Toner Smears and a Contaminated Transfer Belt

It becomes doubly frustrating seeing your HP 2600n color laser printer churn out printouts with a lot of toner smears. But what can be even more disconcerting are smears that stretch over the face of the printed document; as if toner leaked inside the printer. Take note that toner cartridges are designed with a lot of safeguards to prevent leakage and there is just no way for toner to leak inside the laser printer. Unless of course if a corrupted cartridge is loaded or the user simply failed to correctly seal the cartridge when conducting refills using a compatible HP toner refill kit. In instances where toner smears are excessive, the likely cause would be a worn out contaminated image transfer belt (ITB).

The HP 2600n printer uses 4 toner cartridges, 4 OPC drums and 4 laser scanner assemblies in its operation. All toner particles that create the latent image on the OPC drum are designed to cling to the ITB before it comes in contact with paper. Therefore, toner transfers permanently to paper before entering the fuser assembly. And due to the continuous snake-like movement the ITB, it is prone to fail; particularly for the HP 2600n printer that was not designed to handle high volume print jobs. If the printer is new and still under warranty, the user must inquire from the local HP repair personnel for a replacement because a new ITB is really expensive and can be a big drain financially for regular users.

However it the printer is already out of warranty, the user can perform minor troubleshooting work on the ITB to churn out several thousand pages more. For easy access to the ITB, the user should look for the large, black, plastic-looking type of sheet that normally pulls down with the front cover and try cleaning it manually with a soft cloth. If possible, manually rotate the ITB in order to clean the entire surface area (solvents should not be used due to its constituents that could damage the ITB). Thoroughly cleaning the ITB from contaminants will actually do the trick; to therefore allow the printout of more pages. But then again, this is only a temporary solution and is good only for a limited period of time, at best. When smear troubles resurface, it is time to bite the bullet and purchase a replacement ITB.

Remember, smears over the printouts is not due to an empty cartridge or the use of compatible HP toner refill kits but is actually a result of worn out and contaminated image transfer belt.

Repetitive Defect Chart: Dependable Guide to Troubleshooting Print Quality Defects

Print quality defects hardly manifest in the operation of brand new HP LaserJet CP1215 laser printer units. Over time, print defects could no longer be avoided as the printer ages. The reason for this is obvious. As printer components start to wear out on the aging printer, this directly manifests over the output pages. The print engine of the laser printer works mechanically to deliver paper from one component to the next; aided in the process by sensitive sensors which inform the user in the event that one vital part malfunctions and shut-off the printer unit altogether. This is an automatic response system because operating with a damaged component would affect the condition of all the other components and consequently increase printer repair and maintenance costs in the process.

However, the user can easily monitor the condition of pertinent printer components through the print defect that manifest over the printout and institute troubleshooting by simply studying the physical properties (i.e. the defect's ruler measurement) of the defect and identifying the suspect component through the printer's Repetitive Defect Chart thereafter. Any print defect is typically triggered by a damaged printer component; but identifying the source component for the defect without the aid of the Repetitive Defect Chart can be difficult and time consuming. For example, if the Image Transfer Belt (ITB) is damaged, the ensuing print defect manifests at intervals of more than a full page. Thus, replacing the ITB at this point makes more sense in the intent of restoring acceptable print quality. The same also holds true for defects that cover a distance of 75.8 mm over the face of the paper as this print anomaly points out to a defective Organic Photo Conductive (OPC) Drum. In this case, the component has to be cleaned and thoroughly assessed or replaced.

Below is a rundown of different laser printer components and the corresponding print defect that legibly shows on the printout which directly affects the integrity of prints.

· Defective ITB the distance is 633.6 mm and is longer than one full page.

· OPC Drum – 75.8mm

· Transfer Rollers – 57.0 mm

· Fuser Pressure Roller – 56.8 mm

· Fuser Sleeve – 56.5 mm

· Registration Roller – 44.0 mm

· RS Roller (feed roller) – 28.5 mm

· PCR (Primary Charge Roller) – 26.7 mm

· Developer Roller Sleeve – 22.3 mm

The Repetitive Defect Chart clearly identifies problem components that consequently eases out the troubleshooting process to free the laser printer from nagging print defects. It is for a fact that for brand new laser printer units, the only defect that could materialize is one coming from a low toner supply. This can be easily resolved through the purchase of a brand new toner cartridge to replace the exhausted unit. A more cost-effective option is the refill of used toner cartridges with compatible toner supplied with the HP CP1215 toner refill kit which generates big savings in the process.

The monochrome toner cartridge costs $80, while the corresponding refill package retails for only $33.95. Both toner products deliver similar print quality and yields 2200 at 5% page coverage. Package also comes with a cartridge reset chip.