Replaced Drum, Still Getting Streaks

[M.H.]

I have a Brother HL-1440 (wouldn't recommend Brother anymore, they
haven't responded to my tech support e-mails from a few weeks ago).
I've installed a new printer drum, still getting horizontal streaks and
lines on printouts, and the horizontal lines are fuzzy and equidistant,
as if they are from each 360 degree turn of the drum. Should I get a
new toner cartridge? Or is something else wrong? Thanks.

 

[Alain]

I have a Brother HL-1440 (wouldn't recommend Brother anymore, they
haven't responded to my tech support e-mails from a few weeks ago).
I've installed a new printer drum, still getting horizontal streaks and
lines on printouts, and the horizontal lines are fuzzy and equidistant,
as if they are from each 360 degree turn of the drum. Should I get a
new toner cartridge? Or is something else wrong? Thanks.

I also add the same printer with the exact problem.
Try changing the toner... same thing
Try changing the drum... same thing
So did wast money on a new drum for nothing

I'm still using this printer for scrap printing but purchase a new one.
So don't was your money with Brother and purchase something else.

Alain

 

[Tony]

I have a Brother HL-1440 (wouldn't recommend Brother anymore, they
haven't responded to my tech support e-mails from a few weeks ago).
I've installed a new printer drum, still getting horizontal streaks and
lines on printouts, and the horizontal lines are fuzzy and equidistant,
as if they are from each 360 degree turn of the drum. Should I get a
new toner cartridge? Or is something else wrong? Thanks

What is the vertical distance apart of the lines?
94 mm is the circumference of the drum.
39 mm is the circumference of the fixing hot roller.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[M.H.]

What is the vertical distance apart of the lines?
94 mm is the circumference of the drum.
39 mm is the circumference of the fixing hot roller.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

I've measured the vertical distance of the horizontal lines, and came up
with just over 1.5 inches, 1.5 inches being 38.1mm, for 39mm effective.
The drum, however, does have a single line of toner on it, so I'm
wondering if the figures are reversed, 39mm drum, 94mm fixing hot
roller? Or am I missing something? Thanks.

 

[Tony]

I've measured the vertical distance of the horizontal lines, and came up
with just over 1.5 inches, 1.5 inches being 38.1mm, for 39mm effective.
The drum, however, does have a single line of toner on it, so I'm
wondering if the figures are reversed, 39mm drum, 94mm fixing hot
roller? Or am I missing something? Thanks.

My sincere apologies.
These are the true figures.
Drum - 94mm
Heat roller - 79mm
Developer roller - 39mm

So it looks like the developer roller has a problem, this is in the toner
cartridge.
Don't worry about a line of toner on the drum, that is often the case, it
remains there after a print cycle and is cleaned of as the next print cycle
starts in normal operation.
Good luck
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[M.H.]

My sincere apologies.
These are the true figures.
Drum - 94mm
Heat roller - 79mm
Developer roller - 39mm

So it looks like the developer roller has a problem, this is in the toner
cartridge.
Don't worry about a line of toner on the drum, that is often the case, it
remains there after a print cycle and is cleaned of as the next print cycle
starts in normal operation.
Good luck
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Np. So just to make sure, if I replace the toner cartridge, that should
solve the problem? Not getting the high-yield toner cartridge again, it
gave out before the toner did...

 

[Tony]

Np. So just to make sure, if I replace the toner cartridge, that should
solve the problem? Not getting the high-yield toner cartridge again, it
gave out before the toner did...

Yes it should, there is never an absolute guarantee but the circumference of
the developer roller is 39mm the same as the distance between the marks. I
would therefore expect the problem to be resolved if you replace the toner.
There is a roller in the printer (in addition to the fuser rollers) but that
has a different diameter.
High capacity cartridges usually last the full term, was this an OEM or
remanufactured high capacity cartridge? Some remanufacturers are not as good as
others. Any chance of weighing the toner cartridge, take it out of the drum
unit and make sure the protective plastic strip is not installed? These
cartridges weigh between 800 and 850 grams full (high capacity) and between 700
and 750 grams empty. That will give you an approximate idea of whether the
toner is nearly used up or not. If not then you could try to talk to the
supplier of the toner. These figures are approximate only due to some variables
at play.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[M.H.]

Yes it should, there is never an absolute guarantee but the circumference of
the developer roller is 39mm the same as the distance between the marks. I
would therefore expect the problem to be resolved if you replace the toner.
There is a roller in the printer (in addition to the fuser rollers) but that
has a different diameter.
High capacity cartridges usually last the full term, was this an OEM or
remanufactured high capacity cartridge? Some remanufacturers are not as good as
others. Any chance of weighing the toner cartridge, take it out of the drum
unit and make sure the protective plastic strip is not installed? These
cartridges weigh between 800 and 850 grams full (high capacity) and between 700
and 750 grams empty. That will give you an approximate idea of whether the
toner is nearly used up or not. If not then you could try to talk to the
supplier of the toner. These figures are approximate only due to some variables
at play.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Don't have a scale to weigh it. The protective strip was removed when
it was first inserted into the printer. The cartridge is a Brother OEM
cart. I can't decide whether to go Brother or not, and I don't want to
buy a high yield, and have it die prematurely. Will the developer
roller perish about when the toner runs out? Is the developer roller
that roller covered in toner exposed to the outside world? Thanks.

