Welcome to

“Tech Tips – Beyond the Manual”

Created by:
Laser Pros International

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 Objective

This seminar is designed to take you beyond the

manual for all laser style printers. This presentation
is an in depth discussion of printer failures and
print defects not currently addressed within the
service manuals. We have designed this seminar to
show technician’s ideas and processes that go
beyond conventional solutions.

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 Overview

• Print Defects
• Paper Jams
• No power up / Dead machine
• Print job problems from PC to Network
• General Repair Procedures & Using Technical
Support
• Review information

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Tech Tips Beyond the Manual

Print Defects

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Half Self Test
– Isolates image formation,
image transfer and image
fusing processes from one
another
– If defect is on toner, you have
an image formation problem
– If defect is on paper before
fusing, you have an image
transfer problem
– If defect is not on toner or
paper before fusing, you have
an image fusing problem

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Engine Test
– Most all manufacturers
offer this testing feature
– Useful in troubleshooting
print defects and other
machine problems
– Isolates formatter from the
rest of the print engine
(sometimes removal of
formatter is required)
– Engine test is generated
from DC controller /engine
board

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Line of print missing
from top to bottom

– Half test shows defect on drum

(image formation problem)
– Engine test shows same defect
– Indicates laser beam to photo
drum interruption
– Inspect and clean laser
scanner, reflecting mirror and
beam inlet slot on toner cart

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Vertical defect:
Print missing but good
image formation
– Hard line indicates laser beam
blockage or formatter problem
– Engine test showing same
defect indicates you should
replace or clean laser assembly
and reflecting mirror
– If engine test shows no defect,
then replace formatter

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Slow fade from left to
right
– Defect present on engine test
– Half test showing image
formed on drum with defect
indicates a dirty laser scanner
assembly or bad toner cart
– Half test showing good image
formation on drum indicates an
image transfer problem.
– Inspect tension springs on both
sides of transfer roller
– Replace or reseat transfer
roller/corona

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Vertical defect inside top
and bottom registration
area

– Indicates electrical problem

– Replace formatter or DC
controller based on results
of engine test

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Vertical defect extending
beyond the top and
bottom margins
– Indicates a mechanical
problem within the printer
– Half test showing image defect
present on drum and on paper
indicates toner cartridge should
be replaced
– Half test showing image defect
not present on drum or paper
indicates fusing assembly
should be replaced

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Horizontal defect without
repetition and inside
margins
– Horizontal defect without
repetition very difficult to isolate
on half test
– Inside margins without repetition
indicates electrical instead of
mechanical problem
– If image defect is present on
engine test or changes location
replace DC Controller
– If image defect is not present on
engine test or does not change
location, replace formatter
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Repetitive defect ruler

– Relative diameter of rollers

generally remains the same
from one machine to the next
– Sometimes defect will repeat
only on every other revolution
– May be necessary to lay 3
sheets of paper trailing edge to
leading edge in order to
measure defect

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Defect extends beyond
the left and right
margins

– Indicates mechanical
problem not electrical as
scanner is not capable of
printing beyond margins
– Defect has repetitive nature
(consult image defect ruler)

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High voltage power
supply defect

– No equal or even repetition

– Black page sometimes with
image formation visible
underneath
– Some portion of print
visible under defects
– Isolate laser scanner from
toner cartridge/high voltage
power supply (use a piece
of non-transparent tape)

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High voltage power
supply defects

– Run 3 Pages back to back

on same power supply
– Note: lack of repetition
from example to example
– No repetition rules out
scanner or mechanical
problem
– Power supply may run
intermittent

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Ghosting defect

– Light reproduction of printed

image further down the page
– Caused by high print density
setting, worn fuser, low fuser
temperature or a combination
of these
– Use half test to determine
which portion of imaging
process is at fault

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Example of laser scanner
failure

– Not a print defect

– Usually accompanied by an
error code
– If error is displayed the
scanner is bad
– If error is not displayed the DC
controller is bad

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Tech Tips Beyond the Manual

Paper Jams

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Determine the nature of
the jam

– Mechanical and /or Physical

– Electrical
– Timing

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Mechanical Jam /
Accordion Fold

– Accordion folds are caused by

paper path components
slipping or not being driven
– Component directly ahead of
the jam is the cause
– Can be electrical (bad electro-
mechanical clutch or
sensor/flag) but most often
mechanical (broken gears /
worn rollers)

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Folds on leading edge

– Folds are usually caused by

foreign object in paper path or
misadjusted guides in paper
tray
– Use half test to determine
exact location in paper path
where fold is occurring
– Misadjusted guides are
sometimes accompanied by
offset print and damage to
same edge as the fold

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Tears or wrinkles on
leading edge
– Tears / wrinkles are usually
caused by rough spot on
guide ribs or worn
separation fingers on fuser
– Use half test to determine
location
– Compare location of
damage on paper to location
of possible bad part in
machine

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Print skewed or offset on
paper
– Check paper tray for proper
seating
– Check paper tray guides (too
tight or too loose)
– Use half test to determine
where paper is skewing in the
paper path
– Foreign object in paper path
can cause drag on one side of
paper which can cause skew
problems
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Electronic paper jams

