Smudges and smears come from ink that is still wet when something touches it, or from ink that ended up inside the printer and transfers onto each sheet. On inkjets, the usual causes are a mismatched paper setting, the wrong side of photo paper, ink on the rollers, or the printhead brushing curled paper. Laser printers do not use liquid ink, but toner that smears or rubs off has causes of its own.
What you might be seeing
- Text smears when you touch the page
- Ink marks appear on the back or edges of pages
- Curved scuff marks follow the path of the printhead
- Toner rubs off laser prints onto your fingers
Common causes
- Mismatched paper setting
- The wrong type setting can lay down more ink than the paper can absorb.
- Wrong side of photo paper
- The uncoated back of photo paper does not absorb ink, so it stays wet.
- Ink inside the printer
- Ink left on rollers or the platen after a jam or borderless printing transfers to new sheets.
- Printhead rubbing
- Curled, thick or wavy paper rises into the printhead's path and gets scraped.
- Poor fusing on lasers
- Toner that is not fully melted, often from a wrong paper type or a worn fuser, smears off.
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.
Never wipe the inkjet printhead or encoder strip with a wet cloth, and keep liquids away from electrical parts. Give a laser printer about 30 minutes to cool before reaching near its fuser.
Give prints time to dry
Let inkjet prints dry before handling them, especially photos and pages with heavy color. Spread them out instead of letting them pile up in the output tray, where each new page can rub the one below. Light text on plain paper dries quickly, but glossy photo paper can stay tacky for considerably longer. If smears happen only when you grab pages straight away, this alone fixes it.
Load photo paper the right way up
Photo and specialty papers have one coated side meant for printing, usually the glossier or brighter side. Ink printed on the back sits on the surface and never dries properly. Check the package for the print side, then check how your printer loads it: many front trays print on the side facing down, while rear slots usually print on the side facing you. Test with a single sheet.
Set the paper type to match
In Printing Preferences, set Paper Type or Media Type to the paper you loaded. A glossy photo setting on plain paper tells the driver to apply far more ink than plain paper can absorb, and the excess smears. On a Mac, set the type under Media & Quality. If you are unsure what the paper is, a plain paper setting is the safest starting point for documents.
Increase drying time for heavy or duplex pages
If smears appear on the second side of two-sided pages, or where heavy prints stack on each other, look in the driver's advanced or maintenance settings for an ink drying time option and increase it. Some drivers also offer an extended drying or high coverage mode. For important two-sided jobs, print each side separately and let the first dry fully.
Clean ink from the rollers and platen
Marks on the back of pages or along the edges come from inside the printer. Run the paper path or roller cleaning routine from the maintenance menu if your printer has one. If marks remain, unplug the printer, open the cover and gently wipe the accessible rollers and platen with a swab moistened with water. Leave the printhead, encoder strip and absorber pads untouched.
Stop the printhead scraping the paper
Curved scuffs that follow the printhead's path mean the paper is rising into it. Flatten curled paper, or turn the stack over so any curl faces down, and avoid thick media in a tray not rated for it. For card or envelopes, choose a thick paper or envelope type in the driver, which raises the printhead on many models. Some printers also offer a separate head clearance setting.
Fix toner smearing on laser printers
On a laser printer, toner that smears or rubs off has not fused fully. Set Paper Type to match the paper, especially heavy, glossy or textured stock, so the fuser applies enough heat. Avoid labels and coated papers not rated for lasers. If plain paper smears with correct settings, the fuser may be worn. Let the printer cool for about 30 minutes before checking inside for loose toner.
How to keep it from happening again
- Match the paper type setting to each job
- Remove photo prints from the output tray as they finish
- Keep paper flat and dry to prevent head strikes
- Use borderless printing only on supported paper sizes
Common questions
Why do my prints have ink on the back?
Ink on the back of a sheet comes from inside the printer. Common sources are overspray on the platen from borderless printing, a page sent with the wrong size so ink landed past the paper edge, or ink smeared onto rollers by an earlier jam. Cleaning the paper path and matching the paper size setting usually stops it.
Why does inkjet text smudge when I use a highlighter?
Many dye-based inks are water-soluble, so a water-based highlighter can drag them across the page, especially soon after printing. Pigment-based black ink resists this better. Waiting a few minutes before highlighting helps, and some highlighters are labeled as smear-resistant for inkjet prints.
Can humidity cause smudging?
Yes. In very humid conditions, ink dries more slowly and paper absorbs moisture that makes it curl and swell, which encourages both smears and head strikes. Keep paper sealed until use, allow prints extra drying time, and avoid stacking fresh pages until they are fully dry.
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.