Frequently Asked Questions

Pages from my MF216n are coming out faded — is it the cartridge?

Often, yes — but check in the right order before you conclude anything. Fading that creeps in gradually over weeks usually means the 137 in the machine is running low: as toner depletes, pages lose density evenly. Fading that appears suddenly on a fairly new cartridge is more often a distribution problem — the toner has settled to one side. Remove the cartridge, rock it gently side to side several times, refit it and print again. If density returns, the cartridge simply needed redistributing. If pages stay pale after that and the cartridge has printed heavily, it is nearing the end of its 2,400-page rated life.

One side of the page is darker than the other. What causes that?

That pattern points to toner sitting unevenly inside the cartridge rather than an empty one. In an MF216n the cartridge lies horizontally, and toner gradually migrates. The rock-and-refit routine usually cures it: out, tilt left and right slowly a few times, back in. If one-sided fading returns within a few pages every time, the cartridge is genuinely close to empty — the remaining toner is too low to spread evenly — and replacement is the realistic fix rather than repeated shaking.

Can a setting make prints look washed out even with toner left?

Yes. If toner-save or economy mode is switched on, the MF216n deliberately lays down less toner and output looks greyer — that is the setting working as designed, and it is easily mistaken for a failing cartridge. Check that toner-save is off for final documents, and check the print density setting too: a density slider nudged down will lighten everything. Rule settings out before blaming the 137, because a fresh cartridge will print just as pale until the setting changes.

Does the shake trick really work, or is it a myth?

It works, within limits. Toner is a fine powder; as the cartridge empties, what remains can sit below the level where the mechanism picks it up evenly. Rocking redistributes it and commonly buys you dozens of extra usable pages — handy when a deadline arrives before the replacement does. What shaking cannot do is create toner that is not there. Think of it as the reserve tank, not a refill: once pages fade again after a shake, order the next 137BK. At $27.70 and about 1.15 cents a page, the replacement is inexpensive insurance against a dead printer mid-job.

How do I tell a tired cartridge from a printer problem?

Swap logic is the simplest test: if a known-good or new cartridge prints dark and clean in the same MF216n, the old cartridge was the problem. Without a spare, look at the pattern — cartridge problems change gradually and respond to rocking; problems that appear as sharp lines, repeating marks or blotches in exactly the same place on every page, unchanged by rocking, deserve a closer look at the machine itself. If you fit this new 137 and print quality is still poor, contact us before assuming the worst: support runs Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Central.

If I replace the cartridge and fading was not its fault, am I covered?

Yes. This compatible 137 carries a one-year warranty and one-year free returns, detailed on our shipping and returns page, so a cartridge that underperforms does not leave you out of pocket. Orders ship from our warehouses in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia or California, which keeps replacement times short when the diagnosis does turn out to be the cartridge.

About This Canon 137 Black Toner Cartridge

Faded output is the classic symptom that sends MF216n owners shopping, and this compatible Canon 137 black cartridge (137BK) is the straightforward answer when the old one is spent: a 2,400-page rated yield for $27.70 — about 1.15 cents per page — with even, dense blacks from the first page to the last. Fit it after the shake test and the settings check have ruled out the simple causes, and normal service resumes. It is backed by a one-year warranty and one-year free returns, and ships from IL, PA, GA or CA. See the rest of the line in our Canon range at Clever Supplies.

Support runs to the ImageClass MF212w, ImageClass MF216n, ImageClass MF217w, ImageClass MF227dw, ImageClass MF229dw, ImageClass MF232w, ImageClass MF236n, ImageClass MF244dw, ImageClass MF247dw, ImageClass D570 and ImageClass LBP151dw. Also on the shelf from this family: the Canon 137 black cartridge, the Canon 137 black 2 pack and the Canon 137 black 3 pack.