Faint prints with new TN-560 toner cartridge for Brother HL-1670N

First my good old printer started printing dirty (gray) prints with no signs
of fainting. The page count was over 5000, so I ordered a replacement toner
cartridge. Inexpensive but genuine Brother part.

The prints from the new cartridge were clean but faint, even when I used
maximum density. Of course I checked Toner saving setting. It is OFF.
My first thought was that the online merchant sent me a knock-off, not real
Brother part. I bought another one from a local Office Depot, and the result
is identical. Faint prints. Black is not black.

What should I do?

Brother technical support came up with the usual recommendations (clean
everything and/or replace toner/drum).
Does anyone here have any other ideas?
Do I really have to buy a new drum (pretty expensive) to make it work
properly? It is supposed to last several times the life of a toner
cartridge... which means it's practically new.

--
Vadim Zima
Certified Russian Translator, Court and Conference Interpreter
www.zima.net

Typically, a low toner cartridge doesn't lead to dirty prints (I assume
you mean the white areas have a gray cast on them), unless you have had
to crank the darkness way up to get a darker print).

I don't know how the Brother printers are designed. However, if there
are any accessible corona wires (these are a thin silver wire strung
across the width of the printer often part of the drum unit, looking
like a steel high E guitar wire) and make sure they are not coated in
toner. Often the company provides a little cleaner device (usually made
of felt) to clean the wire. This needs to be done with care, as the
wire is stretched tightly. Also, check for any window that transmits
the laser light to the drum and make sure they are clean (use a soft
brush to remove any residual toner that may be obscuring the light).

You are correct that the drum should last a few toner cartridges, in
general, but the drum life is really based upon the amount of light
exposure it gets, so if you do a lot of printing with very low toner
coverage (like text and toner saving) the drum may get much more use
than the average toner cartridge yield would imply.

You mention the page count was over 5000, so the question is what is the
rating for the drum?

Also, if you have exposed the drum to very bright light (like direct
sunlight) that can damage the surface of the drum and limit its life.

Lastly, if you are "handy" you may be able to buy a replacement drum and
install it into the drum unit. The drums can be purchased from some
rebuilder/refurbisher suppliers, and some are only about $10. They
often come without the gearing that is needed on the ends of the unit to
interface it with the rest of the printer, so you have to figure out how
to remove and install them on the new drum without damaging things. I've
done this successfully with a Panasonic unit which used the exact same
drum as the HP II cartridge unit. However, I don't know which one the
Brother requires.

If you don't want to get "into" the machine, before investing in a drum
unit, it may be worthwhile having someone in service look at the unit,
as it may just need a good cleaning.

Art


spam_killer wrote:

First my good old printer started printing dirty (gray) prints with no signs
of fainting. The page count was over 5000, so I ordered a replacement toner
cartridge. Inexpensive but genuine Brother part.

The prints from the new cartridge were clean but faint, even when I used
maximum density. Of course I checked Toner saving setting. It is OFF.
My first thought was that the online merchant sent me a knock-off, not real
Brother part. I bought another one from a local Office Depot, and the result
is identical. Faint prints. Black is not black.

What should I do?

On 10/22/04 5:40 PM, in article vMhed.35993$z96.20059@clgrps12, "Arthur
Entlich" wrote:

Typically, a low toner cartridge doesn't lead to dirty prints (I assume
you mean the white areas have a gray cast on them), unless you have had
to crank the darkness way up to get a darker print).

I don't know how the Brother printers are designed. However, if there
are any accessible corona wires (these are a thin silver wire strung
across the width of the printer often part of the drum unit, looking
like a steel high E guitar wire) and make sure they are not coated in
toner. Often the company provides a little cleaner device (usually made
of felt) to clean the wire. This needs to be done with care, as the
wire is stretched tightly. Also, check for any window that transmits
the laser light to the drum and make sure they are clean (use a soft
brush to remove any residual toner that may be obscuring the light).
You practically repeated what the tech support said. I followed all their
recommendations.

You are correct that the drum should last a few toner cartridges, in
general, but the drum life is really based upon the amount of light
exposure it gets, so if you do a lot of printing with very low toner
coverage (like text and toner saving) the drum may get much more use
than the average toner cartridge yield would imply.
This is EXACTLY my case. I only print text.

