Poor quality printouts from mono laser

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Adam_151

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Hi There,

I have a brother 2250DN mono laser printer.

For a long while its been giving poor quality output, I've put up with it for longer than I should, as most of the usage is printing drafts copies that just get notes made all over them before being typed up, I don't often need to print final versions of much, but I'd like to get to the bottom of it.

The issue is the black areas are more a dark grey, sort of like you'd get when the toner is low, but its had new toner, more than once, the other issue is the clear areas are a very light grey but very even over the page.

I've tried a new drum unit, made no difference, changed toner more than once (the issue has been going on for a while), and today I took the rear covers off and wiped the heater roller and the associated pinch roller with IPA, but still no different.

Anyone able to help?
 
Try a factory reset of the printer, is toner economy set to 'on', causing the light print? Try cleaning the rubber transfer roller with IPA. Try printing the solid black test print.
 
JohnD said:
Can you see (and clean) the strip of LEDs/lenses?
Click to expand...

I've taken just it apart from the top, and while I had been told that modern laser printers actually use LEDs and lenses, I took it apart and found the laser module (laser warning stickers, et all) now the odd thing is, that I can see the output of the laser module pointing downwards towards the imaging drum, but I cant see any kind of focusing mirror that I was expecting, it just seems pointing towards the centre of the drum.

Im not sure that this isnt the wrong path, theres no trouble with shorpness of lines, its just the black is faded and the white is mucky, surely if the focusing mirror was dirty, light would be scattering everywhere and the sharpness of text would be gone as to be near unreadable?
 
Was it a new genuine Brother drum?

Inside the laser, you will find a polygon mirror, lens(es) and a mirror at 45ish deg to direct the beam to the drum.
Any dust/dirt would not affect the unprinted areas.
Some machines I have fixed would need the laser stripping and cleaning


You could try a half page test.
Print a page full of text
Open the cover when the paper is about halfway through.

Good before it gets to the fuser, then fuser is at fault.
Poor quality before it gets to the fuser could be transfer roller (usually sponge or rubber and part of the printer not the drum)

Also have a look at the characters on the drum that have not yet been transferred to the paper.
Should be a sharp mirror image of the print
Any toner/background on the drum is likely to be the drum.

This is quite good to show how the process works
 
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