How Does a Laser Printer Fuser Work?
A laser printer is made up of many parts, each with a very specific task. The fuser, or fusing unit, is one of these many parts, but most users probably don’t know exactly how it works. Usually the only time it is mentioned is when a printer has a bad fuser that needs to be replaced.
Laser printers work by transferring toner (a carbon and polymer powder) to the paper to create an image. Most of this process is done by the drum, which is a large roller that becomes electro-statically charged by the laser, causing the toner to adhere to it in a specific pattern as it is rolled across the drum.Once the toner is transferred to the paper, which is where the fuser comes in. The fuser assembly consists of rollers that are heated. As the paper rolls through the heated rollers, the toner is fused to the paper.
Most fusing units consist of two rollers. One roller is usually hollow, with a heating element inside of it. This allows the heat to be transferred to the roller, and therefore the paper as well. The other roller is generally covered in rubber to ensure a good grip on the paper as it rolls through. The paper is rolled through with the toner side facing the heated roller to fuse the toner to the page. The heated roller must be uniformly heated to achieve the best results. Less expensive printers often roll pages through more slowly, to ensure they are properly heated and fused, which often accounts for the slower printing speeds of inexpensive laser printers. Heating up the fusing unit often accounts for most of the warm-up time of laser printers.
A laser printer is a finely-tuned machine that must accomplish many steps in a fast and efficient process. The fuser is an important component, and now that you understand its part, you can appreciate its role in the laser printing process.
How to Troubleshoot a Printer Paper Jam
Arguably the most common problem users’ face with the function of their printers is the paper jam. Printers are complex machines which simultaneously perform many functions, not the least of which involves the actual routing of the page through the individual components as your job is processed.
One of the easiest solutions and most common causes of a printer jam is an over-filled paper tray. Once you can confirm that the printer is clear of any jams, try running a page through individually in the tray, removing the other pages in the tray. If this goes through without any problems, try keeping a small stack of paper out of the machine and only filling the tray partway.
Check also that the paper you are using adheres to manufacturer recommendations. Some heavier weights of paper aren’t as easily manipulated by your printer to run through the machine, and thus can get stuck. This is especially true when printing on a material such as card stock. Some paper as well is only designed for use in ink jet or laser printers, and will cause problems for a different type of printer.
Most printer manuals, and even some printer displays, have directions for removing paper jams when they occur. This will typically consist of opening certain trays or doors on the machine to access particular sections on the inside of your printer where paper can commonly become stuck. You should also check for cracked or glazed rollers, which can consistently create paper jams. Broken teeth on gears can also cause paper jams which can be usually be tracked down by checking where the paper stopped in the printer.
After clearing the jam, run a single page through the machine to ensure that the path is clear, and that there isn’t something wrong which is causing a recurrent jam. If pages are getting stuck in your printer over and over again, consult your user manual, or have it inspected by a technician.
What is the difference between Single Pass and Multipass Color Printing Technology?
If you look at the specifications of your printer, you should find a section where it mentions either single pass or multi-pass printing. This refers specifically to how many times a page is run through your machine internally before the finished product gets to your hands.
In a single pass printer, toner is maintained in 4 different containers, or drums. These include your three color cartridges (cyan, magenta, and yellow) and a black cartridge. When a page is processed by the printer, it runs under each drum, receiving the corresponding color as directed by your job. In this fashion, the page runs straight through your machine and out the other side, quickly and reliably.
In multi-pass printing all four toner colors are maintained in a single drum. When a page is processed the drum applies one color, recycles the page, and applies the next color, and so on. This process takes longer, but delivers the same product, and is actually cheaper than single pass printing to maintain. What you will lose in the redundant cycling, you will more than save in supply as the cartridges for multi-pass printers are much cheaper than those for singe pass printers.
Multi-pass printers are however also prone to one pitfall that single pass printers generally are not. In multi-pass printers, if the page or the cartridge shifts, it will result in a distorted page, with some or all colors offset and placed incorrectly. While this can happen with single pass printers, it is far more common in multi-pass printers as you are running material through your machine far more often, giving it essentially four times the chances to become misaligned.
