The new cartridge prints with stripes what to do. The printer prints with stripes: we are looking for solutions to the problem. Dirty encoder disc

The most common printing defect in printer operation is streaking on the paper. They can be narrow, wide, horizontal or vertical, more blurry or very bright, colored or monochrome, with or without spaces. At the same time, the printed document does not color any stripes at all. After all, this is a serious defect, which is not always easy to get rid of. Therefore, let's find out why streaks appear on the paper when printing and find out how to fix this problem.

There are several common causes that lead to streaking on paper. At the same time, they are different for inkjet and laser printers. To begin with, let's talk about why an inkjet printer can "strip":

  1. The ink is low.
  2. Ink has dried or thickened inside the print head (usually from not using the device for a long time).
  3. The integrity and tightness of the cartridge is broken.
  4. Deformation of the shaft has occurred (often associated with a long service life of the device).
  5. Defective print head. She can be airy. Either the loop itself is out of order / pinched. Most often, with such a breakdown, horizontal stripes are observed on the sheet.
  6. The elements of the esponder are dirty or damaged. This is the tape itself or the sensor.

These are the most common reasons. However, printing streaks may occur as a result of other problems not listed above.

Troubleshooting Flowchart for Inkjet Printer

We figured out why the printer prints in stripes. Now let's talk about how to diagnose and eliminate all of the above malfunctions, which are often the reasons for the appearance of streaks on paper. To make it easier for you, we recommend sticking to the following algorithm:


  • We insert clean paper into the printer tray.
  • Open the management utility or go to the specialized device settings center.
  • We find the section "Service" or "Service".
  • We start cleaning the print head and checking the nozzles (nozzles).
  • If the problem is not solved, then we repeat the operation 1-2 more times. Do not forget to wait about 2-3 hours. Then we check if the printer has stopped printing in stripes.

However, it is not always possible to clean the printhead programmatically. For example, this procedure is meaningless on the Canon Pixma MG2440 inkjet MFP. This model does not have a print head cleaning pump. Therefore, you can manually remove dried ink. For example, using chemical cleaners.

Didn't cleaning the printhead and manually flushing with liquids help? Then, most likely, this part is out of order. Printhead breakage is common. The most common reason is careless handling of this mechanism during removal / installation. In addition, if you print a lot on a printer or MFP, then the malfunction of the head is simply due to natural wear and tear. Which exit? The answer is obvious - part replacement. The easiest way is if it is built into the cartridge. But for most printers (for example, Epson), the head is placed separately, and its price ranges from 50 to 80% of the cost of a new device.

Have you followed the above algorithm, but the inkjet printer continues to strip? So, you should contact the service center for help. Or even seriously consider buying a new device.

Why does a laser printer print in stripes?

Stripes can often be observed when printing on laser printers. What could be the cause of such a malfunction? The list is quite long:

  • Insufficient ink level.
  • Depressurization of the cartridge.
  • The drum unit is damaged / defective.
  • The magnetic roller is damaged or a foreign object has fallen on it (with such a malfunction, in 80% of cases, the sheet comes out of print with a black stripe along the edge or side).
  • Waste toner hopper full.
  • The toner metering blade is loose.
  • Lost contact between drum and magnetic roller

Moreover, this list can be continued for a very long time. But we named the most common reasons, and therefore we will move on to how to eliminate the printing failure and, finally, forget about the sheets with a strip.

Getting rid of streaks when printing on a laser printer

When diagnosing problems in the operation of a laser device, we recommend that you pay attention to the specifics of the appearance of stripes. This will help you understand what kind of malfunction caused the print defect.

  1. Let's say a laser printer prints a strip in the middle... This usually indicates that toner is low. Moreover, the less ink in the cartridge, the wider the band. If you check and make sure there is enough toner, then the supply system is faulty. Better to contact a service center.
  2. Stripes consist of small dots... In 90% of cases, such a printing defect is due to the fact that the hopper is full, which collects the rest of the toner. What should be done in such a situation? Of course, clean the bunker. By the way, it is advisable to carry out this procedure every time the cartridge is refilled. Sometimes streaks of small dots also occur due to the fact that the metering blade is incorrectly installed. So don't forget to check it out too.
  3. Unprinted, white and fairly wide stripes on the sheet... There may be several reasons. For example, toner is low. Or, a foreign object (paper clip, piece of paper or tape, coin, etc.) has fallen on the shaft. In this case, getting rid of the stripes is not difficult. It is enough to remove the foreign body.
  4. Faint black stripes stretch across the sheet? It doesn't bode well. This is often caused by wear on the magnetic shaft. The situation can be corrected by replacing the assembly or cartridge.
  5. Dark streaks on one or both edges of the sheet. They indicate wear or damage to the drum unit. Most likely, you will have to change the part. The fact is that over time the sensitive layer of the drum is erased, which, to put it mildly, is problematic to restore.
  6. Irregular stripes fill the entire sheet (looks like a background). Poor quality toner may have been used when refilling the cartridge. Another potential cause of this print defect is a dirty magnetic roller or printer optical system.
  7. Horizontal and nearly equidistant stripes.Most often, the problem lies in poor contact between the magnetic roller and the drum. Perhaps toner has spilled, the ink waste bin is full, or a poor-quality cartridge refill is to blame. It is recommended to clean the shaft contact and other surfaces. If this does not help, then it makes sense to install a new cartridge.

