Troubleshooting
Printer banding: stripes across your prints?
Repeating light and dark stripes usually come from nozzles, feed problems or settings.
What does the banding look like?
1 of 2Likely cause
Likely cause on an inkjet: partly blocked nozzles. The stripe spacing matches the height of the print pass.
- 1Print the nozzle check and look for gaps.
- 2Run one cleaning cycle if gaps appear.
- 3Reprint at best quality on plain paper to compare.
Likely cause
Likely cause: paper feed is uneven, the quality setting is too low, or a laser drum or fuser is inconsistent.
- 1Set quality to normal or best and match the paper type setting.
- 2Check that paper is flat, dry and loaded squarely.
- 3Reprint the black-and-white test page to see whether the bands repeat.
Likely cause
Likely cause: a draft or fast mode, or a missing color making smooth gradients step.
- 1Print the photo test page and look at the smooth gradients.
- 2Use best quality and the correct photo paper type.
- 3Check each ink on the color test page.
Most likely causes
- 1
Partly blocked nozzles (inkjet)
Each pass of the print head lays down a strip. If part of the head is blocked, every strip has a light edge, which shows up as repeating bands.
- 2
Draft or fast quality setting
Lower quality uses fewer passes, which makes banding easier to see, especially in photos and large solid fills.
- 3
Uneven paper feed
Paper that slips, is damp, curled or loaded off square can make strips overlap or leave small gaps.
- 4
Laser drum, toner or fuser issues
On a laser, repeating bands often come from a roller, drum or cartridge with a fixed circumference, so they repeat at the same spacing.
What to try, in order
- 1Print a test sheetUse the nozzle check for an inkjet, or the black-and-white test page for a laser. Measure or note the spacing between bands.
- 2Raise print qualitySwitch from draft or fast to normal or best, and set the paper type to match. Reprint and see whether the bands change.
- 3Clean or inspectInkjet: run one cleaning cycle if the nozzle check has gaps. Laser: reseat the cartridge and check the paper path for dust or debris.
- 4Check paper and reprintLoad fresh, flat paper that suits the printer and print again. If banding stays the same spacing, note it, since that points to a roller or drum.
Do not repeat cleaning cycles in a row. Try at most two, then rest the printer and recheck.
When to stop and replace
If bands have identical spacing on every page after cleaning and a quality increase, a worn roller, drum or print head is likely. For a laser, replacing the drum or cartridge is the usual route. For an inkjet, if two cleanings and a rest do not change the nozzle check, a replacement printer is often the practical choice.
Inkjet or laser?
Inkjet printers
Inkjet banding is most often partly blocked nozzles or low quality settings. Print the nozzle check, clean once if needed, and print at best quality.
Open the nozzle checkLaser printers
Laser banding is usually mechanical, from a drum, roller or fuser. If the bands repeat at the same spacing on every page, note the spacing before looking up the part.
Print the black-and-white test pageBanding is a pattern of light and dark stripes running across the page. It is most visible in photos, gradients and large solid areas, which is why a text document may look fine while a photo looks striped.
Find the pattern first
Print the nozzle check if you have an inkjet. Each color has staggered line blocks, so if any nozzles are blocked you will see short gaps. Our guide to reading a nozzle check explains what healthy lines look like. If the nozzle check is clean but photos still band, use the photo test page. Its smooth gradients and shadow steps make stripes easy to spot.
On a laser printer, print the black-and-white test page. Its smooth gradient shows uneven toner coverage. Print it twice and see whether the bands repeat in the same place. Repeating bands at a fixed spacing point to a roller or drum.
Settings that cause banding
Draft, fast and economy quality all use fewer passes or less ink, and banding becomes easier to see. Choose normal or best, and set the paper type to match the paper loaded. If you are printing photos, use photo paper and the matching paper type. Our Windows and Mac guides show where quality is set.
Paper and feed
Damp, curled or unsuitable paper can slip as it feeds, leaving gaps or overlap between passes. Use fresh, flat paper and load it squarely. If the page also looks doubled, see misaligned print.
Related problems
Thin lines rather than wide bands are covered in streaks or lines. Overall pale prints are in faded print. The alignment test page helps if bands come with shifted or doubled edges.
