How to Troubleshoot Printer Ink Streaks in your Pages

No one is immune. There aren’t any vaccinations or pills to take when your inkjet printer decides to jam or the ink cartridge acts like the ink witch from the land of streaks, stripes and blotches. Even simple things like a paper jam or an unplugged printer can cause a pounding headache, and the desire to toss the printer across the room. Learn how to troubleshoot printer ink streaks and other common printing problems and errors to save paper, ink and your sanity!

How to Troubleshoot Ink Streaks, Stripes and Page Printing Errors

The best way to keep your ink cartridge, printer ink, and all the other parts of the printer in good working order is to learn how to troubleshoot so you can identify the common issues that plague inkjet fans. With a little patience and knowledge you can fix almost anything without having to buy a new printer. Most Hp, Canon, Brother and Epson printers have the same set of issues and almost all of them are easy to identify and correct. Here are the common glitches that sometimes result in stripes and streaks and some useful troubleshooting tips to correct them.

Streak Troubleshooting Tips

• The printer has lost its connection. Make sure the printer is turned on and all the cables are connected. Go to the control panel and select printer to make sure your printer is set as the default. If it is and there's still no connection, right click on the printer icon and select properties. Click on "Details" and make sure the correct port is checked off. Double click on the printer icon and that will bring up a current list of printing jobs. Cancel those jobs and try to print again. If you use a USB port to connect, try another port.
• Unintended ink streaks and stripes of color and unwanted lines fill the printed page. Streaks and unwanted lines could mean that the printer heads are out of alignment. There’s an alignment tool in the printer’s control panel. If that’s not the issue then the printer is dirty. Printer ink stripes may appear along the edges of the paper, which means there’s ink on the rollers and other parts. Follow basic cleaning instructions or use a lint-free cloth and wipe off the rollers and the other contaminated parts.
• The printer is printing "gibberish." If your printer pages and page of strange symbols, characters, or a strange format, the inkjet drivers may be outdated, corrupt, or not compatible with your operating system. One common way to troubleshoot "gibberish" printing is to reinstall your printer driver.
• Colors are missing from your prints or the color seems distorted. If color is a problem you might want to use the printer’s head-cleaning tool. If that doesn’t work replace the ink cartridge. If that doesn’t solve the color issue, the printer heads may be faulty, which means the printer should be repaired or replaced.

Streaks, Stripes and Ink Cartridge Problems

When your printer starts printing streaks, ink stripes, and lines, the error sometimes seems completely without a cause or reason. One of the most common reasons why your print quality will go down the tubes is due to a problem with your ink cartridge. If you have recently replaced your ink cartridge, make sure to try the troubleshooting tips provided above. If you haven't changed your ink cartridge in a while but think it might still be full, try shaking your cartridge, a frugal tip that make actually do the trick. If that doesn't work, check your printer's ink levels, because it might be time to buy eco friendly discount replacement printer cartridges.