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My printer leaves heavy deposits of toner on the paper

15K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  kerawl  
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,

I have a Brother printer HL-2280DW (B&W only) that I connect via wi-fi to my late-2015 iMac. Refer to my attached photo of some printouts I just made. What causes those black deposits of toner when I print documents? The toner marks in my photo has these tendrils that wipe away easily, but most of the black deposits stay after wiping.

I had changed my toner a while back, but it was another brand, not Brother. I got it instead of the Brother one as it's cheaper. Months back, there was a message to change the drum too, but I reset my printer and that message hasn't appeared again for months. I have bought a replacement drum, but so far the message to change the drum hasn't returned for some time.

What could be causing these heavy deposits of toner? And how can I fix this?

Thanks!
 

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#2 ·
It sounds like your cheap toner cartridge may be faulty and dumping more toner than expected. The blobs not easily removed may be fused on by the drum kit.

My first suspicion would have been the drum but since you replaced that, then the next logical part is the toner

remember cheaper isn’t always better. Some can be real bad quality anther can cause problems.
 
#3 ·
Sorry James, my explanation wasn't clear. Actually I didn't change the drum. The printer displayed a message to change it, but I cleared the message. I had bought a replacement drum just in case, but I haven't replaced it yet. So I should replace the drum, you think?
 
#4 ·
I agree wholeheartedly with James regarding cheap toner. I've seen our end-users try to scrimp on toner cartridges, and then members of my team will have to clean out their printers because of all the loose toner dropping into the transport mechanism.
 
#5 ·
I would recommend to replace both drum with what you have and toner (if finances/supply can allow). If possible get a genuine toner. The drum message would indicate that it is near or at maximum usage so anything past that you may end up with bad quality prints or mechanical failure, but since you most likely are having issues with the toner cartridge, the toner may also damage the drum unit in some way.

Replacing both units should eliminate the issue since it seems that those two are the only two the consumer can replace. If you find more dry toner inside, it is recommended to use a can of air to blow it out, or a dry static free cloth (not damp!) to lightly wipe it.
 
#7 ·
@kerawl I just looked up your Laser Printer and it looks like about a $300 printer which is a nice one. I don't know how long you have had it or how you use it but another option which hasn't been mentioned here is simply to replace the printer.

I had an entry level HP LasetJet which when new cost me approx. $200. I had and lightly used the printer for five years replacing the toner when needed. This last time I needed to replace the toner the cost of a genuine HP toner cartridge was slightly over $100. I agree with what has been said here that it is generally best to use the manufacturers toner cartridges even though the manufacturers are breaking the law in forcing consumers to only buy their consumables.

I had a huge problem paying $100+ for a toner cartridge for a printer that was 5 years old and maybe worth $50 so I looked around and bought a new HP LaserJet printer. For slightly less than the cost of the toner cartridge for my five year old printer I got a new printer with a guarantee, better software and drivers plus better and more reliable connectivity. I donated my old Laser printer to a Goodwill EStore where it will be refurbished and sold to a good home. You always have options, you just have to keep your mind open to the possibilities. Good luck.
 
#8 ·
I agree with what has been said here that it is generally best to use the manufacturers toner cartridges even though the manufacturers are breaking the law in forcing consumers to only buy their consumables.
It was not stated that the manufacturers forced the user to use a genuine toner cartridge.
The user made that choice.
The printer works so why dispose of it?
People use a generic cartridge and will always have some kind of problem.
The companies that make the generic toner cannot have the complete supply of different toners.
Every printer manufacturer has a different grade of toner that is milled to suit.
When you choose a generic toner, you do not know if the toner is.
1) Milled to the same size as the original toner. If it is too fine, you get extra toner dropping through.
If the toner is too thick you get another problem.
2) You do not know the heat set temperature of a generic toner.
All laser printers have a fuser temperature that is set by the manufacturer.
The toner of a generic can be too thick or has the wrong fusing temperature and will either over fuse
or will not fuse enough and then you will get smudges.

The op already has another drum, so the best option would be as James recommended.
Remove old drum and toner.
Clean the machine (no vacuum)
Put in new drum and new toner.
Test.
 
#9 ·
Thanks Newb & Oz! I do think you're right. I should have bought Brother products. I just changed the original Brother brand drum to a generic brand drum (I had bought it months ago), and am still using the generic toner I had. I wanted to try printing with the new drum (even though it's a generic brand). The toner dump usually happens when I print a several page document (more than 4 pages). Result: I just printed a 32 pager with the generic toner and drum and there's some toner deposits but not as severe. In the next days, I will buy the Brother brand toner and drum and replace everything with Brother products. I'll report back once I do that. Thanks again!
 
#10 ·
I just purchased Brother brand toner and drum, but I will run my Brother printer with the generic toner and drum until the toner runs out or if there's too much toner dumped on my documents, whichever comes first. So, I will put this as Solved. Thanks, everyone!
 
#12 ·
The generic toner did run out and so I changed the drum & toner for Brother products (very expensive). After printing lots of pages, the issue is gone! It seems it was the toner itself. I figure the generic one was not milled to the correct size, as mentioned by PeterOz. Thanks everyone! MARKED SOLVED