/ Gray Line on Scanner Images

Gray Line on Scanner Images

I recently bought an all-in-one printer. I’ve scanned documents before and never had it ever had a grayish line. Now for some reason there seems to be a visible gray line on the right side of the documents when I scan them into the computer. Kat Delong

A problem like this is usually either something very simple or something that is far too complex for the user to fix. Let’s try all of the easy solutions first before we have to take drastic measures.

Dirt on Glass

The most common cause of lines on scans is dirt on the glass somewhere. Because of the way a scanner works, it only takes a tiny smudge to make big problems on your document. If you’ve cleaned the glass and you’re still seeing a line, there could be some dust or debris somewhere inside the scanner. If this might be the case, you should probably consult your manual for cleaning instructions. You can always try the canned air method of cleaning and see if that dislodges anything for you.

Re-Home the Scanning Cartridge

Sometimes the scanning cartridge gets dislodged with motion. You can reseat it by simply unplugging the scanner, leaving it to sit for at least one minute and plugging it back in again. As the scanner powers back up, it should re-home the scanning cartridge and may stop the lines from occurring.

Corrupt Calibration

Sometimes the calibration file becomes corrupted on the scanner, and you can simply reinstall the printer drivers in order to refresh the calibration file. On many computers, simply disconnecting the printer from the CPU, leaving it for a few minutes and then reconnecting it is enough for the computer to detect the printer and reinstall the new drivers. If not, then you can go to your Control Panel and then Add/Remove Programs, uninstall the printer drivers and then go to the manufacturer’s website and download the drivers you need. Most printer manufacturers have their drivers easily accessible for their customers.

Scanning Light/Sensor

If none of these methods work for you, it is possible that your scanning light or sensor is going bad, even though this is a new machine. If it is still under warranty, this is probably the point where you contact the manufacturer and have the company try to fix it for you or replace it altogether.