Medium severity Quality Code: Wrong Colors

Printer prints the wrong colors or a color tint

Prints come out with a colour cast, wrong shades, or a missing colour. On inkjets this usually means a clogged or empty colour; on lasers, a calibration or cartridge issue.

Symptoms

  • Colour cast (everything looks pink/green)
  • A colour prints wrong or missing
  • Photos look off

Likely causes

  • Clogged or empty colour (inkjet)
  • Needs colour calibration/registration
  • Wrong colour profile or paper setting
  • Low/failed toner (laser)

How to fix it — step by step

Work through these in order; most people are fixed by the first two or three.

Nozzle check & clean (inkjet)

Print a nozzle check; if a colour block is broken, run a head cleaning and re-test. A missing colour is usually a clog or empty tank.

Run colour calibration

Use the printer's colour calibration/registration routine (laser) or alignment (inkjet) to correct casts.

Check settings & paper

Make sure you're not in grayscale, set the correct paper type, and use the right colour profile for photos.

Inspect cartridges/toner

Replace any empty or failing colour. For lasers, reseat toners and confirm none are low.

Still not fixed? For hardware faults still under warranty, contact the manufacturer's official support. This is an independent guide — always confirm steps for your exact model in its manual.

Printers this affects

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