How Do You Fix A Printer Toner?

Many offices favor laser printers because of their ability to produce a high volume of print work quickly and at a low cost. Some consumers also choose laser printers to be used at home for the same reasons. Whether you’re using a laser printer at home to print party invitations and school reports, or you’re cranking out hundreds or even thousands of pages at a time in the office, it helps you know a little more about the device you ‘re using in case any problems arise. We have narrowed down seven of the most common problems that consumers encounter in their day-to-day use of laser printers. Read on to learn how to solve your current laser printer predicaments and prevent future problems.

Low Toner Error

Cause: You may have just replaced your toner to find the “low toner error” on your computer. The printer error messages are sometimes unreliable. Unless your toner cartridge is broken or damaged, all you need to do is reset your printer.

Cure: Use a hard reset. Hard resets are usually easy to follow. Find the reset instructions for the particular printer model on the manufacturer’s website. Some printers even come with video guides, and you can also get help from your manufacturer’s product support.

Blotchy, Streaked or Faded Printouts

Your printer works but produces blotchy, streaked or faded printouts. This problem is common. Have you used the correct paper, and verified that your printer’s components function well? Then check your toner.

Cause: If you seldom print documents, your toner might have settled and would need to be “awakened.”

Cure: Remove your toner and gently rock it from side to side — DON’T shake the toner. Make sure you don’t touch the toner roll as it may leave fingerprints.

Spots Spaced at Regular Intervals

Cause: By observing the pattern of the spots, you can determine the cause of the spots on the printed page. Toner’s deposits on the fuser would leave the spots at regular, close intervals.

Cure: Turn off your printer for a minimum of 15 minutes for the fuser to cool down. Make sure the fuser is completely cool to avoid burning. Check the toner deposits on the fuser cleaning pad and, if necessary, replace the cleaning pad. If the spots persist, seek professional assistance.

Gray Background or Print

Your printer’s photoreceptor or print density setting is usually responsible for gray text printouts — instead of black. If your laser printer has print density control, then it allows you to manipulate the tones of your printed ink. You can decrease or increase your print density for a lighter or darker hue.

Cause: If the print density of your printer is not the cause of your gray text, it is the photoreceptor. Your photoreceptor wears out over time and reduces the charge it holds, thereby transferring less toner from the developer of the printer to your page.

Cure: Increase the print density setting to make your prints black again. However, your photoreceptor would need to be replaced over time. On the other hand, the excess toner of a high print density setting would give a gray background. Find the best setting by slowly adjusting your print density settings.

Black and White Image with Color or Color Traces

You may have noticed that having all your colors turned on despite printing black and white papers gives a richer look. The better look of your document results from better gradations and a smoother color tone that is only possible if all your colors are turned on. By contrast, using black ink alone — for printing black and white images — produces poor printing.

Cause: If you find color traces or colors on your black and white images, you have a color leak. Your toner may need to be replaced.

Cure: Remove the leaking ink and clean the printer, then replace the bad ink or toner with a new one.

Half-page Printouts

Your printer rolls out half a page of content and leaves half a page blank — a number of things could make this happen. Yes, your toner may be responsible for half-page printing, but you want to do a few checks before you finish.

Cause: Half-page printouts may be the result of some errors. To find out what’s going on, follow these steps in the ‘Cure’ section below.

Cure: Diagnosis of errors following these steps.

• Unplug your printer.
• Turn off your computer.
• Restart both devices.
• Run a page to test if the printer is back to normal.

If this test page is not working well, you should notice some error lights on the printer. Search Google for the meaning of the error lights and take it from there. Toner or drum unit problems would be associated with error messages. Usually, error messages would explain the problem, if not, a quick online search should lead you in the right direction.