Print quality problems are frustrating partly because they're hard to describe — "it just looks bad" doesn't get you very far when trying to diagnose the cause. This guide names each common defect precisely, explains what's causing it, and gives you the fix. Describe your problem against these descriptions and you'll know exactly where to look.
Ghosting
Ghosting appears as a faint, slightly offset duplicate of printed text or images appearing elsewhere on the page — usually lower down. It looks as if a lighter version of the content printed in the wrong position.
In laser printers: Ghosting almost always indicates a failing drum unit. The drum isn't fully cleaning itself between rotations, leaving a faint residual image that transfers to paper on the next pass. Replace the drum unit.
In inkjet printers: Ghosting can indicate a misaligned printhead. Run the printer's automatic alignment utility from the maintenance settings.
Banding
Banding presents as regular horizontal or vertical stripes across the printed output — like the print was produced in strips with slight gaps between them. It's more obvious in areas of solid colour or smooth gradients.
Cause: In inkjets, banding almost always means one or more nozzles are clogged or firing inconsistently. Run a nozzle check pattern to identify which colours are affected, then run the printhead cleaning utility. In laser printers, banding can indicate a worn developer roller or a problem with the toner distribution mechanism.
Fix: For inkjets, one or two cleaning cycles and a fresh nozzle test pattern. If banding persists after three cleaning cycles, the printhead may need a manual deep clean or replacement.
Ink Bleed
Ink bleed is when printed lines appear fuzzy, spread, or soft-edged instead of crisp. Text that should be sharp looks slightly out of focus. Colours may bleed into adjacent colours in images.
Cause: Almost always a paper-and-ink mismatch. Standard printer ink is designed to absorb quickly into standard office paper. On coated, glossy, or overly smooth paper, the ink sits on the surface for longer before absorbing, and during that time it spreads laterally.
Fix: Match your paper type to your printer's settings. In the print dialog, ensure the paper type setting matches what's actually loaded. For photo printing, use photo-specific paper — plain paper will always produce some bleed on photo output. If bleed is occurring on plain paper too, the ink system may need maintenance — check for overly saturated output settings in the print driver.
Fading
Fading appears as text or images that are noticeably lighter than they should be — particularly in areas that should be dense black or rich colour. It may be uniform across the page or patchy.
In inkjets: Low ink is the most common cause of uniform fading. Check ink levels first. If ink levels appear adequate, a partially clogged nozzle or a damaged ink supply valve can cause identical symptoms.
In laser printers: Fading with streaking suggests toner is unevenly distributed in the cartridge. Remove the toner cartridge and gently rock it side-to-side to redistribute toner. If the fading is uniform and the toner cartridge is not low, the transfer roller or fuser unit may be degrading.
Smearing and Smudging
Print smears when it's touched — the ink or toner hasn't fully adhered to the paper surface.
In laser printers: Smearing almost always indicates a fuser problem. The fuser is the unit that uses heat to bond toner to paper. If it's not reaching the correct temperature, or if it's worn, toner won't fuse correctly and will smear when touched. Fuser replacement is typically required.
In inkjets: Smearing immediately after printing suggests insufficient drying time — particularly with high-coverage prints on coated paper. Try reducing print density in the print driver settings, or allow prints to air-dry rather than stacking immediately.
Colour Shifts
Colours that don't match what you see on screen, or prints where colours look shifted — too warm, too cool, magenta-heavy, or green-cast.
Cause: Colour shifts arise from profile mismatches, low or exhausted ink in one or more colours, or colour calibration that needs to be re-run. Check whether the colour shift is consistent across all prints or just in specific colour ranges (which points to a single depleted ink channel).
Fix: Run the printer's colour calibration utility. Ensure the colour profile in the print driver matches the paper type. If one ink colour is depleted, replace it and reprint.