Smudges come from ink that hasn’t dried, paper rubbing the print head, ink built up inside the printer, or on lasers, toner that isn’t fused to the page. Where the smudge sits tells you which. Answer two questions below, then use your printer maker’s own setting to fix it.
Thick, curled or wavy paper rises close enough to the print head to scrape the wet ink. Makers have a setting that raises the head for these papers.
What to do
Flatten curled paper before loading it, or feed one sheet at a time.
Turn on the brand’s thick-paper setting: Canon “Prevent paper abrasion”, Epson “Thick Paper” (control panel) or “Thick Paper and Envelopes” (driver). It prints slower, so turn it off afterwards.
Use paper made for your printer, and keep inside the recommended printing area.
Marks on the back or along the bottom edge come from ink on the platen (the plate the paper slides over) or on the paper feed rollers, often after borderless or two-sided printing.
What to do
Turn the printer off and unplug it.
Wipe the platen and the area around it with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth.
Clean the paper feed rollers. HP says a slightly damp lint-free cloth, then let them dry.
Canon models also have a bottom plate cleaning function in the maintenance menu.
An overall smear usually means the paper is damp, curled or loaded upside down, the paper type setting doesn’t match, or the print head needs alignment.
What to do
Use fresh, dry paper and load the printable side the right way.
Match the paper type setting to the paper.
Turn off high-speed or draft settings.
Run a nozzle check, then align the print head if lines look doubled.
Laser printers melt toner onto the paper with heat. If the media type setting is too light for the paper, or the paper is outside the printer’s spec, the toner isn’t fully fused and rubs off.
What to do
Use paper within the printer’s specifications.
Set Media Type in the driver to match the paper; if it still rubs off, choose a thicker type.
On Brother lasers, turn on Improve Toner Fixing (Improve Print Output in the driver).
If it continues on normal paper, the fuser may need service. Contact the maker.
Printed-in marks are a toner, drum or roller issue
Marks that don’t rub off come from the toner cartridge, drum or rollers, not from fusing. The pattern of the marks, and whether they repeat, points to the part.
What to do
Print the laser uniformity page.
Measure the gap between repeating marks with the repeat-defect ruler.
Clean the rollers with a slightly damp lint-free cloth
Inkjet smudging: the four causes
1. Ink that hasn’t dried
Heavy coverage on plain paper, or prints stacking on each other in the tray, smear before the ink sets. Epson’s advice is to remove each sheet as it prints and turn off high-speed settings.[2] Canon lets you set a longer Ink Drying Wait Time,[1] and Brother’s Windows driver has a Reduce Smudge option for media that need more drying time.[5]
2. Paper rubbing the print head
Curled, thick or wavy paper rises toward the print head and scuffs the wet ink. Canon’s fix is to flatten the paper and turn on Prevent paper abrasion; Epson’s is Thick Paper on the control panel or Thick Paper and Envelopes in the driver. Both slow printing down, so switch them off for normal paper.[1][2] On Brother inkjets, smudges at the top centre of the page point to thick or curled paper or the wrong paper type setting.[3]
3. Ink inside the printer
Marks on the back or along the bottom edge come from ink on the platen or the rollers. Brother says to unplug the machine and wipe the platen with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth.[3] HP notes that dirty rollers leave smudges and suggests a slightly damp lint-free cloth on the rollers only.[4] Canon adds a bottom plate cleaning function, used after two-sided printing stains the inside.[1]
4. Settings that don’t match the paper
Every maker we checked lists the paper type setting. Epson also asks you to check the paper isn’t damp, curled or loaded upside down.[2]
If the whole print looks soft rather than smeared, the print head may be misaligned. Print the alignment test page and run a nozzle check.
Laser smudging: toner that rubs off
A laser printer fuses toner onto the paper with heat. If toner comes off on your finger, it isn’t fully fused. Brother’s fixes, in order:[6][7]
Use paper within the printer’s specifications.
Set Media Type in the driver to the paper you use.
Turn on Improve Toner Fixing (under Improve Print Output in the driver).
Still rubbing off: pick a thicker Media Type, such as Thick Paper.
If it continues on normal paper, the machine needs service.
Marks that don’t rub off, such as streaks, dots or a faint repeat of the page above, are a different problem. Use the laser streaks checker and its repeat-defect ruler.
Questions people ask
Why is my printer smudging ink?
Usually one of four things: the ink isn’t drying before the next sheet lands, thick or curled paper is rubbing against the print head, ink inside the printer is marking the paper, or the paper type setting doesn’t match the paper. Where the smudge appears tells you which.
How do I stop my printer from smudging?
Set the paper type to match the paper, flatten curled paper, take each sheet out as it prints, and turn on your printer’s thick-paper or anti-smudge setting: Canon calls it Prevent paper abrasion, Epson Thick Paper, Brother Reduce Smudge. Clean the platen and rollers if marks appear on the back.
Why does toner rub off my laser prints?
The toner isn’t fully fused to the paper. Check the paper is within the printer’s specs and set Media Type to match it, or one step thicker. Brother lasers also have Improve Toner Fixing. If it still rubs off on normal paper, the fuser may need service.
Why are there ink marks on the back of my prints?
Ink has built up on the platen or the paper feed rollers inside the printer, often after borderless or two-sided printing. Unplug the printer and wipe the platen with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth; Canon printers also have a bottom plate cleaning function.
Sources
[1]Paper Is Smudged / Printed Surface Is Scratched (MG5700 series) (Canon Inkjet Manuals)Canon’s checks for smudged paper or a scratched print surface: paper and quality settings, flatten curled paper, turn on Prevent paper abrasion, lower intensity on plain paper, stay inside the printing area, clean the platen glass and paper feed roller, run bottom plate cleaning, and set a longer Ink Drying Wait Time.
[2]Blurry or Smeared Printout (Epson)Epson’s checks for blurry or smeared printouts: paper not damp or curled and loaded printable side correctly, paper type setting matches the paper, Thick Paper (panel) or Thick Paper and Envelopes (driver Extended Settings) for thick media, remove each sheet as it prints, turn off high speed, and clean the paper path.
[3]When I print, the pages are smudged with ink. (MFC-J835DW) (Brother)Brother inkjets: smudges at the top centre point to thick or curled paper or a wrong paper type setting; smudges on the back or bottom mean the platen needs wiping with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth (machine unplugged).
[6]Smudges on printed pages (Poor fixing) (MFC-9340CDW) (Brother)Brother color lasers, smudges from poor fixing: use paper within spec, check the drum and toner are installed, set the back-cover gray levers up, match Media Type, turn on Improve Toner Fixing, or choose a thicker Media Type.
[7]Toner rubs off on the paper or media, or the print appears blurry (Brother)Brother mono lasers, toner rubs off: use paper within spec, turn on Improve Toner Fixing (Improve Print Output in the driver), then set Media Type to Thicker Paper; if it continues, the machine needs service.
Checked 2026-10-13. Maker pages are written for the model named in each title; the same steps appear for many models, but menu names vary.