As you can see, nothing is difficult. At the same time, it is often easier and faster to eliminate streaks when printing on a laser printer than on an inkjet printer. If the device produces stripes on printed paper, then you just need to pay attention to their shape and appearance area, and also check:

  • Toner level;
  • Serviceability of the drum unit;
  • Cartridge status;
  • Dispensing blade position;
  • Fullness of the mining bunker.
  • If you clean the print head or nozzles on the printer yourself, never use alcohol or water. It is best to purchase a special cleaning fluid. It is sold in the same stores as printer ink. In extreme cases, you can use a glass cleaner.
  • To quickly eliminate streaks when printing on HP and Canon printers, we recommend that you first pay attention to the ink level, as well as the waste toner box. Basically, the devices of these brands begin to "strip" because of this. Owners of printers and MFPs from Xerox or Samsung do not need to worry about emptying the waste buffer. As a rule, the cartridges of such devices are not equipped with them.
  • If your inkjet printer has black and color cartridges full of toner, the nozzle and print head test is excellent, but streaks still appear during printing, then the reason may be different. For example, the head is out of calibration. This happens if the device was transported somewhere, rearranged or slightly shaken by moving the carriage. You need to go to the printer control center and start aligning the print head.
  • In order to prevent streaking during printing, you should regularly clean the cartridge. Especially if you refuel it yourself. The fact is that ink for refueling is usually taken from non-original ones (most users do not buy them because of the high cost), which are inferior in quality to a toner from the manufacturer. In particular, they dry out faster and clog the nozzles.

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

Cleaning with software

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

Refueling

If the above steps do not help, then the cartridge is most likely 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 that, you will need to print a test page and see if the problem is resolved.

Head and nozzles

Sometimes the cartridge is streaked because the nozzles are heavily 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, the ink on sale is in most cases inferior to the original one. As a result, they clog the cartridge nozzles and dry out. If cleaning doesn't work, then the problem is with the print head. In this case, you will need to take the printer to the service center, since you cannot do it on your own.

Shaft and thermal film

If the black stripes are in one place, then you should also inspect the shaft. It deforms over time and this leads to such results. Also, the problem may be due to a foreign object hitting it, removing which, it will be possible to get rid of the stripes.

In addition, thermal film can cause this printer to print. It may have been damaged, in which case it is recommended to replace the cartridge with a new one. When removing a cartridge from the printer, look to see if toner spills out. You can determine this yourself. Pull the cartridge out and shake it. If this was the problem, the hands will be stained with black paint. Here you need to replace the cartridge with a new one, so

Why does the printer print in stripes? This is primarily due to the fact that as the printer "ages" the quality of the printed image deteriorates.

One of the most common printing defects is the appearance of stripes on paper - wide and narrow, one-color and multi-colored, horizontal, vertical, located in one place or, conversely, in different ones.

There are many reasons why the printer prints in stripes. Most often this is a banal wear of parts and contamination of the printing mechanism with ink particles.

However, everything in order.

If you have an inkjet printer

Reasons for "striped" printing

Here are the main reasons for streaking when printing with any brand of inkjet printer:

  • The ink is low.
  • Ink has dried inside the print head.
  • The print head is airy.
  • The print head is defective or its ribbon cable is out of order.

Troubleshooting

1. Check the ink levels:

  • run the printer management utility (if you do not have it, install it from the disk that came with the printer upon purchase or from the manufacturer's website);
  • open the section "Service" or "Service";
  • run an ink level check.

This is what the Estimated Ink Levels tab looks like in the HP Printer Management Utility

And so - in the Epson printer settings

In continuous ink supply systems (CISS), the level can be assessed visually, since the cans are transparent.

If the ink is low, the cartridge needs to be replaced or refilled.

2. Clean the print head

The printheads can be in the cartridge or in the printer itself.

The first option is implemented in the bulk of Canon and HP models, the second - in Epson.

If you have a printer of the first type, you can simply change the cartridge to solve the problem.

In cases where replacement is impractical (the cartridge is not fully used), or is irrelevant (replacing the print head in Epson printers is comparable to the cost of buying a new printer), you can try to solve the problem by cleaning.

