Color Fading on HP Color LaserJet Printers
Affected printers: HP Color LaserJet 1600, 2600, 2605, 3500, 3550, 3700, 3800, 4700
The above printers have similar designs and therefore all exhibit similar color fading issues.
This article will talk specifically about our experience with our own HP Color LaserJet 2600n printer; how the magenta color is always faded on the left side of the prints.
It turns out that older HP Color LaserJet printers have optical units that are susceptible to dust. As dust gathers within the optical unit, performance is compromised. Magenta is the first to go on a 2600n printer because it is located on the bottom of the unit where the most dust gathers.
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We had noticed color degradation on the left side of the page for some time. Initially, we believed it was the toner itself that was causing the problem. But no matter what toner we used, we got the same result. Even an original cartridge from HP did not solve the problem. If you believe our toner refills or cartridges are bad because of this fading, your optical unit probably needs cleaning. After dismantling our printer to access the optical unit (45 minutes), we were surprised at how little dust there was. We did not believe that such little dust could cause these major quality issues. However, to our astonishment, after cleaning the compartment with Q-tips and compressed air and then reassembling the printer, our printer started working as good as new! If you own one of these printer models and are experiencing these fading issues, we highly recommend that you spend 90 minutes of your time cleaning the optical unit before throwing away your perfectly good HP Color LaserJet printer! |
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Here is the procedure we used to clean our optical unit (HP 1600/2600/2605): http://www.stevenjohal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Laserjet-1600-Fading-Red-Tones.pdf
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