When it comes down to it, single pass printing is faster and more reliable, however more expensive to maintain. Multi-pass printing will give you the same quality product in just a little more time; however it will also save you money in the long run.
How to clean an HP Printhead
The printheads in your HP printer are the component of your printer that physically applies your text, design, or image onto the paper. Over time these can build up residuals or even foreign dust and particulates which can interfere with the quality of your prints. Printheads also have microscopic nozzles on them which can clog when exposed to the air when exposed for more than a few minutes. Cleaning your printheads will solve both of these issues and restore your prints to their maximum quality.
If you are unsure if your printheads need cleaning, the easiest way to be sure is to run a job through your printer. If the print is missing lines or dots in your text or graphics, your printheads need to be cleaned. Be aware however that the cleaning process will use ink, so you should only run the cleaning process when absolutely necessary. On most HP printers, the cleaning process will take approximately three to three and a half minutes.
In HP printers, the cleaning process is either initiated through the control panel of your printer. Refer to your owner’s manual or to the manufacturer’s information on how to initiate the cleaning process through your printer’s control panel. The cleaning process consists of multiple levels. When cleaning printheads, you should first initiate a level one cleaning, and then test your print again. If there is still an issue, proceed to a level two cleaning. Repeat this process again, and if necessary perform a level three cleaning.
Alternatively, printheads can be manually cleaned. First, open the top cover of your machine, and be sure that the printer is on. Wait a few seconds, and then unplug the machine without powering it off. This prevents the printer from shutting down, which would move the print carriage out of your reach. Then, lift the printhead latch and printhead handle, and pull the printhead out of the slot. Carefully clean each printhead with a dry, soft, lint-free cloth, making sure you only wipe the contact pads. Be careful not to touch the nozzles as these are very delicate and you can cause severe damage to them. Once printheads are clean, plug the printer back in and turn it on. Reinsert the printheads and re-latch them into your machine. Then, close you cover and the printer will finish the rest.
Toshiba Portege R600 Laptop Battery Review (PA3612U-1BRS)
If you are a user who travels often or simply takes their laptop on the go with them frequently, Toshiba’s Primary 6-Cell Lithium Ion Laptop Battery for the Portege A600, R500, and R600 Series is a great addition to your laptop’s toolkit, or as a replacement for your current battery.
This battery is guaranteed to either meet or exceed the specifications of the original battery that came with your Toshiba Portege, and will also interface with the Toshiba Power Saver Utility on your machine to help you monitor your available power with a charge indicator. This battery snaps in and out of the laptop’s battery slot in seconds, and is made from the same quality Toshiba parts as your laptop itself, guaranteeing compatibility and seamless function.
This battery has a 10.8 volt capacity, 6 lithium ion cells for extended power, weighs in at 0.68 pounds, and measures 8.13″ x 1.88″ x 0.78″. It is compatible with the Toshiba Portege A600, A605, R500, R505, and R600 series of portable computers from Toshiba, and comes with a one year limited warranty to ensure long lasting performance. In tests under grueling use, this battery lasted for approximately 5 hours, and most users can expect even longer life with their battery under typical use.
This battery is compact and powerful, a perfect match for your ultraportable Portege line. Offering long life and seamless integration to your system, this battery is a great option for a spare battery for longer trips, or as a direct replacement for your original battery. Additionally, it boasts 100% compatibility with Toshiba’s Power Saver Utility to make sure that you retain Toshiba’s superior power management utility, helping to ensure that you never find yourself suddenly out of power when you need your machine working the most.
IBM Laptop Keyboards – How to replace the keyboard on the IBM T60
As you use your ThinkPad T60, it is not uncommon to eventually experience problems with your keyboard. As with any laptop or desktop computer, the keyboard experiences heavy wear and tear, and eventually may lose some or all function as a result. However, this does not mean you need an entirely new machine, as long as you know what you’re doing.
