Scans look dark, blurry or streaky

01 · Identify — does this match what you see?

• Straight lines running down every scan
• Grey or muddy background on white paper
• Text edges look soft even at high resolution

02 · Resolve — follow in order

1. 1

   Lift the lid and wipe the glass with a soft, lint-free cloth lightly dampened with water. Dry it fully.

2. 2

   Clean the thin strip of glass on the left edge — that is the one the document feeder reads through.

3. 3

   Wipe the white underside of the lid; marks there show up as shadows.

4. 4

   Set the scan type to Document (300 dpi) for text or Photo (600 dpi) for pictures, rather than Auto.

5. 5

   Rescan. If a line remains in exactly the same place, the mark is on the original, not the scanner.

03 · Applies to