When printing, either at home or in the office, occasionally you may notice a few dark or faded spots on the printed pages.  If this happens, there is no need to call the expensive technician- at least not before you try cleaning the rollers.  This is a common issue with printers that are used frequently, as normal wear and tear will eventually affect quality.  The problem is easily fixable by the average Joe, especially with an internet full of helpful tips, like this one.

Cleaning the rollers in the paper path:

Pull out the paper tray until it will not go any further, then lift it gently and remove it.  The rollers sit back behind the trays, so you will need to reach in the empty tray slot and grab the rollers.  Of course each is attached by a prong of sorts and will need to be taken off of it in the same fashion you would remove an empty toilet paper roll.

Make sure the cloth you use is clean and cotton, and dampen it with isopropyl alcohol.  Thoroughly and carefully wipe down each roller, removing dust and ink or toner particles that may have gathered.  Do not put the rollers back in until they are dry.  It is recommended to let them sit and dry out for a few hours, if not overnight.  Reattach each one to its prong, and make sure you here it snap into place.

Cleaning the feed rollers:

Be sure to unplug the printer for this one, as you will need to open the case of the machine, which can differ from model to model, so you may want to consult the manual.  Instead of removing the rollers, reach inside with the cloth doused in isopropyl alcohol and manually turn the rollers as you wipe the junk off them.  Let them dry for a while.

Once all of the rollers are dried and back in place, print a test page to make sure quality has been restored.

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