Lexmark X 950 User Manual

							Load paper from a fresh package
The paper may have absorbed moisture due to high humidity. Store paper in its original wrapper until you
use it.
Check the paper type and weight settings
Make sure the paper type and weight settings match the paper loaded in the tray or feeder:
1From the printer control panel Paper menu, check the Paper Type and Paper Weight settings.
2Before sending the print job, specify the correct paper type setting:
For Windows users, specify the paper type from Print Properties.
For Macintosh users, specify the paper type from the Print dialog.
Avoid textured paper with rough 
finishes
Make sure there is no defective toner cartridge
Replace the worn or defective toner cartridge.
Make sure the transfer module is not defective
Replace the defective transfer module. For more information, see the instruction sheet that came with the
replacement part.
Make sure the fuser is not defective
Replace the defective fuser. For more information, see the instruction sheet that came with the replacement
part.
Print is too dark
Try one or more of the following:
Check the darkness, brightness, and contrast settings
The Toner Darkness setting may be too dark, the Brightness setting may be too dark, or the Contrast setting
may be too high.
Change these settings from the printer control panel Quality menu.
For Windows users, change these settings from Print Properties. Troubleshooting321 
						

							For Macintosh users:
1Choose File > Print.
2From the “Orientation pictures” menu, choose Printer Features.
3Choose a lower value for the Toner Darkness, Brightness, and Contrast settings.
Load paper from a fresh package
The paper may have absorbed moisture due to high humidity. Store paper in its original wrapper until you
use it.
Avoid textured paper with rough finishes
Check the Paper Type setting
Make sure the paper type setting matches the paper loaded in the tray or feeder:
From the printer control panel Paper menu, check the Paper Type setting.
For Windows users, check this setting from Print Properties.
For Macintosh users, check this setting from the Print dialog.
Print is too light
Try one or more of the following:
Check the darkness, brightness, and contrast settings
The Toner Darkness setting may be too light, the Brightness setting may be too light, or the Contrast setting
may be too low.
Change these settings from the printer control panel Quality menu.
For Windows users, change these settings from Print Properties
For Macintosh users:
1Choose File > Print.
2From the Orientation pictures drop‑down menu, choose Printer Features.
3Choose a higher value for the Toner Darkness, Brightness, and Contrast settings.
Load paper from a fresh package
The paper may have absorbed moisture from high humidity. Store paper in its original wrapper until you use
it. Troubleshooting322 
						

							Avoid textured paper with rough finishes
Check the Paper Type setting
Make sure the Paper Type setting matches the paper loaded in the tray or feeder:
From the printer control panel Paper menu, check the Paper Type setting.
For Windows users, check this setting from Print Properties.
For Macintosh users, check this setting from the Print dialog.
Printer is printing blank pages
Try one or more of the following:
Make sure there is no packing material left on the toner or print cartridge
Remove the cartridge and make sure the packing material is properly removed. Reinstall the cartridge.
Make sure the toner or print cartridge is not low on toner
When 88.xx [color] cartridge low appears, make sure that toner is distributed evenly among all
four cartridges:
1Remove the cartridge.
Warning—Potential Damage: Be careful not to touch the photoconductor drum. Doing so may
affect the print quality of future print jobs.
2Firmly shake the cartridge side-to-side and front-to-back several times to redistribute the toner.
3Reinsert the cartridge.
Note: If print quality does not improve, then replace the cartridge of the color that is not printing.
If the problem continues, then the printer may need to be serviced. For more information, contact customer
support. Troubleshooting323 
						

							Repeating defects appear on a page
Try one or more of the following:
Make sure the photoconductor unit is not defective
The photoconductor unit may be defective if marks occur repeatedly in only one color and multiple times
on a page.
Replace the photoconductor unit if the defects occur every 94.2 mm (3.71 in.) or 37.68 mm (1.48 in.).
Make sure the fuser is not defective
The fuser may be defective if the marks occur down repeatedly in all colors.
Replace the fuser if the defects occur every 141 mm (5.55 in.).
Skewed print
Try one or more of the following:
Check the paper guides
Adjust the length and width guides in the tray to the correct positions for the paper size loaded.
Make sure the guides are not too far from the paper stack.
Make sure the guides are not pressing too lightly against the paper stack.
Check the paper
Make sure you are using paper that meets the printer specifications.
Make sure the printer is clean or is not contaminated with paper dust
Clean the exterior of the printer
1Make sure that the printer is turned off and unplugged from the wall outlet.
Warning—Potential Damage: To avoid the risk of electric shock when cleaning the exterior of the
printer, unplug the power cord from the wall outlet and disconnect all cables to the printer before
proceeding.
2Remove paper from the standard exit bin.
3Dampen a clean, lint-free cloth with water.
Warning—Potential Damage: Do not use household cleaners or detergents, as they may damage
the 
finish of the printer.
4Wipe only the exterior of the printer, making sure to include the standard exit bin.
Warning—Potential Damage: Using a damp cloth to clean the interior may cause damage to your
printer.
5Make sure the paper support and standard exit bin are dry before beginning a new print job. Troubleshooting324 
						

