220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer…

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  The toner cartridge is low on toner.

  Why it's wrong here

  When a toner cartridge is low on toner, the primary symptom observed is a general lightening or fading of the printed output, particularly in areas requiring dense toner coverage. This occurs because there isn't enough toner available to fully adhere to the charged areas of the photosensitive drum. It does not, however, cause residual toner from a *previous* image to reappear faintly on *subsequent* pages, which is the specific characteristic of ghosting.

• ✗

  The fuser assembly is overheating.

  Why it's wrong here

  An overheating fuser assembly primarily affects the final stage of the printing process, where toner is melted and permanently bonded to the paper. Symptoms of an overheating fuser typically include toner smudging, paper jams due to excessive heat causing paper to warp or stick, or even a burnt smell. It does not cause a faint, repeating image from a prior print cycle to appear on subsequent pages, as this issue stems from the imaging drum's cleaning process.

• ✓

  The drum's cleaning blade is worn.

  Why this is correct

  The cleaning blade is a critical component responsible for removing any residual toner from the photosensitive drum after the image has been transferred to the paper. If this blade becomes worn, damaged, or loses its effectiveness, it will fail to completely scrape off all leftover toner particles. These unremoved toner particles will then be picked up during the subsequent print cycle, leading to a faint, repeating "ghost" image of the previous page appearing on the current printout.

• ✗

  The pickup rollers are dirty.

  Why it's wrong here

  Dirty pickup rollers are components designed to grip and feed individual sheets of paper from the input tray into the printer's paper path. When these rollers accumulate dust, paper fibers, or become worn and glazed, their ability to create sufficient friction is compromised. This typically results in paper misfeeds, multiple sheets being fed simultaneously, or paper jams, rather than any defect related to the actual image content or ghosting.

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