If you are getting irritated due to your printer streaks, then you should learn how to clean laser printer streaks at home.
Now imagine that you are printing some very urgent documents and when the documents start getting printed, you come to know that all the pages have streaks or vertical lines on them.
Well, this is one of the most frustrating things that can happen during a printing process. However, you should also know that this problem can occur to anyone, at any time, regardless of the printer model and the printer person.
To overcome this problem, you have to learn how to clean laser printer streaks. So, for the ease of people like you, we brought this ultimate guide. In this guide, you are going to learn an easy method to clean streaks and what are the possible causes of this.
Start with learning what causes laser printer streaking.
Contents
What Causes Laser Printer Streaking?
If you get to know what is the cause behind a laser printer streaking, then you would know how to eliminate it. The root cause of a laser printer streaking is usually the worn-out drum unit or a spent toner cartridge.
Now at this point, you have to keep in mind that the drum units are consumables and need to be replaced after the use of 3-5 toners.
However, the modern printers have the drum unit integrated with the toners, but the older ones do not.
How to Clean Laser Printer Streaks?
If you compare laser printers to inkjet printers, you will see that laser printers are much easier to clean than inkjet printers.
But to properly clean your printer, you must have proper tools, equipment, and a complete guide. Below, you will find some easy steps and precautions that will teach you how to clean laser printer streaks
Precautions Needed to Clean Laser Printer Streaks
Before starting any project or process, it is very important to know what the precautions are. This will not only ensure that your health is prioritized but will also make your job easier. So, have a look at the precautions you will need to take before cleaning the laser printer streaks.
- Always use an activated toner cloth that has a non-oily coating. This will make the removal of tiny particles easier than usual.
- Using Isopropyl Alcohol. It will make sure that no sticky substance is left behind. It comes in handy while cleaning tiny particles in difficult spaces.
- Powdered toner is harmful to the lungs. If inhaled, it can cause irritation. Hence, a gas mask is recommended.
- A well-ventilated room is suggested while opening the toner compartment.
- Along with the gas mask, also make sure to wear safety gloves while handling the toner.
- The last, and the most important is, always turn off the printer before starting the cleaning. Who wants to get an electric shock? Certainly, no one!
As you have learned what precautionary measures you will have to take, now it’s time for learning how to clean laser printer streaks.
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Laser Printer Streaks Cleaning Process
Let’s take a look at the steps on how to clean laser printer streaks.
- First of all, you have to make sure that the printer has completely cooled down before cleaning it. Usually, Laser Printers get too hot. Hence, always wait for a while after using it to avoid the chances of malfunctioning.
- The second step that you will take is to clean the drum unit. Follow the given steps for a successful operation.
- First, open the front cover. Then, displace the toner and the assembly.
- Now you have to press down a lever coloured green on the left of your drum unit and the toner assembly. Once done, pull out the toner from the drum unit.
- Inside the drum unit, you will see a roller. Gently clean the surfaces of this roller, which is called toner, with a microfiber cloth. The cloth or cotton swab should be damped with isopropyl alcohol. Always keep in mind that internal components are very sensitive. Hence, apply the pressure very carefully.
- However, if you witness any kind of damage to the surface of the drum unit, discontinue the process. Because in that case, it will not help you at all.
- Now you have to wait for a little while. This ensures that the isopropyl alcohol you had applied, completely evaporates.
- Once the alcohol has evaporated completely, carefully slide the green tab from right to left several times. It will clean the primary corona wire. Then, return it to its home position.
- Finally, reinstall all the parts including the drum unit, toner cartridge, etc.
- After that, take a test of your printer. Print at least 10-20 blank documents to check whether the streaks are still appearing or the issue has been resolved. If you still see some streaks in your documents, repeat all the above-mentioned steps again to clean the drum unit.
- Moreover, if the drum unit has any physical damage or the issue does not get resolved even after several repeated tries, it means that you should replace it. Usually, the drum unit gets damaged due to the entrance of any NOT recommended material or thing into the printer. Furthermore, you cannot even claim this issue in warranty. You have to replace it either way.
Read Also: How To Reset Brother Printer?
Conclusion
After reading the whole guide, you have hopefully learned how to clean laser printer streaks easily at home.
In this article, you have also learned what can be the common issue behind laser printer streaking. That’s a worn-out drum unit or a spent toner cartridge.
Hence, if you succeed in cleaning the drum unit along with the toner cartridge then, you will get rid of the streaking issue.
