A single black vertical line, 1mm wide, from almost top of paper to almost bottom appears on each and every page copied using the ADF

There are two possible fixes.

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The following is provided by courtesy of Lexmark:
Problem Vertical lines; Auto document feeder scan anomaly; ADF scanning problem; Scan issue; Scanner issue; Visible line; Streaks show on page; solid line down the page; Top to bottom line; Smudge runs down the page; Opaque line; Broken line; Bar all the way down the page Solution Overview

This article provides the self-diagnostic steps necessary to evaluate top-to-bottom streaks that appear when copying or scanning.

Important! This is seldom a scanner hardware failure.

The main reason for this anomaly is debris or marks on the scanner glass that is used for Auto document feeder (ADF) page scans.

Printed or Scanned Page Illustration

Who should consider this article?

Any user of an MFP or All-In-One printer experiencing the following symptoms:

• -Vertical lines only when using the Autodocument Feeder (ADF).
• -Observed with any type of scan job (e-mail, ftp, solutions, fax).
• -However, normal expected output when the page is scanned from the scanner flatbed.

ADF scan behavior

Think of it this way:

• -The page is pulled from the ADF.
• -The moving page slides across an ADF-designated portion of glass.
• -The image sensor, which is located under the glass, reads and interprets the moving page's contents.
• -Contamination on this ADF glass is seen by the image sensor for the entire length of the page.
• -The image processor interprets the image sensor's repeated capture of this contamination as a vertical solid line.
• -Any ADF scan function now exhibits a vertical line.

Suggested Diagnosis and Fix

Step Action 1 Locate the portion of the glass designated for ADF scans.
HINT: The glass location differs by model. This area is often separate from the scanner flatbed. Please reference User's Guide for more information if you are having a difficult time locating this designated area.
2 Perform a visual inspection for any of the following recurring culprits:

• -Clear adhesive tape
• -Glue
• -Ink pen
• -Paper
• -Marker
• -White out
• -Staples
• -Environmental dust or dirt

HINT: Ink marks can be especially hard to see and almost translucent at first sight. However, the image sensor (CCD) registers them as a mark. 3 Use a clean, soft, moistened cloth to thoroughly clean and remove any marks or debris. 4 Inspect the underbelly or underside of the ADF for any marks or debris. 5 Perform another scan to see if cleaning the glass alleviated the issue. 6 Repeat the procedure if a vertical line still appears.
Remember! Printing and scanning from the scanner flatbed work fine.
7 This time, place an intentional mark on a blank sheet of paper and take note of its location. Now place that sheet of paper in the ADF and make a copy.
8 Evaluate the distance of the vertical line to the your mark. 9 Inspect that area of the glass for further debris or marks and clean as necessary.

Other Possibilities


If... Then... Vertical lines appear only when printing... Consider other printer-related topics such as toner cartridge, charge roll, photoconductor, transfer roll, or fuser. Contact Lexmark Technical Support. Vertical lines appear when you lay the page on the flatbed... Consider other printer-related topics such as toner cartridge, charge roll, photoconductor, transfer roll, or fuser. Contact Lexmark Technical Support. Vertical lines appear on ADF-fed printed copies, but they do not appear on scan-to-network [e-mail, FTP, folder (PC), solutions]... Consider other printer-related topics such as toner cartridge, charge roll, photoconductor, transfer roll, or fuser. Contact Lexmark Technical Support.

This was my exact problem. When scanning from the ADF, I had a vertical black line down every page. I cleaned the larger glass surface several times with no effect. Then, I discovered that ADF scans do NOT use the large glass area, but use the smaller, thinner glass area on the left side. It has a piece of thin plastic over the top of the glass. The scanner is fixed and the paper rolls through this area. So, if a speck of dirt is under the thin plastic piece or on top of the glass or on top of the thin plastic, it results in a black line down the whole page. Aha, so now I cleaned the thin plastic (both sides) and the top of the glass under the thin plastic - actually saw the black dot that was causing the problem and voila, problem solved.

Hi,
When the paper is fed through Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) is is scanned before copy or fax. The scanner is fixed type and is located just below the ADF.
The lines are due to dirty scanner mirror. The printer/ scanner design is based Sheet-Fed Scanner. Open/Lift the Control Panel (scanner top )(by pulling it up from front - the area from where the paper to scan comes out). Look out for the horizontal mirror and use a soft, damp, lint-free cloth to gently clean the scanner mirror, rollers etc. and enjoy clear scanning and copying!

Inspect for any tron pieces of paper dirt etc.DONT USE PAPER, CHEMICALS OR ANY ABRASIVE CLOTH as it may damage the parts.
Also note that your machine can scan an image only 8.15 inches wide, regardless of how wide the paper is.

Hope it helps! Good Luck! Thanks for using Fixya!
CreativeTECH

Hello,
when you open the copier platen cover, left of the copy glass, there is small narrow glass, which is used when you make copies from ADF. Over that glass is plastic protective sheet. Remove it and clean, also clean the glass. Use glass detergent and after cleaning dry it!

Even the smallest dirt can cause lines!

Hope that helps!

Hello I just figuered out this problem. When the paper is feed thru the ADF ( Automatic Document Feeder ) there is a plastic piece with a plastic film. Check to see if #1 that plastic film is clean and #2 That the Film is not bent and created a crease which is the line that shows when try to print or scan using the ADF. Hope this helps

Clean ADF scan module

happened to me after i fed a page with not-too-hard whiteout on it. the feeder makes the page run through a different piece of glass and i just had to clean it.

I have the exact same problem. It was there since I first bought the MFC-7840W.
Vertical line appears in scans using the automatic document feeder (ADF).
Vertical line does not appear when scanning single page (placing it directly on the glass -- i.e. not using the ADF).
Cleaning the glass strip for the ADF (or the white pressure bar overhead) does not solve the problem.
The problem does not occur with copies using the ADF (using the COPY button which is basically a scan and print). This would suggest that dust and dirt is not to blame because that would also appear on the copies.
But since I believe a copy is basically a scan plus print, they should be using the same electronics -- a hardware problem on the scan would likely appear on a copy also -- there is some difference between how they accomplish this.
It's definitely not a software issue since it occurs on all versions of Windows and Mac OS X (and multiple computers). It also does not matter whether I "push" the scan to the computer by using the scan button on the MFC... or "pull" the scan from the MFC using the Brother Control Center software.

there is a dirt on the ADF (CIS contact image sensor) that reads your document, identify where the lines came from either from top or bottom then open your adf and clean the affected area. this will solve the problem.

Hi,

Over time the automatic document feeder (ADF) will get dirty, occasionally causing vertical black streaks or lines in scans and copies .

Manual cleaning of the ADF might be necessary. Follow the procedure below to manually clean the ADF .

You will need the following materials:

• Soft lint-free cloths
• Glass cleaner

if you look carefully on the left side of ADF ( top feeder ) there is an assembly which u can lift , there wud be a set of rollers if u lift that part there would be a glass strip . u are suppose to clean that strip .
While holding up the inside of the ADF, clean the glass in the location of the vertical streak with one of the cotton swabs. Try cleaning the glass first with a dry cotton swab. If that does not correct the problem, then moisten the swab with glass cleaner .
If the vertical lines or streaks still appear, go through the above cleaning process again, this time cleaning the entire surface of the ADF scanner glass.
and after this try the following steps as well .
CAUTION: Use only glass cleaner. Avoid abrasives, acetone, benzene, and carbon tetrachloride, all of which can damage the scanner glass.