HP 2500n

[CheeseDog]

Anyone know what causes/fixes this wonderous effect? Had 2 printers do it after getting a dodgy batch of ink (last time refills are used). Sometimes covers the entire sheet.

 

Gave them both a good clean and changed the ink and drums (genuine HP now).

 

One of them appears to be ok the other one doesn't appear to be any different.

 

Only does it some of the time (1 in 4) and does not do it if you print in black and white.

 

Short of dismantling it at Easter and giving it a really good clean I'm considering just getting a new printer.

[wesleyw]

I think you'll need to look at changing the drum too then. If you can clean it great otherwise I'd say replace it. Looks as if the toner has adhered to it!

Or worse still Photoconductor unit could be knackered or the lens that the laser or LED uses to burn the toner onto the page. I'd go with drum first (Being cheaper) then look at the other options if that doesn't clear it up!

 

Wes

[Ric_]

That will teacher you for using cheap-ass consumables

 

You could try checking the fuser and transfer units - two of the most expensive items! New printer is probably going to be just as cost effective once you spend all that money though... although you could try buying a CarePaq for it so that HP will do a service.

[wesleyw]

If the other works you could just swap the bit sover and see which makes the difference then just buy that one!

 

Wes

[CheeseDog]

I think you'll need to look at changing the drum too then. If you can clean it great otherwise I'd say replace it. Looks as if the toner has adhered to it!

Or worse still Photoconductor unit could be knackered or the lens that the laser or LED uses to burn the toner onto the page. I'd go with drum first (Being cheaper) then look at the other options if that doesn't clear it up!

 

Wes

 

As I said before changed the drums a while back. I suppose I could be really evil and swap the drums with the printer that works. Upsetting KS1 and foundation for a couple of days.

 

Printer that didn't work was the second one I cleaned so I may have been less entusiastic with the scrubbing.

 

Gave it another rub down on Friday so might be worth doing that. Just cleaned the drum again and the picture is the above result.

 

In my defense As for cheap ass consumable Ric_, I was not a member of this establishment last year so I didn't order them. Worked here as part of the high-schools Primary support.

 

Still had all the grief after powder coating a keyboard with Magenta. Looked pretty groovy, by the time I'd got a vacuum a helpful teacher had took a damp cloth to it making it impossible to sort out. So the keyboard ended up in a sink.

 

Anyway it's confirmed my original suspision that they're not worth the trouble.

[CheeseDog]

If the other works you could just swap the bit sover and see which makes the difference then just buy that one!

 

Wes

 

LOL Great minds think alike.

[CheeseDog]

Just swapped the fuser and the drum from the dodgy to the good and it has made no difference to the good printer. I think the printer may be attacked at Easter with a screwdriver.

 

Will try the toners later. Had enough messing this morning.

 

Any reason why it wouldn't happen all the time?

[steve]

To me it looks like the transfer belt is knackered, the toner isn't being cleaned off properly between prints. We get similar on our epsons.

[CheeseDog]

Tried the toners. Guess what....

 

No difference.

 

Didn't think there would be.

 

Anyone know any good printer repair people? (I'm guessing it's easier just to replace to be honest)

 

The transfer belt is in the drum isn't it? If so it can't be that sadly.

 

On the b&w prints being fine it seems like I was mistaken just had one of those go a little kaka now.

[Guest]

For reference - HP 2600N can be had for under £180.00

[pinemarten]

we have 4 HP 2600N - printer ,as you say £180 -and 4 toners for this machine are £172 -ish!

 

so you can bin it and buy another when the toner runs out ...

 

seriously , does anyone know of a firm that can refill these? (it's the chip that causes the problem as always).

[Ric_]

@CheeseDog: Definately sounds like the transfer unit (the stuff that looks like thick photo film) - you'll probably be able to see the marks and this would also explain why it's only every x number of pages that look knackered.

 

@Pinemartin: Are you seriously considering refills after this story? If a HP toner did this you would get your printer fixed by HP!

[pinemarten]

@ric-

 

back to my point about the prices of 4 HP toners versus the price of a new printer(which of course INCLUDES 4 toners!!) - what is to be lost by trying with refills?

 

of course I could always keep a set of nearly empty OE cartridges and swap em back in if I wanted a guarantee repair...........

[Ric_]

@pinemartin: Don't the printers include 'intelligence' so they know that you have used dodgy toner? Also, the toner that comes with the printers tends to be of a lower capacity than the retail ones.

 

IMHO any colour laser worth £180 ins't going to be all that great anyway.

[john]

For toner refills I have used http://www.urefilltoner.co.uk - this is a direct link to your toner - http://www.refilltoner.com/MachineProducts.asp?id=HP2500&manu=Hewlett+Packard&mach=Color+laserJet+2500++%2FL+%2FN+%2FTN I use them in my CLJ 4600, not bad at all, just doesnt give a display of status, and don't always last as long but for £30 refills VS over £100 each for new toners its a good saving. Just going to try some pre-made refurbs from IJT, I normally steer clear of IJT with bargepoles - very poor service and quality goods, but I have it in writing, if I don't like these refurb toners I can have them swapped for genuine HP ones free of charge, and they were told if I dont like them they will get them back and I will want my free HPs.

[CheeseDog]

@CheeseDog: Definately sounds like the transfer unit (the stuff that looks like thick photo film) - you'll probably be able to see the marks and this would also explain why it's only every x number of pages that look knackered.

 

 

I agree. But sadly changing the bad drum into the good printer seems to make no difference to the quality on that one. Tried quite a few pages as well.

 

Haven't tried it the other way round yet. I'll do a swap now and leave it a day to see what happens.

 

Just moved the belt round by hand and it looks pretty clean.

[pinemarten]

@john - thanks , I'll give them a call.

and I know what you mean about IJT !!

 

@ric - thanks for your comments.

 

don't know what inbuilt 'intelligence' they have , but it's worth a blag - what is there to lose?

 

the toners that come with the 2600n printer have the same part no. as the replacements , and seem to give the same page yield, so I assumed they were the same?

 

and I know the 2600N is an 'el cheapo' printer, but we have 3 of them and they have been fine so far...

 

I must add that I wouldn't try dodgy refills in a 2500N , it being a much more valuable machine.

 

our budget is very tight and I am just trying to keep costs as low as we can for 'reasonable' quality printing for the whole school, that's all.

[CheeseDog]

Results just in....

 

The dodgy printer is still dodgy. So it's not the transfer belt

 

Got fed up with it now.

 

Saving it for a quiet day over Easter.

[danIT]

I have two of the exact same printers purchased a while back now, 3 yrs or so ago, before i started here. In my experience this printer model is a shocker, it rearly does anything right, netwroking problems galore, although it maybe be pcounter causing a few of the problem.....anyway

 

We often get pages which come out with your described effect, usually the primary colour most used in the printout, for instance test page Magenta.

We are yet to find a cure, but to be honest we only keep them because we spent som much on them all those years ago,

 

just picked up 4 hp colour laserjets 2550n i believe, these are outstanding so far! they were £250 i think.

[CheeseDog]

Quick update on this.

 

The printer seems to have worked the problem out of it's system after replacing all the ink/drums.

 

Fixed itself in the days leading up to an Ofsted inspection. About a month and a bit ago.