LINES ON THE PAGE If pages have dark lines on
them, the problem could come from several sources.
Most of the time it is the problem of a dirt or
debris on the scanner glass or mirrors. If the
problem is not on the glass or the mirror it can be
in the imaging unit. If you have a cartridge type
copier, change the cartridge. This might solve the
problem, and the imaging unit is still warrantied,
the supplier should replace the cartridge for you. If
the copier is a multi-component system (drum, toner,
developer, each separate) this makes problem solving
more difficult. There are more things to go wrong.
Toner is usually not the problem. The drum (OPC) or
the developer unit could be the problem. Fusers can
cause marks on the page also. They normally leave
lines down the page. This is a technician-required
problem.
DOUBLE
IMAGING The main causes of the print being
duplicated in areas where they are not wanted is the
fuser assembly.
An improper
combination of toner and drum in a toner cartridge
could also be the problem.
There have been
cases where the manufacturer of the machine has
produced a faulty part in the fusers and this has
caused a problem. The manufacturer in many cases
because of the machines being out of warranty when
the problem finally occurs has not corrected these.
Using a paper that has a thermal ink or plastic
(letterhead) can cause the image to be transferred to
the rest of the page. Some printing companies are not
aware of your applications and can use the wrong inks
and cause problems.
LINES ACROSS
THE PAGE The waste toner area could be full or
not removing the waste toner properly. Replace or
empty and clean the waste hopper.
A bad
connection between the imaging unit and the machine
could cause this. Clean the connections with a dry
cloth or towel.
If the unit has
a toner cartridge the toner cartridge can be
defective or have a bad drum connection, replace the
toner cartridge, it may clear the problem.
SPOTS ON THE
PAGE If the page has spots like toner is being
"dropped" on the page, the problem is
usually the developer unit. The developer unit is
seldom able to be rebuilt, and should be replaced.
If the spots
are repeating down the page there could be a defect
on the drum. Scratch from a foreign object or the
drum has a "ping" that may be a
manufacturers defect. These are often not warranted
due to them being so fragile. This could also be a
dirty machine that requires cleaning.
VOIDED AREAS
If you have light lines on a page or voided areas
this is caused by a lack of toner on the drum. Insure
you have toner and it is getting to the drum.
Another problem
may be the drum is no longer able to accept the
charge to hold the toner. This means you may have to
replace the drum unit.
If your unit is
an inkjet style copier the use or lack of use can
cause image problems. The ink could be empty or the
ink print head could be clogged from too little use.
Many times the
problem is not with the machine or its parts at all,
but the paper. Paper does absorb moisture, and the
toner or ink can't print on moisture well. These are
usually seen as light spots or smears on the paper.
About a half inch round and over a large area. If you
are not sure put new paper in the unit and see if
that corrects the problem. Store your paper in a dry
place.
WRINKLY
PAGES Worn feed and exit rollers can cause the
paper to wrinkle, call a technician.
A fuser
assembly is good for sixty thousand to a hundred
thousand pages, after that they can fail easily. Call
a technician.
Moisture in
pages can cause wrinkles, replace the paper.
Worn paper
trays can also cause jams allowing the paper to feed
at an angle.
PAPER JAMS
Moisture in paper or improper paper (check stock,
slick paper) often causes jams.
A dirty machine
with paper dust can cause a jamming problem. Wipe the
feed tires and the interior of the machine with a
cloth to try and correct the problems. Worn paper
path, worn fuser assembly, worn gears, worn feed and
exit tires, bad sensors, all cause jamming and
require a technician.
NOISES
If your unit has a toner cartridge, replace it to see
if the noise goes way, if not and it is very annoying
call a technician.
Only a
technician corrects most other noises. They could be
fans, gears, tires, electrical components, or even
body parts.
When using
transparencies chose only the ones for a copier,
others could melt in the fusing assembly and severely
damage the machine.
DARK PAGES
This could be the density is set too dark, try to
lighten the image. Most copiers have a density
control.
The Drum may be
near its "life" and could be causing an
image problem.
Bad Toner can
be a problem, some after market toners are much
darker than those of the machine maker and can be
much darker than what you are use to. Try to adjust
the density to compensate. If the problem continues
contact your supplier.
The toner
cartridge could have a problem, replace it to see if
that corrects the problem. If it does clear the
problem notify that supplier.
Your copier
could have dirty internal lenses, paper path,
connections and mirrors that should be cleaned
professionally. If done improperly it could damage
the machine.
OTHER
PROBLEMS Printers can print only what they
receive. If you get only characters that make no
sense the wrong printer may be selected.
The connecting
cable between the computer and the printer may be
defective, corroded or not plugged in properly.
No printing or
nonsense characters can be caused by the wrong
printer being selected.
