An Organophotoconductor (OPC) drum is an vital component that enables a laser printer to accomplish its function. The main function of the drum is to receive an image from the laser's scan assembly then transfer the image to paper to create the finished print. Since the quality of a print is dependent on the proper operation of the drum, they must be replaced whenever they show signs of wear and tear. Now, at what time should you decide to buy another?
A laser printer drum has a characteristic hours of expected operation depending on the number of pages it prints. Therefore, whenever this number has been printed, a message prompt will appear and any printing will be interrupted by the printer's operating program. However, it is also possible for the drum to become damaged or malfunction, even before the limit of pages printed is reached, and a new one will be needed.
The following are a list of ways of detecting a defective drum:
Prints containing spots.
The appearance of equidistant spots all over the printed document might signify that there was a build-up of toner on the fuser roller, or perhaps a defective drum. To identify the source of of the problem, try measuring the separation between each spot. If they are 3 inches from each other, this indicates that the drum is defective ( its diameter is greater than the fusing roller). The owner might also attempt to wipe away excess toner present on the roller, then see how printing another page appears. If the printed page appears as it normally would, then the cause of the spotting was the roller so replacement is unnecessary. If there was no change in the page, replacement of the drum is advised.
Ghost imaging.
The appearance of shadowy images on a printed document signifies a damaged drum.
A ghost image can be caused by one of the following causes:
(1) There has been a malfunction in the cleaning blade, since it has failed to clean the outside of the drum.
(2) There is an improper charging of the drum, or
(3) it has undergone exposure to lighting when it was removed.
Horizontal black lines on the printed page
When horizontal black lines are visible this indicates a defective section of the laser printer.To identify the defective part, the operator should determine the separation between the black lines. If it is 3.75 inches., it is almost a certainty that the drum is defective and in need of being replaced.
Replacement should be done using a drum kit when this in indicated as being necessary in the print page.
