HP Toner Problem

[warpdrve]

Recently, I have noticed a thin stripe of black specks near one end of the actual toner drum of my HP 4L toner cartridge. I've done exactly what I'm instructed not to do ... namely slide open the covering to the drum and wiping the stripe of toner off. However, once I do this and print a page, the stripe comes back, along with speckles along the entire side of a printed page.

I'm wondering if this is an indication that it's time to replace the toner cartridge (it's been 3+ years) or is there something in the printer that's causing this?

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

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[TCouch]

Typically, this is an indication that your toner cartridge is getting low. Have you noticed light areas in your print? It can also be because of just a bad photo drum. As for the age, I would consider replacing it just on that alone.

Timothy N. Couch
A1 Printech
Anchorage, AK