OKI MC332, MC362 and MC562 Print with Streaks, Spots or Too Faintly: How to Fix It

Last Updated on 07.08.2026 by DriverNew

If the OKI MC332, MC362 or MC562 prints with white streaks, colored lines, repeating spots, blurred letters or output that is too faint, do not start by replacing all cartridges or reinstalling the driver. First print the MFP’s internal color pattern. It will show whether the cause is in the printing mechanism, paper and consumables, or whether the defect is caused by a computer application and its print settings.

This guide identifies the problem by the shape of the defect, the affected color and the distance between repeating marks. The paper, tray settings, toner saving mode, LED heads, toner cartridges, image drum, transfer belt and fuser are checked in sequence. Do not disassemble the case or change hidden service settings.

Models This Guide Applies To

The location of the main components, cleaning procedure and settings system apply to the following color MFPs:

• OKI MC332dn;
• OKI MC342dn and MC342dw;
• OKI MC352dn;
• OKI MC362dn and MC362w;
• OKI MC562dn, MC562w and MC562dw;
• OKI ES3452 MFP;
• OKI ES5462 MFP and ES5462dw MFP;
• OKI MPS2731mc.

Some methods also apply to the MC351, MC361, MC561 and related C301, C310, C321, C330, C331, C510, C511, C530 and C531 printers. However, the appearance of covers, menus and consumables may differ. Check the exact model name before removing any unit.

Step 1. Print the Internal Color Pattern

1. Wait until the MFP finishes all jobs and reaches the ready state.
2. Load several new, dry sheets of plain A4 office paper weighing 75–90 g/m² into Tray 1.
3. Press the SETTING button on the control panel.
4. Select Reports and press OK.
5. Open the Print section.
6. Select Color Tuning Pattern.
7. Select Yes and press OK.
8. Wait for the pattern to print and place it on a well-lit, flat surface.

Check whether black, cyan, magenta and yellow print evenly. Write down which color is affected, whether the streak runs along the entire length of the sheet, and whether identical spots repeat at regular intervals.

How to Evaluate the Result

• The defect is present on the internal pattern. Check the paper, tray settings, LED heads, toner, image drum, transfer belt and fuser.
• The internal pattern is clean, but documents from the computer print poorly. Check the driver, Toner Save Mode, selected paper type and application settings.
• The internal pattern is clean, but the defect appears on copies. The printing mechanism is working correctly. Check the main scanner glass and the narrow ADF glass strip. Do not replace the toner or image drum because of a line that appears only when copying.
• The defect appears only in one file. Open another document or save the problematic file as PDF and print it again. The cause may be in the document itself or the application.

What Type of Defect Appears on the Page

Step 2. Check the Paper and Tray Settings

An incorrect Media Weight setting changes the paper transport speed and fuser operating mode. Therefore, heavy paper used with a plain-paper setting may print faintly, and the toner may not fuse properly to the surface.

Perform a Test Print on Plain Paper

1. Remove wrinkled, damp, very smooth, embossed paper and paper intended for inkjet printers from the tray.
2. Load several new sheets of paper intended for laser printers or copiers, weighing 75–90 g/m².
3. Do not mix paper of different weights or types in one stack.
4. Move the side guides against the edges of the stack without bending the sheets.
5. Print the Color Tuning Pattern again.

If the defect disappears on new paper, do not clean the image drum or replace consumables. The cause was the paper or the mode selected for it.

Specify the Paper Type and Weight on the MFP Control Panel

1. Press SETTING.
2. Use the down arrow button to select Paper Setup and press OK.
3. Select the source actually being used: Tray 1, Tray 2 or MP Tray.
4. Open Media Type and specify the actual type, for example Plain, Recycled, Card Stock, Rough or Glossy.
5. Open Media Weight and select the category from the table below.
6. Press OK, then use the left arrow button to exit the menu.

For paper heavier than 176 g/m², use the MP Tray → Face-Up Stacker path. Do not enable automatic duplex printing. If toner rubs off even standard 80 g/m² paper with Medium Light selected, the fuser is probably the cause.

Step 3. Disable Toner Save Mode

Toner Save Mode intentionally reduces the amount of toner used. Because of this, photos, color fills and thin text may appear too light even when the consumables are working correctly.

On the MFP Control Panel

1. Press SETTING.
2. Select Admin Setup and press OK.
3. Enter the current administrator password. If the password for this series has not been changed, the factory value is aaaaaa.
4. Select Print Setup.
5. Open Print Menu.
6. Find Toner Save Mode and set it to Off.
7. Exit the menu and print the internal pattern again.