First, before removing or touching any hardware components in your machine, always disable the power. Remove the AC adapter from both wall and laptop, and remove the battery as well. If there are any peripherals attached to your machine, remove them as well. Then, if you were recently using the machine, leave it alone until it is completely cool before you begin disassembly. Now, with the machine upside down, carefully remove the screws attached to both the keyboard and the palm rest.
Flip the machine back right side up and open the computer. Push on both sides of the palm rest until the middle comes up slightly, detach its connector, and pull away from the monitor to remove the palm rest completely. Next, lift the keyboard up slightly until you can see its connector. Remove the connector and you have successfully removed your keyboard.
After you have consulted with your manual, manufacturer, or have gotten a part number form the keyboard itself, you should be able to purchase a replacement keyboard for your machine. Once you have it, you will basically reverse the removal process. Find the connector beneath your keyboard and reattach it to your machine, then set the keyboard into the appropriate recess. Reattach the connector for your palm rest, snap it back into place over the keyboard, and secure.
Once that it complete, close the laptop and flip it upside down. Reinsert and secure tightly the screws for both keyboard and palm rest. Reinsert your battery and reattach your AC adapter, then power on your machine. Your computer should resume function with no problem.
Sony VGP-BPL5A Laptop Battery Review
The Sony VGP-BPL5A laptop battery is a large capacity battery compatible with the Sony VAIO TX Series of notebook computers. These nine cell lithium ion batteries last an estimated 1.5 times longer than the standard VAIO batteries, without adding very significant weight to your machine at only 1.2 pounds. This product retails direct from Sony at $239.99, and there are many suppliers with compatible versions of this battery at a fraction of that price.
According to Sony’s website, standard batteries for the VAIO TX series last between four and ten hours, whereas this battery has a life of between 6 and 15 hours, depending on usage. According to user reviews, after a year of continuous use, this battery still retains approximately 6 hours of life when used for text editing.
Being a lithium ion battery, this component is useable directly after charging to 100%, without the need for any additional charging or multiple charge and discharge cycles. If using this battery as a standby, it should be charge to 40% and stored in a cool, dry place to retain full function. Also, check the battery every few weeks if not in use, charging it up to 40% as necessary.
Lithium ion batteries also function best with only partial discharge cycles, meaning that whenever possible, you should recharge the battery before it completely runs out. A lithium ion battery will typically last for between three hundred and five hundred charge/discharge cycles, or two to three years. This can be extended by storing the battery at a diminished charge (again, 40% is the magic number for lithium ion batteries), and at cooler temperatures (15 degrees Celsius is ideal). If using this battery as your main power source, this does not mean the battery will die in two to three years, rather it means that after two to three years, the charge capacity of this component will begin to deteriorate.
Overall, this battery is a great replacement for the standard VAIO TX Series battery, offering greater battery life at a very competitive price. Taking proper care of this component will grant it a long and stable life as well, lasting as long as the laptop itself will.
Understanding the Different Types of Disk Labeling Technology and How They Work
If you’re tired of trying to make creative and artistic DVDs with the drawer full of markers next to your desk, you may want to look into products such as LightScribe or LabelFlash. With the right equipment, you can actually use your CD-ROM drive to burn images and text with incredible accuracy right onto the DVD itself, creating a professional quality disc right at home.
LightScribe and LabelFlash are similar, but different in a few key ways. Both technologies require a special optical disc drive, special software, and special discs. While that may sound daunting at first, you may want to double check your machine as chances are good if you have a newer drive, it comes equipped with one of these technologies already. The reason these use such specialized equipment comes down to lasers and chemistry. The software tells the drive how exactly to move the laser in coordination with the disc, which on its label side has a non-toxic chemical compound that reacts to the laser by changing pigment, thus “etching” the desired design into your disc.
LightScribe is more common in the United States than LabelFlash, though LabelFlash is growing. LightScribe discs are available in all CD and DVD formats, and as of recently come in a variety of colors. LightScribe CDs cost about $0.30 while DVDs cost about $0.60 apiece.
