Faded Printing: Is the Toner Out, or Something Else

1. The Toner Has Settled

Remove the cartridge and shake it horizontally 5-6 times. If printing improves for a few pages and then fades again, the toner is genuinely running out.

2. Economy Mode Is Enabled

Check the driver and device panel settings: economy mode is often turned on "temporarily" and forgotten.

3. The Laser Window Is Dirty

Printing fades in a stripe or across the full width. Gently wipe the window with a dry, lint-free cloth.

4. The Magnetic Roller Is Worn

Faded areas appear in patches, more often at the edges. Fixed by replacing the roller or the whole cartridge assembly.

5. Unsuitable Paper

On paper that's too heavy or textured, toner fuses poorly and looks dull. Check that the media type in the driver matches the actual paper.

A Quick Check

Print a test page from the device's panel. If it prints normally while documents from software print faded, the cause is in the driver settings, not the hardware.