Laser printer samsung clx260 prints pale black

If your printer prints with faint vertical banding like this:

The problem is with the developer in the imaging unit. The problem can be fixed by either replacing the imaging unit for $100+ or you can fix it yourself by cleaning the imaging unit. You will need simple hand tools and if you are careful restore the print quality of your printer. I have a link to instructions that should help you http://www.fixya.com/support/r4120906-clean_developer_blades_samsung_clp_300 Hope this helps you.

The laser unit on your machine may be dirty,

The first colour that normaly goes fuzzy is the red.

The problem may also be on your fuser unit,

Rub your finger over the printed area, and if the image gets smudged the fuser unit isnt fusing the toner proprly

you'll need to get to the transfer rollers and de-magnetize them. There should be a "Corona wire" that you can slide from one end of the transfer roller all the way to the other. On the other hand, you may be facing a clog in the blue toner channels, so a thorough cleanup of the entire assembly should help. Or, make a full-blue A4/letter sized document and print it out. Maybe the large amount of blue toner can de-clog the channels. Also, keep the old blue toner if it's not empty because this is not a toner issue.

Yes, it is true that most of Color printers will not allow you to print document if one or more of the recommended Cartridge of the printer is empty or removed from the printer. for printing only black, the better option will be to change your printer settings while printing a document. ex: when on a document ,and your press Ctrl+P for document printing, there is a option where you can select print color as black and the printer will print your document in Black only.

Spend a little time searching the topic on google and even this post. It appears that this has been a well documented problem since at least early 2008. The problem appears to be the imaging unit. According to several posts, Samsung has replaced several of the units. I purchased my CLP-300 in November 2008 and it worked with no problems until about 8 months in. The black text would print very lightly on the left side of the page about 1/4 of the way into the page. There was also a streak that ran down the page vertically that disrupted the text. I could change the font to any color and it would print just fine. After replacing several toner cartridges, I just began to print in a dark color for many months. After discovering all the posts on the internet this week, I contacted Samsung today with my documentation and evidence. They basically blew me off stating that I was outside of the 1 year warranty period and there was nothing they could do. I was even hung up on by a Samsung employee named Michael. Tonight I plan to take a hammer to it to relieve a little frustration. I cannot understand why Samsung chooses to ignore this well documented problem. Good luck.

I think the ribbon or printer head need to be change since it prints a complete black page, if it is a blank page it prints, i would have said the toner ink is low in the cartridge or finished but since it is a black page it needs replacement.

I suggest you get a technician to help fix it.

I wish you best of luck

I am a computer dealer in Perth and had to replace 5 of these printers out of my pocket. There is no fix and Samsung was very unfair and refused to replace these shoddy printers. Colour printed fine but black is faded.
It makes no difference if original toners or compatible ones are in use.
Samsung is very unprofessional in refusing to replace these printers with an inherent design fault.

yes you change it and buy new one because toner brush is not supply toner properly

Please try to take out the imaging unit. Clean the area.
Donot touch with fingers. You ma use tissue paper. It may be due to spillage of toner during transportation etc.

I have the same problem. Any solution?