During the use of laser printers to output various documents, their owners often experience problems associated with deterioration in print quality. In particular, the resulting document may have horizontal or vertical stripes of varying lengths.
There may be several reasons for this, namely: running out of toner in the cartridge, problems with the laser, damaged photoconductor or magnetic shaft, broken contact between them, leakage of the cartridge, overfilled waste, damage or failure of the charge roller.
Also, the appearance of horizontal and vertical stripes when printing on a laser printer is possible due to a fall or malfunction of the cartridge, or improper refilling. Poor toner quality should not be ruled out.
White stripes on document
If white streaks appear when printing with a laser printer, the toner cartridge is most likely out of toner or there is a problemin the laser. The end of the paint is indicated by a wide white strip along the entire length of the page, which will increase with each subsequent attempt to output a sheet of paper. It is worth noting that if the toner cartridge runs out, do not remove it and shake it, as these actions will not affect the print quality in any way, and the photoconductor may be seriously damaged or even fail. The solution to the problem is to refill the cartridge.
If there is toner, but the streaks remain, then most likely there is a problem in the laser. It doesn't have to be something serious. It is possible that dust, small insects or paint particles have got on the optics. To prevent this, you need to keep the printer clean and, if necessary, wipe the laser mirror with a lint-free cloth.
Photoconductor wear
The photoconductor, in other words, the photoreceptor, is the main component of the cartridge. It is an aluminum shaft coated with a coating that is susceptible to optical radiation. Over time, the coating wears out, which causes streaks when printing on a laser printer.
The first sign of damage to the drum unit will be gray-black wavy streaks on one of the edges of the printed document. The problem is solved by replacing the photoconductor. Also, stripes may appear due to dried lubricant on the photoreceptor. Such a malfunction is quite common, especially if the device has not been used for a long time. It is solved much easier: just run the printer cleaning program from its settings menu oncomputer.
Faulty magnetic shaft
In the design of a laser printer, the magnetic shaft is designed to transfer ink from the hopper to the drum unit. The absence or presence of defects, such as stripes, when printing on a laser printer directly depends on how evenly the toner is supplied to the photoreceptor. A noticeably darkened gray background or small dark stripes indicate, first of all, a deterioration in the properties of the magnetic roller. You can fix the problem by replacing the failed shaft.
Problems with doctor blade
One of the elements of the cartridge is a doctor blade. It controls the amount of toner that enters the magnetic roller during printing. Poor quality paper used for the printer can be one of the reasons for such a breakdown. Fine paper lint will accumulate on the blade and the roller will not be able to pick up enough toner where it accumulates. As a result, the printed document will have a white line running the length of the page.
To restore print quality, make sure the doctor blade is properly installed. If blockages are visible, the blade must be cleaned, and if completely worn, replace it.
Problems with the contact of the photoreceptor and the magnetic shaft
Horizontal black streaks when printing with a laser printer indicate a violation or complete absence of contact between the photoconductor and the magnetic roller. In most cases, this is facilitated by pollution formed oncontacts. To solve this problem, you need to clean the cartridge.
Leakage
If streaks appear in different places throughout the page when printing on a laser printer, the problem is most likely in the cartridge itself. To find out the cause of the malfunction, it is necessary to pull the part out of the printer and carefully examine it. If toner is pouring out of it, you need to make sure that there are seals and that there are no signs of mechanical stress, such as cracks or chips. In case an unrecoverable defect is found, only replacement of the cartridge will help.
Waste Toner Box Overflow
If toner spills out of the cartridge when you remove it, you need to check the waste hopper level. The fact that the hopper is full can also be indicated by vertical black lines when printing various files on a laser printer. They may consist of scattered small stripes and dots and be located along the entire length of the document. Also, these stripes will be located to the right or left of the center of the sheet. This defect can be eliminated by cleaning the waste from the bunker.
Charge roller failure
Problems with the charge roller can be diagnosed if all or part of the document doubles when printing. The charge roller, also known as the corotron, is a metal rod with a rubber sheath. A charge passes through it to the surface of the photoconductor when printing is started and the removal of residual static voltage after. Toincorrect operation of the charging shaft lead to such malfunctions as:
- dirt on the rubber surface of the shaft or wear;
- tears or punctures of the rubber coating;
- electrical breakdown or a change in the parameters of electrostatics.
If there is no visible damage on the rubber coating of the shaft, then to eliminate doubles and stripes when printing on a laser printer, it is worth checking if there is an electrical contact on the shaft itself, and also clean the rubber shell. If these manipulations did not give a positive result or there is mechanical damage in the roller device, it is necessary to replace it.
Conclusion
This article discusses the causes of image blur, vertical and horizontal stripes when printing on a laser printer, as well as methods for restoring its performance. It is worth noting that everything described above is done at your own peril and risk, and if you are not a specialist in this field, it is better to give the printer for repair to qualified craftsmen to fix a printing problem. Sometimes intervention on your own can exacerbate the problem and ultimately lead to an even more expensive device repair.
