A Drum Unit is generally a cylindrical shaped roller inside of a Laser printer that rotates with a “negative or positive” charge. The Laser in the printer essentially draws the letters to be printed onto the Drum roller as an electrostatic image. Once the image has been imprinted onto the Drum with this static charge, the Drum unit is coated with a fine black powder called “toner”. With this imprinted pattern now affixed to the drum roller, the Drum roller can know adhere this powder onto a sheet of paper. Finally the printer passes the paper through a high temperature set of rollers knows as a “fuser”. The fuser fuses the toner to the paper fibers using heat. Once your page is printed the Drum rollers passes through a discharge lamp which erases the electrostatic image from the photo receptive surface of the Drum… allowing the process to start all over again.
Archive for the 'Troubleshooting' Category
How does a Laser Printer work?
Published December 7, 2009 Troubleshooting Leave a CommentTags: drum unit, fuser, how does a laser printer work, laser printer, toner hopper
Horizontal/Vertical white lines appear in printout – printout is faint & blurry
Published November 20, 2009 Troubleshooting Leave a CommentTags: blurry printout, horizontal lines when printing
In this case the cartridge nozzles may be slightly clogged. Run the print head cleaning utility 3-4 times before printing again. If after running the utility the situation is unchanged, the cartridge is most likely defective. Please contact us for a replacement cartridge.
Printer says new ink cartridge is “empty”
Published November 20, 2009 Troubleshooting 2 CommentsTags: empty ink cartridge, new ink cartridge empty
It is virtually impossible for you to receive an empty cartridge!!
It is possible however that your cartridge is not properly seated – “Drop” the cartridge into the holder and slightly wiggle the cartridge back and forth to ensure correct seating. Then lock the cartridge in place in its print tray.
Please understand that your printer does not “READ” the ink level from the cartridge itself. The printer software measures the level of ink by remembering the number of pages that have been printed since the last cartridge was installed. The printer then ESTIMATES how much ink is left and when the cartridge should be replaced. If you change the cartridge without letting the printer driver reset it will still think you are using the old cartridge. Install the cartridge again using the “install new cartridge” option. This will tell your printer software that you have installed a new cartridge and force it to reset the internal page counter.
Does the printer itself say it’s out of ink (blinking light), or does a printer related message box come up on your monitor saying it’s empty?
If a light on your printer is blinking (saying ‘out of ink’), make sure the contact points on the cartridge are clean.
If it’s a printer control program or message box that’s telling you it’s out, the issue is probably that the printer control software hasn’t been reset or told a new cartridge was installed.
My printer does not recognize the cartridge
Published November 20, 2009 Troubleshooting Leave a CommentTags: ink cartridge not recognized, ink cartridge problems, inkjet
- Cartridges with a print head (All HP, Lexmark, some Canon)
This is caused by weak contact with the printer, or dirty contact points on the cartridge or printer. Clean the print head and the printer with a lint-free cloth or paper towel dipped in alcohol, distilled water or a non-greasy cleanser. Clean in a circular motion.
Try reinstalling the cartridge. “Drop” the cartridge into the holder and slightly wiggle the cartridge a few times to ensure correct seating. Then lock the cartridge in place.
- Cartridges without a print head (Epson, most Canon, Brother, Xerox)
This is most common when using remanufactured Epson ink cartridges with a chip in the front of the cartridge. The reason is that the chip is not properly connecting with the printer. Try pushing it firmly down and make sure it is properly seated. If this does not solve the problem, turn the printer off, remove the cartridge and reinstall, making sure it’s correctly seated. Turn the printer back on and see if the cartridge is recognized. If not repeat this process until it is.
My Ink Cartridge is not printing
Published November 20, 2009 Troubleshooting Leave a CommentTags: cartridge not printing, ink cartridge not printing, ink jet problems, inkjet troubleshooting
You should run the print head cleaning utility after installing a new cartridge. This keeps the nozzles clean and ensures optimal print quality. Please refer to your printer manual for instructions.
Make sure to remove all adhesives and tapes to expose the air holes on the cartridge (if applicable).
Do not leave empty cartridges in your printer or your print head may become clogged. Perform a cleaning cycle through your printer utilities option (on your computer) and follow the instructions to print a test page. If you are not sure how to do this please reference your printers’ owner manual or refer to the manufacturer’s web site for further instruction.
As a last resort, replace the cartridge with a new one. If the problem persists then most likely your print head is clogged. The only way to clear this clog is to keep performing cleaning cycles.
Handle your cartridges with care: DO NOT squeeze or apply pressure to the cartridge when removing the tape or plastic cover. This may cause the cartridge to leak.
If the cartridge contains a chip, remove the cover carefully without touching the chip. Touching the chip may cause the cartridge to fail.
Leaking Ink Cartridge?
Published November 20, 2009 Troubleshooting Leave a CommentTags: damaged printer, leaking cartridge, leaking ink cartridge, leaking inkjet
99% of inkjet cartridges are foam based cartridges and do not leak in to the printer. It is physically impossible for a foam based cartridge to leak as the foam holds the ink and requires the printer to “pull” the ink out.
The ink that you notice in your printer is caused from frequent turning on/off of your printer, cartridge replacement, alignment & automatic cleaning cycles. The cleaning cycles draw ink out of the cartridge to clean the print-head. Overtime, the reservoir (area under the printer which is covered by thick cardboard or foam) gets filled with this ink and needs to be cleaned or the printer will need to be replaced. This happens especially if the printer is turned on and off every day or is a high usage printer. Some Canon printers will literally shut down if this tray gets full.
For more troubleshooting tips, please visit: http://www.inkgrabber.com/trouble.jsp