– Caused by a bad sensor,

sensor flag or related
cabling and components
– Simplify paper path by:
• Run single test prints
• Run single test prints
through all possible input
sources
• Change destinations and
print options (duplexer)
one at a time

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Paper jams caused by
timing problems
– Does not normally occur on
single page jobs but does occur
on multiple runs
– Registration of page varies
– The leading edge or trailing
edge of the paper is not making
or breaking a sensor in the
specified time
– Clutch not engaging or
disengaging

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Troubleshooting timing
jams

– Check all possible input

sources for worn feed
rollers

– Check machine for worn

flags or flags that do not
return to home position
immediately

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Feed/Separation Multiple Feeds
Rollers
– Three main styles of
separation

P/U Roller • Feed/Separation rollers

with torque limiter or
separation clutch
• Pickup roller with
separation pad
D-Roller • Pickup roller with
separation clip on paper
tray

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Paper does not leave
paper tray
– Pickup roller worn or not
cycling over
– Not enough friction between
roller and separation pad for
roller to bite paper
– Frozen separation clutch
causing separation roller to
push paper back into tray
– Paper guides to tight or poor
cut edges on paper stock
– Bad paper tray

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Stuck/Missing flags or
bad sensor
– If printer goes to paper jam
after initialization:
• Indicates bad component in
fuser/exit area.
• If printer notes a jam in fuser
on power up printer will not
cycle over for safety reasons.
– Printer goes to Paper Jam after
successful power up sequence:
• Usually indicates bad
component in the input or
output area.

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Tech Tips Beyond the Manual

No Power Up / Dead Machine

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About Power Supplies
– Convert AC power to DC operating voltages needed by the printer
• Make 18 to 30 volts DC for motors, fans, clutches, solenoids
and some circuits
• Make +3.5 to +5 and –3.5 to –5 volts DC for logic circuits
and sensors
• 3 different voltages are isolated from one another so a load
on one voltage will not affect the others
– Have over current and over temperature protection built in
• After shutting down due to failure, power supply will usually reset
after 5 to 10 minutes

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Things to look for
– Don’t assume line voltage is correct
• Low line voltage or brown outs can make printers operate erratically
– Blank display with fan(s) or motor running
• Indicates printer has main power and power supply is working
at least partially. Locate main harness from power supply and
check for power to make sure it’s not a bad display problem
– Blank display with no fan(s) or motor running
• Indicates printer has NO DC voltage present. Either main line
voltage is bad, machine component is shorting out the power
supply or the power supply has failed

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Isolation of components
– DC controller functions as power distribution for machine
• Unplug power supply from DC Controller and check voltage. If no
voltage replace power supply. If voltage is present proceed as
follows.

• Wait 5-10 minutes for power supply to reset

• Isolate all components from DC Controller except for a fan or some

other component that will give indication of power. If printer
indicates that it has power then reconnect components one at a
time until failure occurs. If no indication of power replace the DC
Controller.

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 Tech Tips Beyond the Manual

Print job problems from PC or network

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Isolate printer from PC or Network

– It is important to determine if problem is coming from printer or

from host

– Determine that printer will perform all self tests properly

– Run configuration page and check for memory, paper size ,

installed options and MIO card status (if installed)

– Compare printer configuration to what host is asking for

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Control panel settings and host drivers
– Settings on control panel are default settings and host driver will
override them

– Ensure that correct driver is installed for printer and operating

platform
• Degraded drivers can cause character dropouts,
garbled print, unexplained paper jams and other
problems that seem to defy logic.

– For direct connections make sure that parallel / serial port settings
match those of host

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Control panel messages or error codes
– Look for error codes that indicate insufficient memory or status
messages that will help isolate the problem – located on event log
– Status lights will perform the same function but the manual is
needed to interpret them
– A printer that indicates that it is processing a job but is not printing
is out of memory or the job is hung up on the spool
– A printer that is printing very slowly needs more memory, is being
fed a very large job from the host or the network is bogging down
due to a large load. (Usually accompanied by a memory overflow
error)

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 Tech Tips Beyond the Manual

General Repair Procedures and Using

Technical Support Hotlines

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Helpful troubleshooting hints
– Always isolate printer from host system before beginning your
troubleshooting steps
– Run configuration test page
– Verify complete functionality of printer (the cover your butt theory)
– Cold reset feature can be very effective in resolving printer problems
• Note- Never cold reset a printer with the MIO card installed. It
will zero out the IP address
– Simplify printer by removing all extras attached such as MIO card,
optional sheet feeder, or any other installed options
– Use engine test whenever possible

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Using technical support hotlines and online support

– If machine or problem is unfamiliar to you, call our Toll Free

Technical Support before you go onsite @ 888.558.5277, Dial 2
for Technical Support

– Have as much information about nature of visit available as

possible.

– Answer all questions the support provider asks you

*Their advice is only as good as the information you provide*

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“Tech Tips - Beyond the Manual”
Thank You:
Laser Pros International
One International Lane
Rhinelander, WI 54501

Phone: 888.558.5277 Fax: 715.369.5910

www.laserpros.com

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