Copy quality problems

Copies too light, too dark or blurred

Possible causes include the density setting, a cover that is not fully closed, damp paper or an empty toner cartridge. Start with the checks below.

Copies are too light

• Look at the touch panel first. If it shows “Install new *** toner cartridge”, the toner named has run out and needs replacing. The toner guide below explains the messages.
• If there is no toner message, check whether the copy density is set too light. Try a darker setting or automatic density.

Copies are too dark

The copy density is set too dark. Lighten it manually, or use automatic density.

Copies are blurred

• Lower the original cover or the document feeder fully so the original sits flat against the glass. A gap between the two softens the image.
• Damp paper also blurs copies. Swap it for dry paper from a newly opened pack. The wrinkled-copies guide below covers how to store paper.

Never try to repair, take apart or modify the copier yourself. The manufacturer warns that doing so could cause a fire or an electric shock.

If the problem continues, contact your service provider. Tell them your model name and the exact wording of any message on the touch panel, plus any error code shown.

Copies skewed, or part of the original missing

Full Image is only available on the colour models: e-STUDIO2020AC, 2520AC, 2525AC, 3025AC, 3525AC, 4525AC, 5525AC and 6525AC. The other checks on this page apply to every model listed.

For crooked copies, check how the original and paper are guided. For missing edges, check the paper size, reproduction ratio and margin settings.

The copy is crooked

• If the originals are going through the document feeder at an angle, take them out and reload them with the feeder's side guides set to their width so they feed straight.
• If the image is crooked on the page, the paper itself is feeding at an angle. Adjust the side guides in the drawer, or on the bypass tray, so there is no excess gap beside the paper.

Part of the original is missing

• Use paper that matches the size and orientation of the original, or choose the reproduction ratio that suits the paper you have.
• If you have set a binding margin, it may be too wide. Reduce it until the whole original fits.
• If the original is larger than the area the copier can print, the outer edge cannot be copied. On the colour models named in the scope note above, Full Image copies the whole original at 95–99% of its original size.

Never try to repair, take apart or modify the copier yourself. The manufacturer warns that doing so could cause a fire or an electric shock.

If the problem continues, contact your service provider. Tell them your model name and the exact wording of any message on the touch panel, plus any error code shown.

Stains, marks or streaks on copies: what you can clean, and when to call for service

The internal-parts guidance is documented for the models listed; it is not extended to other series.

Marks come either from the scanning side, which you can clean, or from inside the copier, where you follow the copier's own prompt or ask your service provider.

Stains or dark patches across the copy

• Lower the original cover or document feeder fully to shut out outside light.
• Check the original glass, white platen sheet, narrow scanning strip and its guide for marks. Follow your model’s regular-maintenance instructions for each surface. The feeder-streaks guide below covers the scanning glass; do not apply one cleaning method to every surface.
• Lighten the copy density, or try automatic density.
• For see-through originals like transparencies or tracing paper, place a blank white sheet behind the original, large enough to cover it.

Marks along the paper edges

• Edge marks that appear when a wider sheet follows a narrower one, for example A4 after A4-R, are adjusted by a service technician. Ask your service provider.
• If the fuser unit's separation fingers are dirty, the fuser needs cleaning by an engineer: contact your service provider. Setting the paper size when you copy from the bypass tray can help avoid these marks meanwhile.

Uneven density, or white or coloured streaks running across the page

• This pattern means parts inside the copier need cleaning: the main charger, the LED print head or the slit glass.
• When the touch panel shows “Time for cleaning. Open the front cover and follow the guidance.”, open the front cover and follow the on-screen guidance step by step.
• Not every model shows that prompt. If no prompt appears, contact your service provider rather than cleaning inside without instructions. The internal steps differ between models and are not reproduced here.

Clean inside the copier only as far as the touch-panel guidance directs, and never force a part that does not move freely.

Cleaning the fuser unit is an engineer's job, not a customer task.

Never try to repair, take apart or modify the copier yourself. The manufacturer warns that doing so could cause a fire or an electric shock.

If the problem continues, contact your service provider. Tell them your model name and the exact wording of any message on the touch panel, plus any error code shown.