My printer, a Brother 2700, is printing with anything I send it a previous document as a ghost image in the background

Hi David,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

It sounds like your Brother MFC-L2700W printer is producing a faint overlay of a previous document on every new print, which is often referred to as a ghost image or print memory retention. On a Brother laser printer, this is almost always caused by a worn or damaged Drum Unit.

The ghost image is a "memory" of a previous print job etched onto the broken part, which then gets transferred onto every new page. This is more of a hardware issue than software, and you almost certainly need to replace the Drum Unit (the cylinder inside the printer). You can take a quick check by printing a cleaning page if your printer has a built-in cleaning function:

1. Turn the printer on
2. Press the large (GO) button 7 times.
3. See if the ghosting is reduced or gone on the next document you print.

There are also some additional checks to ensure you can find the exact issue with your printer, which is to ensure good paper quality, look for possible damages on the device. If possible, carefully clean the printer and its cable to remove all dust and toner.

This is very likely a hardware issue, that when the drum's surface gets worn out or damaged, it can't properly erase the previous image. You can find genuine Brother's parts online or at most office supply stores.

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1. Turn off the printer
2. Unplug it from power for 2-3 minutes (this clears volatile memory)
3. Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds while unplugged (drains capacitors)
4. Reconnect power and turn on
5. Print a test page to see if ghosting is gone

Hi David, how is the issue with your printer going? Have you had a chance to check the replies we provided above? Any update would be appreciated.