Toner Smearing Issues

Print a continuous configuration page test to verify the frequency and location of the smearing on multiple consecutive printouts.

Examine the printouts; do all colors smear except black? If so this could be a Transfer wrap jam issue.

Does the whole page smear including black? If so this could be a fusing or OPC (Imaging Drum) issue.

Verify that the green fuser lever is in the DOWN position for printing.

Is there a particular portion of the page smeared? This could be a loose piece of paper, a print cartridge shutter dragging, or a bent Mylar strip. See Figure 1 for the location of the Mylar strip. A bent Mylar strip will smear all colors EXCEPT black. Figure 2 shows an example of this.

Is the smearing issue in Magenta only? If so the media may be out of specification (too heavy or slick). Try printing from tray 1 set to "heavy" mode on the control panel and in the driver; the density setting for Magenta (located in the Color Adjust menu on the control panel) can also be reduced to try to eliminate this issue.

CAUTION: Note that making any changes to the color densities will affect all printouts; be very careful if making changes to the color densities for testing purposes.

Figure 1: Location of the Mylar Strip1-Mylar Strip 2-Ledge where toner collects (also called the 3 o clock shelf)

Figure 2: Print Quality defect from bent Mylar strip

Media wrapped around or stuck in the transfer drum

Open the front door and unlock the green lever for the Transfer Drum.

Remove the Transfer Drum, Belt and OPC.

Inspect the transfer drum for wrapped or stuck media. Check in-between all the bars that make up the frame of the drum and the drum surface. Many times media gets stuck in here that is not found on initial inspection that causes the smearing to continue. A piece of clean paper works well for "flossing" here. Check inside the top of the printer where the OPC normally is installed for stuck or loose media also. There are no sensors in these locations to indicate there is stuck media in these locations, it must be located and removed manually.

Remove the transfer belt and manually spin the white gear on the right side of the belt, listen for the sounds of any media stuck inside the belt. When reinstalling the transfer belt ensure the belt is properly seated all of the way down inside the printer. To properly reinstall the belt hold it by the Blue handles in a vertical position. Drop the right side into its position in the printer just before the left side, then let the belt drop down into position. It should sit flat, if it is sticking up then reinstall the belt again. Figure 3 is an example of a print quality defect with a poorly seated transfer belt.

Figure 3: Poorly seated transfer belt

Have the customer remove the top 1 inch of paper from the paper tray. If the media has acquired an excessive level of moisture it can curl around the transfer drum. High humidity usually causes this issue, note the following:

Common scenarios are the weather is nice during the day and a storm rolls through at night, in the morning media wraps.

Customers cannot really tell the difference between temperature and humidity. It is often easier to ask the customer if it ever gets sticky feeling in the office rather than is it warm or cold.

The issue is more common on ground floor offices, and on coastal states.

Instruct the customer how to store media, keep in box, in wraps, preferably in a cabinet. Keep the paper and printer away from windows and air vents.

Whole page smearing

Check to see if only the black is smearing or all colors.

If only black is smearing or what looks like smearing in black it could be a failed cleaning blade inside the OPC. This is not really smearing but is often described as smearing and looks like black smearing across page. This would actually be streaking.

If all colors are smearing including black, check to see if the customer is experiencing anything that looks like large color plane offset. As though the engine values have been reset, this would indicate a Drum Drive stall. This may even appear as though the leading and or trailing edge of the paper are smearing; the key is all colors are smearing. Figure 4 is an example of leading edge streaking due to stuck media in the transfer drum.

Figure 4: Leading edge streaking

Portion of the page smearing

This can be caused by a stray/loose piece of paper stuck inside the transfer drum, transfer belt or fuser. Check all of these areas again.

While the Transfer Drum is out check the white plastic Mylar strip the sits in between the OPC and Transfer Drum. If a particular part is bent this can cause the smear. Another way to check this is to remove the OPC. Refer to Figure 1 for the location of the Mylar strip.

This strip can be removed by pulling up on the plastic near the front of the printer until the black plastic strip that is on top of it pops loose. The whole strip can then be peeled off.

NOTE: This can also cause faded print at either or both the top or bottom of printouts depending on where the strip is bent and making contact.

The carousel also has Mylar strips on it that can drag on the OPC, though they are clear in color and not white. These strips can be peeled off easier than the white plastic strip. The Transfer Drum also has a clear plastic strip attached to one of its supports that can cause smearing if it is bent far enough so that it makes contact with the surface of the transfer drum.

If the streaks or smear appears to be across the black boxes on the configuration page or this could be the cyan print cartridge shutter dragging on the black print cartridge developer. Check the cyan cartridge for scratch marks along with the black cartridge. When resting in the home position the cyan cartridge flap is very near the black developer. As the carousel spins this can actually scratch against the black cartridge causing the defect. Figure 5 shows an example of this.

Figure 5: Cyan shutter dragging

Check the following if all results are inconclusive

Perform a "half self-test". To do this print a configuration page from Tray 1 and stop the printer by opening the front door as soon as the trailing edge of the media goes into the printer. This catches part of the image on the paper and part on the transfer drum. This helps to identify where in the image formation process the print quality defect is occurring.

If the issue is present on the paper before the fuser or the Transfer Drum, go back through the preceding steps.

If the issue is not present then the smearing is most likely occurring in the fuser.

Ensure the fuser lever is down and that the proper type of media is being used, and in the proper mode if necessary.

NOTE: Out of specification media can cause print quality defects due to the toner not bonding properly to the media. Always verify the media being used. If there is any doubt regarding the media being used test the printer with standard HP LaserJet copy paper.

Remove the fuser and inspect for jammed media or torn pieces of media inside the fuser. Check the fuser rollers for damage caused by unsupported media.

© 2005 Hewlett-Packard