Vertical banding on Laserjet printer copy? 1

[wwtraveler]

I have been using an HP Laserjet 4L (C2003A) sparingly for ten years. The printing is still excellent but I'm now getting a vertical grey band from the left edge of the printed copy measuring about 5/8" wide.
Can anyone suggest instructions/procedures for eliminating this banding?

 

[netmanrick]

Look at your transfer roller. Is there a band on it that matches the location on paper ? Check the toner cartridge(open the shutter and examine the roller. Is there a band on it) ?

Rick Harris
SC Dept of Motor Vehicles
Network Operations

 

[edfair]

Usually the cartridge.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[billcmh]

Usually the cartridge - True, but could it be a fuser? I've got a problem with a 4100 repeating images about 3 times down each page. (Original image at top right, has ghosts down the page. I've replaced the cartridge and cleaned, I've never changed a fuser in a 4100.

 

[edfair]

Continual toner has to be coming from somewhere. If it was a fuser problem a blank sheet of paper would have no gray after one rotation of the fuser.

I've never even seen a 4100, at least to remember it. But earlier machines that had repeating was a problem where a section of the fuser wasn't to heat and the image stuck to the fuser and tried to imprint again on the next rev.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[wwtraveler]

Thanks for the feedback! I opened the shutter on the toner cartridge & inspected the light blue/green roller (transfer roller?). There is a band of toner corresponding to the vertical band appearing on my printed copies. Using a q-tip I attempted to remove the band on the roller while rotating it but evidently whatever controls the toner transfer to the roller is defective, because the band keeps returning.
Is my only solution now to buy a new/rebuilt cartridge (which I see costs anywhere from $35 to $85 via the internet)?
Or am I better off to just buy a new reasonably priced inkjet printer, and thereby avoid experiecing possible new problems arising from the 4L printer?

 

[edfair]

Inkjets aren't infallable. And you may experience cartridge shock when the new one dries up and you see what they cost.
I would spring for the replacement 4L part.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[wwtraveler]

Replaced toner cartridge with a new HP OEM one bought on eBay. Printed copy is now perfect. Thanks to all for your advice.

 

[TCouch]

First off, I personally will always recommend a Laser over an inkjet unless color is needed, and then, will consider other options like a Xerox Phaser 8400. As for your toner causing the line, that is typical. It could be that the photo drum (the blue green roller) is defective, but the most common cause I see for this is that the cartridge is running low and needs replacing soon anyways.

Being part of a company that does service HP, Lexmark and Xerox printers, I get called out on many service calls for this exact problem. Always gives me a smile when I show up and tell them that it's the toner causing the problem, and their printer is fine. Typically, it's the fastest $95 you'll ever make. (that is our minimum onsite charge)

One thing that you can do to verifiy if it's a cartridge problem next time, on most image defects, is to do what HP calls a "Half Test." Basically, you'll load paper into the MP tray, or Tray 1. Usually, this is a drop down door on the front of the printer. Get the printer to print something. Once the paper gets almost all the way into the printer, open the top cover. You can then check the toner cartridge for the defect, and also the paper, and see if there is a defect.

If the defect is:

1. On the Toner, it's a bad cartridge
2. On the paper but NOT on the Toner, it's the Transfer Roller. (the long black roller under the toner cart.)
3. If you don't see it on either the cartride OR paper, it's the fuser. (the heating elemant)

Timothy N. Couch
A1 Printech
Anchorage, AK

 

[wseyller]

Actually the blue/green roller you were referring to is the opc drum. The transfer roller is actually right below the drum on the printer when the cartridge is installed. Just to give you an explanation of what was wrong with your cartridge. There is another roller that rest again the drum called a magnetic roller with delivers the toner to the opc drum. I have a feeling you have remanufactured cartridge. The magnetic roller has a coating on it that requires conductivity and roughness. If the manufacture of the actual mag roller coated too far this cause toner particles to be attracted to the ends of the mag rollers. Eventually at mid life of the cartridge when the toner builds up it starts to get onto the opc drum and of course get onto the paper. Another possibility is that the doctor blade that rests against the mag roller which meters the amount of toner on the mag roller and also creates need friction, has lost some of its memory or is bent at the end of the roller. This will allow a thick layer of toner. Although some particles will not be charged properly it stills has a smaller distance to jump to the drum.

 

[wwtraveler]

Actually the toner cartridge was originally purchased as a replacement HP OEM. However I had replenished the toner (via a toner kit) at least once. I did cleaned the opc drum, as you call it, very carefully but did note that while rotating it by hand, it continued to "pick up" toner in the same area of the banding on a printed copy.
So I was guessing that the cartridge problem was actually with the doctor blade, assuming its function was to wipe the opc drum clean?
Is there a website where one could see the breakdown drawing of a typical toner cartridge?