> Basic > Troubleshooting > Solving other problems

Solving other problems

The following chart lists some trouble conditions that may occur and the recommended solutions. Follow the suggested solutions until the problem is corrected. If the problem persists, contact a service representative.

Other problems include:

Display screen problem

Condition

Suggested solutions

The display screen does not show anything.

  • Adjusts the brightness of the display screen.

  • Turn the machine off and back on again. If the problem persists, call for service.

Paper feeding problems

Condition

Suggested solutions

Paper jams during printing.

Clear the paper jam (see Clearing jams).

Paper sticks together.

  • Check the maximum paper capacity of the tray (see Print media specifications ).

  • Make sure that you are using the correct type of paper (see Print media specifications ).

  • Remove paper from the tray and flex or fan the paper.

  • Humid conditions may cause some paper to stick together. Try a fresh ream of paper.

Multiple sheets of paper do not feed.

  • Different types of paper may be stacked in the tray. Load paper of only one type, size, and weight.

  • If multiple sheets have caused a paper jam, clear the paper jam (see Clearing jams).

Paper does not feed into the machine.

  • Remove any obstructions from inside the machine.

  • Paper has not been loaded correctly. Remove paper from the tray and reload it correctly.

  • There is too much paper in the tray. Remove excess paper from the tray.

  • The paper is too thick. Use only paper that meets the specifications required by the machine (see Print media specifications ).

  • If an original does not feed into the machine, the DSDF rubber pad may require to be replaced. Contact a service representative.

The paper keeps jamming.

  • There is too much paper in the tray. Remove excess paper from the tray. If you are printing on special materials, use the multi-purpose tray.

  • An incorrect type of paper is being used. Use only paper that meets the specifications required by the machine (see Print media specifications ).

  • There may be debris inside the machine. Open the front door and remove any debris.

  • If an original does not feed into the machine, the DSDF rubber pad may need to be replaced. Contact a service representative.

Envelopes skew or fail to feed correctly.

Ensure that the paper guides are against both sides of the envelopes.

Printing problems

Condition

Possible cause

Suggested solutions

The machine does not print.

The machine is not receiving power.

Check the power cord connections. Check the power switch and the power source.

The machine is not selected as the default machine.

Select your machine as your default machine in your Windows.

Check the machine for the following:

  • The front door is not closed. Close the front door.

  • Paper is jammed. Clear the paper jam (see Clearing jams).

  • No paper is loaded. Load paper (see Loading paper in the tray).

  • The toner cartridge or the imaging unit is not installed. Install the toner cartridge or imaging unit.

If a system error occurs, contact your service representative.

The connection cable between the computer and the machine is not connected properly.

Disconnect the machine cable and reconnect it.

The connection cable between the computer and the machine is defective.

If possible, attach the cable to another computer that is working properly and print a job. You can also try using a different machine cable.

The machine does not print.

The port setting is incorrect.

Check the Windows printer setting to make sure that the print job is sent to the correct port. If the computer has more than one port, make sure that the machine is attached to the correct one.

The machine may be configured incorrectly.

Check the Printing Preferences to ensure that all of the print settings are correct (see Opening printing preferences).

The printer driver may be incorrectly installed.

Repair the machine software.

The machine is malfunctioning.

Check the display message on the control panel to see if the machine is indicating a system error. Contact a service representative.

The document size is so big that the hard disk space of the computer is insufficient to access the print job.

If printing GUI, make more hard disk space available for your print and try printing the document again.

The machine selects print materials from the wrong paper source.

The paper option that was selected in the Printing Preferences may be incorrect.

For many software applications, the paper source selection is found under the Paper tab within the Printing Preferences. Select the correct paper source. See the printer driver help screen (see Opening printing preferences).

A print job is extremely slow.

The job may be very complex.

Reduce the complexity of the page or try adjusting the print quality settings.

Half the page is blank.

The page orientation setting may be incorrect.

Change the page orientation in your application. See the printer driver help screen.

The paper size and the paper size settings do not match.

Ensure that the paper size in the printer driver settings matches the paper in the tray. Or, ensure that the paper size in the printer driver settings matches the paper selection in the software application settings you use.

The machine prints, but the text is wrong, garbled, or incomplete.

