What might be responsible for this print quality problem?
What might be responsible for this print quality problem?
Initially, I apologize if this message feels repetitive. I genuinely searched for a solution in previous posts, but there were simply too many to review.
Additionally, I possess a clear picture that effectively illustrates the issue, but I’m unable to share photos or upload images due to restrictions.
I own a laser printer, specifically the Brother HL-L2320D model.
It has consistently functioned perfectly.
Today, I swapped the toner cartridge for a brand-new, genuine Brother TN-660.
I’ve performed this action before and have always relied solely on authentic cartridges matching this model.
Insert it in, then attempt printing.
Well, here’s the situation:
Several observations stand out;
- Thick, dark-grey bands appear across the page. They run horizontally rather than vertically.
- Thick, dark lines stretch along the far left edge of the page. They are vertical, measuring roughly 1–2 inches in length and about an eighth of an inch thick at the edge. They’re evenly spaced and solid black.
- “Ghosting” is present—content from the center of the page repeats near the bottom, in a lighter shade.
- Toner remains visible on the reverse side of the paper.
- Regardless of placement, the toner seems firmly bonded to the paper without any smudging.
- From a general perspective, it resembles older printers or copiers where you could adjust darkness settings. If the print quality diminished and overly dark settings caused even unprinted areas to appear gray, that would explain it.
I’ve tried all the troubleshooting advice from the Brother website, but none specifically targeted this problem.
The cartridge was shipped by Jeff Bezos. Personally, I’m unsure if rough handling during delivery could have triggered this issue.
I also lack additional creative solutions to suggest.
Could it be replaced? Is there a way to repair it?
Thank you!
The probable reason is a faulty or incorrectly installed doctor or wiper blade within the toner cartridge. One adjusts the toner and the other removes excess. In your situation, the only thing you need to understand is that the toner cartridge is defective and needs replacement.
If they permit you to retain the faulty cartridge, the blades can be purchased from suppliers that sell cartridge rebuilds. I often have to swap them out for brand new ones, though older factory cartridges—especially after around 20 years—tend to dry out and crack (so yes, even toner cartridges can become unusable).
While ghosting down the page is usually attributed to a defective drum, this scenario changes if the drum is being heavily overloaded with toner from a poor-quality cartridge.
The probable reason is a faulty or incorrectly installed doctor or wiper blade within the toner cartridge. One adjusts the toner and the other removes excess. In your situation, the only thing you need to understand is that the toner cartridge is defective and needs replacement.
If they permit you to retain the faulty cartridge, the blades can be purchased from suppliers that sell cartridge rebuilds. I often have to swap them out for brand new ones, though older factory cartridges—especially after around 20 years—tend to dry out and crack (so yes, even toner cartridges can become unusable).
While ghosting down the page is usually attributed to a defective drum, this scenario changes if the drum is being heavily overloaded with toner from a poor-quality cartridge.
BFG-9000, thank you. Before receiving your response, I reached a similar conclusion but in a different manner and with less detail. I discovered some online guidance suggesting the drum might be the issue. There were specific cleaning instructions, which I attempted. Indeed, the drum was quite dirty, with toner residue. I tried again, and it improved somewhat but remained inconsistent, far from ideal. I printed ten blank pages in a row, and the tenth page appeared worse than the first! After removing it all once more, the drum returned to its previous dirty state. I assumed the new cartridge was leaking toner into the drum unit. I cleaned it a second time, then reinserted the cartridge that was nearly, but not entirely, used up—this one that required replacement initially. It now looks fine.
Based on this, I believe the new cartridge is defective, and I have already started the return process. I need to return it to obtain a replacement, so I can’t attempt your suggestion.
Additionally, upon careful inspection of the grey case that houses the entire toner cartridge, I compared it to the previous model. The older one was in perfect condition despite being used for over a year, whereas the new one shows nicks and scratches. It makes me question whether it’s been reused or refurbished, even though it’s being sold new. It’s not very clear, but I’m curious about it.
Overall, everything seems to be in order now, at least until the new toner arrives and functions properly, which I can no longer rely on.
The "new" Brother cartridges have long used parts from returned empty cartridges. They only recycle them when they can't be reused again. What remains is that, unlike HP which included a postage-paid shipping label in every box, Brother suggests you print your own free shipping label, ideally on a Brother printer with the new cartridge. This approach might help reduce environmental impact.
In other words, Brother's cartridges are expected to perform better than those remanufactured versions made by third parties, since genuine Brother components like rollers, drums, and wipers aren't available to others. These alternatives often lack the same level of research and development as factory-made parts, eventually being sold assembled at a reduced price.
The factory reuses drums by applying a new coating, but unlike the original factory process, they don't have access to the proprietary formula used in the original coating.
Any product made by individuals will inevitably have some issues, so I wouldn't skip genuine cartridges just because of a single faulty one. The remanufacturing process would likely be challenging to automate, suggesting it's still largely handcrafted—using old components to spot worn parts. It’s also possible that the workers involved are children or others in difficult circumstances.
By the way, the ductor blade from flatbed presses was rebranded as "doctor" after the shift to rotary printing.
I have already received my new cartridge and it functions perfectly, so thank you again. I was relieved I delayed testing the new one before returning the old one to Brother, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to swap the faulty one for a good one (on Amazon).
Regarding your question, I understand your point about Brother and HP requesting the return of used cartridges at their cost—not necessarily due to environmental concerns, but because they wish to recover and reuse the components when convenient. I don’t think it’s too extreme to suggest there could be a dual motive.
In any case, I plan to keep using Brother cartridges. However, if I interpret your words carefully, I’d like to clarify something. It seems the main distinction between genuine cartridges and third-party aftermarket ones might lie in their reliability. While most perform well, perhaps one fails once every 500 units, whereas another might fail once in 50. Would you consider that a reasonable comparison?