In the Printer Driver

1. Open the required document and select the print command.
2. Select the OKI printer being used.
3. Open Properties, Preferences or Printer Properties.
4. Find Toner Save, Toner Saving or Economy.
5. Disable toner saving.
6. Check that the paper type and weight in the driver match the settings for the selected tray.
7. Print one test page.

Tab names differ between PCL, PS and XPS. Do not change the resolution, color profile, brightness and several other settings at the same time: afterward it will be difficult to determine which setting affected the result.

Step 4. Safely Clean the LED Heads

Dirty LED heads most often cause vertical white streaks, vertical fading and blurred letter edges. You do not need to remove the image drum or transfer belt for cleaning.

1. Finish printing, copying, scanning and fax transmission.
2. Press and hold the power button for about one second.
3. Wait for the shutdown message and for the MFP to turn off completely. Do not hold the button for five seconds if the device responds normally.
4. Remove documents from the ADF and platen glass.
5. Carefully lift the scanner unit.
6. Press the OPEN button and fully open the printer’s top cover.
7. Locate the long, narrow LED head surfaces on the inside of the upper part of the device.
8. Gently wipe each surface in turn using a dry, soft, lint-free cloth or soft wipe. Move along the head without pressing on it.
9. Do not touch the green image drum cylinders or the transfer belt surface.
10. Close the top cover and press it on both sides until the latches engage.
11. Lower the scanner unit.
12. Turn on the MFP and print the Color Tuning Pattern again.

If the streak disappears or becomes noticeably weaker, carefully wipe the same LED head again. If the position and width of the streak do not change, continue to checking the toner and image drum.

Step 5. Identify the Problem Color

On the Color Tuning Pattern, compare the four components:

• C — Cyan, cyan;
• M — Magenta, magenta;
• Y — Yellow, yellow;
• K — Black, black.

If the defect is present in only one color, first check the corresponding toner and image drum section. If the same defect appears in all colors, the paper, overall weight setting, transfer belt or fuser is more likely to be the cause.

Check the Toner Cartridge

1. Check whether Toner Low, Toner Empty or a cartridge installation code is displayed.
2. Shut down the MFP normally and open the upper part.
3. Check that the cartridge of the required color is in the correct position and that its locking lever is fully moved into the operating position.
4. If Toner Low is displayed, keep the cartridge horizontal and gently rock it from side to side several times to temporarily redistribute the remaining toner.
5. Reinstall the cartridge and lock it.
6. Print one internal pattern.

Redistributing the remaining toner is a temporary test, not a way to restore the cartridge. Do not shake the cartridge sharply or turn it upside down: toner may spill inside the MFP. If the Toner Low message or defect returns, install a suitable new cartridge.

Check the Protective Film and Image Drum

A dirty black protective film on the image drum unit can also cause a white streak. Wipe only the clearly visible black film with a dry, soft, lint-free cloth. Do not try to clean the green cylinders this way.

• Do not touch the green surface with your fingers or a cloth.
• Do not rotate the cylinders by touching their surface.
• Do not remove stuck toner with a screwdriver, cotton swab or adhesive tape.
• Do not use a household vacuum cleaner: fine toner may pass through the filter and enter the air or damage the vacuum cleaner.

If a colored or black line remains in exactly the same position and the LED head and protective film are clean, the corresponding section of the image drum may be scratched or damaged. In this case, the image drum unit must be replaced.

Step 6. Measure the Distance Between Repeating Spots

If the same dot, spot or horizontal line appears several times in the direction of paper travel, place the page vertically and measure the distance from the center of one mark to the center of the next identical mark. Use two or three consecutive marks for the measurement, not random stains of different shapes.

A tolerance of several millimeters is possible because of measurement inaccuracy and paper deformation. If the distance differs noticeably from all three values, do not purchase a unit based only on an approximate match. First repeat the test on new paper and compare several pages.

Drum Cleaning for Horizontal White Lines

The Drum Cleaning function causes the drum to rotate additionally before printing and may reduce horizontal white lines. It does not clean the drum with liquid and does not restore a damaged surface.

1. Press SETTING.
2. Select Admin Setup and enter the administrator password.
3. Open Print Setup → Print Menu.
4. Select Drum Cleaning.
5. Set it to On.
6. Print two or three test pages.
7. If the function does not change the result, return Drum Cleaning to Off.

Step 7. Perform Automatic Density Adjustment

If all colors print evenly but the overall output remains too light, or density changed after installing new toner or an image drum, perform automatic adjustment.

1. Load plain white paper of a suitable size.
2. Press SETTING.
3. Select Admin Setup and enter the administrator password.
4. Open Print Setup.
5. Select Color Menu.
6. Open Adjust Density.
7. Select Execute and wait for the procedure to finish.
8. Do not turn off the MFP or open the covers during adjustment.
9. Print the Color Tuning Pattern again.