The machine cable is loose or defective.

Disconnect the machine cable and reconnect. Try a print job that you have already printed successfully. If possible, attach the cable and the machine to another computer that you know works and try a print job. Finally, try a new machine cable.

The wrong printer driver was selected.

Check the application’s printer selection menu to ensure that your machine is selected.

The software application is malfunctioning.

Try printing a job from another application.

The operating system is malfunctioning.

Exit Windows and reboot the computer. Turn the machine off and back on again.

If you are in a DOS environment, the font setting for your machine may be set incorrectly.

Change the language setting.

Pages print, but they are blank.

The toner cartridge is defective or out of toner.

Redistribute the toner, if necessary. If necessary, replace the toner cartridge.

The file may have blank pages.

Check the file to ensure that it does not contain blank pages.

Some parts, such as the controller or the board, may be defective.

Contact a service representative.

The machine does not print PDF file correctly. Some parts of graphics, text, or illustrations are missing.

Incompatibility between the PDF file and the Acrobat products.

Printing the PDF file as an image may enable the file to print. Turn on Print As Image from the Acrobat printing options.

[Note]

It will take longer to print when you print a PDF file as an image.

If the PDF file do not include the font or do have the object which is set on Interactive mode.

Try printing a job from Printer Driver.

The print quality of photos is not good. Images are not clear.

The resolution of the photo is very low.

Reduce the photo size. If you increase the photo size in the software application, the resolution will be reduced.

Before printing, the machine emits vapor near the output tray.

Using damp paper can cause vapor during printing.

This is not a problem. Just keep printing. Try a fresh ream of paper.

The machine does not print special- sized paper, such as billing paper.

Paper size and paper size setting do not match.

Set the correct paper size in the Custom Paper List in the Paper tab in the Printing Preferences (see Paper Options).

Your machine has an odd smell during initial use.

The oil used to protect the fuser is evaporating.

After printing about 100 color pages, there will be no more smell. It is a temporary issue.

Printing quality problems

If the inside of the machine is dirty or paper has been loaded improperly, there might be a reduction in print quality. See the table below to clear the problem.

Condition

Suggested Solutions

Light or faded print

  • If a vertical white streak or faded area appears on the page, the toner supply is low. You may be able to temporarily extend the toner cartridge life. If this does not improve the print quality, install a new toner cartridge.

  • The color tone might not be adjusted. Adjust the color tone.

  • The paper may not meet paper specifications; for example, the paper may be too moist or rough (see Print media specifications ).

  • If the entire page is light, the print resolution setting is too low or the toner save mode is on. Adjust the print resolution and turn the toner save mode off. See the help screen of the printer driver.

  • A combination of faded or smeared defects may indicate that the toner cartridge needs cleaning. Contact a service representative.

  • The surface of the LSU part inside the machine may be dirty. Clean the LSU, contact a service representative.

The top half of the paper is printed lighter than the rest of the paper

The toner might not adhere properly to this type of paper.

  • 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).

Toner specks

  • The paper may not meet specifications; for example, the paper may be too moist or rough (see Print media specifications ).

  • The transfer roller may be dirty. Clean the inside of your machine. Contact a service representative.

  • The paper path may need cleaning. Contact a service representative.

  • Check the location of the machine. If the area is not well-ventilated, this problem may occur.

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 (see Print media specifications ).

  • 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 Paper tab, and set type to thick paper (see Opening printing preferences).

  • 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 a paper falls to the inner devices within the machine, so the transfer roller may be dirty. Clean the inside of your machine. Cleaning the inside or contact a service representative.

  • The paper path may need cleaning. Cleaning the inside or contact a service representative.

Vertical lines

If black vertical streaks appear on the page:

  • The drum inside the printer has probably been scratched. Remove the imaging unit and install a new one. Contact a service representative.

If white vertical streaks appear on the page:

  • The surface of the LSU part inside the machine may be dirty. Cleaning the inside or contact a service representative.

If vertical streaks appear on the page:

  • The surface of the scanner glass and its white sheet may be dirty. Cleaning the inside or contact a service representative.

Color or Black background

If the amount of background shading becomes unacceptable:

  • Change the image transfer belt if it has reached its lifespan. Contact a service representative.

