Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

OT Laser Printer Maintenance

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    OT Laser Printer Maintenance

    I used to go to BestBuy to get my nice, reliable printer cleaned every so often but no more. Seems like no local company is offering this anymore. Any ideas?

    #2
    Do it Yourself!

    I clean my 2 laserjets before the start of tax season. You will need a can of compressed air. A bottle of isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol), lint free rags.

    If you have the printer manual, read it to see how to expose the various rollers and platens. Remove the toner. You need to clean them first by blowing compressed air and then using a swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol to clean and take the shine off.

    The area where the toner cartridge sits will have residual toner dust, that you need to clean good. Beware of the fuser and the heater wire. Be very gentle there.

    Once you blow off the paper dust, you will see the difference. I also lubricate the roller bearing with petroleum jelly. Make sure it does not get on the roller itself.
    Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

    Comment


      #3
      Atsman, I try not to do it myself. However, I really appreciate your thoughtful encouragement. The first step is taken: I printed your post. Happy New Year!

      Comment


        #4
        Thanks and Happy New Year to you as well. The can of compressed air is around $3-5 and a bottle of isopropyl alcohol about $2. So for less than $10 you can do it yourself and get the satisfaction. Wear a face mask if dust bothers you.

        What did Best Buy charge you to clean the printer?
        Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

        Comment


          #5
          Print rollers

          The rollers get toner on them. They are easy to wipe off gently. I use a little vacuum and a little tiny wand to clean the inside gently. I use the gently word here because if too much force is used on any of the wires etc. something will be bent or broken.

          The compressed air is handy but the can really gets cold when you spray.

          Another area that really gets dusty are the fans on your computer. Boy, those collect a lot of stuff. I recently took the side off the computer and gently cleaned the inside and the fans.

          Comment


            #6
            OK, maybe I get brave. I am paranoid of breaking something, I actually have the stuff I need anyway, and, yes, I do have the manual. I cannot remember what I paid at BestBuy, it surely was not under $50. The first 3 years, it was covered under there maintenance agreement, which I believe I did not pay for in addition to the cost of the printer.

            Comment


              #7
              Go for it!

              If you are careful you should be ok. Just watch the fuser and the heater wire. Use a good flashlight to see the inside.

              I have been doing this for years with no problems and the printers love that little TLC!
              Taxes after all are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. - FDR

              Comment


                #8
                Go for it If I can change out an entire fuser in a HP Laserjet 4 then you can clean your printer I am sure. I tell ya, I stopped worrying about breaking things on computers, printers, etc years ago. More than likely if you do break something you can find the part online through ebay or another store. Plus there are service manuals online if you look hard enough. I bought two Laserjet 4, several years ago and used them for a long time. When the fuser went out on one I bought a new one online for $100 bucks and was sent instructions on how to replace it. I eventually gave the printers away as they were way too slow.

                Yeah, watch for that fuser. I did not let mine cool down enough and burned my fingers. I mean not like "ouch that is hot". More like "curse word, curse word, several more curse words" It was so hot it made blisters on my fingers. So just let the printer cool down.

                Comment

                Working...
                X