C
Charles Lindsey
Just bought an LJ 5400 on Ebay (described as in "good" working order). But
everything is smeared, as you can see at:
http://www.cs.manchester.ac.uk/~chl/ljtest.blur.32.g01.gif
That image was scanned at 600x600, and was subject to much tinkering with
ImageMagic to reduce it to a resolution fit to show here. The original
shows much more detail, or course.
Observe how black areas are smeared, and the greater the height of the
area, the greater the smearing. Moreover the smears are concentrated in
vertical columns (i.e. the effect is worse at some horizontal positions
than at others). On the original, the smearing is visible much further
down the page, with an extra special dose in the last inch of the page.
Moreover, on the original you can detect that the effect is particularly
noticable in horizontal bands repeated every 31 mm, which the service
manual claims to indicate the Color Developer (as opposed to 37 mm for the
Black Developer). I don't understand that, because if you look at the
roller on any cartridge, its diameter is 1.6mm, which gives a
circumference much greater than either of those.
But the finger certainly points at the black cartridge, and moreover a
notched doctor blade in the cartidge is a known cause of vertical banding.
BUT I have also printed exactly the same pattern in Magenta, Cyan and
Yellow. And the Magenta pattern also showed some smearing (not nearly as
much), but with its vertical bands in exactly the same places as the black
version. So the vertical banding, at least, is not just the cartridge. The
Cyan was much better (but what little there was was also in the same
vertical bands). Likewise the Yellow, but the Yellow also showed some
black smudges over the top of the yellow blocks, with some evidence of
repetition at 31mm.
Indeed, I have done a separate test with broad bands of Black, Magenta,
Cyan and Yellow extending right across the page, and they all show
smearing (of their own colour) in vertical bands, so the drum must be, at
least in part, to blame. Moreover, at the top of each band there are
smudges of the colour of the band that was printed higher up.
But how could you possibly get color A deposited on top of a band of color
B (but not on the whitespace above that band) when the cartridge for color
A has been out of the way for several seconds at the time B is being
printed? (Note that in this printer there is one drum and it takes four
cycles to print in color, the 4 cartridges being mounted in a carousel).
For the record, the printer reports "Life Remaining" of 54% for the
transfer kit, 100% for the fuser, and 40% for the drum. I think we can
exonerate the fuser. The transfer belt might account for the extra smudges
at the bottom of the page. And, of course, I have cleaned everything
inside that could possibly be cleaned (there was indeed much toner of
assorted colors scattered around the inside when I got it).
So what do people recommend I should do? For sure, if I replace all four
cartridges plus the drum and the transfer belt, it will surely cure it -
but that is a lot of money to throw at it all at once :-( .
everything is smeared, as you can see at:
http://www.cs.manchester.ac.uk/~chl/ljtest.blur.32.g01.gif
That image was scanned at 600x600, and was subject to much tinkering with
ImageMagic to reduce it to a resolution fit to show here. The original
shows much more detail, or course.
Observe how black areas are smeared, and the greater the height of the
area, the greater the smearing. Moreover the smears are concentrated in
vertical columns (i.e. the effect is worse at some horizontal positions
than at others). On the original, the smearing is visible much further
down the page, with an extra special dose in the last inch of the page.
Moreover, on the original you can detect that the effect is particularly
noticable in horizontal bands repeated every 31 mm, which the service
manual claims to indicate the Color Developer (as opposed to 37 mm for the
Black Developer). I don't understand that, because if you look at the
roller on any cartridge, its diameter is 1.6mm, which gives a
circumference much greater than either of those.
But the finger certainly points at the black cartridge, and moreover a
notched doctor blade in the cartidge is a known cause of vertical banding.
BUT I have also printed exactly the same pattern in Magenta, Cyan and
Yellow. And the Magenta pattern also showed some smearing (not nearly as
much), but with its vertical bands in exactly the same places as the black
version. So the vertical banding, at least, is not just the cartridge. The
Cyan was much better (but what little there was was also in the same
vertical bands). Likewise the Yellow, but the Yellow also showed some
black smudges over the top of the yellow blocks, with some evidence of
repetition at 31mm.
Indeed, I have done a separate test with broad bands of Black, Magenta,
Cyan and Yellow extending right across the page, and they all show
smearing (of their own colour) in vertical bands, so the drum must be, at
least in part, to blame. Moreover, at the top of each band there are
smudges of the colour of the band that was printed higher up.
But how could you possibly get color A deposited on top of a band of color
B (but not on the whitespace above that band) when the cartridge for color
A has been out of the way for several seconds at the time B is being
printed? (Note that in this printer there is one drum and it takes four
cycles to print in color, the 4 cartridges being mounted in a carousel).
For the record, the printer reports "Life Remaining" of 54% for the
transfer kit, 100% for the fuser, and 40% for the drum. I think we can
exonerate the fuser. The transfer belt might account for the extra smudges
at the bottom of the page. And, of course, I have cleaned everything
inside that could possibly be cleaned (there was indeed much toner of
assorted colors scattered around the inside when I got it).
So what do people recommend I should do? For sure, if I replace all four
cartridges plus the drum and the transfer belt, it will surely cure it -
but that is a lot of money to throw at it all at once :-( .