The printer, like any other office equipment, is a rather complicated device and requires careful handling. Among the problems faced by printer owners, one of the most common is a malfunction in which the device starts to print dirty, staining paper with stripes and dots of different sizes. Such a seal looks unsightly, and is only suitable for rough use. Why does the printer get dirty paper and what to do in this case?
Cartridge problems
When the printer starts to print dirty at the edges or in the middle, it may not be the device itself, but the cartridge that it is equipped with. The problems with the cartridge can be indicated by dots and streaks on the prints, a general dirty background and other traces of excess toner on the paper. Depending on the nature of the “pollution”, one or another malfunction can be assumed. Of course, the printer can be taken to the service immediately as soon as problems are discovered, in which case the specialists will independently identify and fix the breakdown, however, some malfunctions with minimal skills can be completely repaired independently. Among the most common problems with a cartridge, office equipment experts highlight:
- Worn blade
- Debris falling onto the surface of the blade or sticking a layer of coloring matter on it
- Hopper overflow with mining
- Dirty shaft
- Poor toner
- Drum Wear
- Malfunctions of the charging shaft, violation of contact with it
- Toner Cartridge Seal Impaired
In order to fix these problems, it is necessary to partially disassemble the device by pulling out the cartridge and cleaning its blade or replacing it with a new one. After the blade is replaced, the remains of the “working out” must be removed, the tank must be cleaned, and the cartridge filled with toner. When refueling, all manipulations should be carried out as carefully as possible so as not to damage the tightness of the cartridge, because its violation can also lead to the appearance of "dirt" when printing.
Important! If the user does not have sufficient skills in working with such equipment, and does not have an idea of how to remove the cartridge or replace the blade, he is not recommended to carry out these procedures on his own, as incorrectly performed actions can lead to more serious damage to the device, exacerbating situation and increasing costs for future repairs.
A dirty tone on the prints may indicate a malfunction in the charging shaft or optics. However, the exact same “symptom” in the operation of printing devices appears when their cartridges are filled with low-quality toner. First of all, it is worth replacing the toner with a better one and starting the device in test mode. If the “dirt” does not disappear, it is worth checking the photo lens and, if the wear is severe or uneven, replace it with a new one.
It also happens that the printer begins to duplicate the image printed on the media. This may indicate a malfunction of the charging shaft, or that this shaft has poor contact with the photocell.
Important! An experienced technician can easily restore broken contact, however, most users prefer to replace the charging shaft with a new one.
Poorly printed, thin vertical lines on the printout are a clear sign that a small layer of toner has formed on the metering blade, preventing it from working. In this case, the blade must be replaced, however, if it is not possible to replace it, then you can try to clear the coating manually.
When replacing certain cartridge parts, it is very important to use original spare parts. They cost, in most cases, more expensive than the “left” analogs, but only they are ideally tuned to work with each specific model, while cheap analogs can lead to an increase in the wear rate of other parts, which will negatively affect the further operation of the device.
Printer problems
If none of the above helped restore the device to normal operation, then the problem is probably in itself. In order to make sure that the problem is in the printer, experienced users use the so-called “stop test”. There are two ways to organize such a test:
- Start printing by opening the covers
- Disconnect the device from power when the paper is under the drum, but does not get into the fuser unit.
Next, you should look at a blank sheet, and if its cleanliness remains the same, then the “blots” on all prints fall precisely in the fusing unit. The main reasons why the printer begins to smear on paper, experts include the following:
- Poor thermal film condition
- Peeling off the “shirt” of the rubber shaft
- Incorrect settings
- Electronics Issues
Unlike problems with poor-quality toner, the above-mentioned malfunctions sometimes entail, in addition to poor-quality printing, an increased consumption of toner, so experts strongly recommend not delaying their correction.
How to fix problems?
On the surface of a working thermal film no visual defects like burnt toner or traces of mechanical damage should be observed. If a small deposit is present, then you can clean it manually.
Important! Insufficient heating of the thermal film may also affect print quality. Occur
This can be due to malfunctions in the sensor, which is responsible for the temperature regime when printing.
On such sensors, in many devices over time deposits form, which must be periodically cleaned.
As for the problems with the “shirt” of rubber rollers, in order to find out its presence or absence for sure, you will have to disassemble almost half of the device. Exfoliated worn rollers must be replaced.
Often the reason for poor-quality and dirty printing lies not at all inside the mechanical parts of the device, but in the wrong settings that the user set himself. In this case, the paper thickness parameters set by the device can become a classic example. If the paper in the tray is thin and the device is configured to work with a thick medium, this can often result in excess toner consumption and an unpleasant dirty background on printed materials.
If we talk about problems with electronics, then in most cases it is practically impossible to deal with them on our own, and in this case it is better to contact specialists from service centers, or give the device for repair under warranty, if any.
Summarizing all of the above, it is worth noting that in order for the printer not to stain paper, it is worth:
- Set the device to the optimal settings for the current media
- Observe the basic operating instructions indicated by the manufacturer
- Timely and regularly carry out preventive repair work
- When replacing cartridges yourself, proceed carefully and use only high-quality materials.
Subject to these simple rules, the printer will last a long time and will not scuff paper when printing.
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