Poor print quality or no printing on the DM100i-DM225
Resolve poor print quality or no printing issues on the DM100i, DM125, DM200L and DM225, by checking your ink, running a test pattern, and cleaning your print head.
Products affected: DM100®i, DM125™, DM200L™, DM225™
Try these solutions in order to resolve your poor print quality or no print issues:
- Solution 1: Check your ink cartridge
- Solution 2: Run a test pattern to assess print quality
- Solution 3: Run test purge C to resolve print quality
- Solution 4: Clean your print head
Solution 1: Check your ink cartridge
- Make sure you installed a genuine Pitney Bowes ink cartridge.
- If you need ink, order a genuine Pitney Bowes replacement ink cartridge:
Solution 2: Run a test pattern to assess print quality
- Press Options.
- Press Page Down twice.
- Select Advanced Features.
- Select Maintenance Mode.
- Select Printer Maintenance.
- Select Test Print.
- Insert an envelope as you normally would to print postage.
- The test pattern should appear as a grid with no broken lines or smears in the pattern:
- If the test pattern looks good, press Enter/Yes. Then press Home to return to the Home screen.
Good Test Print
- If the test pattern looks incorrect, with broken lines or smears in the pattern, or if there is no print at all, select No and your meter performs a print system purge.
Poor Test Print

- If your print quality is still poor or non-existent after performing a print system purge, or if you have already said No twice, press Yes to return to the printer maintenance menu and run the stronger purge C.
Solution 3: Run purge C to resolve print quality
- Select Purge from the printer maintenance menu.
- Select Purge C.
- When your purge completes, the prompt to insert an envelope to print a test pattern displays. Insert an envelope again. If your pattern still has broken lines or smears, or if there is no print at all, clean your print head.
- Press Yes to return to the printer maintenance menu.
Solution 4: Clean your print head
- Select Replacement from the printer maintenance menu.
- Select Replace Print Head.
- Remove the scale, if one is present.
- Open your ink tank access cover. The print assembly moves to the front of your meter.
- Open your print head cover.
- Remove your ink cartridge from the print assembly, and set it aside with the red circle facing up.
- While squeezing the clips that hold your print head in place, lift your print head up and out of the meter.
- Wipe the copper-colored section of your print head with a dry, lint-free cloth or foam swab.
- Reinstall the print head in your meter, making sure that it clicks into place.
- Reinsert your ink cartridge and close the print head cover.
- Close your ink tank access cover. The ink tank mechanism re-initializes.
- Select Continue.
UPDATED: July 25, 2023