Problem with Lexmark Optra E312 printer

[Adrian Hobbs]

Hi, I have an Optra E312 printer for home use.

Up until the last few months it has behaved
well, economical to run etc. Lately however
it has been sucking in multiple sheets nearly
every time it tries to print a page. Anything
up to around 10 or so sheets.

Above about 6 sheets it jams - from then on it
prints pages that are almost totally black.
This continues for several pages up to maybe
ten pages.

This is wasting time, trees and toner. Has
anybody out there had experience with this
problem? any solutions?

I have cleaned the machine and particularly
the feed roller which seems to still be in good
condition. Lexmark is unable to help.

If unfixable I'll have to replace it.

Adrian

 

[Tony]

Hi, I have an Optra E312 printer for home use.

Up until the last few months it has behaved
well, economical to run etc. Lately however
it has been sucking in multiple sheets nearly
every time it tries to print a page. Anything
up to around 10 or so sheets.

Above about 6 sheets it jams - from then on it
prints pages that are almost totally black.
This continues for several pages up to maybe
ten pages.

This is wasting time, trees and toner. Has
anybody out there had experience with this
problem? any solutions?

I have cleaned the machine and particularly
the feed roller which seems to still be in good
condition. Lexmark is unable to help.

If unfixable I'll have to replace it.

Adrian

Adrian
If the printer is picking up several pages at once it is almost certainly the
separation pads (3 pads altogether, 1 separation and 2 sub pads) that needs
replacing. These sit just under the pick up roller and it is a non-trivial task
to replace them requiring some good mechanical skills. If you do decide to
replace them you should also replace the pick up roller as these parts tend to
wear out at the same time.
Two important points.
Firstly I have found that this printer suffers rather a lot from this problem
and is very sensitive to different paper stock.
Secondly and most importantly I am worried about the black pages, this is not
likely to be related to the paper feed problem. You should check the contacts
on the toner cartridge and the ones they mate with in the printer and make sure
they are clean, also if you have a spare cartridge try that, failing that it is
likely to be the Engine Controller board which will cost an arm and two legs to
buy.
I suggest you try the contact cleaning to see if you can get rid of the black
pages before you worry about the multifeeding, only if you can fix the black
pages is it worth changing the pads and roller. If you do decide to replace the
pads and roller post that here and I will give you some tips but it does need
some mechanical skill and is fiddly.
Tony