Are you having a problem with your printer streaks? Is it leaving streaks while printing a document? This problem is very irritating, especially when you are printing important documents.
This usually happens in the older printer. However, there is nothing to worry about; this particular issue can be easily fixed without any issues. In this article, we will discuss this problem in detail and ways to fix them.
Why Does Laser Printer Leave Streaks And Line?
There are various reasons or problems that could leave a streak while printing a document.
One of the major reasons is dirt buildup in Toner Cartridge or defect on the roller, you will see the streaks issues.
So, what you need to do is just clean the Toner cartridge and remove all the dirt buildup to fix the issues.
Here we will discuss a different reason that could cause this problem. There are three types of streaks that you could encounter while printing.
Roller Tracks Streaks
A Roller track is especially seen when loose toner leaks out from the Cartridge into mechanical assemblies of your printer.
During this situation, the toner can contaminate the roller that moves through paper, creating a tire or rolled pattern on the paper.
The solution to this problem is cleaning the roller. The problem needs to be fixed from the inside; therefore, I suggest you call your technicians to fix the issues.
Vertical Streaks
Vertical streaks white streak is seen when an empty toner cartridge is on the printer. Similarly, if poorly distributed toner inside the Cartridge, you will also see vertical streaks on the paper. The solution to this problem is cleaning the toner cartridge.
In some cases, the doctor blade could buildup toner on its edges which could prevent toner from reaching the developer roller.
After this, the printer will leave a gap in the places where there is toner buildup.
If there is a line on the developer roller, then it means the problem is with a dirty doctor blade.
To fix this issue, you need to dismantle the printer. Therefore, I suggest you go with technicians if you don’t have the proper tools.
Horizontal Streaks
Horizontal streaks arise when there is a contaminated roller in your printer. Therefore, the solution to this problem is also cleaning the roller inside the printer.
In order to fix the issues, you need to dismantle the roller, and after this, you will get access to the drum.
Now all you need to do is clean the drum; after this, the issue will be fixed. If you don’t know how to fix then don’t worry; in the below section, we will discuss the step-wise process to fix this horizontal streaks problem.
Things Required While Cleaning Printer Streaks
The only solution to fix the streaks issues is by cleaning the Drum and PCR of the printer. In most cases, cleaning the drum inside the Toner cartridge fixes the issues.
But, you need to have the necessary tools to clean the drum properly. Therefore, we have brought a list of items that you need to prepare before cleaning your printer.
Activated Toner Cloth
Most people don’t prefer using the necessary product and prefer to choose an alternative. But, sometimes, the alternative can add more problems instead of solving the issues.
Activated toner cloth is a special type of clothes made for cleaning toner cartridges. You can get this from any major hardware or supermarket. If it is not available in the store, you can order it online.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Isopropyl Alcohol is another major item you should have before cleaning the printer. The use of Isopropyl will clean all the small particle which is hard to reach by hand.
It is ideal for cleaning printer equipment because it quickly evaporates from the surface of the equipment.
It is very useful, especially when the dirt is on the doctor’s blade. It would be best to use it along with Toner cloth to see an effective result.
Isopropyl Alcohol is available in any major computer store or supermarket. Moreover, you can also order it online.
Gas Mask
Now, most of you might be wondering why you need a gas mask while fixing the streak problem?
It is required because it helps us prevent toner powder from inhaling. Yes, this tiny dust can irritate when you inhale or come in contact with the skin.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended to have a gas mask before cleaning the printer. You can buy gas masks from major online stores like Amazon, Walmart, or Bestbuy.
Latex or Rubber Gloves
As mentioned earlier, cleaning the cartridge of a laser printer could cause skin irritation. It could take several minutes or sometimes hours to clean the Cartridge.
So, I suggest you wear Latex or rubber gloves to prevent skin irritation while cleaning the printer. These rubber gloves prevent the sensitive area of your hand from the toner.
Toner Vacuum
Toner Vacuum is not necessary while cleaning, but if you regularly clean the printer or if you have a shop, then you should consider getting one.
Toner vacuums are very expensive but effective tools, especially when you are cleaning the printer. Toner Vacuum helps you pull toner from the laser printer without much effort.
Steps To Clean Streaks On A Laser Printer
The steps to clean streaks on a laser printer involve different techniques; therefore, make sure to read all the steps.
Before you begin, make sure that you have the tools required while cleaning the printer. After this, you can follow step-wise instructions to get started.
Switch off: The first and foremost step is to switch off the printer to prevent further issues.
If you have recently used a printer, give it some time to cool it down. Laser printer gets heated to fast therefore give some time to cool.
Remove the Toner Cartridge: The next step is to clean the Toner cartridge. Once the printer has been cooled out, open the back and front panels of the printer.
After this, remove the Toner cartridge from the printer. If you don’t know how to do then check the user manual before doing it.
Remove Excess toner: After we remove Toner Cartridge from the printer, the next step is to remove excess toner from the printer.
If you have a Vacuum, you can easily clean out all the toner from the printer. If you don’t, then use Toner clothes along with Isopropyl Alcohol to clean the internal component.
Clean the Doctor blade: If there is toner buildup in the doctor blade, you should remove it. Therefore, what you can do is put the thin cardboard between the blade and the roller.
It will remove all the toner buildup from the doctor’s blade. If you have a screwdriver, you can dismantle the Cartridge and clean it properly using Toner clothes and Isopropyl Alcohol.
Clean the roller: If you have dismantled the Cartridge, then make sure to clean the roller as well.
It will clean all the remaining dirt and prevent streaks while printing. You can also use the same Toner Clothes and Isopropyl Alcohol to clean the roller.
Clean the Corona wire: There is wire behind the roller; make sure to clean it as well. You can clean the corona wire by simply sliding the green tab left and right a couple of times. Before leaving, make sure to put the green tab on its actual position.
Reassemble: After cleaning the Cartridge, now reassemble it on the printer and again clean if there is a presence of dust particles. Now close the front and back panel of the printer.
This is how you can clean the Toner cartridge from the printer. I hope that the steps were easy to implement in your printer.
After following the above steps, all you need to do is restart the printer and check if the problem of streaks exists or not.
Additional Tips
The printer inner component could easily attract moisture and could build up dirt. So, always keep the printer where there is less chance of attracting dirt and moisture.
Conclusion
I hope that you have read the full article. I am sure now you can clean the printer’s Toner Cartridge by yourself. After this, you can apply the same method to any kind of laser printer to fix the problem of streaks.
The issue can be easily fixed as all you need to do is clean the Toner cartridge properly. But, the process can take some time if you are doing it for the first time.
The equipment inside the printer can be costly to repair. Therefore, be patient and gentle when working with the laser printer equipment.
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Tanmoy Misra found his love for tech early in life when he got his first Nintendo (NES) console. He spent many hours blowing into cartridges to no avail until inspiration struck and he started taking apart and rebuilding anything that didn’t work. After dropping console gaming at the end of high school, Tanmoy entered the world of PC online gaming. His love of gaming and problem-solving soon led him to build his computers. As per expertise, he is an ISF-certified video calibrator and covering AV for a number of publications since 2018.
