LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw prints poor colors

[Daaaam]

Hey,

my LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw started to print bad with the yellow & magenta cartrideges. They are original and like 6 months old with 60-70% remaining. The cyan one which was purchased at the same time works good. 

Printing like a pale green results in a light blue.

Anyone has an idea what could cause this? Are they defective?

Thanks for any help!

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @Daaaam,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your HP LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw is printing incorrect colors, with yellow and magenta appearing faded or missing while cyan prints correctly. Let’s go through a few steps to identify what could be causing this.

Print a Print Quality Diagnostic page
From the printer control panel, go to Reports > Print Quality Page.
This helps confirm whether yellow and magenta are printing correctly at the hardware level.

Check toner distribution in the cartridges
Remove the yellow and magenta cartridges and gently rock each one side to side.
This redistributes toner that may have settled over time, especially if the printer was not used frequently.

Inspect the cartridges and seals
Make sure all protective seals were fully removed and there is no toner leakage or damage.
Even genuine cartridges can develop internal clumps after several months.

Run printer calibration
From the control panel, go to System Setup > Print Quality > Color Calibration.
Calibration realigns color density and balance and often fixes color shift issues like green printing blue.

Clean the laser scanner
Use the Clean Page option from the printer’s maintenance menu.
This removes toner buildup on internal components that can affect specific colors.

Check print settings on the computer
Ensure the color mode is set to Color and not Grayscale or Reduced Color.
Also confirm no color correction or “economy” modes are enabled.

Test from a different application or device
Print the same image from another program or device.
This helps rule out software or driver-related color management issues.

Consider cartridge age and usage
Although toner does not dry out, cartridges that sit unused for months can develop uneven toner flow.
If the diagnostic page shows weak yellow and magenta after calibration, those cartridges may be defective.

I hope this helps.

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