What is
Toner?
The ink of the laser printer is actually a
very fine powder called toner. The primary components of toner are plastic, sand and rust.
Toners have an electrostatic charge. Between the toner reservoir and the drum of the
cartridge is the developer roller. The developer roller has a magnet inside it which
attracts the already charged toner and increases the strength of the toner's charge. The
doctor blade, located just above the roller surface, is adjusted to allow the correct
amount of toner to be passed onto the drum. This adjustment is referred to as 'gapping'
and it controls the flow and charging of toner. The electrostatic image is positively
charged. The toner is negatively charged. Opposites attract, thus toner is drawn to the
drum, changing the electrostatic image into a picture that can be seen on to the drum
surface. The paper is now passing under the cartridge and over the machine corona wire.
The corona wire in the machine applies a strong positive charge to the paper. This pulls
the negative charged toner down off the drum and onto the sheet. The image can now be seen
on the page.
That's how a page is printed! WOW!
What is a Printer?
Simply stated, a printer is a machine that
converts your computer's electronic data to readable text and graphics on paper. There are
hundred of printers on the market today, but they all fall into one of five categories,
based on how they produce their output:
DAISYWHEEL: Contains a flowerlike 'wheek' with
a letter or number at the end of each 'petal'. The wheel spins rapidly to
position the appropriate character next to the ribbon, on character at a time. It does not
produce graphics.
DOT-MATRIX: Uses a moving head and a
typewriter like ribbon to create letters, numbers or graphics out of a natrix of dots.
Depending on the quality of the printer, the matrix consists of either 9, 18 or 24 dots.
The higher the numeber, the better the resolution and clarity.
INKJET: Squirts tiny jets of ink onto the
paper, forming characters and graphics
LASER: Builds and electronic image and then
translates it onto paper, one full page at a time, using photocopier-like toner.
THERMAL TRANSFER: Like laser printers, this
type of printer builds an electronic image and then translates it onto glossy paper by
spearating the image into either three or four color passes
Many of the printers now available were
originally developed to meet a special need. For example, the dot matrix printer was
originally developed to provide listings from mini computers and mainframes. The first pen
plotter was developed by a company that wanted to visualize how equipment could track
satellites in orbit.
What we sell
LaserSmith is
your alternative to "Staples" and "CompUSA". We are a specialty office
supply store selling recycled office products and HARD TO FIND items. We sell recycled
toners, remanufactured cartridges, factory refurbished laser printers, and 10,000
speciality supplies. We also offer on-site repair work on your office equipment, printer
rentals and service contracts.
Taking Care of Your Printer
Changing the Toner Cartridge
You can easily install a new toner cartridge
by following the series of steps here. Check your printer's documentation for the
specifics, such as which end of the toner cartridge does in first and whether you need to
flip any levers or switches.
1. Turn off the printer
2. Remove toner from OEM box. It should be
packaged in a reflective foil bag. Remove foil.
3. Remove the seal from the toner cartridge if
necessary.
4. If there are any extra pieces in the bag,
such as a cotton swab or a cleaning pad, set them aside for now.
5. Shake the cartridge GENTLE. Rock the toner
from side to side. This motion redistributes that toner within the cartridge so that the
paper output will be even.
6. Insert the toner according to guide rails.
These guide rails vary from printer to printer. The toner cartridge should easily slide
into the machine.
7. If the toner came with a swab or a cleaning
pad, use it now. Normally you would replace the older wand with the new wand.
8. Close the printer and turn back on.
Cleaning the Printer
You should make it a habit to cleaning the
printer every time you change the toner cartridge. This stops many potential problems from
ever appearing. LaserSmith recommends however that a professional perform a cover off
cleaning annually. This is different from end user cleanings. A technician should
perform a cleaning where the internal parts are removed and all moving parts are checked
for their working order. The following are instructions for user based cleanings:
1. Before opening the printer, turn power off
and unplug it from the wall.
2. After opening the printer, use a damp, soft
cloth to clean away any visible toner. It looks like black powder.
3. With an alcohol-dipped cotton swab, clean
the toner from all visible wires. Look in your printers documentation user fuser wires, to
assist you in locating wires in your machine. Make sure that you use high quality
isopropyl alcohol. Ammonia based cleaners can damage the imaging elements in your printer.
4. Close the printer and use a damp cloth to
clean all external parts.
5. Turn the printer back on and printer a test
sheet. Generally, you would hold down the ALT button while pressing the test button. This
however varies from printer to printer.
Troubleshooting / Possible Solutions
1. Middle or side section of the page is
not printing.
Possible Solution(s): Rock the cartridge,
Insert a new cartridge or Clean the corona wire
2. Vertical white streaks
Possible Solution(s): Clean machine corona
wire with alcohol
3. White spot or blotch
Possible Solution(s): Clean machine corona
wire with Q-tip, Use a different batch of paper
4. Light Print
Possible Solution(s): Adjust the density
setting, Adjust the cartridge tabs, Return to service printer or Print 50-100 pages
5. Thin gray streaking from top pf page or
blur from bottom of print
Possible Solution(s): Clean or change fuser
wand or Use different paper or dry and flatten paper
6. Ghosting of previously printed images
Possible Solution(s): Run 20 or more blank
pages, Install or replace felt or Return to service center
7. Regular spots of gray or black
background
Possible Solution(s): Adjust humidity of room,
Ground the cartridge by touching the metal contacts to a grounding wire
8. Consistent, evenly spaced "shadow
spot" ususally three or four times per page.
Possible Solution(s): Try removing cartridge
and reinserting it or Return to a service center
9. Marks on back of page, consistent
location
Possible Solution(s): Clean the rollers,
located over paper tray or Replace fuser wand
10. Smudging or backgrounding
Possible Solution(s): Lower humidity, Replace
the wand or felt or Return to service center
11. Spotty grey vertical line
Possible Solution(s): Replace the fuser
roller, Clean the rollers, Clean the separation belt or Return to service center.
12. Blurred print or print to dark
Possible Solution(s): Adjust the density dial,
Adjust the room humidity, Change paper to less cotton content or Print 10-20 pages
13. Solid black vertical lines like paint
drips
Possible Solution(s): Clean cartridge corona
wire
14. Consistent, Vertical, Thin, Black Lines
Possible Solution(s): Clean claws under fuser
lid, Replace fuser, Replace drum or Clean corona wire.
15. Pin marks, evenly spaced in consistent
vertical line
Possible Solution(s): Return drum for
replacement
16. Random Spotting
Possible Solution(s): Clean the glass, Clean
the fuser, Clean the wand or Change paper type
17. Black pages
Possible Solution(s): Replace the toner
cartridge, Reinsert the cartridge so that proper electrical contact is made or Return to
service center
18. Wavy Background and halftones
Possible Solution(s): Return printer to
nearest service center |