What common defect in laser printers is usually linked to a dirty drum, preventing toner from adhering?

The condition typically linked to a dirty drum in laser printers is the presence of white stripes on the printed output. When the drum is contaminated with dust, dirt, or residual toner, it prevents the toner from effectively adhering to the drum's surface or being transferred properly onto the paper. This leads to areas where no toner is applied, resulting in white stripes on the printed page.

In contrast, black stripes are generally associated with issues like a worn-out drum or other mechanical failures rather than just a dirty drum. Speckling on output is often due to toner particles that are not evenly distributed, which can result from multiple causes, including poor-quality toner or malfunctioning components. Ghosting is a phenomenon where a faint image of a previously printed page appears on subsequent prints, often related to residual toner on the drum or a malfunctioning fuser, rather than a dirty drum specifically causing white stripes.