Printer Blobs On Paper

Hi everyone,

I have had a Lexmark CS310dn laser printer for 1 or 2 years now.

Recently it has been printing out some blobs on every page I print.

I have printed from my computer, mobile, and test print pages from the printer itself, all of which have the same results.


What I have noticed: -

If I print a document that is for example, mostly red, the blobs will be pink.

If I print a document that is black, the blobs will be grey.

If I print a blank page, no blobs will show at all.

If I print a document that only has a small paragraph of words, no blobs will show at all.

If I print a coloured table (attendance sheet) the blobs will stop right on the table line.

I am not really educated in the printer department, and I am completely lost.

If anyone could help or offer advice,I would be most grateful. Thank You.

 

In looking at your manual, it sound like you have one or more bad cartridges or imaging kit that needs replacing.

 

http://support.lexmark.com/index?pa...le=EN&userlocale=EN_US&searchid=1621272785653

Says to replace the Photoconductor (PC) unit because of a damaged Charge Roll.

I'd ask if it is possible to get a refurbed PC unit; it might be cheaper.

Looks like you can download a print defects guide from here
http://support.lexmark.com/index?pa...le=EN&userlocale=EN_US&searchid=1621272785653

 

Thanks for the printable guide!

Here are the confusing results:-



Could this still be the Photoconductor?

 

Sorry, I have no experience with laser printers so I'm unwilling to guess.

 

Again, looking at your manual (page 164 in the printed version - I think) it appears what you are calling blobs, Lexmark is calling "specks" and their suggested solution is to replace the imaging kit.

Beyond that, I don't have any experience with Lexmark color lasers either.

 

Ah, thank you for your replies, very helpful!
Pretty annoyed as the printer has not had much use.
I feel after 2 years of use a laser printer should not have this issue.

 

Out of curiosity, are they genuine cartridges?

And I agree. Other than replacing standard consumables (ink/toner and paper), I personally would expect a printer to last quite a few years - at least for the amount of use I would put it through.

I don't know what to advise here. In looking at some of the prices for the replacement parts, the photoconductor (PC) kit is $150, the color imaging kit is $276, and the black imaging kit is $199. I think only you can decide if economically feasible to you.

For me, it does not help there is conflicting information as to the cause of the problem. The manual says it is the imaging kit, but plodr's find suggests it is the PC. The PC problem seems pretty specific about the spots being 30mm (1.8 inch) apart. I would get your ruler out and measure. Hopefully it is the PC as that is the least expensive solution.

 

The cartridges were bought from a local printer business.

They do look genuine, and show in the machine as genuine. (which could be anything in reality as they where reboxed)

The printer has printed just over 1,500 pages in its lifetime.


The reality is, the cost to repair would outweigh the cost of a new printer (as sad as it is).


I did read an article which suggested it could be a driver issue. Although I have printed from my mobile and directly from the printer menu with the same results. I think the next step would be to connect using USB cable directly to see if anything changes. It would be a much cheaper option if it was PC related.


The thing that baffles me the most, I have printed a sample A4 sheet with lorem ipsum and it showed no spots at all. Yet if I print a document that has high ink/toner content, it seems to print it with the spots. You would think if it was an Imagine Kit issue that the spots would be consistant with every print? But saying that, I have nil experience with printers.

either way I do appricate the time spent replying to me.

 

Unlikely. Sadly, many who don't really know what they are talking about automatically toss out "driver issue" whenever they have no clue what the problem is. The reality is, drivers rarely ever suddenly just go bad.

And for sure, you have proven it is not a driver issue because you said the problem is there when you print a test page from the printer itself. The operating system (which is where drivers come in) is totally out of the picture when you print directly from the printer.

You might want to contact Lexmark support. If lucky, you might get someone who knows what they are doing who can at least narrow down the culprit.