Banding appears as regular stripes across a photo, lighter or darker than the surrounding image, most visible in skies, skin and other smooth areas. On an inkjet, each band usually lines up with one pass of the printhead, which means some nozzles are not firing, the paper is advancing slightly too far or not far enough between passes, or the printer is using a fast mode. Color laser printers band for different reasons. This guide moves from quick settings to cleaning and calibration.
What you might be seeing
- Evenly spaced light stripes across skies and solid areas
- Thin dark lines where printhead passes overlap
- Banding in photos while text looks normal
- Stripes that carry a tint of one color
Common causes
- Partly clogged nozzles
- A few missing nozzles leave thin light bands on every printhead pass.
- Fast or standard quality mode
- Lower quality modes use fewer, wider passes whose seams show.
- Wrong paper type
- Each paper setting uses its own feed amount and ink limit, so a mismatch shows as bands.
- Paper feed calibration
- If the paper moves slightly too much or too little, gaps or overlaps form between passes.
- Imaging wear on color lasers
- A worn drum, transfer belt or developer causes uneven toner across the page.
How to fix it, step by step
Work through these in order and test a print after each one. Most people are done within the first few steps.
Unplug the printer before touching rollers or the encoder strip, and never wipe the printhead nozzles.
Choose the exact photo paper type
In Printing Preferences, set Paper Type to the specific photo paper you are using, such as glossy, semi-gloss or matte. Each setting controls how far the paper advances between passes and how much ink goes down, so printing photo paper under a plain paper setting is a common source of banding. On a Mac, choose it under Media & Quality. Confirm the coated side is the one being printed.
Print at the highest quality
Set Print Quality to High, Best or Photo, depending on what your driver offers. Higher modes use more passes with finer overlaps, which hides the seams between them. If the driver has a High Speed or bidirectional option, clear it so every pass prints in the same direction, which makes bands less visible. Expect photos to take noticeably longer.
Check nozzles before every big photo job
Print a nozzle check pattern on plain paper. Even one or two missing lines in a block can create banding in photos while text still looks perfect. If you see gaps, run a single cleaning cycle and check again. If a color still shows gaps after two cleanings, wait a few hours before trying once more, then replace that cartridge or printhead if your model allows it.
Align the printhead after cleaning
Once the nozzle check is clean, run printhead alignment from the maintenance menu or the manufacturer's app. Misaligned passes leave thin dark lines where they overlap or thin light gaps where they miss each other. Load the paper size the routine asks for, and if your printer offers both automatic and manual alignment, start with automatic and use manual only if banding remains.
Run a paper feed adjustment
Some photo inkjets include a paper feed or banding adjustment in the maintenance menu or advanced driver settings. It prints a pattern and asks you to choose the version with the least visible banding, which fine-tunes how far the paper moves between passes. Run it with the photo paper you normally use, because the ideal value varies from one paper to another.
Keep photo paper flat and the path clean
Curled or dusty photo paper can slip slightly as it advances, leaving uneven bands. Use flat sheets stored in their packaging and load a few at a time. If the printer has handled a lot of dusty paper, unplug it and wipe the feed rollers with a barely damp lint-free cloth. Ink mist on the clear encoder strip behind the carriage can also cause bands; wipe it only with a dry cloth.
Calibrate a color laser printer
On color laser printers, bands across the page usually relate to toner density or a worn drum, transfer belt or developer rather than nozzles. Run color calibration or density adjustment from the control panel's print quality or maintenance menu. If bands remain, print the supplies status page to check drum and belt life. Swapping the cartridge or drum for the affected color often identifies the part responsible.
How to keep it from happening again
- Run a color print every week so the nozzles stay moist
- Use the matching photo paper setting every time
- Store photo paper flat and sealed
- Repeat the paper feed adjustment when you change photo paper
Common questions
Why does banding show in photos but not in documents?
Text covers a small part of the page and its sharp edges hide tiny gaps, while photos have large smooth areas where slight differences in ink density stand out. A nozzle problem too small to notice in a letter becomes obvious across a blue sky or a skin tone.
Will switching photo paper cause banding?
It can. Driver paper settings are tuned for specific thicknesses and coatings, and another paper may absorb ink or advance slightly differently. Try the closest paper setting, run a paper feed adjustment if your printer has one, or choose paper that lists your printer type as compatible.
Is banding in one color a separate problem?
Usually, yes. Banding limited to one color points to that color's nozzles or cartridge rather than paper feed, and a nozzle check confirms it. Feed-related banding affects all colors equally and repeats at even spacing, while nozzle banding often appears only in hues that use the weak color.
This guide is general information written for common home and office printers. Menus and button names vary between models, so check your printer’s manual where a step differs. Printer Problems Solved is independent and not affiliated with any printer manufacturer. See our disclaimer.