Why Is My Printer Printing Streaks? How to Fix It
Last Updated:Last updated: October 3, 2026.
Quick answer: most printer streaks come from a partly clogged inkjet nozzle, a misaligned printhead, a cartridge that is running low, or, on a laser printer, a scratched drum or dirty roller. Print a nozzle check or test page first, because the pattern tells you which one you have: horizontal bands usually mean clogged nozzles, a whole page that is evenly faded means low ink or toner, and vertical lines down a laser page point at the drum. Run one cleaning cycle, check levels, align the printhead, and only then start replacing parts.
Streaks, lines and washed-out pages are among the most common printer complaints, and among the most fixable. Most cases take under ten minutes once you know which kind of problem you're looking at. This guide covers both streaky and faded output on inkjet and laser printers, in the order that solves the problem fastest. If colors are shifted rather than streaked (skin tones going magenta, blacks printing green), start with printer printing the wrong colors instead.
First, Look Carefully at the Symptoms
Different patterns of fading and streaking point to different causes:
- Whole page is uniformly faded: usually low toner or ink.
- Horizontal bands of missing color across the page: printhead clog (inkjet) or drum issue (laser).
- Vertical lines running the length of the page: scratched drum or dirty laser scanner.
- One specific color missing, others fine: empty cartridge or clogged single channel.
- Smudged or rubbed-off text on a laser: failing fuser.
- Faded only on one side of the page: uneven toner distribution or worn transfer roller.
Look at one of the affected pages before you start fixing anything. The pattern of damage will save you time. If the defect is a faint copy of the image repeating at a regular interval rather than a streak, that is ghosting, and the spacing tells you exactly which part is failing.
Streak Pattern Cheat Sheet
| What you see | Printer type | Most likely cause | First fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thin horizontal white lines through text or images | Inkjet | Partly clogged nozzles | Nozzle check, then one cleaning cycle |
| One color streaky, others fine | Inkjet | Low cartridge or a single clogged channel | Check that color's level; clean |
| Jagged, doubled or blurry lines | Inkjet | Printhead out of alignment | Run printhead alignment |
| Whole page evenly faded | Both | Low ink/toner or Draft/Economy mode | Check levels and print quality setting |
| Dark or light vertical line down the full page | Laser | Scratched drum or dirty corona wire | Clean the corona wire; inspect the drum |
| Marks repeating at a fixed interval | Both | Dirty roller or worn drum | Wipe rollers; measure the spacing |
| Toner smudges or rubs off | Laser | Failing fuser | See fuser warning signs |
Inkjet Printers: Six Fixes for Streaks and Faded Prints
1. Check Ink Levels
The most common cause of faded prints is running on fumes. Open the front cover, check each cartridge weight by hand (an empty cartridge feels noticeably lighter), or print an ink status page from the printer's settings menu. If a tank is at 5% or below, that's your answer. We sell tested replacements in our HP, Canon, Epson, and Brother cartridge sections.
2. Run a Nozzle Check
If ink levels are fine, run the nozzle-check pattern (covered in detail in our printhead cleaning guide). Gaps in the pattern confirm a clog and tell you which color is affected.
3. Run One Cleaning Cycle, Then Stop
From the printer's menu, run a single cleaning cycle, then print another nozzle check. If you see improvement, run one more cycle. If you see no improvement, escalating to deep cleaning will probably help — but stop there.
4. Set the Right Paper Type
Faded prints on photo paper are often caused by the driver thinking it's printing on plain paper. Open print settings before you click Print, change Media Type to match what's loaded, and reprint.
5. Choose Higher Print Quality
If your prints look weak compared to last month and nothing else changed, check that the driver isn't set to Draft or Economy mode. Switch to Normal or Best and try again.
6. Replace the Cartridge or Printhead
If you've done all of the above and prints are still faded, the cartridge (HP and Canon entry-level) or printhead (Canon, Epson, higher-end HP) has failed. Time for a new one.
Laser Printers: Five Fixes for Streaks and Faded Prints
1. Redistribute the Toner
Pull out the toner cartridge and rock it gently side-to-side 5–7 times to redistribute the powder, then reinstall. This is the equivalent of shaking up a near-empty ketchup bottle, and it'll usually buy you another 100–300 pages from a cartridge the printer thinks is empty.
2. Check the Density Setting
Most laser printers have a Toner Density or Darkness setting in the menu. If someone has bumped it down to save toner, prints will come out gray and washed out. Set it back to the middle (usually "3" or "4" of 7) and reprint.