 

[Tony]

Don't have a scale to weigh it. The protective strip was removed when
it was first inserted into the printer. The cartridge is a Brother OEM
cart. I can't decide whether to go Brother or not, and I don't want to
buy a high yield, and have it die prematurely. Will the developer
roller perish about when the toner runs out? Is the developer roller
that roller covered in toner exposed to the outside world? Thanks.

I would talk to Brother.
The Developer roller is the one that you can see, there is another roller
hidden behind it that is a smaller diameter (supply roller).
The developer roller will last for simply ages, in fact for many refills unless
some small grooves appear at the ends which allow toner to leak (this does not
happen often and does not sound like the problem you have).
The high yield cartridges are far more common in the marketplace than the low
yield version because they are better value for money.
When these cartrdiges are getting low on toner a gray background starts to
appear on the page, this is often the first indication of a low toner condition
and sometimes happens before the printer reports toner low. The gray background
is developer which remains in the cartridge, it is non magnetic unlike toner
which is magnetic.
You can clean the developer roller with a dry soft cloth, it will not cause any
problems if you do that, unfortunately it is very hard to turn by hand so you
will only see the portion that is exposed. If there is a mark on the roller it
may well cause a problem. You can easily remove the roller from the cartridge
but it hard to describe the process. If you really want to do that I will
attempt the explanation, if the roller is out you can clean it all and examine
it for marks or damage.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[M.H.]

I would talk to Brother.
The Developer roller is the one that you can see, there is another roller
hidden behind it that is a smaller diameter (supply roller).
The developer roller will last for simply ages, in fact for many refills unless
some small grooves appear at the ends which allow toner to leak (this does not
happen often and does not sound like the problem you have).
The high yield cartridges are far more common in the marketplace than the low
yield version because they are better value for money.
When these cartrdiges are getting low on toner a gray background starts to
appear on the page, this is often the first indication of a low toner condition
and sometimes happens before the printer reports toner low. The gray background
is developer which remains in the cartridge, it is non magnetic unlike toner
which is magnetic.
You can clean the developer roller with a dry soft cloth, it will not cause any
problems if you do that, unfortunately it is very hard to turn by hand so you
will only see the portion that is exposed. If there is a mark on the roller it
may well cause a problem. You can easily remove the roller from the cartridge
but it hard to describe the process. If you really want to do that I will
attempt the explanation, if the roller is out you can clean it all and examine
it for marks or damage.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Ok, I called Brother, and they insist it's the drum/developer roller.
They had me wipe it down with a normal tissue, which I think ended up
actually damaging the drum, as I see gouges in it, or maybe I didn't
notice that before. The drum was just purchased a week and a half ago,
so I have to fax them over the receipt. No 800 number though. :-(
Now, it looks like the toner cartridge itself has a rubber feeder roller
that opens to the outside world. This rubber feeder roller has two
distinct gouges in it, circling around the feeder in a straight line.
These gouges match exactly the position of two vertical lines on the
feeder roller. Replacing the drum, didn't solve the problem. Could
there be a vertical line somewhere where I can't see on the feeder
roller (can't figure out how to rotate it) that is causing 7 smudgy
horizontal lines on letter paper print-outs? Brother insists the rubber
feeder cannot be causing any lines, but as I've said, the vertical lines
match up with the print-out lines, so I think they're wrong. So I'm
going to replace the toner cartridge as well. Now, what causes the
feeder roller to fail prematurely? Can the gouges in the feeder roller
damage the drum? Do you recommend I get another Brother high-yield
cart, or a generic? Thanks very much for your extensive effort.

I've also cleaned the scanner window on top of the inside, and cleaned
the corona wire back and forth 50 times as told by tech support, no help
there.

 

[Tony]

Ok, I called Brother, and they insist it's the drum/developer roller.
They had me wipe it down with a normal tissue, which I think ended up
actually damaging the drum, as I see gouges in it, or maybe I didn't
notice that before. The drum was just purchased a week and a half ago,
so I have to fax them over the receipt. No 800 number though. :-(
Now, it looks like the toner cartridge itself has a rubber feeder roller
that opens to the outside world. This rubber feeder roller has two
distinct gouges in it, circling around the feeder in a straight line.
These gouges match exactly the position of two vertical lines on the
feeder roller. Replacing the drum, didn't solve the problem. Could
there be a vertical line somewhere where I can't see on the feeder
roller (can't figure out how to rotate it) that is causing 7 smudgy
horizontal lines on letter paper print-outs? Brother insists the rubber
feeder cannot be causing any lines, but as I've said, the vertical lines
match up with the print-out lines, so I think they're wrong. So I'm
going to replace the toner cartridge as well. Now, what causes the
feeder roller to fail prematurely? Can the gouges in the feeder roller
damage the drum? Do you recommend I get another Brother high-yield
cart, or a generic? Thanks very much for your extensive effort.

