A user reports that every page produced by a laser printer contains scattered speckles of toner. Following CompTIA A+ printer-troubleshooting best practices, which component should you examine first to resolve the issue?
Inspect the toner cartridge for leaks or a damaged drum.
Run the printer's built-in cleaning cycle and inspect the fuser assembly.
Vacuum the paper path with a toner-rated vacuum to remove debris.
Update or reinstall the printer driver on the computer.
Random speckles are usually caused by loose toner escaping from a faulty cartridge or by damage to the photosensitive drum that allows toner to attach where it should not. Inspecting the toner cartridge (and its integrated drum, if present) for leaks, scratches, or other defects is therefore the first and most effective step. Cleaning cycles, fuser inspections, and driver updates can help other print-quality problems but are not the primary cause of toner speckles.
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