LabelFlash actually predates LightScribe technology, being the revival of the old DiscT@2 (pronounced Disc Tattoo) from Yamaha and Fujifilm. At the time, it was used to etch designs actually on the data side of discs, in the unused space of smaller discs. This didn’t catch on, as people had to burn less data to their discs to use it, and it wasn’t very practical. LabelFlash combines that old ability to burn images in the empty space of discs with the technology of LightScribe, but flipped on its head. LabelFlash discs are all blue, and the chemical compound on their label side actually turns lighter under laser light, making their designs monochromatic negative space depictions with incredible crispness and depth. Unfortunately, they only work with specialized DVDs, no CDs, and they cost about $1.50 apiece.
When choosing between the two technologies, it really comes down to what is available to you in your area. If you have your choice of the two, then it largely becomes a matter of taste. LightScribe is more versatile, with more colors and supported formats, as well as cheaper to supply; LabelFlash is crisper and slightly faster, but at greater cost to you.
Common Problems associated with a bad Printer Fuser
The fuser on your laser printer is essential to the function of your entire machine. After the laser and toner set your printed image onto paper, the final step is a run through the highly heated fuser to bond and set the toner to the page, creating the finished product that you pull out of the tray. However, fusers are also prone to far more wear and tear than any other part of the printer because of all the heat and pressure they create.
The easiest way to tell if you have a defective or malfunctioning fuser is a simple paper test. When you process a print job, take out the finished page and test the printed text or image. Toner is actually a fine carbon polymer powder that is magnetically attracted to the page. When a page with this powder on it runs through the rollers of the fuser, the high heat and pressure melt and fuse the toner to the page fast enough that it doesn’t burn the paper.
If a fuser is malfunctioning, you may see streaking, double imaging, or smudges. Streaking and double imaging are due to toner sticking to the rollers of the fuser, either smudging it in transit causing streaks, or continuing to rotate and reapplying the toner like a stamp effect, causing a double image. You should note however, that a toner cartridge and a few other things could also cause toner streaking on a page.
When you print a page, rub your finger over a section of print. If it smudges, or came out smudged in the first place, your fuser may not be completely melting and setting the toner properly. Problems such as these can be a result of worn gears, electrical component malfunction, worn or broken rollers, or a host of other reasons.
Laser Printer Consumables Replacement
Laser printers are often the most efficient and cost effective printing solution on the market, especially compared to consumer products like InkJet printers. One downside of laser printers, however, is that they often require replacing more consumables than other technologies. Most of these consumables are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace, however. Let us take a look at some of the most common consumables that need to be replaced on a laser printer.
Toner
The most obvious consumable on any laser printer is the toner cartridge. The replacement interval for laser toner cartridges can vary greatly between models. Personal laser printers have cartridges with page yields of around 1,000 pages, meaning they must be replaced more often, while high-volume printers designed for heavy office use may not need replacing for months. Nearly every printer has a status indicator which can show toner levels, and most alert users when the toner cartridge needs to be replaced. This is controlled by the printer via either counting pages or monitoring the level of toner actually left inside the cartridge.
Drum
The imaging drum transfers the toner from the cartridge to the paper, and is a very important component. In general, imaging drums last about 3 to 4 times as long as the toner cartridge, which means that it will need to be replaced every 3rd or 4th time the user replaces the cartridge. Most printers will indicate to the user when the drum needs to be replaced. Some HP printers incorporate the drum into the toner cartridge itself, meaning users do not need to replace it separately.
Fuser
The fusing assembly, or fuser, is a user-replaceable part, but users may find that it is beyond the normal scope of consumable replacement and seek the services of a printer repair center. In general, the fuser only needs to be replaced every 50,000-100,000 pages.
If properly maintained, laser printers can offer many years of smooth operation. That is why it is important to understand the different consumables and their replacement intervals. Your user manual is your best source of information on your specific model and its consumables and maintenance requirements. You can also use the manufacturer’s website for information on the required intervals on consumable replacement.
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