Modern printers excel at creating high-resolution documents in both monochrome and color. These highly-rated printers are technologically advanced, though they can run into their fair share of issues.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- If you are experiencing faded text when printing out documents, there are several troubleshooting tips to try.
- Start by checking the levels of your ink or toner cartridges, replacing them if necessary.
- You can also download new driver software, adjust the density settings, or check on the humidity of your home or office.
What is Faded Text?
As the name suggests, faded text is when the printed text of a document appears to be faded or lighter than usual. The term faded text typically refers to black and white text-based documents, though color prints can also suffer from faded text. Prints on certain stationery from a specialized printer like a printer for cardstock can also experience this issue.
Insider Tip
As the name suggests, faded text is when the printed text of a document appears to be faded or lighter than usual.
Fix Faded Text From Your Printer
There are a number of troubleshooting steps you can take to get to the bottom of your faded text problem. We have arranged a number of universal tips and guidelines to try out.
Check Ink or Toner Levels
The first thing you should do when troubleshooting this issue is to check on your ink or toner levels. If your cartridges are nearly depleted, that could absolutely be the cause of faded text with printed documents. You may also be wondering why is your printer skipping lines, which may be a cause of low ink or toner levels. Your printer should have access to a utility as part of the driver software that allows you to keep an eye on the cartridge status. If the cartridges look low, buying new ones and replacing them could instantly fix the problem of faded text. Be sure to install the appropriate cartridges for your printer.
Insider Tip
If your cartridges are nearly depleted, that could absolutely be the cause of faded text with printed documents. You may also be wondering why is your printer skipping lines, which may be a cause of low ink or toner levels.
Check the Settings
If your cartridges look fine, it will be time to dive deep into the printer’s settings. Occasionally, these settings can reset without any input from the consumer. Pay particular attention to any setting that regulates ink or toner density. If that has been set too low, faded text will be the natural result. Checking your settings is also a great option if you keep asking, ‘why is my printer printing blurry text?’. If you cannot access the system settings, try updating the driver software. This software can typically be found on the manufacturer’s website. Read your printer’s instructions for information on how to update your driver software.
Check Your Humidity
If the humidity levels of your home are too high or too low that could cause the problem of faded text. If you find this to be the case, simply move the printer to a different part of your home or office. The best place for your printer to be is somewhere in the middle when it comes to humidity. It is also important to remember that humidity levels will change depending on the weather and depending on what time of the year it is.
Warning
Be sure to install the appropriate cartridges for your printer.
F.A.Q.
Do Canon toner cartridges have a printhead?
No, as toner cartridges do not feature a printhead as a matter of design. Only inkjet printers typically require printheads when it comes to reproducing text or images.
Why is my printer printing lightly?
There are many reasons your printer could be printing lightly. Try to check on the status of your ink or toner cartridges, download new driver software, and adjust the density settings.
What can I do to improve the print quality?
If you are looking to improve the overall print quality, we recommend giving your printer a thorough cleaning and running any available maintenance jobs. This could improve the overall resolution of your prints.
STAT: To protect the printers and papers, you should place your printers in a room that maintains room temperature with a relative humidity of 40% to 60%, depending on the printer models. (source)
