Laser printers are amazing right up until they stop working. If you are here reading this, it is probably safe to assume that your laser printer has malfunctioned, started printing blanks, and nothing you have done has managed to get it to work properly again. The issue most likely lies in the toner. Believe it or not, it is not uncommon for the toner to not stick on the paper. Read on to find out what you can do when the toner doesn’t stick to the page.

What Does the Problem Look Like?

You should first know what it looks like when your toner is not sticking to the paper. The three most common signs of malfunctioning toner are:

  1. The toner rubs or flakes off the paper, suggesting that the toner did not fuse with the surface of the paper.
  2. The printed product is streaky or smeared.
  3. The printed product is patchy or blank.

Six Ways to Fix It

  1. If your printer takes in different types of printing material, make sure the printer is set up correctly to match the printing material you are feeding it. Mismatched material settings will result in a faulty print job.
  2. If you are experiencing any of the above issues with your laser printer, you may want to look into changing the fuser in your printer. For the toner to bind to the paper, heat is applied by the fuser. However, if the fuser has been damaged, it may not heat up enough to fuse the toner to the paper. How do you know if the fuser is broken? Swap out your old fuser with a new one and see if the issue goes away.
  3. Alternatively, if your fuser does not appear damaged, check if the fuser and the transfer roll (BTR) are set to match the printing material you are using.
  4. You can also check if the fuser temperature is set high enough. Different printing materials and toners will require different temperature settings to fuse. As such, it usually helps adjust the fuser temperature to the highest setting, especially if nothing you have tried thus far worked, despite the fuser being in working order. Refer to your printer manual to find out how to adjust the printer’s temperature.
  5. If you are using off-brand toner cartridges, consider swapping them out for the original. Off-brand toner cartridges may be incompatible with the fuser.
  6. When all else fails, you can always reach out to the customer service helpline associated with your printer’s brand or the manufacturer or seller you bought the printer from. You would be surprised how much insight they can provide you on their product. In the worst-case scenario, you might be able to claim the warranty on your printer and have the issue professionally looked at and fixed.