LaserJet Pro M203dn print ghosting

[MilngavieJohn]

My printer has started leaving a band of ghosts (repeated smudges) down one side of the page. They are 57mm apart, which should identify the source. I have tried running the cleaning program, which produces a clear sheet. I have also inspected the toner and drum, which both look fine, and are each about half way through their lives. What part of the printer is leaving the ghosts, please, and how should I service it?

[Irfan_06]

Hi @MilngavieJohn,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to assist you.

I see that you are facing an issue with print quality on your printer.

Make a copy on the printer standalone? (Place an original document on the scanner glass and make a copy to confirm hardware is working fine)

To understand the issue and help you, please share the details listed below:

- Please share an image of the printed document to isolate the issue.

- May I know which application you are using to print?

- When was the last time your printer was working fine?

- Were there any changes made to your printer recently?

- May I know which devices are you using to print eg: Windows PC, Mac, or Smartphone (Android or iPhone)?

Note: Do not share any of your personal information such as serial, phone number, email ID, etc.

Take care and have a great day ahead!

Irwin6

HP Support

[MilngavieJohn]

Thank you for the reply, Irwin. I have attached a scan of the output from the printer below, marking a location where I could identify the original text and a ghost to measure the distance between them. This is the second side of a duplex printout but the fault is on both sides (and on single sided prints as well).

In reply to your questions:

• The page was printed from MS Word but the same fault appears on prints from all applications
• The printer worked well about two weeks ago but was not used for about a week before the fault appeared
• No changes have been made to the printer (except possibly by Windows Update, although I have not noticed anything for the printer)
• I am running Windows 10 on an HP Pavilion.

Best wishes, John

[Irfan_06]

Hi @MilngavieJohn,

Thank you for sharing the above information.

A) Please follow the steps below to perform a power drain.

1) Take out the cartridges

2) Unplug the power cord from the printer & wall.

3) Press and hold the power button down for 15 seconds and release the power button, wait for about 30 seconds.

4) Plug the power cord back into the printer and wall, ensure the printer is plugged into the wall & not into a surge protector.

5) Insert the cartridges back into the printer.

Remove the cartridges > Unplug the power cord > Wait for 30 seconds > Plug the power cord back in > Insert the cartridges

B) Kindly refer to the steps on this link to update the printer firmware and let me know if that resolves the issue.

C) If the issue still persists, refer to the steps on this link to further troubleshoot.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a great day ahead!

Irwin6

HP Support

[MilngavieJohn]

Thank you for the advice, Irwin, and sorry for the slow reply but I was away last week. I have done a hard reset of the printer and updated the firmware (but am puzzled why HP Smart does not do this, or at least tell me that an update is available). The printouts still contain ghosts down one side, which look far more like a mechanical problem than software. I had already tried most of the options in the page on Resolving garbled text etc. The only remaining option is to Service the printer.