How long does an imaging drum last

Printer toner and drum are like cheese and macaroni. Toner and drum units work together in a similar fashion. Toner is the paint, and the drum is the brush.

You need both to do some painting The imaging drum and the toner cartridge are arguably the two most important parts of a laser printer. The laser in a laser printer eteches an electrically charged image onto the surface of the drum. Toner particles stick to the printer drum.

The printing drum turns and transfers the toner — and image — to the paper. Printer toner is the dry powder found inside toner cartridges. The powder — made primarily of ground plastic — holds a negative charge, and the toner particles are drawn to the positively charged image imprinted on the printer drum.

Within the laser printing process, toner particles are transferred to the page via a change in electric charge. The entire laser printing process is centered around electric charges and the effect of the changes in electric charge on the toner particles, which are very receptive to changes in electric charges and are able to be moved by them. The toner cartridge is a container that holds the toner powder particles that receive the electric charge. The photosensitive drum unit is an electrically charged cylinder that contains the image that is transferred onto the paper via an electric charge and is printed at a later stage in the process after going through the fuser which bakes the image onto the paper.

What is a drum, and why does Todd Rundgren want to bang on it all day? What does a printer drum do? The drum unit on high volume printers looks like a big green cylinder. On other machines the drum is deep maroon in color and about the same size and width as a paper towel roll. Smaller laser printers can have a drum no wider than a pencil. Store the bag in a cool and dry place within a temperature range between 32 to degrees and a humidity level between 35 and 85 percent until you're ready to install the drum.

Depending on the drum manufacturer, you may or may not be able to return an unused laser printer drum even if the component is in its protective bag and box. Consult the drum manufacturer's return policy and the procedure to take to receive a refund or to swap the drum for another component, such as toner cartridge or a fuser.

Remanufactured drums also have a shelf life of approximately two years. The drums are equal to or greater in quality than new drums and work the same as new drums.

Remanufactured drums are available for a variety of laser printers including HP, Dell, Lexmark and other printer brands. Even though the unit has a one-piece appearance, there are two pieces that can be separated. As you will not need to replace the drum every time you replace your toner cartridge, your drum will eventually need replacing.

So how can you tell if your drum needs to be replaced? After that, blank or white patches will appear on your printed documents. Eventually, when the drum unit has failed completely, the entire printout will be blank. At this time, you must replace the drum unit to continue printing. The procedure for replacing the drum unit varies on your printer's brand and model. In general, look for a front or back door on the printer that opens to reveal the toner and drum unit.

Typically, you'll need to press a button or flip a switch to release the toner and drum unit. When removing the toner cartridge, hold it only by its sides and don't touch the strip on the front or inside the cartridge.

Doing so may cause printing problems. Put the toner cartridge and the old drum unit on paper towels to avoid staining any surfaces.