Basic Troubleshooting Laser Printers

Laser printers are a complex combination of mechanical, electrical, and chemical components. Without the proper care and operation, a laser printer’s inner workings can suffer and cause printer malfunctions or poor print quality. But you can apply logical troubleshooting to identify many laser printer issues and perform the appropriate laser printer maintenance or software adjustment to resolve many printing problems. The following problems and solutions assume that your printer is responsive (see “What To Do When . . . Your Printer Won’t Print”) and concentrate on correcting the most common laser printer annoyances. Although your first instinct may be to rip open the printer and look for the “smoking gun,” the printer’s outputted pages provide the most solid trail of evidence. If your pages are flawed by smears, smudges, or lines, the problem is most likely within the printer because it’s doubtful a print setting could cause such defects. Laser printer components tend to degrade over a long period of time, so sudden changes in printer performance are more often the result of an improper print configuration in your application or printer settings. For example, if you have trouble printing from Microsoft Word but not from Internet Explorer or Microsoft Excel, a print setting in Word is causing the problem. If you’re unsure what your print problem is, first check your application settings or printer properties for faulty print configurations. A quick inspection of these settings can save you from wasting time and frustration pursuing other solutions.

Wheels Within Wheels To transfer a digital image to paper, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process that requires the near-instantaneous interaction of all its components. The printer shoots a laser beam onto an OPC (optical photoconductor) drum, and the drum’s electrostatic charge attracts a black or colored powder called toner. The toner is then applied to the paper and passed through a fuser that bonds the toner to the paper through heat and pressure. For the process to work perfectly, the toner cartridge, drum, fuser, and paper in the laser printer must meet product specifications. When purchasing any replacement parts, make certain the product is compatible with your laser printer’s model. If you don’t know your model or manufacturer, it’s displayed on the laser printer’s case, many times near the control panel or in the upper-left or right-hand side. To ensure quality, purchase replacement products from the manufacturer because their parts are optimally designed to work with their laser printers. Before opening your laser printer’s case, unplug the printer to prevent electrical shock from the printer’s internal components. If you recently used the laser printer, let it cool down for a few minutes so that the fuser mechanism and photoconductor drum don’t burn your fingers. Don’t touch the OPC drum or the oil on your skin may stick to its surface, get baked onto the roller, and cause smudges on all your future prints. If toner gets on your clothes, wipe it off with a dry cloth and wash your clothes in cold water because hot water will set the toner into the fabric. Laser Printer Paper Problems

Problem: My laser printer reports it has a paper jam, how do I remove it?
Solution: Open the front panel of the printer. Your printer’s users guide, user CD with flash animation, or an illustration on the printer can show you how to do so. Remove the toner cartridge from the printer and hold it horizontal to the floor to keep the toner from spilling. Place it on a disposable sheet of paper to confine any loose toner. Once you find the paper jam, gradually pull the paper out so that you don’t tear the jammed page. If the page can’t be moved, look for illustrations next to the rollers that indicate how to manually advance the paper. Should the paper rip, remove all the torn pieces, or they may jam the printer again.

Problem: The paper is stuck at the rear of the laser printer.

Solution: A paper jam stuck in the printer’s fuser mechanism is often unreachable from the front panel. For this reason, many laser printers include a removable rear panel. You may need to remove a few screws from the panel and the fuser assembly to reach the paper jam. Once the back cover is areas or blank spots.

Solution: The paper manufacturing process can sometimes cause paper to reject toner. Try a different type or brand of paper in the printer. If your paper is stored in a humid environment such as a basement or storage room, check the paper for moist spots on its surface. The paper may not feel damp, but its moisture content may affect how the toner fuses to the paper. Set the PERIPHERALS Laser Printers open, gradually extract the paper from the fuser assembly and pick up any torn pieces inside the printer.

Problem: The laser printer often feeds multiple pages into the printer.

