Printeruser's Blog

How to Run a Self-Diagnostic Test on an Oki Printer

printeruser — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:31:10 +0000

While Okidata printers tend to be quite reliable, sometimes they do have issues. When the printer stops communicating with the computer or behaves erratically, it is important to gather as much information as possible. Printing a self-diagnostic page gives you a weatlh of information about the Okidata printer, including its network status, the condition of the ink cartridges and the total page count.

1. Log on to your computer and click on the “Start” button. Choose “Control Panel” from the menu and double-click on the “Printers and Faxes” icon.

2. Highlight the Okidata printer and right-click. Choose “Properties” and click on the “General” tab.

3. Click the “Print test page” button. Wait for the test page to print.

4. Press and hold the power button on the front of the Okidata printer. Continue holding the power button until the LED begins to blink. Release the LED and wait for the diagnostic page to print. Review this page for the information you need to troubleshoot your issue.

CLEARING PAPER JAMS

printeruser — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:08:44 +0000

One of the main causes of paper jams is media that has been left in the cassette tray while the machine is in a high humidity environment (typically, in an unmanned office over a weekend).

Jams can occur due to paper misfeeding from a paper tray or at any point on the paper path through the printer or scanner ADF. When a jam occurs, the MFP immediately stops. If printing multiple pages (or copies), do not assume that, having cleared an obvious sheet, others will not also be stopped somewhere along the path. These must also be removed in order to clear the jam fully and restore normal operation

1. If a sheet is well advanced out of the top of the printer, simply grip it and pull gently to draw it fully out. If it does
not remove easily, do not use excessive force. It can be removed from the rear later.

2. Lift the scanner

3. Press the cover release and open the printer’s top cover fully
4. Note the positions of the 4 cartridges. It will be necessary to remove the four image drums to gain access to the paper path.
5. Holding it by its top center, lift the cyan image drum, complete with its toner cartridge, up and out of the printer.
6. Put the cartridge down gently on to a piece of paper to contain any toner spillage.
7. Repeat this removal procedure for each of the remaining image drum units
8. Look into the printer to check whether any sheets of paper are visible on any part of the belt unit. 9. Remove any sheets of paper as follows:
>To remove a sheet with its leading edge at the front of the belt (1), carefully lift the sheet from the belt and
pull it forwards into the internal drum cavity and
withdraw the sheet

>To remove a sheet from the central area of the belt, carefully separate the sheet from the belt surface and withdraw the sheet
>To remove a sheet just entering the fuser , separate the trailing edge of the sheet from the belt, push the fuser pressure release lever (1) towards the front and down to release the fuser’s grip on the sheet, and withdraw the sheet through the drum cavity area. Then allow the pressure release lever to rise again.

9. Starting with the cyan image drum unit nearest the fuser, replace the four image drums into the drum cavity, making sure to locate them in the correct order

>Holding the complete assembly by its top center, lower it into place in the printer, locating the pegs at each end into their slots in the sides of the printer cavity

10.Lower the printer top cover but do not press down to latch it closed yet. This will protect the drums from excessive exposure to room lighting while you check the remaining areas for jammed sheets.

11.Open the rear stacker and check for a sheet of paper in the rear path area.

12.Check inside the cover for sheets in this area and remove any that you find, then close the cover
13.Pull out the Cassette Tray and ensure that all paper is stacked properly, is undamaged, and that the paper
guides are properly positioned against the edges of the paper stack. When satisfied, replace the tray.
14.Close the printer top cover and press down firmly so that the cover latches closed.

15.Gently lower the scanner on to its supports.

Drivers Will Not Install

printeruser — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:19:06 +0000

Drivers Will Not Install on Windows 2003 Server. You may receive the following message when installing drivers on Windows 2003 Server Edition.
“The current printer driver is not compatible with a policy enabled on your computer that blocks Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 kernel mode drivers.”

By default, Windows 2003 Server enables a policy which disallows the installation of kernel-mode print drivers. By disabling this policy, the admin can install the printer driver. After the installation of the driver, the admin can re-enable the policy and the installed driver will be grandfathered.

1. Open Group Policy. To open Group Policy, click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc, and then press ENTER.

