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220-1201 Practice Question: A user in a law office reports that their laser…
A user in a law office reports that their laser printer prints documents with faint text and light images. The toner cartridge is new, and the printer has sufficient toner. Which component should you inspect or replace first?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
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Drum unit
Faint print with a new toner cartridge often points to a worn or damaged drum. The drum is part of the toner cartridge or a separate unit, and if it is worn, it cannot hold a proper charge, resulting in light output. Replacing the drum or the entire cartridge usually solves the problem.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Transfer roller
Why it's wrong here
The transfer roller is responsible for applying an electrostatic charge to the paper, which pulls the toner from the drum onto the paper. While a faulty transfer roller can lead to uneven toner distribution, causing some areas to be light or dark, or even ghosting, it is less likely to cause a uniformly faint print across the entire page. Faint text typically indicates an insufficient amount of toner being attracted to the drum itself, rather than an issue with its transfer to the paper.
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Fuser assembly
Why it's wrong here
The fuser assembly's role is to permanently bond the toner to the paper using a combination of heat and pressure. A failing fuser would typically manifest as toner that easily smudges or rubs off the page, or potentially cause paper jams and wrinkling due to improper heat application. It does not influence the initial amount of toner attracted to the drum or transferred to the paper, which is the root cause of faint text.
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Drum unit
Why this is correct
The drum unit, or photoconductive drum, is a core component in the laser printing process, responsible for attracting toner. It receives an electrostatic charge, which is then selectively discharged by the laser to form a latent image. Toner particles are attracted to these charged areas. A worn drum loses its ability to hold a strong electrostatic charge, preventing it from attracting sufficient toner, which directly results in uniformly faint or light prints across the entire page.
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Pickup rollers
Why it's wrong here
Pickup rollers are mechanical components designed to grab individual sheets of paper from the paper tray and feed them into the printer's internal paper path. Their function is solely related to paper handling. Worn or dirty pickup rollers commonly cause paper jams, misfeeds, or the printer failing to pick up paper at all. They have no direct involvement in the toner application or image formation process, and therefore cannot cause print quality issues like faint text.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1201 exam.