What Are The Common Toner Cartridge Problems?
Troubleshooting Printer Problems
Many of the printer toner cartridge problems are due to issues with the drum unit. This is because the drum unit has a wiper blade that removes excess toner from the drum surface, the paper and from the transfer belt. Besides, when the drum unit is not in good condition, it causes print quality issues. Usually, low-quality toner cartridges can lead to issues due to substandard manufacturing quality and can be avoided by buying only genuine products. Even if you use only genuine products, your printer might encounter cartridge problems and some of these are explained below.
Drum Failure Issues
Dots That Repeat Evenly Down The Page: This is due to the presence of a chip on the drum plate called “pinhole” and the distance between the dots is directly proportional to the drum’s circumference. In some cases, the pinhole gathers foreign material and it can be removed with Isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud.
Thin And Straight Vertical Lines Running The Length Of Paper: This is due to a scratch on the surface of the drum from a foreign particle or toner buildup on the wiper blade. This scratches a ring on the drum surface during its rotation, resulting in straight and thin vertical lines along the full length of the paper.
Toner Smears On The Page That Are Equidistant Vertically: This is due to minor damage on the drum surface and is dependent on the drum’s circumference. It usually happens when the drum is directly exposed to sunlight for long time periods.
Dots Repeating Evenly Down The Page Along With Horizontal Band Across The Page: The dots are due to pinhole and the band across page indicates a short against Primary Charge Roller (PCR) by the pinhole.
Equally Spaced Thin Lines: When this happens measure the drum circumference and if it is the same as the distance between the lines on paper, then it is caused by the wiper blades. This happens when the wiper blade coats the drum surface when resting on its surface for long periods of time.
Grey Tyre Tracks On Left Or Right Side Of The Page
It is also known as windblown sand and caused by worn-out drum film or coating.
Wiper Blade Failure Issues
Troubleshooting Printer Issues
Thin Line Down The Page: This happens when there is cut on the wiper blade and it fails to scrape and clean the toner from drums surface leaving a lined mark down the page. It can also be due to a worn-out blade.
Gray Page With Toner On The Drum: If the wiper does not apply adequate pressure on the drum, it will not be able to clean residual toner from the drum surface. This excess toner will be applied to the paper during the next revolution of the drum.
On a final note, the situation for troubleshooting printer problems arises when you do not do proper maintenance or when you don’t buy genuine products.