Bad laser printout, probable causes?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kirill Ponazdyr
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Kirill Ponazdyr

Hi.

I have a laser printer which produces very "dirty" prints, can someone
with printing knowhow tell me what is the probable cause for this?

The image of bad print is located at:

http://www.kukugaga.com/images/8830_badprint.jpg

Thanks!

Kirill
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My layman's guess: Dirty optics on the laser. The "dirt" only appears
around areas that are supposed to print. It makes me think of a focus
problem, where some of the laser energy is scattered to nearby spots on
the drum as it is being exposed.

On some laser printers, you can inspect the exposed image on the drum,
before transfer to paper. If you can do this, you can see if the
problem is before/after transfer. If the image is OK before transfer
to paper, then try to inspect after transfer, but before fusing. I
don't know what type of printer you have, and I don't know if you can
do this on yours. Be careful - don't blame me if you break the
printer.

Hopefully, others who know more than me about this will reply based on
experience.

Paul
 
Kirill
Please advise the make and model of the printer - that may help.
First thoughts are....
1. There are horizintal lines on the paper, caused possibly by a bad cartridge,
in some models this can be caused by a near empty cartridge. Have you tried
changing the cartridge? If not the cartridge then it could be the fuser.
Knowing the model will assist.
2. The strange ghosting around the print is worrying, it may be related to the
lines, if not then it is either laser optics, laser or DC controller problems.

Please advise model since without that I can only guess.
Tony
 
Dear Tony,

This is a Xerox 8830 Laser Plotter.

Jesus, this thing was DIRTY with Toner when I got it. So the first
thing I thought of was dirty mechanics, but this really should go away
after some prints, but it did not here.

Regards

Kirill

Kirill
Please advise the make and model of the printer - that may help.
First thoughts are....
1. There are horizintal lines on the paper, caused possibly by a bad cartridge,
in some models this can be caused by a near empty cartridge. Have you tried
changing the cartridge? If not the cartridge then it could be the fuser.
Knowing the model will assist.
2. The strange ghosting around the print is worrying, it may be related to the
lines, if not then it is either laser optics, laser or DC controller problems.

Please advise model since without that I can only guess.
Tony
Click to expand...

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Thanks Paul,

This is a Xerox 8830 Plotter, big beast!

I am kinda worried about digging deep into it, it is full of toner and
I am not sure if my lungs will like it.

Cheers

Kirill

My layman's guess: Dirty optics on the laser. The "dirt" only appears
around areas that are supposed to print. It makes me think of a focus
problem, where some of the laser energy is scattered to nearby spots on
the drum as it is being exposed.

On some laser printers, you can inspect the exposed image on the drum,
before transfer to paper. If you can do this, you can see if the
problem is before/after transfer. If the image is OK before transfer
to paper, then try to inspect after transfer, but before fusing. I
don't know what type of printer you have, and I don't know if you can
do this on yours. Be careful - don't blame me if you break the
printer.

Hopefully, others who know more than me about this will reply based on
experience.

Paul
Click to expand...

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Kirill
I don't work on Xerox lasers unfortunately (due to some local difficulty with
Xerox, they refuse to sell us or any other independant repairers any parts!!!).
Try this (Paul has suggested something similar) -
Send a page to be printed with a reasonable amount of data on it, open the
cover when you think the paper is about to enter the fuser. Remove the
cartridge, carefully remove the paper (the toner will not be fused and will be
easy to smear) and examine the drum and the paper.....what is the image like on
the drum and on the paper, let me know.
Tony
 
Just read this Kirill, use a vacuum cleaner very carefully and remove as much
of the toner as you can with the cartridge removed, if you do it in a well
ventilated space you will be OK, if you are really worried then buy a cheap
disposable mask....The toner will not hurt you so long as you are careful.
Tony
 
Thanks,


Uhh, I actually thought using a Vacuum cleaner on Toner is not a good
thing as much of the toner will actually pass thru the filters. Is
that true or urban legend?

Regards

Kirill

Just read this Kirill, use a vacuum cleaner very carefully and remove as much
of the toner as you can with the cartridge removed, if you do it in a well
ventilated space you will be OK, if you are really worried then buy a cheap
disposable mask....The toner will not hurt you so long as you are careful.
Tony
Click to expand...

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Dirty optics on the laser.
Click to expand...