Solution: Laser printer paper comes in many weights (the heavier the weight, the sturdier the paper) and finishes. Generally, laser printers work with a variety of paper types, but check your product specifications to make certain the paper currently in the tray is compatible with your printer. The main paper tray of most laser printers supports paper weights from 20 to 24 pounds, and the manual feed tray is designed to work better with heavier or specialty paper such as transparencies, stationery, and envelopes. Check that the paper isn’t warped or stuck together because this can cause the feeder to grasp multiple pages. Pick up the stack of paper and separate any pieces that may be stuck together by fanning the stack with your thumb. Remove any warped or bent pages and straighten a wavy stack of paper by bending it in the opposite direction. After you insert the paper, slide the back guide and side guides until they fit tightly against the stack of paper but not so firm that they cause the paper to bow. Avoid mixing different paper types in the same tray because their different textures and weights can make it difficult for the printer to grab a single sheet.

Problem: The printer won’t use its manual feed tray.

Solution: Laser printers typically automatically sense paper in the manual feed tray through a trigger switch next to manual tray’s entrance. If the paper or media isn’t firmly inserted into the tray, you may need to set the side guides or insert the paper farther into the tray to activate the trigger switch. If the printer still uses the main tray, change your printer’s properties to always grab media from the manual feed tray. Click Start, Printers And Faxes, and then right-click your printer and choose Properties. Click the Device Settings tab and in the Paper Source drop-down menu choose Manual Feed. Once you finish printing from the manual tray, change the Paper Source back to Main Tray, or it will continue to grab media from the manual tray.

Problem: My laser printer won’t feed transparency sheets, or the transparencies are coming out melted or warped.

Solution: Before you print a transparency, remove the white piece of gripper edge tape because the printer may have trouble grabbing or moving the polished edge through its paper path. Typically, transparencies feed better through the manual tray because it’s designed to handle specialty media. Transparencies have a rough and smooth side, and you should print on the rough, grainy side of the sheet. If your transparencies come out of the laser printer slightly melted or warped, you need to purchase laser printer compatible sheets because unsuitable transparencies may melt and injure your printer’s internal components.

Problem: I’m having trouble feeding envelopes in the laser printer and getting the text to appear in the correct location.

Solution: Each laser printer handles envelopes in a different fashion, and you should follow the laser printer’s guidelines exactly. Typically, the manual feed tray’s paper path is better at handling thicker and smaller media, so it’d be best to insert your envelopes in the manual tray. Any envelopes you use should fall within the type and thickness recommended in your laser printer’s manual and meet general laser printer standards. The heat and pressure applied to the glue during the fusing process could seal unsuitable envelopes. When you insert an envelope, adjust the paper guides so that they will pull the envelope straight through the printer. Remember to reconfigure your printer’s software for the proper envelope size. Once you set the correct media size, use the print preview function to make certain the text is correctly formatted. The Print Quality Is Poor.

Problem: My laser printer prints out pages with randomly faded-out areas or blank spots.

Solution: The paper manufacturing process can sometimes cause paper to reject toner. Try a different type or brand of paper in the printer. If your paper is stored in a humid environment such as a basement or storage room, check the paper for moist spots on its surface. The paper may not feel damp, but its moisture content may affect how the toner fuses to the paper. Set the paper in a dry room or storage container for a week or two before reinserting it in the printer. The toner cartridge may also be running out of toner. Remove the cartridge and shake it horizontally to redistribute the remaining toner. If the blank spots still crop up, it’s time for a new toner cartridge.

Problem: Blank spots or faded-out areas appear in the same spot on every page.

Solution: The photoconductor drum underneath or inside your toner cartridge needs to be cleaned, or it has been damaged. Although the drum may not appear dirty, it could have residual electrical charges that impede the laser printer from applying new charges. Depending on your printer, its software may include an internal cleaning utility that can wipe the OPC drum of both residual toner and electric charges. Various programs label their utilities differently, but your users manual will indicate which program to use and provide step-by-step instructions. You could also purchase laser printer cleaning sheets that feed through the printer to remove toner particles from the internal rollers and drums. If cleaning the print drum doesn’t fix your problem, you may need to purchase a new toner cartridge or OPC drum.

Problem: The entire page prints out black.

Solution: If your printer has a Print Density setting, verify that it has not been turned to the darkest level. If the Print Density is set correctly, your toner cartridge may be damaged or incorrectly installed, causing it to release too much toner. Remove the toner cartridge and make certain it fits within your laser printer’s product specifications. Although a little loose toner is normal, excessive amounts within your printer not only cause bad prints, but will eventually cause the failure of your printer’s mechanical parts. Wipe the internal printer cavity with a dry, lint free cloth and use a brush to clean toner particles off the components. If the toner cartridge needs to be cleaned, follow the manufacturer’s directions in your users manual to both clean and correctly install it.