Do not manually change Cyan Highlight, Magenta Mid-Tone, Yellow Dark and other color settings at the same time. First evaluate the result of automatic adjustment. Manual color correction will not fix a dirty LED head, damaged drum or faulty fuser.

Step 8. Correct Misaligned Color Outlines

If cyan, magenta or yellow edges are visible next to black letters, this is a color registration problem rather than ordinary loss of sharpness.

1. Make sure the top cover is completely closed on both sides.
2. Turn the MFP off and on again. Registration is normally checked automatically during startup.
3. If the outlines remain misaligned, press SETTING.
4. Select Admin Setup and enter the administrator password.
5. Open Print Setup → Color Menu.
6. Select Adjust Registration → Execute.
7. Wait for the procedure to finish and print the Color Tuning Pattern.

If automatic registration does not help, clean the LED heads again and check that the combined image drum is installed correctly and the transfer belt lies horizontally. Do not randomly change Cyan Reg Fine Adj, Magenta Reg Fine Adj and Yellow Reg Fine Adj. Persistent misalignment of one color after correct reassembly may be caused by damage to the drum, drive or belt.

If Toner Rubs Off or Gloss Is Uneven

1. Check that the paper is intended for laser printing. Do not use photo paper designed for inkjet printers.
2. Set the same type and weight in the MFP menu and driver properties.
3. If the toner rubs off, increase Media Weight by one level and print one sheet.
4. For paper heavier than 176 g/m², use the MP Tray and open rear Face-Up Stacker.
5. Do not use automatic duplex printing for paper heavier than 176 g/m².
6. If the problem appeared immediately after replacing the fuser, turn off the MFP, wait for it to cool, and check that all shipping materials have been removed and both levers are locked.

If toner rubs off plain paper after the settings are correct and the same defect is present on the internal pattern, the fuser may not be producing the required temperature or pressure. Do not disassemble it or try to clean the heating rollers with liquid.

If the Internal Pattern Is Clean but Documents Print Poorly

A clean Color Tuning Pattern confirms that the MFP can apply all four colors correctly. In this case, do not remove the image drum or replace the fuser.

1. Print a simple text document from another application.
2. Open the properties of the selected printer and disable Toner Save.
3. Check that the application is using the installed OKI MC332, MC362 or MC562, not a universal queue, an old duplicate or Microsoft Print to PDF.
4. Set the same Media Type and Media Weight in the driver as selected on the MFP control panel.
5. If the problem occurs only with PDF files, print the same file using the PS driver. For normal office documents, you can also test PCL XL.
6. Reset only the current print job settings to their defaults. Do not perform a factory reset of the MFP itself.
7. If all documents from one computer print incorrectly but the same documents print normally from another computer, remove the faulty queue and reinstall the appropriate driver.

Compare color registration and the overall color tone separately. If the lines are aligned but a photo looks different from the monitor, this relates to color profiles, color matching mode and application settings. Cleaning the LED heads will not correct that difference.

Methods You Should Not Use

• do not wipe the green image drum cylinders with alcohol or a damp cloth;
• do not clean the transfer belt with solvent, an eraser or adhesive tape;
• do not blow toner away with a compressor or compressed-air can;
• do not reset drum, belt or fuser counters without replacing the corresponding unit;
• do not change SMR Setting, BG Setting and precise manual registration for several colors at once;
• do not increase image density to the maximum in an attempt to hide low toner;
• do not install firmware or reset network settings because of a mechanical streak on the internal pattern;
• do not continue printing if there is an overheating smell, smoke, cracking noise or fuser damage.

When a Unit Must Be Replaced or Service Is Required

Stop troubleshooting yourself and contact service support or replace the confirmed consumable unit if at least one of the following conditions applies:

• the same defect is present on every internal Color Tuning Pattern after cleaning the LED heads and checking the paper;
• spots repeat approximately every 94 mm and a damaged section of the image drum is visible;
• spots repeat approximately every 86 mm and remain on different types of plain paper;
• toner rubs off the paper with the correct Media Weight and suitable media;
• color registration is not restored after Adjust Registration and correct installation of the drum and belt;
• scratches, dents or persistent damage marks are visible on the transfer belt;
• there is a large amount of spilled toner inside that cannot be removed without disassembling the case;
• an overheating smell, smoke, unusual cracking noise or a fuser error code appears;
• accessing the defect requires removing panels, cables, gears or other service parts.

Before purchasing a replacement part, keep the internal color pattern, write down the affected color, the distance between repeating marks, the paper type and the selected Media Weight. This information helps distinguish a faulty image drum from a fuser problem and avoids replacing working cartridges.