HP Laserjet 5p smugging issue

[the6carrules]

First let me say Thanks to Bob Headrick for helping me with my HP932C
no-black issue. For a guy that is "not speaking on behalf of his
employer", he sure does them a nice service of job making HP customers
happy. Thanks you!

Now I've got another minor issue. I have an Laserjet 5p, still with
the original ink cartridge. So that makes it something like 10 years
old or so.

The things that print out look great - crisp and well defined, and
probably somewhere about 90% "blackness" if that makes sense. However,
there are "smugges" on the paper. I don't see any of the text
repeated, just smuggs, with what looks like a repeatable pattern along
the left 1/3 of the paper as well as the right edge - assuming this is
coming from some sort of roller or round thing.

I don't think it is my ink cartridge, even though I know it is probably
time to get a new one. I seem to have read something about a roller or
a fuser or something, but have no idea what these are. When I remove
my ink cartridge, I see a black roller that is roughly 1-inch in
diameter. Is this "the roller"? And is this what the ink gets put
onto before it is put on the paper? Is it possible that this roller
has ink all over it and is smugging the paper?

Can this be replaced easily (and cheaply?) or am I better off just
buying a new laser printer? If so where can I get one of these things.
Thanks.

 

[jbuch]

I can't solve your problem, exactly.

But you should know that there is NO INK involved in laser printers.


If you look back you will find a request for smudging on a laserjet, and
there I posted a link to a really good site that shows you illustrations
of printing defects, including smudges, and likely causes (and cures?)
of the page defects.

You can find it yourself if you search on www.google.com for the phrase

"laserjet print defects" of "laserjet printing defects" or "laserjet
page defects" having forgotten what I typed in the first time, and
being too lazy to do it again.

So, feel free to use the search engines, or the prior article on
smudging of laser printers.

First let me say Thanks to Bob Headrick for helping me with my HP932C
no-black issue. For a guy that is "not speaking on behalf of his
employer", he sure does them a nice service of job making HP customers
happy. Thanks you!

Now I've got another minor issue. I have an Laserjet 5p, still with
the original ink cartridge. So that makes it something like 10 years
old or so.

The things that print out look great - crisp and well defined, and
probably somewhere about 90% "blackness" if that makes sense. However,
there are "smugges" on the paper. I don't see any of the text
repeated, just smuggs, with what looks like a repeatable pattern along
the left 1/3 of the paper as well as the right edge - assuming this is
coming from some sort of roller or round thing.

I don't think it is my ink cartridge, even though I know it is probably
time to get a new one. I seem to have read something about a roller or
a fuser or something, but have no idea what these are. When I remove
my ink cartridge, I see a black roller that is roughly 1-inch in
diameter. Is this "the roller"? And is this what the ink gets put
onto before it is put on the paper? Is it possible that this roller
has ink all over it and is smugging the paper?

Can this be replaced easily (and cheaply?) or am I better off just
buying a new laser printer? If so where can I get one of these things.
Thanks.

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[JP]

First let me say Thanks to Bob Headrick for helping me with my HP932C
no-black issue. For a guy that is "not speaking on behalf of his
employer", he sure does them a nice service of job making HP customers
happy. Thanks you!

Now I've got another minor issue. I have an Laserjet 5p, still with
the original ink cartridge. So that makes it something like 10 years
old or so.

The things that print out look great - crisp and well defined, and
probably somewhere about 90% "blackness" if that makes sense. However,
there are "smugges" on the paper. I don't see any of the text
repeated, just smuggs, with what looks like a repeatable pattern along
the left 1/3 of the paper as well as the right edge - assuming this is
coming from some sort of roller or round thing.

I don't think it is my ink cartridge, even though I know it is probably
time to get a new one. I seem to have read something about a roller or
a fuser or something, but have no idea what these are. When I remove
my ink cartridge, I see a black roller that is roughly 1-inch in
diameter. Is this "the roller"? And is this what the ink gets put
onto before it is put on the paper? Is it possible that this roller
has ink all over it and is smugging the paper?