							Make sure the paper feed rollers are clean and are not contaminated with dust
1Turn the printer off using the power switch, and then unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
2Remove the paper feed rollers.
Note: For instructions on how to remove and reinstall the paper feed rollers, see the setup sheet
that came with the rollers inside the compartment box of Tray 1.
3Dampen a clean, lint-free cloth with water.
4Clean the paper feed rollers.
Warning—Potential Damage: Do not touch the rubber. Doing so will damage the rollers.
5Reinstall the paper feed rollers.
Note: Make sure to replace the worn or defective paper feed rollers.
Solid color pages
Make sure the photoconductor is not defective and is installed correctly
Remove and then reinstall the photoconductor. If the problem continues, then the photoconductor may need
to be replaced.
Black or white streaks appear on transparencies or paper
Try one or more of the following:
Ensure that the fill pattern is correct
If the fill pattern is incorrect, choose a different fill pattern from your software program. Troubleshooting325 
						

							Check the paper type
Use only the recommended transparencies.
Ensure that the Paper Type setting matches what is loaded in the tray or feeder.
Ensure that the Paper Texture setting is correct for the type of paper or specialty media loaded in the
tray or feeder.
Make sure the print cartridge is not low on toner
When 88.xx [color] cartridge low appears, make sure the toner is distributed evenly within the
print cartridge:
1Remove the print cartridge.
Warning—Potential Damage: Be careful not to touch the photoconductor drum. Doing so may
affect the print quality of future print jobs.
2Firmly shake the cartridge side-to-side and front-to-back several times to redistribute the toner.
3Reinsert the print cartridge.
If the problem continues, the printer may need to be serviced. For more information, contact Customer
Support.
Streaked horizontal lines appear on prints
ABCDE
ABCDE
ABCDE
Try one or more of the following:
Select another tray or feeder
From the printer control panel Paper Menu, select Default Source.
For Windows users, select the paper source from Print Properties.
For Macintosh users, select the paper source from the Print dialog and pop‑up menus.
Make sure there is no worn, defective, or empty toner cartridge
Replace the worn, defective, or empty toner cartridge.
Clear the paper path around the toner cartridge
CAUTION—HOT SURFACE: The inside of the printer might be hot. To reduce the risk of injury from
a hot component, allow the surface to cool before touching.
Clear any paper you see or clean any visible toner from the paper path. If the problem persists, then contact
Customer Support. Troubleshooting326 
						

							Streaked vertical lines appear on prints
ABCDE
ABCDE
ABCDE
Try one or more of the following:
Select another tray or feeder
From the printer control panel Paper menu, select Default Source
For Windows users, select the paper source from Print Properties.
For Macintosh users, select the paper source from the Print dialog and pop‑up menus.
Make sure there is no worn, defective, or empty toner cartridge
Replace the worn, defective, or empty toner cartridge.
Clear the paper path around the toner cartridge
Check the paper path around the toner cartridge.
CAUTION—HOT SURFACE: The inside of the printer might be hot. To reduce the risk of injury from
a hot component, allow the surface to cool before touching.
Clear any paper you see.
Make sure there is no toner in the paper path
Toner fog or background shading appears on the page
Try one or more of the following:
Make sure the toner cartridge is installed correctly or is not defective
Reinstall or replace the defective toner cartridge.
Make sure the transfer module is not worn or defective
Replace the worn or defective transfer module.
Make sure the photoconductor unit is not worn or defective
Replace the word or defective photoconductor unit.
Make sure the fuser is not worn or defective
Replace the worn or defective fuser. Troubleshooting327 
						

