Black patch appearing on scanned documents and photocopies, but not on regular printouts.

[Sushanth_Nair]

My printer produces a light patch on the middle left of document whenever I  scan a document or a light grey patch on the same place whenever I take a photocopy. But this does not happen if I take a regular printout. Why is this happening? The catridges installed are genuine HP.

[X-23]

Hey @Sushanth_Nair,

Welcome to the HP Support Forums!

I understand that you're experiencing a quality issue when scanning or copying a document from your HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 3515 e-All-in-One Printer. I would like to assist you today with resolving this issue. In most cases the quality issue that you're experiencing is caused by debris or a smudge on the scanner assembly. With that being said, I am going to have you start by running a clean of the assembly to see if that quickly resolves the issue.

Gather the following materials:

• Several clean, soft, lint-free cloths
• Mild glass cleaner.

Note: Use only glass cleaner to clean the scanner glass. Do not use cleaners that contain abrasives, acetone, benzene, or carbon tetrachloride. These substances can damage the product. Avoid isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) because it can leave streaks on the glass.

Clean the Flatbed Glass:

1. Press the Power button () to turn off the product, and disconnect the power cord from the product.
2. Open the scanner lid.
3. Spray a clean, soft, lint-free cloth with mild glass cleaner. Do not spray the glass cleaner directly on the glass to avoid damaging the scanner.
   
4. Wipe the scanner glass and the white underside of the scanner lid with the dampened cloth.
5. Dry the scanner glass thoroughly with a clean, dry cloth, or chamois to prevent spotting, and then dry the white underside of the scanner lid.
6. Close the scanner lid.

- Source

Once the flatbed has been cleaned, plug in and turn your printer back on. Once the printer returns to the ready state, please test another Copy to verify it the line is gone. Should the quality issue still occur, please run another clean.

Please let me know if these steps resolve your quality issue. Good luck! 🙂

[Sushanth_Nair]

I tried all the steps mentioned above, the patch I guess subsided to a extent, but still remains in a very light manner, no matter how clean the surface is. The body beneath the surface glass has some smudges in it. Could that be the reason behind the patch?

[Sushanth_Nair]

I could show you the picture too, but the reply option isn't giving me the option to upload images.

[X-23]

Hello @Sushanth_Nair,

Thanks for getting back to me regarding this issue. I'm sorry to hear that the cleaning steps I provided you with for your HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 3515 e-All-in-One Printer failed to resolve the scan and copy issue that you're experiencing.

Because the smudges appear to be beneath the flatbed glass you will not be able to clean that and the smudges will continue to cause quality defects with your scans and copies. To resolve any defect issues with the flatbed glass a whole unit replacement may be needed as the glass is not a replaceable part.

At this point, I would recommend that you contact our Technical Support queue by phone to explore additional options.

HP Technical Support can be reached at: 800-474-6836.

If you live outside the US/Canada Region, please click the link below to get the support number for your region.

HP Worldwide Contact

When you call our Technical Support department, please advise the Phone Support Agent of the troubleshooting steps we have completed together and the result of those steps. Also, explain to the Agent that the smudges do appear to be on the underside of the glass and cannot be accessed to clean.

I wish you luck going forward with this! 🙂