[REQUEST] Laser Printer Blotchy Prints

[Appletax]

My Brother laser printer, which I have printed 10k pages with, has blotchy print - there's little blotches of toner in places it doesn't belong.

Did the following:

• Replaced the toner - refurb. from LD Products
• Replaced the drum unit - new from LD Products
  • Includes a new corona wire if the wire is with the drum unit
• Dusted with compressed air

 

[Diggs]

I like LD Products stuff but at this point try a replacement with OEM stuff. (I know it's not the most economical suggestion...)

 

[Appletax]

I like LD Products stuff but at this point try a replacement with OEM stuff. (I know it's not the most economical suggestion...)

They have a 2 year warranty which I have used before with great success.

The OEM part is so expensive that it would be nearly the same cost to just get a new printer (which there is now a newer model for $99).

 

[Archon Prime]

 

[fencepost]

Does the toner have a repeating pattern down the page? If so, you can use that to calculate the size of the roller that it's coming from.

I still really like some of the Brother stuff particularly for low-end desktop use (e.g. a doctor wants a printer on his desk but will likely print less than 10 pages/week.....), but for an awful lot of those low-end models it's not worth doing a lot of debugging if you're billing someone for it.

Do you have another printer available that uses the same toner/drum so you can swap and check? Alternately, since you've replaced the drum are you able to see anything in there and can you see the surface of the fuser roller?

 

[Fred Claus]

One more thing to look at would be the rollers. It may be blotchy because of the toner, but it could also be dirty inside the machine. Maybe a bad cartridge leaked and there is some extra laying aound someplace inside?

 

[Markverhyden]

If the printer is producing a print out then the first thing is to evaluate the output as @fencepost mentioned. But Brother is not really a repairable even if you wanted to. Customer contacted me today, her's was making noises. That's basically what I told her.

 

[skdmaster]

Only other items would be the fuser or if it is a color laser then the transfer belt. If it is a repeating pattern then fuser - transfer belt would be just one spot no repeating typically.

 

[coffee]

How I always figured this out when I used to work on HP8000/9000 printers is to print off a sheet and roll it up until the matching patterns overlap each other. Then you know the size of the roller that is causing the issue. Of course this is with a repeating pattern on the paper.

Another way is to print out a sheet and as the paper gets picked up and before it hits the fuser open the lid and you should be able to see where the blotch is coming from.

 

[Appletax]

There's no repeating pattern.

Sounds like I need to try to take a peek at the fuser.

 

[nlinecomputers]

They have a 2 year warranty which I have used before with great success.

The OEM part is so expensive that it would be nearly the same cost to just get a new printer (which there is now a newer model for $99).

Do so. Those printers are so cheap that when you start having problems it just best to get a new one. They really aren't designed to be fixed.

It sounds like you are having this problem here: http://www.printertechs.com/printer...n-print-defects/144-defect-background-scatter

 

[Appletax]

Do so. Those printers are so cheap that when you start having problems it just best to get a new one. They really aren't designed to be fixed.

It sounds like you are having this problem here: http://www.printertechs.com/printer...n-print-defects/144-defect-background-scatter

Or toner specks: http://www.printertechs.com/printer-troubleshooting/common-print-defects/183-defect-toner-specks

Gotta figure out how to check the fuser.

If there's an issue with the fuser, it sounds like I would have to replace it, yes? Better off just buying a new printer. I have printer a little over 10,000 pages and paid $99 for the printer so it has led a very economical life

I will just use it as is as it is not that bad. Would rather wait a while and eventually get a color laser printer.

 

[coffee]

Or toner specks: http://www.printertechs.com/printer-troubleshooting/common-print-defects/183-defect-toner-specks

Gotta figure out how to check the fuser.

If there's an issue with the fuser, it sounds like I would have to replace it, yes? Better off just buying a new printer. I have printer a little over 10,000 pages and paid $99 for the printer so it has led a very economical life

I will just use it as is as it is not that bad. Would rather wait a while and eventually get a color laser printer.

Normally the teflon coating wears off in areas and the ink tends to accumulate there. Then it starts printing it on each page. Some printers you can get a rebuild kit if you want. Its mostly the teflon roller that wears first and then the bearings. I would check the price of a rebuilt fuser before trashing the printer - ebay it

 

[stro]

Wouldn't hurt to try the half sheet test. Turn the printer off in the middle of a page. Print that smears with your finger is the un-fused half. So if the artifacts are on one half but not the other, you will know if it is the drum or the fuser.

 

[Appletax]

Wouldn't hurt to try the half sheet test. Turn the printer off in the middle of a page. Print that smears with your finger is the un-fused half. So if the artifacts are on one half but not the other, you will know if it is the drum or the fuser.

Thanks for the instructions

 

[Appletax]

Trying to print only half way is a major pain. It is hard to time it just right for when you have to cut the power.

Here's what pure black looks like when printed:

 

[Markverhyden]

There's no repeating pattern.

Sounds like I need to try to take a peek at the fuser.

Repeating pattern means it's coming from something round. So if the fuser was having a problem then it would also repeat. Why not post a pic?

 

[Sky-Knight]

That's a bad toner cartridge, the morons that remanned yours didn't replace the cleaning brush inside. It results in uneven toner application.

 

[coffee]

Is this just a black and white printer? What is the model number? Suprised no one has asked that yet