the wear and tear of the technology. Or it is damaged due to a foreign object, such as a paper clip, button or pen. It is covered with a rubber material, which is not very resistant to external influences. You can see it only by pulling the cartridge out. The shaft looks like this:

There is a thermal film located next to the shaft, which can also cause poor quality printing from the printer. A foreign object entering the printer may destroy the thermal film. Thermal film is produced in various colors - gray, orange, blue, green and others.

You can make sure that the reason for printing with stripes in it is by the characteristic rustling sound or by the torn pieces of film that can be found during printing. There may also be a toner streak at the very edge of the sheet. This component of the printer looks like this:

The stripes change their position on the sheet from copy to copy

The reason that the printer prints with stripes that constantly change their position is the toner cartridge. Apparently he wakes up while typing. This is determined by several methods. First, last one, pull out the cartridge and shake it a little. If after this procedure you find yourself with toner, then it’s time to replace the cartridge with a working one. The second method is to replace the cartridge with another one, preferably a new one. After this, it will be clear whether the cartridge is to blame for poor-quality printing or not. This is what the cartridge looks like:

We hope that our publication was informative and understandable for you!

Computer users may have encountered an issue where streaks appear on printed sheets. In this article we will answer the questions why the printer prints in stripes and what to do to fix it. this problem.

Let's look at the very essence of why the printer prints in stripes. First of all, the problem is with the ink or the print head. And depending on the nature of the defects, the root cause of the error can be determined.

Most common reasons

Let's look at the main reasons why a color laser printer prints in stripes and what to do in this case:

  • Try checking your ink levels. In order to do this, in the device maintenance settings, run Checking ink/toner. If the level approaches the critical level, you should refill the toner.

Sometimes, if the device has been idle for a long time without printing, it may need to be cleaned. What to do in this case? In the device settings there is a “Cleaning” item, which will allow you to clean it and solve the problem.

What problems do users encounter and how to solve them?

Let's look at the most common situations associated with the appearance of document printing defects and what to do about them:

  • the most common problem is white streaks that constantly increase during printing. This is the simplest and most “harmless” option - not enough toner. When printing repeatedly, the toner runs out and its deficiency affects the print quality.

Important! Some people advise shaking the cartridge vigorously so that the toner is evenly distributed throughout the entire shaft. This may allow you to print another 10-20 pages, but this should only be done when extreme cases, since the toner is already running out and by subjecting the cartridge to such tests, you shorten its service life. If streaks begin to appear when printing, it is best to refill the toner.

  • Also, sometimes there is a problem that after refilling the cartridge The printer prints in stripes, what should I do in this case? First you need to check whether there is enough toner or, conversely, whether there is an excess of it or whether the toner buffer is full.

To solve this problem, clean the cartridge and remove excess toner from the buffer.

  • When the printer is printing with a black stripe along the edge (side) All owners of devices with such a malfunction want to know what to do about this problem. This situation occurs when printing frequently and for a long time. The cause of this malfunction is wear of the photodrum. And simple cleaning will not help here.

The solution would be to replace the photoconductor or the cartridge as a whole.

  • Wide stripe across the entire sheet or gray sheet Occurs when the toner buffer is full. When the buffer is full, excess may spill out when printing, so you should always empty it when refilling the cartridge. This problem can also occur when a foreign object gets into the dispensing blade, causing more toner to be printed than necessary.

Solution: Clean the buffer, check the metering blade for foreign matter.

  • Vertical stripes across the entire sheet. If they appear anew every time, then most often this means the cartridge is leaking.

Solution: Check the cartridge and rubber seals for damage, cracks or gaps.

  • It happens that the printer prints with spaces and horizontal stripes , what to do in this case? The cause of black horizontal lines at the same distance from each other is a problem with the shaft and drum unit, namely poor contact between them.

Solution: From cleaning the waste buffer and refilling the cartridge to replacing it. A specialist will be able to determine the cause of the error by the nature of the defects.

If these options do not help, then only the manufacturer’s service center - Canon, Epson, Samsung and others - can answer the question of why a Canon or any other brand printer prints in stripes. Some problems can only be identified by familiarizing yourself with the contents of the device, for which you need to have the proper qualifications, so you won’t be able to do anything in such a situation yourself.

Other reasons: cartridge, ink

Basically, all of the above problems were associated with laser printers. Let's also look at why inkjet printer prints with white stripes and what to do in this case.

The operating principles of inkjet and laser printers are significantly different. At the moment, inkjet ones are significantly inferior to laser and CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) in price, speed, resource and other characteristics. But not all users have changed their devices to more modern ones; some do not need this.

Standard reasons for the occurrence of defects for inkjet printer:

  • Lack of ink
  • The ink has dried
  • The seal of the cartridge is broken
  • Print head failure

Solutions:

  • First, you should make sure that everything is in order with the cartridge - check the ink level, make sure it is intact.
  • Check and clean the print head. In the printer settings, go to the “Maintenance” or “Service” tab and select "Cleaning the Print Head".

Have a great day!

Over time, the printer begins to perform worse and this is noticeable in the print quality. The appearance of various defects and various stripes indicates wear and tear on the printer parts. Instead of the usual letters, you see stripes of varying widths. They can be one color or multi-colored, located horizontally or vertically, in one or several places on the sheet.
There are many reasons for poor-quality printing, but the most common are wear of parts and clogging of the printing hammer with paint. Next, we will look at both the causes and ways to eliminate them.

If you have an inkjet printer

“Striped” printing in inkjet printers from any manufacturer appears for the following reasons:
  1. When the ink runs out, the chip either blocks the cartridge or, as in HP printers, prints poorly, with streaks.
  2. The print head, the device that applies the ink, is clogged with dried particles.
  3. There is air in the print head.
  4. There is a malfunction in the printing mechanism (loop cable, for example).
And now we will offer you several ways to fix the stripe printing problem.

Troubleshooting

Step one

Check how much ink is left:


And this is what a printer from Epson will show (picture above).

And if your printer has a CISS system, a device that supplies the print head with ink from refillable cans, then the utility is not needed. The reservoirs show how much ink is left.

If the problem is that there is not enough ink, simply refill or replace the cartridge.

Step two

The print head may become clogged, in which case it needs to be cleaned. If your device is from Epson, you will find the print head in the printer. And if from HP and Canon, look in the cartridge. To solve the problem in this case, just install another cartridge. But if you don't want to change it because there is still ink, or buying a print head, for example, Epson printers It will be too expensive, you can try cleaning it. Moreover, it is better to do this using software methods. So:

  • Check if there is paper in the printer and in the control program, for example, Head Cleaning, find the “Service” or “Maintenance” tab.
  • The program will clean the printing hammer, and you can check how the ink flows from the nozzles or nozzles using the Nozzle Check utility.
Look at the screenshots:


HP


Canon


If the problem persists, run the print head cleaning and nozzle check one or two more times. Doesn't work? Call Mr. Muscle to your home and use his surface cleaner. The chemicals it contains can dissolve dried ink from the print head.

If your printer model produces ink continuously, make sure the holes are clean. The ink may not be able to enter the print head due to lack of air. This happens if there is a filter. It can become dirty and prevent air from flowing freely. Change the filters or remove them completely.

The problem of “strip” printing often occurs when the printer is used occasionally. Make it a habit to run your printer every few days as a preventative measure to keep the ink from drying out. In this case, printing is optional. As soon as you turn on the device, the nozzles release a small amount of ink, enough to not dry out for several days.

Have you changed the ink cartridge or refilled it and the printer stopped printing? It is possible that air has entered the print head and in this case it needs to be cleaned.

Step three

Perhaps the print head is faulty? You cleaned it using both software methods and Mr. Muscle, but the problem remained. In this case, it is not a matter of contamination, but a breakdown. The head itself, its parts or the cable may fail.

This problem is common among those users whose printer is actively used every day. The ink supply device may have become unusable due to frequent removal. The problem can only be solved by purchasing a printing mechanism or parts for it. And this is a minus of the Epson inkjet printer, since the part can cost as much as the device itself.

And with HP or Canon printers, everything is solved simply - by replacing the ink cartridge. This is where the printing mechanism is located in printers from these manufacturers. We replaced the cartridge and the problem was solved. True, this also costs money, but that is another problem.


If the printing mechanism is located in the printer, you will not be able to solve the problem on your own. In this case, it is better to contact an office equipment repair shop.

If a laser printer prints in stripes

The laser printer began to print poorly, which means:
  • The toner is running low.
  • The cartridge allows air to pass through.
  • The waste toner bin is full of waste.
  • The drum or cartridge part is faulty.
  • Incorrect installation blade that regulates the amount of toner.
  • The magnetic shaft and photodrum are not in contact.
  • The magnetic shaft is damaged, or the reason lies in a foreign object getting into it.

Troubleshoot printing problems in different situations

The stripes appear in different places each time


Streaks everywhere in different places when printing may indicate problems with the toner cartridge. Perhaps it is not hermetically sealed?

If the rubber bands on the toner are loose or torn, the toner will spill out. Also check the body of the toner cartridge; perhaps the problem lies in its external damage. If these cases are confirmed, try to eliminate the defect, and if this does not work, you will have to buy a new cartridge.

The stripes consist of individual small dots


This happens if your cartridge was refilled poorly. The problem could also be in the hopper or the metering blade.

Refill the cartridge again and check all the details that we mentioned just above. If the problem is the blade, reinstall it; if the problem is an overfilled hopper, clean it.

Unprinted stripes in any part of the sheet

If the toner is running low or a piece of it gets on the magnetic roller, this problem occurs. The recommendation is simple - refill the cartridge.

A wavy or intermittent stripe is located along the edges of the sheet on one or both sides


The photodrum, the main part of a laser printer, is an aluminum cylinder that is coated with a photoconductive dielectric. The toner is supplied to the drum using a magnetic roller. If you use the printer for a long time, the photoconductive material will rub off on the paper. The way out in this case is to buy a new photodrum.

Horizontal stripes at equal distances from each other


Spilled toner causes poor contact between the drum and the magnetic roller, or the hopper becomes full of waste. Refill the cartridge properly, replace the cable and the problem will be solved.

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