hardMultiple Choice
220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer…
A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces a ghost image of the previous page on the current page. The ghost image appears slightly offset. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
220-1201 often tests the ability to distinguish between print defects caused by different components, so the trap is confusing a ghost image (cleaning blade) with smearing (fuser) or fading (toner supply).
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
✓
The drum's cleaning blade is worn
A ghost image that appears slightly offset on a laser printer is typically caused by a worn drum cleaning blade. The cleaning blade is responsible for removing residual toner from the drum after each page; when it wears out, leftover toner from the previous page remains on the drum and gets transferred to the next page, creating a ghost image. The offset occurs because the drum rotates slightly between pages.
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 fuser temperature is too high
Why it's wrong here
A laser printer's fuser assembly is responsible for melting and pressing the toner onto the paper to create a permanent image. If the fuser temperature is excessively high, the toner can overheat, causing it to spread beyond its intended areas or even smudge easily after printing. This typically results in prints that appear blurry, smeared, or overly dark, but it does not cause a faint, repeating image from a previous page to appear.
- ✗
The toner cartridge is low on toner
Why it's wrong here
When a toner cartridge is low on toner, there is insufficient toner powder available to fully develop the electrostatic latent image on the drum or transfer adequately to the paper. This deficiency leads to prints that appear faded, light, or have blank areas where toner should be present. However, a low toner condition does not cause residual images from prior print cycles to appear on subsequent pages.
- ✓
The drum's cleaning blade is worn
Why this is correct
The cleaning blade is a critical component that scrapes 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 remove all leftover toner. This unremoved toner then remains on the drum, gets re-imaged, and subsequently transfers as a faint, repeating "ghost" image of the previous page onto subsequent prints.
- ✗
The laser scanner is misaligned
Why it's wrong here
The laser scanner assembly precisely draws the electrostatic latent image onto the photosensitive drum by selectively discharging areas. If the laser scanner is misaligned, the laser beam will not hit the drum at the correct angles or positions, causing the image to be improperly formed. This error typically results in images that are skewed, distorted, shifted off-center, or have incorrect proportions, rather than producing a faint duplicate of a prior print job.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Troubleshoot: Laser Printer Quality Issues
Key term
Laser printer
A laser printer is a high-speed, high-volume output device that uses a laser beam and toner to produce precise text and graphics on paper.
Key term
Image
An image is a complete snapshot of a system's operating system, applications, and settings, used to deploy or restore computing environments quickly.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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.