At home, it is best to do this programmatically:

  • Insert a sheet of paper into the printer, launch the management utility and open the "Maintenance" ("Service") section.
  • Clean the print head and check the nozzles (nozzles, or, in other words, "spray guns" from which ink comes out). These options are available in service programs for printers of any brand. Here are some examples:


Advice! If the problem persists, the cleaning should be repeated 1-2 more times. When this does not help, you can remove the dried ink from the print head with chemical liquids (at home, "Mister Muscle" is usually used for this).

If you have CISS, make sure that the holes through which air enters the cans are free. If filters are installed in them, check if they are dirty.

If the air passes through the filters with difficulty, they must be replaced or removed.

Advice! If you rarely print, it is sufficient to turn on the printer at least once a week to prevent ink drying out. It is not necessary to print because some ink is forced through the nozzles of the print head after switching on. For a week, she does not have time to dry out.

Cleaning the print head also helps in the event of air bubbles, which happens after changing or refilling cartridges.

3. Make sure the print head is working properly.

If cleaning, including manual flushing with liquids, does not solve the problem, most likely the head or related parts (loop) are out of order.

Damage to the printing mechanism is more likely to occur due to careless handling during removal, and sometimes spontaneously, especially if you often and a lot of printing.

Only the replacement of the defective part will help to eliminate the problem.

Why is it easier to solve this problem when a Canon or HP printer prints in stripes? Because, as we said, their printheads are located in cartridges.

You just need to replace the cartridges with new ones.

However, remember that their price can be 50-90% of the cost of the printer. The high cost is due to the fact that the print head is much higher than the ink capacity.

In the event of a breakdown of the printing device in Epson or in another model with a print head in the printer itself, you will have to contact the service.

If a laser printer prints stripes

Reasons for malfunction

One of the following problems can cause streaking in laser printing:

  • Toner is low.
  • The cartridge is leaking.
  • Waste toner hopper full.
  • The drum unit is damaged.
  • The metering blade is incorrectly installed.
  • Lost contact between the drum unit and the magnetic roller.
  • The magnetic roller is damaged or a foreign object has fallen on it.

Solving Printing Problems in Different Situations

Stripes appear every time in different places

If the laser printer prints in stripes all over the sheet of paper, or if the stripes are always in different places, the problem is most likely in the cartridge.

Take it out and make sure it is sealed.

If toner spills, check if the sealing gum that traps toner is in place and if there is any damage to the cartridge case.

If the defect is fatal, replace the cartridge with a new one.

The stripes consist of individual small dots

This problem often occurs when a poor-quality cartridge is refilled - the hopper is overfilled with waste toner or the metering blade is incorrectly installed (the metering blade adjusts the amount of toner that gets onto the magnetic roller).

To solve the problem, you need to refill the cartridge, set the blade in the correct position and empty the hopper.

If the printer prints with such stripes with an HP or Canon cartridge, do not ask why and do not try to refill it. Change the cartridge - their quality is poor.

Unprinted streaks anywhere on the sheet

Canon printer prints with stripes, what should I do?
Over time, each device will significantly reduce the print quality and even sometimes block the print function: it happens that the printer starts to issue a warning that repairs are needed.

Now we will consider the probable problems due to which the printer begins to print in prominent stripes, although it does not stop working.
There is no doubt that for different types of printers, problems or remedies vary greatly.

Canon printer prints in stripes after refueling
We can see that the ink tanks are fine, but the printer is still “streaking? Then you can see the nozzles. Make a test print and if gaps are visible on the page, this means the cartridges are clogged and should be cleaned automatically, programmatically.
But it happens that even after several attempts we do not see the desired result, which means that we need manual cleaning.

Everyone who has already encountered it knows that this is one of the most unpleasant situations, and it requires patience, accuracy and a lot of time to finally eliminate defects. But we do not want to scare you, because it is possible that the situation is not really that bad when you find out.
Are the cartridges full, the nozzle test is excellent, but the print is blurry, streaks, fuzzy lines? Another possible reason: the PG is out of calibration.

If you took your printer somewhere or simply moved it badly, shaking it hard enough could cause the carriage to move slightly. Select the Align Print Head function in the service program and follow the instructions.
Why does a Canon printer print in stripes?


The next defect: white stripes at the same distance from each other. Their width can be different and depends on the degree of contamination of the encoder disk. This part is located on the left of the paper feed shaft, it is a circle of transparent material with markings. If the Canon printer strips and the lines are covered with dust or dried ink, the corresponding sensor does not see them, therefore, the paper is not positioned correctly. Why does the Canon mg2440 printer print in stripes? Wipe the disc with a soft cloth dampened with a special cleaning liquid or Mr. Muskul window cleaner containing ammonia.
Important: you cannot use acetone to clean the encoders - there is a risk of removing the markings.

