The laser printer is preferred over an ink jet printer in an office environment as it’s is much more cost effective to operate. The cost per print and the maintenance is something that pushes many businesses to spend the extra money in buy a laser printer. However once this printer isn’t working, it becomes a $700 dollar paper weight. So here are some basics about the operation of a laser printer; these will help you with general diagnostics you can perform yourself. Many people have heard about the coming of the paperless office for years. The reality is that almost all offices still needs paper copies of many documents. Because of this, you should take advantage of the insights and tips in this article, because they probably won't be fazed out any time soon
Regular cleaning can go a long way towards keeping a laser printer running smoothly and reduce paper jams. The interior can be vacuumed or sprayed with compressed air. If you are going to use compressed air, make sure to remove the fuser assembly to allow a path for dirt and debris to leave the printer. The interior then can be wiped free of excess dust using a link free rag. If you have never done this type of maintenance you may want to thin about doing it soon. You may also want to purchase a maintenance kit for your printer.
However the most common problem is the paper jam. Most paper jams occur because of a paper path blockage or a worn out roller. Another problem that occurs is that some times the paper will be installed incorrectly into the tray.. If the paper jam is at the paper tray, inspect the pick up roller and also check to see if there are any small pieces of paper that may be in that area from a previous paper jam. A worn or damaged pickup roller will not grab the paper correctly; usually this will result in the paper not being fed into the printer adequately.
If you see that the paper has made it inside of the printer via the roller, but it has stopped there, most likely there is an obstruction. Be sure to look for small pieces of paper or dirt here. If you find some clean with a small brush or compressed air. Also, it’s a good idea to look at the internal rollers for wear. To dig deeper, remove the top cover, the fuser and the laser cartridge. Once these things are out of the way many times there will be evidence of the obstruction. If you see that the paper is jamming at the fuser then you should look at the fuser rollers for problems. If the paper jams at the fuser, suspect a blockage in one of the fuser’s rollers. Remove the fuser and check for paper debris and worn gears.
If you encounter any deterioration in the quality of the image, the first thing to check is the toner cartridge. The most common problem you will find is lines or scratches around the cartridge. These lines will transfer to the image. If you are noticing repeated flaws in print quality and you find that there are lines or marks on the toner cartridge then the scratched toner cartridge should be replaced. Toner cartridges can vary in their price greatly; however by looking online you can find great discount prices. One site I recommend is InkMart.com .If you replace the cartridge and you still see the lines, then almost certainly you have a defective drum, and it will need to be changed also. Replace the toner cartridge if the drum appears damaged or if you suspect the drum to be the cause of the image problem. If you replace the toner cartridge and the lines remain, then there's a good chance that the problem is with the drum. These are the basics of troubleshooting a laser printer, in most cases when you have a problem these tips will enable you to resolve your issue and save you from calling the repairman. Good luck!
Copyright 2010 by Joyce Calloway for InkMart.com
