Patchy Printing

[Rex]

Hi there,

I have an HP 4050; recently, am getting some strange printing blemishes.

I have two cartridges, the older was replaced by the newer because the older one was giving a very pale gray band down the left side of the page and an overall 'dull' appearance, caused by a very fine layer of fused toner over the whole page.

So I bought a new cartridge. The new one is still going well, but it now is giving a a series of regular marks down the right side of the page.

Have had a good look, and toner is being transfered to the roller, but from where?

Are these kind of problems symptomatic of a dying cartridge? Or is there something I can do to correct the problem?

Perhaps a genuine HP replacement would improve things but they are just too expensive.

Thanks for your advice,

Rex

[redcow]

Try a cleaning page.
You have nothing to lose.

Do a paper path test 10 sheets and open the cover while printing. If the sheet under the toner is dirty, return the cartridge, it's bad.

[Rex]

Redcow,

Thanks for your reply.

Have done a cleaning page a number of times, but it is not actually 'cleaning' the roller.

What exactly is "Do a paper path test 10 sheets and open the cover while printing." I have opened the cover while printing and the problems marks are on the drum. But neither drums are new; one has printer a few thousand pages, the other is flashing 'toner low'.

The cartridge with the right side markings; the roller is actually clean after the paper has gone through. The other cartridge is 'dirty' all the time.

Have also cleaned the laser / reflector / mirror unit, but that made no difference.

The problems I am describing, are they related to old cartridges?

Rex

[redcow]

yes, get a good cartridge

[Rex]

Obviously, HP cartridges are the best and one pays the price, but are compatibles considered OK or not.

I know this is a 'how long is a bit of string' kind of question, but is there any rule of thumb?

Rex

[MichaelTech]

Rex, ALL toners, inks are affected by a "shelf life", as well as posibility of the chip being corrupted, and/or expired.
Always look for the dates! Also, handling of the product before you even get it is questionable. If it has been dropped a few times, the cartridge can crack on a seam, and leak.

[MichaelTech]

Rex, ALL toners, inks are affected by a "shelf life", as well as posibility of the chip being corrupted, and/or expired.
Always look for the dates! Also, handling of the product before you even get it is questionable. If it has been dropped a few times, the cartridge can crack on a seam, and leak.
So, either your two toners are shot, or there might be a lot of toner build-up on the contacts inside of the printer. It is possible that the fuser is causing the marks. Pull it out and look at the film, and rubber pressure roller for blems.

[Rex]

Micheal,

Thanks for your replies.

There is no build-up of toner inside the printer; I keep it pretty clean.

There is a chance the products were 'questionable' but they have been doing a good job for some time so my guess is 'old age.' Definitely something happening to the toner cartridge that is causing the problems.

Is the 'fuser', the big pale green roller? If so, can't see any problems with it. Definitely, one of the cartridges print defects looks like it comes from the rubber pressure roller.

However, problem is sort of solved in that I have taken delivery of a replacement and for the time being, that is doing a good, clean job.

Rex

[ooojaya]

The fuser is where the paper comes out at from the back of the printer, it is hot. The green roller is part of the cartridge. If the mark or smudge is on the green roller, that is where the problem is. The guy was telling you that if u open the printer cover while it is printing, and the paper is under the toner cartridge, and you look at it and it is marked or smudged there, then you know the problem is way before the paper gets to the fuser. Sounds like u have bad cartridges. I know companies that 'save' money by buying refilled toner cartridges and they end up spending more in repairs by calling my company to fix their problems cause of leaky toner cartridges. Sometimes u get lucky for a while with no problems, but you are better off buying original HP toner cartridges in my humble opinion.

[Rex]

The toner that is being transferred to the page is definitely on the green roller, so I guess the problem is worn-out, cheapo replacement cartridge.

When the current one goes the same way, which I guess it will, then I will bit the bullet and get a genuine HP cartridge.

Rex