What Happens If a Printer Drum Runs Out?

Photosensitive drums are used in the printing process by laser and LED printers. The pattern of the page is flashed onto the drum, which picks up an electric charge where the light strikes it. The drum then picks up toner in the charged areas and transfers it to the paper. An electrical charge in the printer then resets the charge on the drum, allowing it to print again. The chemicals in the drum can lose their effectiveness over time, and the surface of the drum can be damaged.

Printer Stops Printing
Many printers have sensors that count the number of pages printed by the drum. When they reach a certain preset threshold, the sensors usually warn you that your drum needs to be replaced and eventually stop the printer from printing until the drum is replaced. This helps to avoid receiving low-quality output from a failing drum.

Faded or Blurry Prints
The repeated charging and discharging cycle, combined with the electrical charges used by printers, can break down the chemicals in an imaging drum over time. As the chemicals degrade, the drum’s ability to attract toner weakens, and the boundaries between charged and uncharged areas become more blurred. This results in prints with blurry edges and grey areas instead of black.

Lines on Prints
Most printers have built-in wipers that clean any leftover toner from the drum because the drum is supposed to have a smooth and clean surface. However, some drums can develop scratches or toner deposits over time. These deposits can cause thin vertical lines to appear on printouts, indicating that the drum has been damaged and must be replaced.

Spots and Blotches on Printouts
Drums can attract random dirt spots as they become dirty and age. These areas can either add toner to pages or prevent toner from being transferred. If one or both of these print quality issues occur, it may indicate that the drum needs to be replaced.