If you have a laser printer, you must know how to reset drum on Brother Printer. Brother Printers are some of the best in the market, and you will encounter this problem. The printer will tell you it depleted the drum life, and you need to replace it.
You can reset the drum to 100% life rather than buy a new one. This is a simple process that could save you a lot of money.
There are many tips and tricks a Brother Printer user should know to help them work better. Let us look at the details of this topic;
How To Reset Drum On Brother Printer
This method works for the Brother MFC-L series and DCP-L series printers. You can use this process when the printer is working, but it says the drum life has ended. You can reset the drum and continue using the printer for a while. To do so;
- Open the front door while the printer is on.
- Hold the OK button until the printer LED monitor brings up a “Replace drum?” notification.
- Press 1 to accept the reset, and it will give you feedback once it accepts the reset. The printer will reset your drum, and it can work again.
- Close the front door, and the message should go away. To see if it worked, you can print a test page.
- Go to the menu and select printer reports. On the next page, navigate to print settings and press start. It will print several report pages; on the second page, you will see the drum life.
You should only replace the drum when you get blank lines or different contrast lines on the pages. Before then, reset it, and you should get several thousand pages.
Everything To Know On Printer Drum Handling and Maintenance
Laser printers offer high-quality printouts at high speed because of the advanced technology. They have a drum, the most important and delicate part of their construction. The crucial role of the drum emphasizes why you must take good care of it.
The laser beam from the printer hits the drum’s surface and leaves a latent image. The charged drum will attract toner particles at the places the laser hits.
The paper will touch the drum, and the toner will move to the paper from the drum. To clean the OPC drum;
- Dampen a soft cloth with isopropyl alcohol and use it to wipe down the drum. Wipe in one direction, not up and down, and make sure you use even pressure. Isopropyl is a solvent that evaporates quickly without leaving any residue on the drum.
- You can clean the drum without removing it from the cartridge. Rotate the drum in normal motion and wipe the exposed surface with even pressure until you get around it. This is risky since you might touch or scratch the drum.
- When wiping the drum, remove any rings and check your nails to ensure you don’t scratch the drum’s surface. You can’t repair a damaged drum so never touch it with your fingers.
Hold the drum by the gears at the end when handling it since the smallest damage could mean you buy a new drum.
- All drums are very sensitive to light, and too much exposure will damage them. Don’t allow the drum to come into contact with direct sunlight. Make sure you store the drum in a dark box away from any type of light.
Drums come with a light protective wrap. Wait until the very last moment to remove the light protective wrap and put the drum in the printer as fast as possible. Heavy backgrounds or light prints may indicate that the drum has had too much light.
- Do not put labels or stickers directly on the drum. Adhesive chemical materials from the stickers can contaminate the drum’s surface. These contaminants will lead to the deterioration of the print quality or the drum’s complete failure.
- Sprinkle a little toner on a soft cloth and use it to lubricate the drum before the first installation. This is important to prevent the wiper blade from damaging it.
- If there is visible toner on the charge roller, wipe it down with a wet piece of cloth. This will prevent copy quality problems when you use the drum. Use isopropyl alcohol to ensure none of the parts are wet afterward.
How To Know A Brother Printer Drum Needs A Replacement
Most Brother laser Printers will have a reset option for the drum, and you can re-use it several times.
It gets to a point where you have to replace the drum. You need to know the warning signs to replace the drum correctly. Here are some indicators to look for;
1. Lines across the printout
You should get a new drum if you spot lines through the images on your printouts. The lines are vertical or horizontal, and they could cover an entire page or a small area. Most commonly, the lines appear at the same point on each page.
The drum’s surface weakens as you use it. The weak areas can’t transfer ink properly onto paper which causes lines on the printout.
2. Blurred images
A drum that is about to fail will print blurry images. The edges of letters and images will be undefined and shadowed, and text will sometimes appear smeared at the bottom. This indicates that the drum is damaged and can’t transfer ink correctly.
You may also need a replacement if the prints are light or the background is brighter than the image. This happens when the drum gets exposed to too much light, which damages it.
3. Toner Splotches
When a drum is damaged, it cannot hold ink correctly. As a result, some of the ink will fall off onto the pages you print, which will leave specks of ink on the printout. The drum will keep deteriorating, and the specks will get bigger.
You need to replace the drum as soon as you see these warning signs to avoid wasting ink. This is also important since the spots compromise quality. You must produce clear printouts for office documents and images.
4. White spots
If the drum is obsolete, your Brother Laser printer may leave lank white spots on your pages. Drums don’t wear out evenly since you print different types of images and texts that use different parts. This uneven use causes random spots on the page.
The spots will be of different sizes and may appear at different points on each page. Such spots can’t hold ink, so they appear blank on the final print. Such signs compromise the quality of your work, and you must correct them quickly.
How To Properly Maintain Your Brother Laser Printer
Brother Printers offer the best performance and build qualities you could get. Brother printers last, but eventually, your printer’s longevity will depend on how you take care of it. Proper maintenance ensures you have a high-performing printer that lasts long.
Laser printers, in particular, are delicate and need more attention. Let us look at some ways to maintain your laser printer;
Clean the printer
Cleaning is the first and one of the most crucial maintenance tips for a laser printer. Printers build up a lot of dust, so you must regularly wipe them down with a wet piece of cloth. You can get a brush to remove toner and dust from the inner parts of the printer.
Use isopropyl alcohol when wiping the interior components to ensure they don’t get wet. Use laser printer cleaning sheets to clean inside the printer. The cleaning sheet will wipe excess toner and dirt without damaging the drum.
Unplug the printer when it’s not in use
Turn off and unplug the printer or turn off the power source when it is not in use. Unplugging prevents accidents in case the power fluctuates. For cleaning, allow the printer to sit for at least an hour before you open it.
Use high-quality toner and paper
High-quality toner is important since it ensures you print images of high quality, but this isn’t the only reason.
The high-quality printer works well with Brother Printers and will last longer. You might want cheaper ink, but it might damage the printer head over time.
The ink cartridge might also leak and cause a short circuit in the printer. Paper quality is also important since the paper makes contact with your laser printer drum. The poor-quality paper might leave scratches on the drum and reduce its lifespan.
Conclusion
By now, you know how to reset drum on Brother Printer. This is an important part of owning a Brother laser printer since you must do it several times. The drum is a crucial part of the laser printer, and you must take good care of it.
Drums are sensitive to light, and too much exposure will damage them. As such, always keep it in the dark and don’t clean it in a bright environment. Always look out for any warnings of a worn-out drum to replace it.