Canon TS5150 - Dark Stripes When Printing Images

[alexisD]

I’m new here and just signed up because I’ve run into a printer issue that I can’t seem to fix. I’ve spent the last three hours researching and trying different solutions, but nothing has worked so far. Usually, I manage to solve my printer problems on my own, but this time, I’m really stuck.

I’d be super grateful if someone could help me out or maybe share a tiny little tip that could point me in the right direction. Any advice is really appreciated!

Printer Model: Canon TS5150​

Issue Description:​

I've recently noticed that when printing images, dark stripes appear across the print. The problem persists even after performing multiple troubleshooting steps.

What I've Tried So Far:​

1. Deep Clean & Printhead Alignment
   • Performed deep cleaning via the printer software.
   • Aligned the printheads both manually and automatically.
   • No improvement in print quality.
2. Nozzle Check Results:
   • Black (BK): Looks fine.
   • Yellow (Y) & Cyan (C): Show minor white streaks, but not significantly missing.
   • Magenta (M): Appears normal.
3. Physical Cleaning & Firmware Update:
   • Cleaned the printhead manually with an alcohol tissue.
   • Updated the firmware to the latest version.
   • No visible changes in print quality.
4. Paper & Print Settings:
   • Tested different paper types (regular and photo paper).
   • Changed print quality settings (standard & high quality) with no effect.
5. Ink Levels:
   • Cartridges are half full, and I’m using original Canon ink.

Additional Notes:​

• The issue is mainly noticeable when printing images (not so much with text).
• The printer has printed around 306 pages in total.
• The streaks look like horizontal bands rather than missing ink areas.

Any suggestions on what to try next? Would replacing the printhead be a necessary step at this point?


Thanks in advance everybody!

Kind regards
Alexis

 

[The Hat]

I’d be super grateful if someone could help me out or maybe share a tiny little tip

Try giving the timing strip a bit of a clean, use kitchen tissue paper with some window cleaner, clean both sides, but be careful and don’t put too much pressure on it..

It’s easier if you pull the power plug when the print head is in the middle of the carriageway..

 

[x64]

Because the lines are not crossing the letters, I would doubt it is some kind of smearing. I assume the lines are parallel with the printhead direction?

If so I'd think the lines are overlapping prints where there printhead changes direction and/or feeds the paper just a bit too little.
You could test that by printing in a different resolution or turning off bi-directional interleave method (printing in one direction vs going back & forth) if that option is available. If that changes the result, it would indicate a alignment issue.

 

[thebestcpu]

Hi @alexisD
I am not 100% sure of what i think the problem is yet several factors fit.
Here is my understanding of the issue.
You are getting horizontal darker lines at regular intervals in the narrow dimenstion of the A4 paper (perpendicular to the movement of the paper as it comes out of the printer.

You only see these lines when there is a background color in the image.

I believe this is an error in the stepper motor moving the paper vertically. It is missing stepping by on ink dot width (which is the increment of the stepper motor.

What this would do is have one nozzle width of ink overlap on the image for every full cycle of the stepper motor (which I believe is about 1.6 inches of paper movement.

One of the clues(?) was that at the point where the line would appear to go under text, that piece of text is one ink nozzle width narrower. So the image is sightly compressed every 1.6 inches when the stepper motor skps a beat in the movement. It is possible its not the stepper motor yet some related isse where the movement wheels slip yet since it was so precise, my bet is the stepper motor.

If I had to make a bet with no more detils and just what I can observe, that would be my bet.
This will not get fixed wtih alignment, or ink head cleaning and you will see it whenever there is a background being printed thought it may be harder to see with light colors (e.g. yelllow) or just pale colors. If you printed a horizontal rainbow gradient you should be the overprinting by one nozzle width (stepper increment) if I am correct.

Unfortunately, I don't know a fix for this and if I am rigth it is a warranty or service return/call.

Those are my thoughts based on limited data
John Wheeler

I will add this PS - here is an AI response (I trust AI to be very correct yet to give ideas) on what could be checked if it was the stepper motor. Just for some ideas:

Likely Causes & Fixes​

1. Damaged or Dirty Gear Teeth​

• Symptoms: Skipping at regular intervals (e.g. once per full revolution).
• Fix: Open the printer and inspect the gears connected to the stepper motor. Look for:
  • Worn, broken, or cracked teeth.
  • Debris or paper dust caught in the gear teeth.
• Clean and/or replace damaged gears.

2. Loose or Cracked Coupling (Shaft Connector)​

• Symptoms: A crack in the plastic gear hub or loose grip on the motor shaft can cause "slip" once per rotation.
• Fix: Check the small gear or coupler directly on the stepper motor. If it’s cracked or spinning freely, replace it or use a very small amount of cyanoacrylate (super glue) to bond it carefully (only if you're confident it won’t affect other parts).

3. Bad Stepper Motor or Driver​

• Symptoms: Skipping consistently, often due to weak torque or missing pulses.
• Fix:
  • Try swapping in a known good stepper motor (if available).
  • If you're handy with electronics, use a multimeter or oscilloscope to verify whether the driver is sending regular pulse trains.
  • On integrated boards (like Canon printers), a bad motor driver IC is harder to replace, but reflowing solder joints sometimes helps.

4. Firmware or Timing Glitch​

• Symptoms: If the motor skips always in the same spot or after a certain amount of time, the firmware might be commanding that.
• Fix: Perform a hard reset of the printer or try a firmware update (if available from Canon’s site).
• In rare cases, reinstalling drivers on your computer might help if it’s a communication error (though not likely in this case).

 

[alexisD]

Hey everyone, thanks so much for all the responses!
I spent quite a bit of time tinkering yesterday — tried out tons of settings and printed around 40 pages just experimenting. Eventually, I found a setting related to print quality and bumped it up from "normal" to "fine" — and like magic, the lines disappeared!

Not totally sure if Canon intentionally designed it that way (maybe for quicker prints where quality isn't a priority?), or if the stepper motor just gets more precise at the slower speed used in "fine" mode. Either way, it seems like that made all the difference.

Really appreciate all your input — wishing you all an awesome day!

 

[The Hat]

Really appreciate all your input

Thanks for the feedback..