You mention the page count was over 5000, so the question is what is the
rating for the drum?
20,000


Also, if you have exposed the drum to very bright light (like direct
sunlight) that can damage the surface of the drum and limit its life.
Only briefly, when I took it outside to wipe, to have a better view.

Lastly, if you are "handy" you may be able to buy a replacement drum and
install it into the drum unit. The drums can be purchased from some
rebuilder/refurbisher suppliers, and some are only about $10. They
often come without the gearing that is needed on the ends of the unit to
interface it with the rest of the printer, so you have to figure out how
to remove and install them on the new drum without damaging things. I've
done this successfully with a Panasonic unit which used the exact same
drum as the HP II cartridge unit. However, I don't know which one the
Brother requires.

If you don't want to get "into" the machine, before investing in a drum
unit, it may be worthwhile having someone in service look at the unit,
as it may just need a good cleaning.

Art
I'll try to use your advice. "Service" these days is so costly, it's MUCH
cheaper to through away the whole printer and buy a new one.
The drum for my printer is $150.00 (that is in addition to $60 I already
paid for the toner). The price of a new laser Brother 1440 is $149.95. It is
not a network printer like mine, but I am still tempted...

Thank you

--
Vadim Zima
Certified Russian translator and court interpreter
www.zima.net

My Brother HL-1870 started giving me messages that it needed new Sheet
Feeder parts and copies had deteriorated. Parts and service call would
have been well over $250 -

I called Brother and a nice tech there told me they were selling
rebuilt machines with warranty for a little over $300 - it would have
a new drum in it, a new full toner cartridge and cost less when this
was all added up.

So, I bought it and it was a good decision!

SCD

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 21:39:06 -0700, spam_killer
wrote:

On 10/22/04 5:40 PM, in article vMhed.35993$z96.20059@clgrps12, "Arthur
Entlich" wrote:

Typically, a low toner cartridge doesn't lead to dirty prints (I assume
you mean the white areas have a gray cast on them), unless you have had
to crank the darkness way up to get a darker print).

I don't know how the Brother printers are designed. However, if there
are any accessible corona wires (these are a thin silver wire strung
across the width of the printer often part of the drum unit, looking
like a steel high E guitar wire) and make sure they are not coated in
toner. Often the company provides a little cleaner device (usually made
of felt) to clean the wire. This needs to be done with care, as the
wire is stretched tightly. Also, check for any window that transmits
the laser light to the drum and make sure they are clean (use a soft
brush to remove any residual toner that may be obscuring the light).
You practically repeated what the tech support said. I followed all their
recommendations.

You are correct that the drum should last a few toner cartridges, in
general, but the drum life is really based upon the amount of light
exposure it gets, so if you do a lot of printing with very low toner
coverage (like text and toner saving) the drum may get much more use
than the average toner cartridge yield would imply.
This is EXACTLY my case. I only print text.

You mention the page count was over 5000, so the question is what is the
rating for the drum?
20,000


Also, if you have exposed the drum to very bright light (like direct
sunlight) that can damage the surface of the drum and limit its life.
Only briefly, when I took it outside to wipe, to have a better view.

Lastly, if you are "handy" you may be able to buy a replacement drum and
install it into the drum unit. The drums can be purchased from some
rebuilder/refurbisher suppliers, and some are only about $10. They
often come without the gearing that is needed on the ends of the unit to
interface it with the rest of the printer, so you have to figure out how
to remove and install them on the new drum without damaging things. I've
done this successfully with a Panasonic unit which used the exact same
drum as the HP II cartridge unit. However, I don't know which one the
Brother requires.

If you don't want to get "into" the machine, before investing in a drum
unit, it may be worthwhile having someone in service look at the unit,
as it may just need a good cleaning.

Art
I'll try to use your advice. "Service" these days is so costly, it's MUCH
cheaper to through away the whole printer and buy a new one.
The drum for my printer is $150.00 (that is in addition to $60 I already
paid for the toner). The price of a new laser Brother 1440 is $149.95. It is
not a network printer like mine, but I am still tempted...

Thank you