							Make sure the printer has recalibrated recently
Perform color adjust from the Quality menu.
Make sure the application has not specified an off‑white background
Check the application settings.
Make sure no toner is in the paper path
Contact customer support.
Toner rubs 
off
Try one or more of the following:
Check the paper type and weight settings
Make sure the paper type and weight settings match the paper loaded in the tray or feeder:
1From the printer control panel Paper menu, check the Paper Type and Paper Weight settings. Change
the Paper Weight setting from Normal to Heavy.
2Before sending the print job, specify the correct paper type setting:
For Windows users, specify the paper type from Print Properties.
For Macintosh users, specify the paper type from the Print dialog.
Check the paper texture setting
From the printer control panel Paper menu, make sure the Paper Texture setting matches the paper loaded
in the tray or feeder. If necessary, change the Paper Texture setting from Normal to Rough.
Make sure the fuser is not worn or defective
Replace the worn or defective fuser. For more information, see the instruction sheet that came with the
replacement part.
To n e r  s p e c k s
Try one or more of the following:
Make sure there is no defective toner cartridge
Replace the defective or worn cartridges. Troubleshooting328 
						

							Make sure the photoconductor unit is not defective
Replace the defective photoconductor unit.
Call customer support
Transparency print quality is poor
Try one or more of the following:
Check the transparencies
Use only transparencies that meet the printer 
specifications.
Check the paper type setting
Make sure the paper type setting is set to Transparency:
1From the printer control panel Paper menu, check the Paper Type setting.
2Before sending the job to print, specify the correct type setting:
For Windows users, specify the type from Print Properties.
For Macintosh users, specify the type from the Print dialog.
Solving color quality problems
FAQ about color printing
What is RGB color?
Red, green, and blue light can be added together in various amounts to produce a large range of colors
observed in nature. For example, red and green can be combined to create yellow. Televisions and computer
monitors create colors in this manner. RGB color is a method of describing colors by indicating the amount
of red, green, or blue needed to produce a certain color.
What is CMYK color?
Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks or toners can be printed in various amounts to produce a large range
of colors observed in nature. For example, cyan and yellow can be combined to create green. Printing
presses, inkjet printers, and color laser printers create colors in this manner. CMYK color is a method of
describing colors by indicating the amount of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black needed to reproduce a
particular color.
How is color specified in a document to be printed?
Software programs typically specify document color using RGB or CMYK color combinations. Additionally,
they allow users to modify the color of each object in a document. For more information, see the software
program Help topics. Troubleshooting329 
						

							How does the printer know what color to print?
When a user prints a document, information describing the type and color of each object is sent to the printer.
The color information is passed through color conversion tables that translate the color into the appropriate
amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toner needed to produce the desired color. The object
information determines the application of color conversion tables. For example, it is possible to apply one
type of color conversion table to text while applying a different color conversion table to photographic images.
Why doesn't the printed color match the color I see on the computer screen?
The color conversion tables used in Auto Color Correction mode generally approximate the colors of a
standard computer monitor. However, because of technology differences that exist between printers and
monitors, there are many colors that can also be affected by monitor variations and lighting conditions. For
recommendations on how the printer color sample pages may be useful in solving certain color‑matching
problems, see the question, “How can I match a particular color (such as a corporate logo)?”
The printed page appears tinted. Can I adjust the color?
Sometimes a printed page may appear tinted (for example, everything printed seems to be too red). This can
be caused by environmental conditions, paper type, lighting conditions, or user preference. In these
instances, adjust the Color Balance setting to create a more preferable color. Color Balance provides the
user with the ability to make subtle adjustments to the amount of toner being used in each color plane.
Selecting positive or negative values for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (from the Color Balance menu) will
slightly increase or decrease the amount of toner used for the chosen color. For example, if a printed page
has a red tint, then decreasing both magenta and yellow could potentially improve the color balance.
My color transparencies seem dark when they are projected. Is there anything I can do to improve the color?
This problem most commonly occurs when projecting transparencies with reflective overhead projectors. To
obtain the highest projected color quality, transmissive overhead projectors are recommended. If a reflective
projector must be used, then adjusting the Toner Darkness setting to 1, 2, or 3 will lighten the transparency.
Make sure to print on the recommended type of color transparencies.
What is manual color correction?
When manual color correction is enabled, the printer employs user‑selected color conversion tables to
process objects. However, Color Correction must be set to Manual, or no user‑defined color conversion will
be implemented. Manual color correction settings are specific to the type of object being printed (text,
graphics, or images), and how the color of the object is specified in the software program (RGB or CMYK
combinations).
Notes:
Manual color correction is not useful if the software program does not specify colors with RGB or
CMYK combinations. It is also not effective in situations in which the software program or the
computer operating system controls the adjustment of colors.
The color conversion tables—applied to each object when Color Correction is set to Auto—generate
preferred colors for the majority of documents.
To manually apply a different color conversion table:
1From the Quality menu, select Color Correction, and then select Manual.
2From the Quality menu, select Manual Color, and then select the appropriate color conversion table for
the affected object type. Troubleshooting330