2. Under Local Computer Policy, double-click Computer Configuration.

3. Double-click Administrative Templates, and then double-click Printers.

4. Right-click Disallow installation of printers using kernel mode drivers, and then click Properties.

5. On the Settings tab, click Disabled, and then click OK.

Taking advantage of cross reference in printers

printeruser — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:57:27 +0000

Finding toner cartridges for your printer is a difficult process, even more when you are trying to save money finding the best value in the market. A good idea to find great deals is to look for similar references to your printer that share the same toner cartridges. Printer and copier manufacturers share technologies or brand their products differently in many parts of the world, so, at the end, some printers end up being the same machine but whit total different names. Take the case of Ricoh. They have so many different brands all over the world that is very hard to keep up with their compatibilities. Savin, Lanier, Gestetner, and Ricoh are the same company. For example, the popular Ricoh CL7200 toner, is the same than the Lanier LP332c, and the Savin CLP 128. In many cases you can find that the very same products are cheaper for Lanier, or for Ricoh, but they end up being the exact same cartridge. Another similar situation happens when an accepted brand buys the rights to distribute a printer in some country, from a not that well known manufacturer. That is exactly why is so important to do some research before buying a printer, the exact same model can be more expensive under a specific brand. Cross references for the same brand are a key issue as well. Manufacturers like brother and Sharp, try to make one single cartridge extremely compatible with many printer lines. For example, the Sharp AL100 can be used in at least 15 different printer references, and again, you can find the same cartridge at different price ranges. At imagetoner.com we tried to save as much money as possible to our buyers. Ask us about the compatibility for your printer if you have any questions.

Why Most People Pay Double for Laser Toner Cartridges

printeruser — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:49:10 +0000

If you own a laser printer, you already know the most expensive part of ownership is purchasing laser toner cartridges. A normal laser printer has a life expectancy of five years. However, many laser printers will last longer than five years. Did you know that over that five-year period, most people pay seven times as much for toner cartridges as they did for their printer? If your printer lasts longer than five years, you will pay even more.

Many major printer manufacturers use a marketing model similar to TiVo and Gillette razors. The basic idea is this¡¬ they sell you the printer at or near cost. Once you’ve purchased their printer, you will buy their printer supplies. Hence, the huge mark up on the price of the toner cartridges. In many cases, the cost of a brand name cartridge is more than twice what it should be. The companies then spend a lot of money trying to convince you that you must buy their toner cartridges or you can expect to have real problems. This simply isn’t true. I have exclusively used compatible toner cartridges for over fifteen years. Here’s what I have learned. At first, I was very reluctant to try a compatible toner cartridge. I really didn’t understand much about them. A compatible toner cartridge is a new toner cartridge made to the specific OEM specifications of the printer manufacturer.

They include the same parts and toner required for your laser printer. However, they do not have the “brand name” on the label. These compatible toner cartridges are guaranteed to be as good as your original OEM cartridge. That means you will get the same quality of print. You will get the same quantity of print. I have saved literally thousands of dollars in cost by using compatible toner cartridges. Over the years, I only had one instance where a compatible toner cartridge did not live up to my high expectations.

I called the company and they sent me a new compatible toner cartridge the very next day¡¬ no questions, no hassle. Besides this one instance, I have always had outstanding print quality. I’ve never been shorted on the number of pages I’ve printed. When you deal with a reputable online company, you save in many ways. If the major manufacturers made a reasonable profit on their printer sale, there would be no need for such a high mark up on their toner cartridges. So, if you need a new laser toner cartridge and want to cut way back on your printer budget, try a compatible toner cartridge today.

Oki Error message

printeruser — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:42:26 +0000

The common error message for oki C3530n MFP

Error Code 020: Is a fatal error code, indicates a power problem in the network. You need to make sure that the power cable is in direct connection with the outlet on the wall. You could also try replacing the cable or use a different network if this does not solve it.

Error message: fatal error 140 indicated problems with the yellow drum try reseating the drums for image first. You also will need to reseat the assembly for the sensor spring for the contact.

Error message: fatal error 141 indicated problems with the magenta drum try reseating the drums for image first. You also will need to reseat the assembly for the sensor spring for the contact.

Error message: fatal error 142 indicated problems with the cyan drum try reseating the drums for image first. You also will need to reseat the assembly for the sensor spring for the contact.

Error code: 173 this error code means that the fuser temperature is low. You need to replace either the fuser or the thermostat inside the fuser.Error code: 71 this error code in your Okidata device indicate it is a fuser error. Make sure to replace your fuser. Or else try checking the main board.