Printer Printing Lines

Most likely

One color is partly clogged or running low

When lines show up in a single color, the nozzles for that ink are partly blocked or the ink supply is low. The other colors are fine, so the head as a whole is working.

What to do

1. Check the ink level for that color and refill or replace it if it is low.
2. Run your printer’s own nozzle check. Gaps in one color confirm a clog.
3. Run one head cleaning, then print the nozzle check again.
4. If gaps remain, stop and follow the limit in your manual. Many manuals say to leave the printer off for several hours before cleaning again.
5. Print the single-color test page for that ink to confirm the fix.

• Cleaning-cycle advisor
• Single-color test pages

Most likely

Several nozzles are drying out

Uneven lines in every color usually mean ink has dried in many nozzles, often after the printer sat unused. Air in the ink lines after a refill can look the same.

What to do

1. Print your printer’s nozzle check to see how many gaps there are.
2. Run one head cleaning, then check again. Repeat only up to the limit your manual gives.
3. If gaps remain after that, turn the printer off and leave it overnight so ink can soak into the dried nozzles. Then check again.
4. Print the nozzle check grid from this site to confirm every color prints cleanly.
5. To stop it coming back, print something small every week. The maintenance strip uses very little ink.

• Cleaning-cycle advisor and maintenance strip
• Compare your nozzle check

Most likely

Even bands usually come from the paper feed or print settings

Regular bands across every color are typical of banding: each pass of the head lands slightly off from the last. Fast or draft quality, the wrong paper type setting or a paper feed problem can cause it.

What to do

1. In the print dialog, set quality to Standard or High and set the paper type to what is actually loaded.
2. Use a fresh stack of flat, dry paper.
3. Run the print head alignment from the printer menu or utility. Some printers include a paper feed adjustment there.
4. Print the gradient test page. If the bands are gone, you are done.
5. If bands stay even at high quality, the printer may need service. Check your manual or the maker’s support site.

• Alignment test page

Most likely

The print head needs aligning

Doubled or jagged vertical lines mean the left-to-right and right-to-left passes of the head do not line up. This often happens after moving the printer or changing cartridges.

What to do

1. Load plain paper of the size your printer asks for.
2. Run the print head alignment from the printer’s menu or its utility software.
3. Follow the on-screen choices carefully. Many printers ask you to pick the pattern with the fewest gaps or lines.
4. Print the alignment test page and check the vertical lines.

• Alignment page and brand steps

Most likely

Something inside is touching the page

A streak in the same place on every page usually comes from ink on a roller or from the print head rubbing the paper. Curled or thick paper makes rubbing more likely.

What to do

1. Open the printer and look for torn paper or ink buildup along the paper path. Follow your manual for what you can safely touch.
2. Print a few sheets of plain paper with nothing on them. This often wipes ink off the rollers.
3. Flatten curled paper, or load it with the curl facing the way your manual shows.
4. If you print on thick paper or envelopes, choose that paper type in the print dialog so the printer raises the head.
5. Print the solid fills page to check that the streak is gone.

Most likely

Laser printers need different checks

Lines from a laser or LED printer come from the toner cartridge, drum, fuser or rollers, not from clogged nozzles. Cleaning cycles meant for inkjets will not help.

What to do

1. Remove the toner cartridge and gently rock it side to side to spread the toner, then put it back.
2. Print the laser uniformity page to see whether the lines are light streaks or dark marks.
3. If marks repeat down the page, measure the gap between them with the repeat-defect ruler on the laser page.

• Laser printer streaks and repeat-defect ruler