| Steps | Action |
| 1 | For a print quality defect of this type, it is always advisable to print the following; - Print Quality Pages – To get a detailed look at your printer's output; these pages allow you to view each color plane independently to determine if the issue is with one color (possibly due to a single supply item), or with all the colors (indicating a more general issue with the printer).
- Print Defects Guide – These guides will allow you to determine the cause of the repeating defect based on the distance between the original and the residual image(s).
- Menu Settings Page – To check the levels of the consumable supplies (i.e., items such as toner cartridges and photoconductor units). Supplies that are at or near the end of their functional lives can cause various print quality issues independently of the operation of the printer.
Note: The User's Guide provides detailed instructions for navigating through the printer menus.
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| 2 | Using the Menu Settings page, check the levels of the consumable supplies. If any of your other supplies are low, replace them to see if this resolves the issue. Many print quality issues are caused simply by a supply item that is at or near the end of its expected functional yield. Resend the print job to the printer. Did the issue return? Yes: Continue to Step 3.No: If the page prints, the printer is functioning correctly.
Note: Instructions for replacing supplies can also be found in the User's Guide.
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| 3 | If the supply levels are adequate, verify whether the paper/media type is within printer’s specification. Using paper/media outside of the recommended guidelines may result in unsatisfactory print quality.
Note: In addition to plain paper, various sizes and types of paper and specialty media can be used for printing. For more information on recommended paper types, please refer to the User's Guide.
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| 4 | If the print quality defect appears to be repeating on the page at a regular interval, refer to the Print Quality Pages and Print Defects Guide to determine the cause of the issue. |
| 5 | If the print quality defect appears at random intervals, refer again to the Menu Settings Page. Look for ‘Paper Menu’ on one of these pages and check the Tray Size and Tray Type in this section. If the Tray Size and Tray Type do not match with the paper in the tray, change them to the correct settings. To view the current paper type settings for each tray, use the printer operator panel to access the Paper Type setting under the Paper Menu. |
| 6 | Confirm that the computer or program has the correct paper type set before sending the job to print. Resend the print job to the printer. Did the issue return? Yes: Continue to Step 7.No: If the page prints, the printer is functioning correctly. |
| 7 | Are you printing on regular plain bond copy paper? If not, try printing again with plain copy paper. This will eliminate specialty media as a possible partial cause of the issue. Resend the print job to the printer. Did the issue return? Yes: If the issue persists, a service action may be required in order to correct the issue. For assistance in setting up service, please contact Lexmark Technical Support or a local authorized service provider.No: If the page prints, the printer is functioning correctly. Pay close attention to the printer over the next few days, however, to see if the issue returns.
Note: If printing on plain paper corrects the issue, try opening a new package of the specialty media. If the issue continues to occur, but only with specialty media, the specialty media may not be compatible with the printer. This is true even if this specialty media has worked with the printer in the past. Please refer to the printer's User's Guide for a list of compatible and recommended media types.
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