What you will see
All scanned images and printouts appear light or faded when printed.
Determine first if the scanner unit is at fault
To find out if the issue involves the scanner unit or the base printer, try printing documents that do not use the scanner unit, such as a file from the computer or network. Alternatively, you can choose to print the internal settings pages by using the menus on the printer's operator panel. NOTE: To print the settings pages, press the Menus button to enter the menus. Select Reports and then select Menu Settings Page. The printer will display the message Printing Menu Settings Page, then print the pages.
- If the quality of print on these pages continues to be light, the cause of the issue is probably a low toner cartridge or a setting or a part on the base printer. Printed pages are coming out light or faded for further suggestions and settings to check on the printer.
- If the quality of print on these pages appears correct and it is only on scanned images or documents that the print is light, continue with the suggestions below.
Change the imaging settings on the scanner
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Record the original values for each of these settings before changing them. If you are unable to correct the issue after changing the settings listed in the table below, restore the settings back to their original values before arranging a service call.
- The directions in the table below for navigating the menus apply to the X644 and X646 models only. If you have an X642 model printer, please see the User's Guide for directions on how to navigate the menus and change the settings.
Step | Action |
1 | Turn off the printer. Try cleaning the flatbed scanner glass and then printing again. For detailed directions on how to clean the flatbed scanner glass, How to properly clean the glass on the flatbed scanner. |
2 | If cleaning the scanner glass does not correct the issue, increase the Darkness setting under the Copy menu.  Press the Copy button. Locate the Darkness setting in the lower left of the screen. Click here for image. Increase the Darkness value. Press the home icon to return the printer back to the normal ready screen. Try printing again. If changing this setting does not seem to affect the darkness of the prints, continue with the next suggestion below.
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3 | Confirm that the Content setting is set to Text. NOTE: This is especially important if the setting is currently set to Photo/Text. The Content setting can be found under the Copy menu. Press the Copy button. Press Options. The Options button is located in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Click here for image. Press the Content button. Click here for image. Select Text. Then press the Done button once to save the new setting. Press the home icon to return the printer back to the ready screen. Try printing again. If changing this setting does not seem to affect the darkness of the prints, continue with the next suggestion below.
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4 | Change the Background Removal setting. The Background Removal setting is accessed by selecting the Copy menu, then selecting Advanced Imaging. Press the Copy button. Press Options. Press the Advanced Imaging button. Click here for image. Press the left arrow icon to remove less of the background. This should increase the overall darkness of the scanned image. NOTE: Try lowering this setting in increments of 2. The lowest possible setting is -4. Press the Done button once to save the new value for this setting. Press the home icon to return the printer back to the ready screen. Try printing again. If changing this setting does not seem to affect the darkness of the prints, continue with the next suggestion below.
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5 | Change the Contrast setting. The Contrast setting is also accessed by selecting the Copy menu, then selecting Advanced Imaging. Press the Copy button. Press Options. Press Advanced Imaging. Press the right arrow icon and increase the Contrast setting to 4. NOTE: 5 is the highest possible setting. Press the Done button once to save the new value for this setting. Press the home icon to return the printer back to the ready screen. Try printing again. If changing this setting does not seem to affect the darkness of the prints, continue with the next suggestion below.
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6 | Change the Shadow Detail setting. The Shadow Detail setting is also accessed by selecting the Copy menu, then selecting Advanced Imaging. Press the Copy button. Press Options. Press Advanced Imaging. Press the left arrow icon and decrease the Shadow Detail setting. NOTE: Try lowering this setting in increments of 2. The lowest possible setting is -4. Press the Done button once to save the new value for this setting. Press the home icon to return the printer back to the ready screen. Try printing again.
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7 | If changing these settings does not correct the issue, a service action may be required. Return any settings changed to their original values. Please contact Lexmark Technical Support or a local authorized service provider for additional assistance or to arrange a service action. |
If the issue persists, search for more information related to this issue or contact support for further assistance.
LEGACY ID: SO4682