  • Check the environmental conditions: very dry conditions (low humidity) 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.

Toner smear

If toner smears on the page:

  • Clean the inside of the machine. Cleaning the inside or contact a service representative.

  • Check the paper type and quality (see Print media specifications ).

  • Remove the imaging unit and install a new one. Contact a service representative.

  • Change the image transfer belt if it has reached its lifespan. Contact a service representative.

Vertical repetitive defects

If marks repeatedly appear on the printed side of the page at even intervals:

  • The imaging unit may be damaged. If a repetitive mark occurs on the page, run a cleaning sheet through several times to clean the imaging unit. Cleaning the inside. If you still have the same problems, remove the imaging unit and install a new one. Contact a service representative.

  • 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.

  • 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).

Toner particles are around bold characters or pictures

The toner might not adhere properly to this type of paper.

  • 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).

  • 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.

Misformed characters

  • If characters are improperly formed and producing hollow images, the paper stock may be too slick. Try different paper (see Print media specifications ).

  • If characters are improperly formed and producing a wavy effect, the scanner unit may need service. Cleaning the scan unit or contact a service representative.

Page skew

  • Ensure that the paper is loaded properly.

  • Check the paper type and quality (see Print media specifications ).

  • Ensure that the paper or other material is loaded correctly and 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 (see Print media specifications ).

  • Turn the stack of paper over in the tray. Also try rotating the paper 180° in the tray.

Wrinkles or creases

  • Ensure that the paper is loaded properly.

  • Check the paper type and quality (see Print media specifications ).

  • 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. Cleaning the inside or contact a service representative.

Solid Color or Black pages

  • The imaging unit may not be installed properly. Remove the imaging unit and reinsert it.

  • The imaging unit may be defective and need replacing. Remove the imaging unit and install a new one. Contact a service representative.

  • The machine may require repair. Contact a service representative.

Loose toner

  • Clean the inside of the machine. Cleaning the inside or contact a service representative.

  • Check the paper type and quality (see Print media specifications ).

  • Remove the imaging unit and install a new one. Contact a service representative.

  • 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 (see Print media specifications ).

Horizontal stripes

If horizontally aligned black streaks or smears appear:

  • The imaging unit may be installed improperly. Remove the imaging unit and reinsert it.

  • The imaging unit may be defective. Remove the imaging unit and install a new one. Contact a service representative.

  • If the problem persists, the machine may require repair. Contact a service representative.

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 option and try again. Go to Printing Preferences, click Paper tab, and set type to thin paper (see Opening printing preferences).

An unknown image repetitively appears on a few sheets or loose toner, light print, or contamination occurs.

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 as loose toner or light imaging. Change the correct altitude setting to your machine.

Copying problems

Condition

Suggested solution

Copies are too light or too dark

Tap Copy from the home screen or Apps. You can adjust the darkness level of a copy if needed for easier reading if the original contains faint markings or dark images (see Changing Darkness).

Smears, lines, marks, or spots appear on copies.

  • If the defects are on the original, tap Copy from the home screen or Apps (see Changing Darkness).

  • If there are no defects on the original, clean the scan unit. Cleaning the scan unit or contact a service representative.

Copy image is skewed.

  • Ensure that the original is face down on the scanner glass or face up in the DSDF.

  • Check that the copy paper is loaded correctly.

  • If the problem persists, the machine may require repair. Contact a service representative.

Blank copies print out.

Ensure that the original is face down on the scanner glass or face up in the DSDF.

Image rubs off the copy easily.

  • Replace the paper in the tray with paper from a new package.

  • In high humidity areas, do not leave paper in the machine for extended periods of time.

Frequent copy paper jams occur.

  • Fan the stack of paper, then turn it over in the tray. Replace the paper in the tray with a fresh supply. Check/adjust the paper guides, if necessary.

  • Ensure that the paper is the proper paper weight.

  • Check for copy paper or pieces of copy paper remaining in the machine after a paper jam has been cleared.

Toner cartridge produces fewer copies than expected before running out of toner.

  • Your originals may contain pictures, solids, or heavy lines. For example, your originals may be forms, newsletters, books, or other documents that use more toner.

  • The DSDF may be left open while copies are being made.

  • The machine may be turned on and off frequently.