3. Replace the Toner Cartridge
If shaking and density tweaks don't help, the cartridge is genuinely empty. Look up your exact model in our printer guides like Brother HL-L2350DW, HP LaserJet Pro M402dn, or Brother MFC-L2750DW for the exact part number.
4. Replace the Drum Unit
Vertical lines running the length of the page, or repeating spots at fixed intervals, point to a scratched drum. The drum is a separate consumable on most Brother printers (DR-720, DR-420, DR-360, etc.) and is integrated into the toner cartridge on most HP models. Our drum-unit guides like Brother HL-2270DW DR-420, HL-2140/MFC-7340 DR-360, and HL-5450DN/6180DW DR-720 spell out the exact part numbers and replacement steps.
5. Clean the Corona Wires (Older Brother Models)
Older Brother lasers have a small green plastic tab inside the drum unit that slides back and forth to clean the corona wire. When it's dirty, prints come out faded or with vertical white lines. Slide it back and forth 3–4 times, return it to the home position, and reprint.
Still Streaking? Four More Things to Check
Run a Printhead Alignment
A misaligned printhead causes thin white lines, uneven color bands, or text that looks slightly doubled. Most printer software has an "align printhead" or "align cartridges" tool that prints a pattern and recalibrates automatically. It takes about a minute and uses very little ink. If a nozzle check is clean but lines are still jagged, alignment is the fix, not another cleaning; see the print head alignment guide for Epson, HP, Canon and Brother.
Clean the Printhead by Hand
If automatic cleaning cycles don't help and your printer has a removable printhead (common on many HP and Canon inkjets), remove it per your manual and gently wipe the nozzle plate with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with distilled water. Let it air dry fully before reinstalling. Never use tap water, alcohol or paper towels, which can leave residue or scratch the nozzles. For stubborn clogs, see when a cleaning kit beats the built-in cycle.
Check for Dirty or Worn Rollers
If streaks or smudges repeat at regular intervals down the page, a roller inside the printer, not the printhead, is often the culprit: it picks up ink or toner and deposits it in a pattern. Open the printer and wipe accessible rollers with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with water.
Rule Out the Paper
Very glossy, very thin or damp paper can make ink smear or absorb unevenly, creating streaks that have nothing to do with the printer. Try a fresh ream of standard 20–24 lb paper, and make sure the media type in the print dialog matches what's loaded, before assuming a hardware problem.
Authority Resources for Deeper Troubleshooting
For HP-specific print-quality problems, HP's print quality troubleshooting guide has model-specific images that help confirm which problem you're looking at. Brother's support and downloads site has similar diagnostic flowcharts buried in their FAQ section for each model.
One Last Note: The Cartridge Isn't Always the Problem
It's tempting to blame the cartridge first when prints come out faded. But in our experience, about half of faded-print complaints are caused by the paper, the print settings, or a clogged printhead — not by a bad cartridge. Walk through the symptom list above before you spend money on a replacement, and you'll often fix the problem for free.
Using a laser printer? Toner streaks have different causes — see laser printer streaks and lines. To check every color at once, print our free printer test page.
Streaky and Faded Print FAQs
Why is my printer printing lines through everything?
On an inkjet, horizontal lines almost always mean some nozzles are partly clogged. Print a nozzle check, run one cleaning cycle, and check again. On a laser, vertical lines usually come from the drum or a dirty corona wire.
Why are my prints faded when the cartridge is new?
Check that the protective tape was fully removed, that the driver isn't set to Draft or Economy mode, and that the media type matches your paper. If a new inkjet cartridge sat on a shelf for a long time, run a nozzle check and one cleaning cycle to prime it.
How many cleaning cycles should I run?
One, then check. If it improved, run one more. Repeated back-to-back cycles burn through ink and can overheat the printhead, so stop after two or three and let the printer sit for a few hours before trying again.
Can a low cartridge cause streaks before it's empty?
Yes. As a cartridge runs low, ink delivery becomes uneven and you get light bands or missing lines in that color, especially on large solid areas. Ink level gauges are estimates; see how to check HP ink levels.
Why does my laser printer print a black line down the page?
A single dark line the full length of the page usually means a scratch on the drum or debris on the corona wire. Clean the corona wire first; if the line stays, replace the drum. A light line in the same place often means toner is low or unevenly distributed.
Written and reviewed by William Elward, founder of Castle Ink, 20+ years in the printer & imaging supplies industry.
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