There is a clue in that he says the printer is full of toner,
it's a good bet that there is a film of toner on the mirror assy.
Vacuming it may not get it off, a soft brush might, if you
can get into the optics. From the repeating lines there
also appears to be a cartridge problem, the toner forming
the lines going round again, instead of being scavenged by the
doctor/scraper blade, into the waste toner hopper. They
repeat by the circumference of the drum. Worst case
ghost images of already printed text appear.
 
Most domestic vacuum cleaners will pick up the majority of it....The problem is
that it is so fine that you simply need to treat it with respect, the amount
you are talking about is not going to be a problem, use a mask and all will be
well.
Now that I know about the toner discharge I suspect you problem is twofold.
1. The cartridge is dumping toner and has contaminated the laser optics so they
will neeed to be cleaned. Remove toner from the optics with a soft cloth and
then wipe with Isopropyl alcohol also on a clean soft cloth.
2. If the cartridge is dumping toner it will explain the horizontal lines
(probable wiper blade failure), so you need to replace toner cartridge.
Tony
 
Sorry
I didn't see this before I replied to the poster. Your diagnosis is probably
spot on.
Tony
 
Sorry
I didn't see this before I replied to the poster. Your diagnosis is
probably
spot on.
Tony
Click to expand...

Think of the effect as being like car headlamps in a fog.
Well except for California where they don't get fog.
He mentions being afraid of the dust. Do it outside
on a breezy day, stand upwind, and all the dust is
blown away from you. Dust everywhere in the printer
can occur if it's been shipped by carrier, with an
unsealed partially used cartridge.
 
I have been to California several times although I live in a different country,
and the worst memory I have is of the dreadful smog that you fly into when you
arrive in LA. So I'm a bit confused by your post. I can only assume that you
live in LA since those poor folks simply do not notice what they are breathing
every day. <G> <G>.
Tony
 
Tony,

Okay, I managed to do a test printout, stop printer and look at the
drum. The result is: The dirt is around the lines already on the drum.

So, laser or "mirror" is dirty, which is very possible since when I
looked indepth with the flashlight I saw tons of toner in there.

The problem is: I cannot find any resonable way to access the deeper
areas, I really need a Xerox 8830 service manual, can anyone help?

Also: Is that normal for the laser plotter to leak this way? Looks
kinda scary and incredible waste.....

Regards

Kirill

Kirill
I don't work on Xerox lasers unfortunately (due to some local difficulty with
Xerox, they refuse to sell us or any other independant repairers any parts!!!).
Try this (Paul has suggested something similar) -
Send a page to be printed with a reasonable amount of data on it, open the
cover when you think the paper is about to enter the fuser. Remove the
cartridge, carefully remove the paper (the toner will not be fused and will be
easy to smear) and examine the drum and the paper.....what is the image like on
the drum and on the paper, let me know.
Tony
Click to expand...

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Most domestic vacuum cleaners will pick up the majority of it
Click to expand...

And it will pass straight through the filters and out the exhaust. It's
not urban legend. I did it many years ago on a Panasonic "bottle fed"
laser (KX-P4450? maybe?) which someone had "refilled" by emptying the
waste toner back into the main hopper :-(

Fortunately, it was done outside. There was a black streak up the wall
where the vacuum clean exhaust was pointed.
 
Kirill
No it is not normal for any laser printer to dump toner, the toner cartridge
will need to be replaced or repaired or you will continue to get toner dumps.
Try http://www.manuals4you.com/ for the service manual, couldn't see it listed
there but ask him if he has that model. Failing that do a search for the manual
or ask for it one one of the laser printer forums. Check the compliance label
 
Fair enough, I guess it depends on the vacuum cleaner, I have used domestic
cleaners in an emergency with no problem, perhaps they had the fine filters
that are quite common now for anti-allergenic situations, who knows. Waste
toner is good for adding to concrete, gives that streaky look :-(
Tony
 
No, they don't normally leak, but they do if at sometime in their
life they have been sent by carrier, with the unsealed/installed
cartridge still in place. I think carriers have a way of centrifuging
toner out of the cartridge.

Get it outside, on a breezy day, stay upwind, then you can
vacuum away, and the toner that gets through the cleaners
filters will just disperse downwind. You can also use the
cans of Ozone depleteing Aero Dusters, which come with
an extension tube, to get to the difficult/recessed places.
Again the displaced toner will get blown downwind. Or
use a 12" or so desk fan on full blast, outdoors, to create
the wind. It needs a bit of ingenuity to clean a fouled up
printer. There are also 12V sealed lead acid powered
domestic hand held cleaners that have good sucking power,
and a washable filter.
 
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