If you’ve had your printer for a good long while, it’s likely you may have seen an error message pop up asking you to replace the drum. While your first instinct may be to reach for that trusty box of printer cartridges, you’d be wrong. While related, a printer drum is not a printer cartridge – one can’t function without the other, but they are most definitely distinct and separate components.
In this blog, Toner City explains what a drum is, how it functions, and how you can tell when you need to change it. Read on and better understand your printer.
An integral part of your laser printer
First things first, if you’re seeing an error message asking you to replace your drum, you definitely don’t have an inkjet printer. Drums are exclusive to laser printers, forming a key part of the printing process. This drum is coated in a photosensitive material and charged with a positive static electric charge. When you order a print, a laser draws the document or image to be printed on the drum, selectively removing the charge. Ink in the form of a dry powdered toner is then applied to the drum which only adheres to the parts the laser has touched. Paper is then passed under the drum, transferring the captured toner onto the page.
Note that in some cases, the drum unit may not be separate from the toner cartridge. Many manufacturers have integrated the drum directly into the toner cartridge for easy replacement. You will only see a warning to replace a drum if your printer has a separate replaceable drum unit.
How to know when you need a drum change
If you’re seeing a warning to replace your drum, it means that the drum has begun to wear it. Drums themselves do not contain toner and do not function as reservoirs of any description. When a drum needs replacing, it’s because it has begun to lose its photosensitivity. This happens naturally over time but can be accelerated by lengthy exposure to ambient light – so don’t leave your printer’s door open for hours! If your printer does not give you a warning, you may still need to change the drum unit if you’re seeing blurry printouts, black spots or large blank sections on your pages.
Unfortunately, due to the delicate and sophisticated nature of the technology involved, there is no way for end users to restore this electrical charge. The only solution is to replace the drum. Fortunately, this is just as easy as changing the toner. The specific process will depend on your printer’s brand and model, but in most cases you’ll have to open the service door, remove some or all of the printer cartridges to access the drum, then remove the drum. Place all of these units on a towel to avoid staining surfaces. Insert the new drum and place the toner cartridges back on top. You may have to reset the drum counter on the printer in order to get it to start printing again – consult the manual for this procedure.
We’ve got the parts & consumables you need
Toner City makes it easy to find genuine and compatible printer drums for your specific unit. Browse our extensive catalogue today and discover the perfect thing to keep your printer humming.