Phaser 7800P: Heavy toner not adhering to paper

Greetings,

I've had a Phaser 7800 for about seven years, and I'm having an issue where heavy toner (such as mixed CMYK black) is not consistently adhering to my media. This happens with laser glossy label sheets and glossy #100 text.



I've been using this media for years without any issues, and the media hasn't changed. I'm using OEM toners from Xerox as well. As you can see above, the toner lifts up from the paper and is then deposited elsewhere on the sheets. I'm using the heaviest paper setting (in this case, EXTRA HEAVYWEIGHT GLOSSY CARDSTOCK), which my understanding runs the media through the printer more slowly and increases the fuser temperature.

I don't do high volume printing on this machine, and to date have less than 60K impressions (I bought the machine new). I have never had to replace any consumables except toner and waste toner cartridges. So all the imaging units, fuser, transfer roller, belt cleaner assembly and suction filter are all original..

Is it worthwhile replacing any of these consumables, such as the fuser, in hopes it will fix this issue? The fuser is the most expensive consumable, and it still has a significant portion of its life remaining. Same with the other consumables:


I am also investigating buying a replacement printer, as this one is getting long in the tooth and I have some other issues with it as well (two of the paper trays stopped working after some plastic gears broke, for instance). But I'd like to solve this issue if I can.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

I've seen this issue occur when improper settings are used when running media. It's not often that the fuser is too cold (this often causes the prints to look rather matte, dull, or color appears improperly mixed/blended) , but the fuser is too hot. Instead of flattening and adhering toner to the sheet, the scorching hot roller will actually pick up, and collect, toner on itself.

Inspect the fuser assembly, it's likely you may find the rollers and cleaning assembly covered in black, liquified toner. You may be able to save the unit if you can successfully clean the rollers (and collecting roller, usually a steel finish, narrow roller. if the machine has one), and rotate the cleaning assembly to a clean portion of the web.

If you're unable to do so, you may have no choice but to purchase a new assembly.

It could be that the wrong settings were used one time, in error, and the fuser picked up some toner. Once it starts, the problem will often persist, the tacky toner on the roller will continue to pickup new toner, until the unit is a filthy mess.

 

Hi @Biggs, thanks for the response.

I am actually seeing the prints look more "matte" and "dull" recently, which is also a newer development. This is most noticeable with darker prints (like black). The toner flaking off, though, is more extreme and easier to demonstrate and photograph. I will definitely inspect the fuser assembly to see if any toner has accumulated on the rollers, and I'll take a look at the collecting roller if there is one and I can identify it. If toner is collecting on anything, I'll do my best to clean the rollers and see if that helps.

I'm willing to buy another fuser if that will remedy the issues I'm seeing and I cannot remedy it myself. This fuser is the original from the machine, and not sure if there's also a "time" element to their longevity. These machines are certainly intended to be used more heavily than what I'm doing.

Will report back once I've inspected the fuser.

Thanks again!