Samsung SLM2020W Users Manual

Printing quality problems

Condition		Suggested Solutions
Toner specks	• The paper may not meet specifications; for example, the paper may be too moist or rough.
	•	The transfer roller may be dirty. Clean the inside of your machine (see "Cleaning the machine" on page 11).
	•	The paper path may need cleaning. Contact a service representative (see "Cleaning the machine" on page 11).

Dropouts	If faded areas, generally rounded, occur randomly on the page:
	• A single sheet of paper may be defective. Try reprinting the job.
	• The moisture content of the paper is uneven or the paper has moist spots on its surface. Try a different brand of paper.
	• The paper lot is bad. The manufacturing processes can cause some areas to reject toner. Try a different kind or brand of paper.
	• Change the printer option and try again. Go to Printing Preferences, click the Paper tab, and set type to Thick or Thicker (see
	"Opening printing preferences" on page 13).
	If these steps do not correct the problem, contact a service representative.
White Spots	If white spots appear on the page:
	• The paper is too rough and a lot of dirt from paper falls to the inner components within the machine, so the transfer roller may be
	dirty. Clean the inside of your machine (see "Cleaning the machine" on page 11).
	• The paper path may need cleaning. Clean the inside of your machine (see "Cleaning the machine" on page 11).
	If these steps do not correct the problem, contact a service representative.

5. Troubleshooting 181

Printing quality problems

Condition	Suggested Solutions
Vertical lines	If black vertical streaks appear on the page:
	• The surface (drum part) of the toner cartridge inside the machine has probably been scratched. Remove the toner cartridge and
	install a new one (see "Replacing the toner cartridge" on page 8).
	If white vertical streaks appear on the page:
	• The surface of the LSU part inside the machine may be dirty. Clean the inside of your machine (see "Cleaning the machine" on page
	11). If these steps do not correct the problem, contact a service representative.
Black background	If the amount of background shading becomes unacceptable:
	• Change to a lighter weight paper.
	• Check the environmental conditions: very dry conditions or a high level of humidity (higher than 80% RH) can increase the amount
	of background shading.
	• Remove the old toner cartridge and install a new one (see "Replacing the toner cartridge" on page 8).
	• Thoroughly redistribute the toner (see "Redistributing toner" on page 7).
Toner smear	• Clean the inside of the machine (see "Replacing the toner cartridge" on page 8).
	• Check the paper type and quality.
	• Remove the toner cartridge and install a new one (see "Replacing the toner cartridge" on page 8).

5. Troubleshooting 182

Printing quality problems

Condition	Suggested Solutions
Vertical repetitive defects	If marks repeatedly appear on the printed side of the page at even intervals:
	• The toner cartridge may be damaged. If you still have the same problem, remove the toner cartridge and, install a new one (see
	"Replacing the toner cartridge" on page 8).
	• Parts of the machine may have toner on them. If the defects occur on the back of the page, the problem will likely correct itself after
	a few more pages.
	• The fusing assembly may be damaged. Contact a service representative.
Background scatter	Background scatter results from bits of toner randomly distributed on the printed page.
	• The paper may be too damp. Try printing with a different batch of paper. Do not open packages of paper until necessary so that
	the paper does not absorb too much moisture.
	• If background scatter occurs on an envelope, change the printing layout to avoid printing over areas that have overlapping seams
	on the reverse side. Printing on seams can cause problems.
	Or select Thick Envelope from the Printing Preferences window (see "Opening printing preferences" on page 13).
	• If background scatter covers the entire surface area of a printed page, adjust the print resolution through your software application
	or in Printing Preferences (see "Opening printing preferences" on page 13). Ensure the correct paper type is selected. For example:
	If Thicker Paper is selected, but Plain Paper actually used, an overcharging can occur causing this copy quality problem.
	• If you are using a new toner cartridge, redistribute the toner first (see "Redistributing toner" on page 7).
Toner particles are around bold	The toner might not adhere properly to this type of paper.
characters or pictures	• Change the printer option and try again. Go to Printing Preferences, click the Paper tab, and set the paper type to Recycled (see
	"Opening printing preferences" on page 13).
	• Ensure the correct paper type is selected. For example: If Thicker Paper is selected, but Plain Paper actually used, an overcharging
	can occur causing this copy quality problem.

