220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Question
A laser printer produces pages with repeated marks at regular intervals. Replacing the toner cartridge does not resolve the issue. What component is the next likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume the toner cartridge is always the cause of print defects, but the question explicitly states replacing it did not help, forcing you to consider other rotating assemblies like the fuser or rollers.
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
✓
Fuser or roller assembly
Repeated marks at regular intervals on laser printer output typically indicate a mechanical issue with a rotating component, such as a fuser roller or a transfer roller. Since replacing the toner cartridge did not resolve the problem, the next likely cause is a damaged or worn fuser roller assembly, which can leave marks corresponding to its circumference as it rotates.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Low Wi-Fi signal
Why it's wrong here
Wi-Fi transmits only the encoded print-job data to the printer's network interface. Once the data is rasterized into the printer's memory, the RF signal is irrelevant to the electro-photographic printing process. A weak signal could pause, re-send, or drop the job, but it cannot cause physical, repeating marks that appear at regular intervals on the page.
- ✗
Incorrect DNS server
Why it's wrong here
DNS is used to resolve hostnames to IP addresses, so a misconfigured DNS server would prevent your computer from finding the printer on the network, causing a job to stall or fail before it reaches the printer. It has no influence on the printer's imaging drum, fuser, or paper path, so toner patterns cannot be created by a DNS error. Repeating page defects are always a mechanical/electrostatic artifact, not a name-resolution issue.
- ✗
Wrong monitor resolution
Why it's wrong here
Monitor resolution determines how many pixels are displayed on the screen, but the printer driver and PCL/PostScript interpreter convert the document data into a raster image at the printer's own native resolution. The print engine does not frame-buffer from the display; it uses the print job's vector or raw data. Therefore, display settings can never influence the physical condition of rollers or the fuser that cause periodic marks on paper.
- ✓
Fuser or roller assembly
Why this is correct
Repeating marks at a fixed interval are the classic signature of a roller- or drum-related defect: the distance between marks equals the circumference of the rotating component that is damaged or contaminated. In laser printers, the fuser assembly's heat roller, pressure roller, or the xerographic imaging drum, transfer belt, or pickup rollers can leave such artifacts if scratched, cracked, or coated with toner debris. Because the toner cartridge (which contains the drum) was already replaced, the next component to inspect is the fuser/roller assembly, as it is the most common cause of these periodic marks.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 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 220-1101 exam.