How to Clean Laser Printer – Proper Guide

What is a Laser Printer?

The laser printer is a popular color printer that used non impact photocopier technology to print. In 1975, IBM first introduced laser printer and subsequently in 1984 HP revolutionized the laser printing by making it compact, fast and reliable. Unlike the inkjet printers, the laser printer uses toner which is a dry and powered form of ink stored in a drum. Let’s dig in and check out how to clear laser printer.

The laser beam is pulsed on the drum (containing toner) on the areas where we want to print. When the toner gets in contact with the drum then it gets stick to it due to static electricity. And when the paper gets in contact with the drum, the toner printed on the paper due to heat and the process of printing is complete. The printing process is fast and quality of the image is clear, high resolution and crisp.

How to clean Laser Printer steps

1. Turn off the printer

In order to clean the laser printer we must first disconnect the printer from the power source. This prevents the situation of getting electric shock. One more thing to remember is, we should unplug the printer one hour before cleaning it. This will cool down the printer.

2. Open the printer carefully:

We should open up the printer carefully in order to have a view of the inner components. We can take the help of the manual of the printer. The instruction in the manual will help to open and close the printer easily without any mistake. Proper tools must be used to open it as we have seen that some printers have screws, or some open on a hinge and others may have latches.

3. Remove removable parts:

For removing the detachable parts we have to lift the toner cartridge of the laser printer. We have to remove the imaging drum carefully. While removing it we must lift it with extra care so that we must not touch the surface of the drum. And the drum should be placed in the area where there is no light.

4. Clean the toner cartridge:

A toner cloth must be used specifically to wipe out all the dust particles. The cleaned cartridge must be kept on other toner cloth.

5. Toner vacuum:

Use the toner vacuum carefully and hover the nozzle of the vacuum slowly on each corner for 3 seconds. The spilled out toner should also be taken out by the help of the vacuum. We should be extra careful while using the vacuum so that no other vital and sensitive component gets damaged.

6. A brush to clean:

The use of brush is ideal for cleaning and brushing out the deep and hard to reach corners and we can vacuum out the particles loosened by the paint brush.

7. The vital wires:

The wires of the printer especially the corona wire can be cleaned using cotton or some thin cloth dipped with alcohol. A can of condensed air should be used to clean the dust from the fans.

8. Clean the paper roller:

The toner always gets accumulated on the roller which be cleaned using a piece of thin cloth or some cotton by moving the roller in a circular motion.

9. The outer portion of the printer should be cleaned using any disinfectants available:

Reassemble all the parts after cleaning the printer and check every component is placed properly and firmly. Run the printer and if any defect appears then contact the technical team.

What do we need to clean a printer

The laser printer are very sensitive device may require regular cleaning to increase it life and performance. It contains many sophisticated components especially the toner cartridge. We should follow the above steps to safely clean the printer so that it does not malfunction after getting cleaned. Below items are the essential things needed while cleaning the printer.

1. Toner Vacuum: There is a special vacuum that helps us to clean the toner cartridge properly. It is quite expensive but if you own a laser printer and want to clean your cartridge properly then you should have one. One advantage of having this vacuum is that it has a filter that is able to catch or suck tiny toner particles.
2. Latex Gloves: These gloves help to keep our hand clean while cleaning as we have to hold many dusty particles and the toner cartridge.
3. Mask: Always use a mask while cleaning the printer as the dust and other foreign particles may enter in your nostrils causing respiratory issues. The toner inhalation is also not good for health and should be dealt with care.
4. Activated Toner Cloth: These are specially designed clothes for cleaning the toner cartridge. These are single use disposable clothes that clean the toners if the vacuum leaves any particle. It should be used once only and then should be safely disposed.
5. Brush and cotton: The brush comes useful when we have to dust the corners of the printer and cotton dipped with alcohol can be used to rub the wires and other components.
6. Use of Alcohol and aerosol Spray: Isopropyl alcohol is ideal to clean all the external parts and the body of the printer and easy to reach components. Never use rubbing alcohol. The aerosol spray is used to clean the dust in hard to reach corners.

Things to be taken care of

We ignore the cautions while cleaning the printer which causes damage to any sensitive part of the printer resulting into malfunction.

1. The corona wire should be covered while cleaning. This wire transfers the static charge to the toner. We can get bad quality prints if this thing gets dust. So it advised to clean the corona wire using cotton and then should be covered after that.
2. Special care should be taken for the toner guard as this guards help to prevent the excess toner getting on the paper. We can remove the toner guard while cleaning and then re install it after the process is completed. We should that each new toner cartridge has its own new set of toner guard.
3. The ventilating fans should be dusted properly using the brush.
4. We should always remember that the interior of the printer should be avoided while it is turned on as it uses laser technology to print on the paper and the high temperature may cause serious burns which can be catastrophic.
5. Toner cleaning cloth should be used if the toner gets spilled while cleaning. It has the property to absorb the spilled toner Do not apply the toner cleaning cloth with any kind of water or chemical.
6. Always consult a certified technician before cleaning the printer.
7. Get the specialized vacuum cleaner used to clean the toner and do not use regular vacuum cleaner as it can cause damage to the printer.

Conclusion

As we have read in the above section for the topic how to clean laser printer, a laser printer requires proper care and cleaning to get keep it functioning and get better output. The cost of laser printer is more as compared to an ink jet. It is also dangerous to health and environment because it uses laser and powdered ink. But it is preferred for its advantages it provides. The cost for printing a paper is less as compared to inkjet printers. We get a better print resolution. It is quite fast and prints more paper per minute. The main advantage is the cost of the toner which is less and compared to ink cartridge. Ultimately it is up to the user that what is going to be his/her choice of printer as per his requirement.