5. Troubleshooting 183

Printing quality problems

Condition	Suggested Solutions
Misformed characters	• If characters are improperly formed and producing hollow images, the paper stock may be too slick. Try different paper.

Page skew	•	Ensure that the paper is loaded properly.
	• Check the paper type and quality.
	•	Ensure that the guides are not too tight or too loose against the paper stack.

Curl or wave	•	Ensure that the paper is loaded properly.
	• Check the paper type and quality. Both high temperature and humidity can cause paper curl.
	•	Turn the stack of paper over in the tray. Also try rotating the paper 180° in the tray.

5. Troubleshooting 184

Printing quality problems

Condition		Suggested Solutions
Wrinkles or creases	• Ensure that the paper is loaded properly.
	•	Check the paper type and quality.
	•	Turn the stack of paper over in the tray. Also try rotating the paper 180° in the tray.

Back of printouts are dirty

• Check for leaking toner. Clean the inside of the machine (see "Cleaning the machine" on page 11).

Solid color or black pages	•	The toner cartridge may not be installed properly. Remove the cartridge and reinsert it.
	• The toner cartridge may be defective. Remove the toner cartridge and install a new one (see "Replacing the toner cartridge" on
		page 8).
	•	The machine may require repairing. Contact a service representative.

5. Troubleshooting 185

Printing quality problems

Condition		Suggested Solutions
Loose toner	• Clean the inside of the machine (see "Cleaning the machine" on page 11).
	•	Check the paper type and quality.
	•	Remove the toner cartridge and then, install a new one (see "Replacing the toner cartridge" on page 8).
	If the problem persists, the machine may require repair. Contact a service representative.

Character voids	Character voids are white areas within parts of characters that should be solid black:
	•	You may be printing on the wrong surface of the paper. Remove the paper and turn it around.
	•	The paper may not meet paper specifications.

Horizontal stripes	If horizontally aligned black streaks or smears appear:
	•	The toner cartridge may be installed improperly. Remove the cartridge and reinsert it.
	•	The toner cartridge may be defective. Remove the toner cartridge and install a new one (see "Replacing the toner cartridge" on
		page 8).
	If the problem persists, the machine may require repairing. Contact a service representative.

5. Troubleshooting 186

Printing quality problems

Condition		Suggested Solutions
Curl	If the printed paper is curled or paper does not feed into the machine:
	•	Turn the stack of paper over in the tray. Also try rotating the paper 180° in the tray.
	•	Change the printer’s paper option and try again. Go to Printing Preferences, click the Paper tab, and set type to Thin (see
		"Opening printing preferences" on page 13).

•	An unknown image	Your machine is probably being used at an altitude of 1,000 m (3,281 ft) or above.The high altitude may affect the print quality, such
	repetitively appears on a few	as loose toner or light imaging. Change the altitude setting for your machine (See "Altitude adjustment" on page 2).
	sheets
•	Loose toner
• Light print or contamination
	occurs

5. Troubleshooting 187

Operating system problems

1

Common Windows problems

Condition	Suggested solutions
“File in Use” message appears	Exit all software applications. Remove all software from the startup group, then restart Windows. Reinstall the printer driver.
during installation.
“General Protection Fault”,	Close all other applications, reboot Windows and try printing again.
“Exception OE”, “Spool 32”, or
“Illegal Operation” messages
appear.
“Fail To Print”, “A printer	These messages may appear during printing. Just keep waiting until the machine finishes printing. If the message appears in ready
timeout error occurred”	mode or after printing has completed, check the connection and/or whether an error has occurred.
message appear.

Refer to the Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista User’s Guide that came with your computer for further information on Windows error messages.

5. Troubleshooting 188

Operating system problems

2

Common Macintosh problems

Condition	Suggested solutions
The machine does not print PDF files	Printing the PDF file as an image may enable the file to print. Turn on Print As Image from the Acrobat printing options.
correctly. Some parts of graphics, text, or
illustrations are missing.	It will take longer to print when you print a PDF file as an image.
Some letters are not displayed normally	Mac OS cannot create the font while printing the cover page. The English alphabet and numbers are displayed normally on
during cover page printing.	the cover page.
When printing a document in Macintosh	Make sure that the resolution setting in your machine driver matches the one in Acrobat Reader.
with Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher, colors
print incorrectly.

Refer to the Macintosh User’s Guide that came with your computer for further information on Macintosh error messages.

5. Troubleshooting 189