Can this be replaced easily (and cheaply?) or am I better off just
buying a new laser printer? If so where can I get one of these things.
Thanks.

Hello 6,
Interestingly I just had the same issue or at least it sounds like it and
it was answered by another poster here,
I'll copy his response here,

From: Arthur Entlich <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 14:53:39 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 07:53:39 MST
Xref: news.telusplanet.net comp.periphs.printers:294351

Not owning a Lexmark laser, I don't know exactly how their printers are
designed. By that, I mean I don't know if they have a separate toner
cartridge, developer cartridge and drum, or some combination thereof.

The problem you describe is often caused by some foreign matter getting
stuck between the drum and the toner wiper, or a damaged or deformed wiper.

Most laser printers have a silicone rubber "squeegee" that runs the
length of the drum, and removes excess toner after the print is made.
This toner is usually discarded into a waste chamber or waste bottle.

If the edge of this wiper becomes warped, distorted or is lifted by some
paper dust or contaminant, it can get lifted and a whole area of the
drum does get cleaned off. Over time, toner builds up and ends up on
the prints.

I don't know enough about the Lexmark cartridge design to know the best
fix for this. On some of my laser printers I was able to take a
business card and very gently run it across the drum and under that
wiper and remove or dislodge the foreign matter or get the wiper into
proper position once again. On some cartridges, you cannot easily get
access to the wiper, however.

There are other possible causes for this smearing, including a fouled or
damaged fuser roller, or the corona wire being dirty in one area, or
excess toner spilling during the printing process onto the paper in that
locale, but the wiper would be my first guess.

Art

And that was in response to the following which sounds to me like the same
problem.

 

[the6carrules]

JBuch - No Ink? Then what exactly is the Toner cartridge full of?
Cookie Icing? It is filled with toner, which in effect is dry-ink.

I understand your point though, it isn't "INK" like an inkjet printer
cartridge is filled with LIQUID ink.

I already searched the search engines and all I get are sites wanting
to sell me stuff that I may or may not need.

JP - sort of helpful, I see some sort of roller thingy, but don't know
if I can pull it out and "clean it" someway, or if I can replace some
parts for a few bucks, or if it is just better to dump the printer and
buy a new one. I tried to wipe it down with an old cloth, and it
improved it a bit, but not enough to be acceptable. I think a new part
would probably be the best course, but I don't know if I"m throwing
away money on it - ie is it worth the time to try and fix it.
Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[urzung khan]

Hello 6,
Interestingly I just had the same issue or at least it sounds like it and
it was answered by another poster here,
I'll copy his response here,

From: Arthur Entlich <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 14:53:39 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 07:53:39 MST
Xref: news.telusplanet.net comp.periphs.printers:294351

Not owning a Lexmark laser, I don't know exactly how their printers are
designed. By that, I mean I don't know if they have a separate toner
cartridge, developer cartridge and drum, or some combination thereof.

The problem you describe is often caused by some foreign matter getting
stuck between the drum and the toner wiper, or a damaged or deformed wiper.

Most laser printers have a silicone rubber "squeegee" that runs the
length of the drum, and removes excess toner after the print is made.
This toner is usually discarded into a waste chamber or waste bottle.

If the edge of this wiper becomes warped, distorted or is lifted by some
paper dust or contaminant, it can get lifted and a whole area of the
drum does get cleaned off. Over time, toner builds up and ends up on
the prints.

I don't know enough about the Lexmark cartridge design to know the best
fix for this. On some of my laser printers I was able to take a
business card and very gently run it across the drum and under that
wiper and remove or dislodge the foreign matter or get the wiper into
proper position once again. On some cartridges, you cannot easily get
access to the wiper, however.

There are other possible causes for this smearing, including a fouled or
damaged fuser roller, or the corona wire being dirty in one area, or
excess toner spilling during the printing process onto the paper in that
locale, but the wiper would be my first guess.

Art

Art, please tell me how many Wiper Blade/Squeegee are there
in HP 5L Toner Cartridge ? Just one or two ?
I need this info badly.

regards,
Urzung Khan