The encoder tape and the corresponding sensor are responsible for positioning the carriage. With dirty markup, some of the text is shifted to the side, which is repeated at regular intervals throughout the page. This transparent strip with dashes is located along the main paper feed shaft. Wipe it carefully so that it does not slide off the mounts, because half of the printer may need to be disassembled to replace the part.

If my Canon printer prints in stripes, what should I do?

Why does the Canon printer print stripes? To complete the picture, watch the video on how to use a laser beam in a printing device.


Now let's consider possible malfunctions of the cartridge parts, in which the printer prints stripes of different widths, lengths, definitions and colors along or across the page.
How to remove streaks when printing on a Canon printer
In the vast majority of cases, “striped printing on a laser printer is related to the condition of the cartridge. The most harmless thing here is the white stripes along the entire length of the page, the width of which increases with each copy. The only reason is toner has run out.
Important: Do not shake the cartridge trying to get a few more pages. If the toner is used up, it will not magically appear even from impacts on the table, but the waste will surely spill out of the sump. Waste printing will significantly shorten the life of the product.

The image drum is worn or damaged
An intermittent black line appearing at the edges of the page, the pattern of which is exactly repeated several times, indicates that the drum is worn: a thin layer of light-sensitive varnish is rubbed off over time by the edges of the paper.


Mechanical damage to the drum surface by dust, paper clips and other foreign objects is manifested by black dots or dashes scattered over the printed page in a chaotic (at first glance) disorder. However, upon close examination, it is noticeable that the pattern of defects on the sheet is repeated several times.
With further use, the surface of the drum is further damaged by the squeegee (which, in turn, also becomes unusable) and toner particles, minor defects increase and merge into black stripes. You cannot print further, as the damaged squeegee does not completely remove the powder, and excess toner spills into both the cartridge and the printer. Urgent recovery is required.

The problem of printing distortion sooner or later overtakes every printer user. In the process of printing documents or images, ink is not evenly distributed on the paper, as a result of which vertical or horizontal stripes are formed, which by itself interferes with the normal perception of text.

Of course, in cases where the documentation is not very important, and small stripes do not significantly affect readability, the problem can be ignored. But what about cases when you need to prepare important documents and the finished printout should look presentable? Here you need to determine the cause and try to eliminate it.

Why does my HP printer print in stripes?

Many causes of streaking and other distortions in printing can be identified by their appearance.

Possible reasons why an inkjet printer may strip:

  • poor ink supply (white or colored streaks),
  • clogged nozzles
  • misalignment of the print head (vertical line breaks),
  • contamination of the encoder disk (white stripes located equidistant from each other).

Possible reasons why a laser printer can strip:

  • toner has run out (white vertical streaks widening with each new page) - how,
  • mechanical damage (vertical stripes of different widths),
  • waste toner hopper overflows (black dots and specks)
  • wear or damage to the drum unit (intermittent black stripes along the edge of the page or randomly scattered black dots on the page),
  • problems with the metering blade (dark streaks on the page or faded vertical streaks).

We perform nozzle testing

If you find that the ink tanks are intact, but there are streaks when printing, it is worth performing a nozzle check. To do this, go to Start - Devices and Printers, right-click on the desired device and select Printer Properties from the drop-down menu (if not Win7, then just Properties).

In the window that opens, click Settings, go to the Service tab and there you will find the Nozzle Check button.

On some printer models, such as HP, the nozzle test can only be performed using the buttons on the device. What exactly and how to press depends on the specific model (find out on the manufacturer's website).

Did you notice gaps on the test page? It is reasonable to assume that the nozzles are clogged and need to be cleaned by software.

If unsuccessful attempts to clean, try manual cleaning. This case is quite unpleasant and requires a lot of time and patience when troubleshooting, and in some cases it is better to contact a specialist.

Shaft and thermal film problems

If the black streaks are in one place, then pull out the cartridge and inspect the shaft. It deforms over time and this leads to such results. Also, the problem may be due to a foreign object hitting it, removing which, it will be possible to get rid of the stripes.

In addition, thermal film can cause this printer to print. It may have been damaged, in which case it is recommended to replace the cartridge with a new one. When removing a cartridge from the printer, look to see if toner spills from it. You can determine this yourself. Pull the cartridge out and shake it. If this was the problem, the hands will be stained with black paint. Here you need to replace the cartridge with a new one, since you will hardly be able to do something.

The printer prints with cross-stripes all over the paper

The printer prints with stripes. When printing, cross stripes appear all over the sheet. It should be added that this is the most common printing problem.

The reasons for the appearance of such stripes:

  • overflowing the waste toner box;
  • squeegee replacement required.

In this situation, it is enough to clean the waste toner box and the streaks will disappear completely.