I've also cleaned the scanner window on top of the inside, and cleaned
the corona wire back and forth 50 times as told by tech support, no help
there.

Hmmm. I suspect the Brother person you spoke to was not reading the crib sheet
too carefully.
The Drum is in the drum unit. The Developer roller is in the toner cartridge.
As previously discussed the two have different diameters and will lay down
defects at different distances apart.
The developer roller is the black (sometimes slightly blue) slightly soft
roller, the drum is the shiny hard tube.
The developer roller is the only one in the toner cartridge that you can
actually see, they often develop two gouges that go completely round the roller
almost at the very ends of the roller, this in turn causes a corresponding mark
on the drum. These gouges and marks do not result in any print defect because
they are outside of the paper width and unless the gouges are deep enough to
cause toner spillage into the printer (which sometimes happens with old
cartridges) this is nothing to be concerned about.
I am surprised that they asked you to clean the drum since the distance apart
of the defects corresponds to the developer roller circumference, also cleaning
drums can cause problems and most manufacturers recommend against it. Using a
tissue is not good practice in any event, these drums are very fragile and
easily scratched even with tissues.
7 horizontal lines absolutely confirms that this is a developer roller problem
- 7 x 39mm = 273mm which is close to A4 and Letter paper length. If it was the
drum the lines would only appear 3 times. There is no way this can be a corona
issue or a laser scanner issue, if the scanner window was dirty you would have
vertical portions with light print, not dark lines.
I am sure you were given bad advice by Brother. It is very hard to turn the
developer roller by hand, damn near impossible in fact.
I have no reservation in advising that you buy a high yield cartridge, they are
better value for money and the rollers do not perish.
Good luck, please advise if you have more questions, make sure Brother support
you and let us know how you get on.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[M.H.]

Hmmm. I suspect the Brother person you spoke to was not reading the crib sheet
too carefully.
The Drum is in the drum unit. The Developer roller is in the toner cartridge.
As previously discussed the two have different diameters and will lay down
defects at different distances apart.
The developer roller is the black (sometimes slightly blue) slightly soft
roller, the drum is the shiny hard tube.
The developer roller is the only one in the toner cartridge that you can
actually see, they often develop two gouges that go completely round the roller
almost at the very ends of the roller, this in turn causes a corresponding mark
on the drum. These gouges and marks do not result in any print defect because
they are outside of the paper width and unless the gouges are deep enough to
cause toner spillage into the printer (which sometimes happens with old
cartridges) this is nothing to be concerned about.
I am surprised that they asked you to clean the drum since the distance apart
of the defects corresponds to the developer roller circumference, also cleaning
drums can cause problems and most manufacturers recommend against it. Using a
tissue is not good practice in any event, these drums are very fragile and
easily scratched even with tissues.
7 horizontal lines absolutely confirms that this is a developer roller problem
- 7 x 39mm = 273mm which is close to A4 and Letter paper length. If it was the
drum the lines would only appear 3 times. There is no way this can be a corona
issue or a laser scanner issue, if the scanner window was dirty you would have
vertical portions with light print, not dark lines.
I am sure you were given bad advice by Brother. It is very hard to turn the
developer roller by hand, damn near impossible in fact.
I have no reservation in advising that you buy a high yield cartridge, they are
better value for money and the rollers do not perish.
Good luck, please advise if you have more questions, make sure Brother support
you and let us know how you get on.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Got a call a few minutes ago, they won't replace the drum because it's a
compatible, not genuine Brother drum. When I read them the serial
number yesterday, though, it was down as being purchased around when I
purchased the drum, and they didn't have any problem with the serial
being non-authentic. I'm confused about this. Anyways, will have the
place I ordered it from send out a replacement, hopefully before what I
have arrives there as a return. I'll also get a TN-460, if you believe
a Brother toner cart is the best bet.

 

[Tony]

Got a call a few minutes ago, they won't replace the drum because it's a
compatible, not genuine Brother drum. When I read them the serial
number yesterday, though, it was down as being purchased around when I
purchased the drum, and they didn't have any problem with the serial
being non-authentic. I'm confused about this. Anyways, will have the
place I ordered it from send out a replacement, hopefully before what I
have arrives there as a return. I'll also get a TN-460, if you believe
a Brother toner cart is the best bet.

Nothing wrong with Brother cartridges. Compatible and remanufactured are also
fine. This is a simple cartridge to remanufacture.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[M.H.]

Nothing wrong with Brother cartridges. Compatible and remanufactured are also
fine. This is a simple cartridge to remanufacture.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Replaced toner cart (and the replacement drum for the drum Brother tech
support had me damage), all works fine now.

 

[Tony]

Replaced toner cart (and the replacement drum for the drum Brother tech
support had me damage), all works fine now.

Great outcome, thanks for letting us know.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging