Printing Quality Problems - Dell 1230c User Manual

POSSIBLE
CONDITION
CAUSE
The printer The paper source
selection in the
selects print
printer properties
materials from
may be incorrect.
the wrong paper
source.
A print job is The job may be very
complex.
extremely slow.
Half the page is The page orientation
setting may be
blank.
incorrect.
The paper size and
the paper size
settings do not
match.
The printer The printer cable is
loose or defective.
prints, but the
text is wrong,
garbled, or
incomplete.
The wrong printer
driver was selected.
The software
application is
malfunctioning.
The operating
system is
malfunctioning.
Pages print, but The toner cartridge
is defective or out of
are blank.
toner.
The file may have
blank pages.
Some parts, such as
the controller or the
board, may be
defective.
34 | Troubleshooting
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
For many software
applications, the paper
source selection is found
under the Thin Paper tab
within the printer properties.
Select the correct paper
source. See the printer driver
help screen.
Reduce the complexity of the
page or try adjusting the print
quality settings.
Change the page orientation
in your application. See the
printer driver help screen.
Ensure that the paper size in
the printer driver settings
matches the paper in the
tray.
Or, ensure that the paper
size in the printer driver
settings matches the paper
selection in the software
application settings you use.
Disconnect the printer cable
and reconnect. Try a print job
that you have already printed
successfully. If possible,
attach the cable and the
printer to another computer
and try a print job that you
know works. Finally, try a
new printer cable.
Check the application's
printer selection menu to
ensure that your printer is
selected.
Try printing a job from
another application.
Exit Windows and reboot the
computer. Turn the printer off
and then back on again.
Redistribute the toner, if
necessary. See
"Redistributing toner" on
page 26.
If necessary, replace the
toner cartridge.
Check the file to ensure that
it does not contain blank
pages.
Contact a service
representative.
POSSIBLE
CONDITION
CAUSE
The printer does Incompatibility
between the PDF
not print PDF file
file and the Acrobat
correctly. Some
products.
parts of
graphics, text, or
illustrations are
missing.
Your printer has The oil used to
protect the fuser is
an odd smell
evaporating.
during initial
use.
The print quality The resolution of the
photo is very low.
of photos is not
good. Images
are not clear.
Before printing, Using damp paper
can cause vapor
the printer emits
during printing.
vapor near the
output tray.

Printing quality problems

If the inside of the printer is dirty or paper has been loaded improperly, you
may notice a reduction in print quality. See the table below to clear the
problem.
CONDITION SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
Light or faded print If a vertical white streak or faded area appears
on the page:
• The toner supply is low. You may be able
to temporarily extend the toner cartridge
life. See "Replacing the toner cartridge" on
page 27. If this does not improve the print
quality, install a new toner cartridge.
• The paper may not meet paper
specifications; for example, the paper is too
moist or too rough. See "Selecting print
media" on page 17.
• If the entire page is light, the print
resolution setting is too low. Adjust the print
resolution. See the help screen of the
printer driver.
• A combination of faded or smeared defects
may indicate that the toner cartridge needs
cleaning.
• The surface of the LSU part inside the
printer may be dirty. Clean the LSU by
opening and closing the front cover several
times and if the problem still occurs call the
contact a service representative.
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
Printing the PDF file as an
image may solve this
problem. Turn on Print As
Image from the Acrobat
printing options.
It will take longer to
print when you print a
PDF file as an image.
After printing about 100 color
pages, there will be no more
smell. It is a temporary issue.
Reduce the photo size. If you
increase the photo size in the
software application, the
resolution will be reduced.
This is not a problem. Just
keep printing.