Scanning problems

Condition

Suggested solutions

The scanner does not work.

  • Make sure that you place the original to be scanned face down on the scanner glass, or face up in the document feeder (see Loading originals).

  • There may not be enough available memory to hold the document you want to scan. Try the Prescan function to see if that works. Try lowering the scan resolution rate.

  • Check that the machine printer cable is connected properly.

  • Make sure that the machine printer cable is not defective. Switch the printer cable with a known good cable. If necessary, replace the printer cable.

  • Check that the scanner is configured correctly. Check scan setting in the application you want to use to make certain that the scanner job is being sent to the correct port (for example, USB001).

The unit scans very slowly.

  • Check if the machine is printing received data. If so, scan the document after the received data has been printed.

  • Graphics are scanned more slowly than text.

  • Communication speed slows in scan mode because of the large amount of memory required to analyze and reproduce the scanned image. Set your computer to the ECP printer mode through BIOS setting. It will help to increase the speed. For details about how to set BIOS, refer to your computer user’s guide.

Message appears on your computer screen:

  • Device can’t be set to the H/W mode you want.

  • Port is being used by another program.

  • Port is disabled.

  • Scanner is busy receiving or printing data. When the current job is completed, try again.

  • Invalid handle.

  • Scanning has failed.

  • There may be a copying or printing job in progress. Try your job again when that job is finished.

  • The selected port is currently being used. Restart your computer and try again.

  • The machine printer cable may be improperly connected or the power may be off.

  • The scanner driver is not installed or the operating environment is not set up properly.

  • Ensure that the machine is properly connected and the power is on, then restart your computer.

  • The USB cable may be improperly connected or the power may be off.

Faxing problems

Condition

Suggested solutions

The machine is not working, there is no display, or the buttons are not working.

  • Unplug the power cord and plug it in again.

  • Ensure that there is power being supplied to the electrical outlet.

  • Ensure that the power is turned on.

No dial tone.

  • Check that the phone line is properly connected (see Rear view).

  • Check that the phone socket on the wall is working by plugging in another phone.

  • Find the optimal line for communication (see General fax settings).

The numbers stored in memory do not dial correctly.

Make sure that the numbers are stored in memory correctly. To check that, print an address book list.

The original does not feed into the machine.

  • Make sure that the paper is not wrinkled and you are inserting it in correctly. Check that the original is the right size, not too thick or thin.

  • Make sure that the document feeder is firmly closed.

  • The document feeder rubber pad may need to be replaced. Contact a service representative.

Faxes are not received automatically.

  • The receiving mode should be set to fax.

  • Make sure that there is paper in the tray.

  • Check to see if the display shows any error message. If it does, clear the problem.

  • Find the optimal line for communication. To check that, see Smart Fax Diagnostics menu (see General fax settings).

The machine does not send.

  • Make sure that the original is loaded in the document feeder or on the scanner glass.

  • Check the fax machine you are sending to, to see if it can receive your fax.

  • Find the optimal line for communication. To check that, see Smart Fax Diagnostics menu (see General fax settings).

The incoming fax has blank spaces or is of poor-quality.

  • The fax machine sending you the fax may be faulty.

  • A noisy phone line can cause line errors.

  • Check your machine by making a copy.

  • A toner cartridge has almost reached its estimated cartridge life. Replace the toner cartridge (see Replacing the toner cartridge).

  • Find the optimal line for communication. To check that, see Smart Fax Diagnostics menu (see General fax settings).

Some of the words on an incoming fax are stretched.

The fax machine sending the fax had a temporary document jam.

There are lines on the originals you sent.

Check your scan unit for marks and clean it (see Cleaning the scan unit).

The machine dials a number, but the connection with the other fax machine fails.

The other fax machine may be turned off, out of paper, or cannot answer incoming calls. Speak with the other machine operator and ask them to solve the problem on their side.

Faxes do not store in memory.

There may not be enough memory space to store the fax. If the display indicating the memory status shows, delete any faxes you no longer need from the memory, and then try to store the fax again. Call for service.

Blank areas appear at the bottom of each page or on other pages, with a small strip of text at the top.

You may have chosen the wrong paper settings in the user option setting. Check the paper size and type again.