Problem: The printer only outputs blank pages.

Solution: If the toner cartridge is new, make certain you removed the sealing tape covering the toner cartridge’s opening. If you noticed the laser printer outputting lighter and lighter pages, the toner cartridge may be running out of toner.

Problem: The printer occasionally prints completely blank pages.
Solution: Your laser printer may be configured to separate different print jobs by attaching a blank page after each individual document or image. Click Start, Settings, and Printers And Faxes. Double-click your printer, select the Printer menu, and click Properties. Click the Separator Page button, remove the separator page file, and click OK. If no separator page is selected, you may have extra spaces or blank lines attached to the end of your documents.

Problem: The same object or letter repeats down the length of the page at even intervals.

Solution: This effect is called ghosting, and it usually occurs with images that require a large amount of toner. When the toner cartridge can’t provide sufficient toner, a residual electrical charge can be left on the drum that will repeat down the length of the page. To resolve ghosting, try printing in Landscape mode because the different perspective may distribute the toner better. Click the Start menu, select Settings, and then click Printers And Faxes. Double-click your printer and select Properties. In the laser printer’s Preferences, change its Orientation radio button from Portrait to Landscape. If that doesn’t do the trick, lower the Print Density setting through your printer’s control panel. You could also try inserting a high-quality paper that will better adhere with the toner. In most cases, this condition only affects certain images because their detail requires a sizeable amount of toner.

Problem: My photo prints tend to look mediocre.

Solution: Although standard office paper works great with text, photos have greater detail and look dreadful on anything less than photo-quality laser printer paper. If your photos still look bad using photo-quality paper, make certain the printer is configured to output on photo-quality, glossy, or thick paper. Besides setting the paper quality, make certain your printer is set to output on the highest resolution possible. Each printer’s software is different, but typically you can choose the paper quality and print quality in the printer’s preferences.

Problem: Some images in photo prints are wavy or seem twisted.

Solution: Typically, this happens with photo paper or glossy paper that isn’t intended for use with laser printers. Make certain the paper fits within the printer’s specifications or try using another kind of paper. If the laser printer is outputting a scanned image, the paper on the scanner may have moved during the scanning process.

Problem: There are black horizontal or vertical lines on every page.

Solution: Other than smoke billowing from the printer, consistent black horizontal or vertical lines are the worst problem a laser printer can display. In most cases, the black lines mean the printer’s OPC drum has a scratch that has accumulated baked on toner. Even if you clean off the toner, new toner will collect each time you print a page and result in the same horizontal or vertical line. Because the drum is a cylinder, the lines will appear at equal distances down the page. However, a dirty corona wire can also cause distinct lines and fuzzy areas along the length of the page. Your users manual will indicate the correct way to access the wire, and you can clean the particles off it by running a brush or cotton swab along the wire. Check the printer’s preferences and verify the line isn’t caused by any watermarks or hidden lines in your application. If the line persists and the laser printer is older, consider purchasing a new one because a new toner cartridge or print drum can be almost as expensive as a brand new laser printer.

Problem: The page is full of garbled text or is missing portions of text.

Solution: The cable that connects your laser printer to the computer may be too long or has become damaged. Your printer’s specifications usually list a recommended length; parallel cables generally need to be less than 6 feet, and USB cables should be less than 10 feet long. If you connect the laser printer to a USB hub, your printer may be sharing the same port with another device that’s causing interference. Directly connect the printer to the computer’s USB port. If the printer still outputs rubbish, download and install an updated driver for your printer from the manufacturer’s Web site. The Next Step If your problem isn’t covered in this article, consider searching your manufacturer’s Web site for some model-specific troubleshooting. If the manufacturer doesn’t offer many online solutions, try running the software CD that came with your printer. Many newer laser printers include a CD with troubleshooting advice and flash animations to help you perform basic maintenance. If you’re still unable to fix the problem, call the manufacturer’s tech support for further advice.