Imageclass MF743Cdw prints too light. How to get it darker?

[Linda_Hagan]

My new (bought in October) Imagelcass has yet to print black in full black. It's very light, almost greyscale.  Color prints fine but the black is more of a grey.  I can adjust print settings when making copies, but can't find a way to make it "print" darker.  I use a PC, not a Mac.  Suggestions?

[TheWalkman]

I was having the same problem with light print and found that it was the result of having the, "Toner Saver" turned ON.   

(All the other gyrations about adjusting the print quality to fix this were completely unnecessary.)

To turn Toner Saver, OFF follow these simple instructions from the printer's touch pad:

1. Press [Menu].

2. Select [Function Settings].

3. Select [Printer].

4. Select [Printer Settings].

5. Select [Printer Quality].

6. Select  [On] or [Off] and then press [Apply].

The default setting is Off.

After the setting has been applied press the  Home button to return to the Home Screen.

Voila! The print is dark and readable!

https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index?page=content&id=ART179831&actp=search&viewlocale=en_US&search...

[Wanderer82]

I'm quite sure I checked this twice. And also I had the printer new so all settings are default which shouldn't mean that the Toner Save is on, but I'll check this again.

Maybe my black is already okay for THIS printer and it won't get any darker. Printers print differently, so maybe this is just the new Canon print rendition. The older Canon that I have is however the slightest bit too dark compared to HP printers.

[TEKnightRider]

Yes @TheWalkman 'Toner Saver' mode would definitely kill the darkness, for sure. 

However, the big "to-do" is typically for designers or people who work with designers who will notice everything. 

So, while I personally can only draw really good stick figures. I have been blessed to work for a few people that I would put in the "Disney" catagory like Summit Racing, Chip Foose, Meguiar's, Throttle Design Mechanics, Nike...where even with 'Toner Saver' mode OFF (which it should be OFF by default)...this particular printer causes what again I can only discribe as being almost “Lite-Brown” or like some sort of Lighter Grayscale instead of a “Deep True Black”.

Again, I'd say some folks might not notice...but for me it was very noticeable compared to several other Canon Color ImageClass MF730 Series / MF733Cdw printers I had previously installed and configured. So now I'm showing my age, but the firm I'd worked for in the 1990's after having worked as an Apple Sales Manager and Level III Tech before that in the early 1990's...that firm, actually had the very first Apple Color LaserWriter in the Northwest (which was huge with rotating drums...but that engine was also a Canon engine back then). So while this is "weird" for this MF743 compared to maybe the thousands of laser printers I've installed over 30 years...this is also the first time I've discovered such a rigmarole is needed to fix something that should be ready to go out of the box.

Anyway, hope that might help explain or also help others. 

[guyborghouts]

Great, saved my presentation! Thanks!!

[Skymoosie]

I completed this sequence, the first page it prints is a single vertical black chevron but the printer never says to scan this page, did I miss something? Is this part of the sequence?

Three (3) Steps to Great Color & Deep Blacks –

Clean Fixing Assembly -
Go to the Home Screen > Menu > Adjustment/Maintenance > Maintenance > Clean Fixing Assembly > Select ‘OK’ > Then, Select ’Start’ (in the lower righthand corner of the Printer Display, and let it do its thing).
Correct Print Color Mismatch -
Next, go to the Home Screen > Menu > Adjustment/Maintenance > Adjust Image Quality > Correct Print Color Mismatch > Select ’Start’ (in the lower righthand corner of the Printer’s Display, and let it do its thing).
Auto Adjust Gradation - Full Adjust - (This is a more robust sequence than the initial Startup Color Adjustment when the printer was first turned ON.)
Go to the Home Screen > Menu > Adjustment/Maintenance > Adjust Image Quality > Auto Adjust Gradation > Full Adjust > Select ‘OK’ (it will list 4 Steps)…
Print Image 1 for adjustment.
Scan the printed Image 1 for adjustment.
Print Image 2 for adjustment.
Scan the printed Image 2 for adjust.
Select ’Start’ (in the lower righthand corner of the Printer’s Display, and follow the on screen instructions).

[Megs_Money]

I'm a little late to the game here, but I've attempted to follow the steps provided to complete the suggested calibration / maintenance. But when I try to complete step 2 (Correct color mismatch) the printer attempts the sequence and I receive an error message that it's not able to perform the task... Any experience with this?

Thanks for the help!

[kl_morgan]

Thank you for your suggestion.  I have been contemplating beating my MF741 into a pile of plastic over this issue.  Seriously, my printer seems to be printing with great quality now.  I echo all of those who are mystified over the need to perform this process.  Why doesn't Canon put those instructions in the box if they can't figure out how to do it for us?  Haha, another mystery!

[robertcbyrd]

This did not work for me.

When I print from my laptop using Notepad++ using Courier New font, bold, the printout is so light I can barely read it. Likewise, when my wife prints a web page, it's too light to read.

I have followed the recommeded solution and it failed, although the test printout looked fine.

[minion450]

I can't perform any of the adjustments.  it says "Could not Perform Correction"  I see not issue when printing text but i tried printing and image and it looks like it is out of focus.  

what does it mean if it can't even perform the tasks listed above.

[TEKnightRider]

Glad it worked for you! 😇 Indeed one of the mysteries in life!!! 🤪