Operating system problems

Common Windows problems

Condition

Suggested solutions

“File in Use” message appears during installation.

Exit all software applications. Remove all software from the startup group, then restart Windows. Reinstall the printer driver.

“General Protection Fault”, “Exception OE”, “Spool 32”, or “Illegal Operation” messages appear.

Close all other applications, reboot Windows and try printing again.

“Fail To Print”, “A printer timeout error occurred” message appear.

These messages may appear during printing. Just keep waiting until the machine finishes printing. If the message appears in ready mode or after printing has completed, check the connection and/or whether an error has occurred.

Samsung Printer Experience is not shown when you click more settings.

Samsung Printer Experience is not installed. Download the app from the Windows Store and install it.

Machine information is not displayed when you click the device in the Devices and Printers.

Check the Printer properties. Click the Ports tab.

(Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Right-click on your printer icon and select Printer properties)

If the port is set to File or LPT, uncheck them and select TCP/IP, USB, or WSD.
[Note]

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

Common Mac problems

Condition

Suggested solutions

The machine does not print PDF files correctly. Some parts of graphics, text, or illustrations are missing.

Printing the PDF file as an image may enable the file to print. Turn on Print As Image from the Acrobat printing options.

[Note]

It will take longer to print when you print a PDF file as an image.

Some letters are not displayed normally during cover page printing.

Mac OS cannot create the font while printing the cover page. The English alphabet and numbers are displayed normally on the cover page.

When printing a document in Mac with Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher, colors print incorrectly.

Make sure that the resolution setting in your machine driver matches the one in Acrobat Reader.
[Note]

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

Common Linux problems

Condition

Suggested solutions

There is no xsane nor simple-scan application on my Linux machine.

For some Linux distributions, there might be no default scan application. To use scan features, install one of scan applications using download center supplied by the OS(ex. Ubuntu Software Center for Ubuntu, Install/Remove Software for openSUSE, Software for Fedora).

Scanner can not be found via network.

For some Linux distributions, strong firewall is enabled and it may block our installer from opening the necessary port for searching network devices. In such a case, open the snmp port - 22161 manually or disable the firewall temporarily while using the device.

When printing more than one copy, the second copy does not print.

The problem occurs on Ubuntu 12.04 due to the problem in standard CUPS filter 'pdftops'. Update 'cups-filters' package to version 1.0.18 to fix the problem ('pdftops' is a part of 'cups-filters' package).

Unchecking the collate option in the Print Dialog does not work.

For some distributions, GNOME Print Dialog has an issue handling the collate option. As workaround, set the default value of collate option to False using the system's printing utility(execute "system-config-printer" in the Terminal program).

Printing always works with duplex.

This duplex issue was in Ubuntu 9.10 CUPS package. Update CUPS version to 1.4.1-5ubuntu2.2.

Printer is not added through system's printing utility.

The problem occurs on Debian 7 due to the defect in 'system-config-printer' package of the Debian 7 (http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=662813 in Debian bug tracking system). Please use another way to add printer (CUPS WebUI for example)

Paper size and orientation are disabled in the Print Dialog when opening text files.

The problem occurs on Fedora 19 and it's related to 'leafpad' text editor on Fedora 19. Please use other text editors like 'gedit'.
[Note]

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

Common PostScript problems

The following situations are PS language specific and may occur when several printer languages are used.

Problem

Possible cause

Solution

The PostScript file cannot be printed

The PostScript driver may not be installed correctly.

  • Install the PostScript driver.

  • Print a configuration page and verify that the PS version is available for printing.

  • If the problem persists, contact a service representative.

Limit Check Error report prints

The print job was too complex.

You might need to reduce the complexity of the page or install more memory.

A PostScript error page prints

The print job may not be PostScript.

Make sure that the print job is a PostScript job. Check to see whether the software application expected a setup or PostScript header file to be sent to the machine.

The optional tray is not selected in the driver

The printer driver has not been configured to recognize the optional tray.

Open the PostScript driver properties, select the Device Options tab, and set the tray option.

When printing a document in Mac with Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher, colors print incorrectly

The resolution setting in the printer driver may not be matched with the one in Acrobat Reader.

Make sure that the resolution setting in your printer driver matches the one in Acrobat Reader.