The Vault
Troubleshooting guide
I'm getting evenly-spaced light-and-dark bars across the web - what's causing this banding?
Posted by the SuperPrinters team · 7/26/2026
Alternating light and dark bands run across the web at regular, repeating intervals (also called gear marks, chatter, or banding), usually perpendicular to the web direction. It is most visible in solids and heavy coverage and sometimes produces an audible chatter. Most often caused by worn, dirty, or damaged gears with eroded or missing teeth causing uneven mesh, among other possible causes — a full step-by-step diagnostic and fix follows below.
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