How to Troubleshoot a Printer That Is Fading on One Side of the Paper

Press or flip the printer's 'Power' switch to the 'On' position if you have your printer turned off. Open your printer’s paper tray(s) and remove any paper. Place the removed paper to the side.
Load new copier or laser printer paper. Sometimes the toner/ink-fading problem is due to your printer containing moist, rough or wrong paper stock.
Open your computer’s word processing package. Click 'File' and 'Open.' Navigate to a document that contains at least a full page of text or graphics.
Click 'File,' 'Print' and 'OK' to print the document. If the printout still contains fading on one side, proceed to the next section.If the document prints correctly, let the paper you placed to the side air-dry, if it appears moist. Discard the paper if it is rough, the wrong type of paper stock for your printer, too thick, too thin or other type of paper that is not working.



Press or flip the printer's 'Power' switch to the 'On' position if you have your printer turned off. Look on your printer’s display or its status lights for a 'Low Ink' message indicating a cartridge needs replacing.
Open your printer’s toner/ink cartridge door. Wear latex gloves and remove the toner cartridge with a shop towel or rag. Pull the toner cartridge along the tracks inside the printer or press down on the front of the inkjet printer cartridge and pull up on the cartridge.The cartridge may contain ink fragments and you don’t want to get the ink on your hands or clothing.
Shake the toner cartridge gently from side to side to redistribute the toner, if using a laser printer.If using an inkjet printer, you can’t redistribute the ink since it is liquid. Once an inkjet cartridge becomes low on ink, replace it with a new one by placing the new cartridge in its carriage and pressing down on the back of the cartridge.
Reinsert your laser printer’s cartridge into the toner compartment. Close your printer’s toner/ink cartridge door.
Print a test document as in the previous section.If the printout still contains fading on one side and you are using a laser printer, replace your laser printer’s toner cartridge as above and print the document again.If the fading is still taking place, consult with a computer/repair shop to have your printer serviced.