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General Troubleshooting Tips—Toner

General Troubleshooting - The best way to determine whether a problem is with a toner cartridge or the laser printer is to replace the toner cartridge. You may either switch toners with another machine in your office that uses the same toner or put in your back-up toner. If switching the cartridge corrects the problem or if the problem follows the cartridge to the other machine, then the toner cartridge was most likely the problem.

InkCycle, Inc. stands behind all of its products. If you have an image defect, please place a sample of the print problem in the box when returning the defective cartridge. If the problem is not an image defect (such as a squeak) please note the problem on a sheet of paper and place in the box for return to InkCycle.

Page Count and Toner Usage - Many things affect page count of toner cartridges. The more toner printed on the page (% page coverage), the density setting of the machine and the number of pages printed cause the greatest variance. Studies of original equipment manufactures (OEM) toner using the same machine, same density setting and same page coverage have shown variances of up to 30% in page yield.

All products produced at InkCycle have been thoroughly tested for performance including page count, density (darkness of print), gray scale and performance at low humidity. Page count studies are run at 5% page coverage in the same machine on the same density setting. We then run the same test on the OEM toner. All InkCycle products have similar amounts of toner and page counts to their OEM counter parts. Many times, when we've had page count complaints, we've had the customer run a "new" toner. They always come back to InkCycle toner. It's like the saying, "Don't step over dollars to pick-up pennies".

Tip – Set your machine to lower density setting for increased page yield. You can get 20% more pages and still have good print.

Never Shake a Toner Cartridge! - Many people shake toner cartridges when they get the LOW TONER message. Some also shake the toner out of frustration when they're having a print image problem. To extend the toner's life after the LOW TONER message appears, simply rock the toner gently at a 40 degree angle, pat it gently on top and replace in the machine. Shaking rarely fixes image problems and more likely will cause toner to spill.

Light Print - We've been on many light print calls on newer model laser printers where the printer has been inadvertently switched to econo-mode. Make sure you check the print quality setting, the density setting and the retention setting of your machine (see your printer manual for how to check these). Switching the toner with another machine - if you have two printers that use the same toner - or putting in a back-up toner, will help isolate whether the toner is causing the problem or the machine.

Tip - Cleaning your corona wire, scanner lens, or beam-to-drum mirror will eliminate many light print problems.

Low Toner Message – Make sure the seal was removed. We receive many calls where the customer has forgotten this simple step. We have received cartridges back as defective when the seal had not been removed. Has an empty toner been put into the machine? Was the bag and box sealed when you opened it? Empty toner cartridges have a typical pattern of fading print in the middle of the page. Remember: never shake a toner cartridge. (See above.) If the problem continues after replacing the toner, the problem might be the printer. The high voltage power supply is the most likely culprit.

Tip – If your machine shuts down upon "Low Toner", and you need to get a job out, set the machine to Low Toner Continue through the control panel on the printer. You will usually find it under the configuration menu.

No Toner Cartridge or Cover Open - This can be caused by bent or broken tabs or drum shutter mechanisms on the toner cartridge. On IBM 4019/4039/4049 straighten the plastic tab on top on the toner. On the Canon NX engine (91A) the plastic button may have come off. It can be replaced from an empty toner. On the Canon SX engine (95A), if replacing the cartridge does not correct the problem, the most likely cause is the switch on the high voltage power supply.

Image defects – The most likely cause of image defects other than the toner is the fuser. Many laser printers have amaintenance kit, which includes the fuser, transfer roller and paper pick-ups. These are replaced on a regular page count schedule when the printer displays "User Maintenance". Laser printers that do not have regularly scheduled maintenance kits only have the fuser replaced when an image problem occurs.

Paper Jams – The leading edge of the paper on a jam usually indicates where the problem is occurring. If the printer is not even starting to pickup paper, wiping the paper pick-up with a damp rag will sometime get you up and printing. If it stops at the fuser the printer normally needs a fuser. It is easy to determine if the toner is the problem by switching toners. With the new higher page per minute printers there are multiple sheets in the machine at the same time making diagnosing paper jams more difficult. To help the technician, especially on intermittent jams, note the paper tray and stock being used when the jams occur.

Running Envelopes and Labels - The best advice is to read your printer's user manual. Most printers have a preferred paper tray, usually the MP or bypass tray. The exit also can be selected on some printer models. With these stocks the straightest path is normally the best. Make sure that the stock meets the paper specifications of the printer. If you are experiencing graying on envelopes, try adjusting the printer density and retention settings. If envelopes are curling on some models (HP5Si, HP8000, HP8100, and HP4000), the fuser has an envelope setting which can fix the problem. If the envelope is sealing shut you have a humidity problem.

When printing labels, it is highly recommended that you do not run the label stock through the printer multiple times. It is best to print a whole sheet of labels at a time. Do not use label stock that has been bent or folded. Label adhesive on the fuser and toner drum cause many print quality issues. Labels or label adhesive stuck to the toner drum is often mistaken for a defective toner. Remember to use the straightest paper path through the printer when printing labels.

Paper Stock and Enviromental Specifications - Printers do not function well in dirty or dusty environments. Running paper stock that does not meet the printer specifications can cause excessive wear to paper pick-ups, fusers and the drum in the toner cartridge. Even if the printer printed the stock fine when it was new, as fusers and other parts wear, problems can arise. Letterhead with high cotton rag content will cause lines down the page when the cotton fibers build up on the wiper blade. Most printer manufacturers have recommended temperature and humidity ranges, so please read the user manual. Place printers where air can circulate around the printer. If the cooling fans are blocked the printer will overheat. Static can transfer from office cubical dividers to the printers. Any of these situations can cause print image problems and printer component failure.