Smeared or Ghost Print – HP LaserJet P4014, P4015, P4510 Fuser Repair

 

Smeared or Ghost Print – HP P4014, P4015 – Printer Repair

Probably one of the most common issues I’ve seen on these machines is smeared or ghost print. I will say I have yet to see this problem on OEM fusers, I’ve seen it quite a bit on rebuilt fusing assemblies. I’ve tried several different vendors with these model fusers  and I’ll be honest I’ve only had a few that will stand up to the recommended PM cycle and then the next one I buy doesn’t make it. Kind of like the 4200 fuser  in the first few years before they got all the bugs worked out. So I think third-party  suppliers still have their work cut out for them. These machines run at very high speeds and have quick output so the fusers have to be running at top performance to avoid smeared or ghost print.

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Troubleshooting Smeared or Ghost Print in the HP laserjet  P4014, P4015, and P4510 printers

I’ve said I haven’t seen it in OEM fusers  but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. I’d say on OEM fusers, like the 4250 fusers  it would most likely happen in the center of the page. The top layer of the film wears away exposing the metal layer underneath. When the metal gets exposed the toner will want to stick to the metal and not the paper resulting in an either  smeared or ghost print down the center of the page. Third party toner or specialty paper can also result in premature wear of the outer coating on the fuser  film roller. On rebuilt fuser  I’ve seen lots of smeared or ghost print through out the whole page. Mainly seems to be a result of improper heating of the fuser heating element. The film roller still looks good but when the page comes out  the toner  just smears off the paper so after a few pages it looks like a huge mess printing out.HP laserjet P4015, P4014 smeared or ghost print photo

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Best thing to troubleshoot is to first just take out the fuser  and check the orange surface of the fuser  film for any obvious signs of wear or toner build up. Second would be a half test. Print off a config  page and when the page is half way through the machine open the top cover and remove the toner. If your lucky the page will be underneath the toner with print already on the page. If the smeared or ghost print is already on the page before it’s fused then try another cartridge. If the print looks good on the page before fused then most likely the fuser  is the problem child. I say the first thing to try is to check the fuser because of the speed of these machines it can be tricky to run a half test on this model.

Fuser  Removal Procedure for the HP laserjet  P4014, P4015, and P4510 printers
Wait 5 to 10 minutes Before Removing the Fuser to allow it to cool down and make sure you unplug the machine.

Rear output bin
1. Open the rear output bin.
2. Squeeze the hinge pin out of its mounting hole.
3. Rotate the output bin away from the product until the right hinge pin is released, and then remove
the output bin

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Fuser
1. Remove the rear output bin.
2. Squeeze the blue fuser-release tabs.
3. Pull the fuser straight back and out of the product.
CAUTION: Do not drop or jar the fuser. It can easily be damaged if it is mishandled.

Conclusion about the Smeared or ghost print on the HP P4014, P4015, and P4510  Laserjet Printers.

Hopefully, in the next year or so third party suppliers will find a better film hot roller that will live up to the PM cycle and not have smeared or ghost print. These machines are great workhorses and remind me a lot of the original 4000 series. Very few problems result in satisfied customers and machines that will remain in the field for years to come.


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