Your organization’s laser printers make use of a drum unit and a toner cartridge to print out photos and documents. The printer’s toner cartridge has black or colored powder which the drum unit then transfers to paper while printing. After some time, the drum unit can lose certain values and thus a replacement will be needed. A drum unit normally should last for 10,000 to 50,000 pages (printed), however this depends on the printer and drum unit quality. Your printer should show so warning signs if the drum unit gets deteriorated, to help you replace it on time before it goes bad completely. The following are some early signs that a printer drum needs to be replaced.

#1: Printer error message or prompt

Most laser printers have a drum unit that helps in monitoring the total number of pages that the unit has successfully printed. When it reaches a particular number set, the printer will notify you that it is time to have the device replaced. Have a look at the printer’s display for any warning message or error. Most times the warning message may pop up on the screen of your computer when you are about printing out a document. You will also be notified whenever the printer’s drum has deteriorated completely and thus unable to print any more pages.

#2: Blank printouts

As the printer’s drum unit gets bad, texts and images will begin to fade gradually. After this, white or blank patches will show on the documents you printed. If the drum unit gets bad completely, the whole printout will become blank. At this point, you have to replace the drum if you must continue printing.

#3: Black spots or blurry printouts

If the printouts start getting blurry with a very low quality, then it means the drum unit need urgent replacement. Colored or black spots shown on the printouts means the drum unit is getting bad. In most situations, horizontals lines will form across your printed documents each time the paper goes through the drum part that is getting bad.

Changing the printer’s drum unit

The means and procedure for drum unit replacement changes on your printer’s model and brand. Generally, look out for a back or a front door on your printer that opens revealing a drum unit or toner. Normally you will be required to flip a switch or push a button in order to get the drum unit and the toner released. Look for dealers like 123ink.ca Canada that sell trusted and guaranteed printer drums for the best quality.

Once the drum unit has been replaced, you will have to set up the drum counter again so that the printer can recognize the new drum unit. If this isn’t done, printing may be impossible. This is due to the fact that the printer still believes the old drum unit is still being used.