[Mac Hammer Fan]

I received 3 old printers Lexmark Optra (Lxi+, Lxn+ and Rn+)
I tried them and they worked but there are spots and lines on the printed paper. I guess the toner has to be replaced and something that cleans the heat station.
Is this worth trying or are these printers too old.
It seems that the original Lexmark toners are extremely expensive (350 bucks), but that there are cheaper compatibele toners for 100 bucks.
Printer resolution of the printers is 1200 dpi, but I can't find much info about them on the internet.
Can someone give me some advice?

TIA

[tooki]

To give a diagnosis, you'll need to be very specific about the nature of the "spots and lines" that appear on the pages. Different print defects are indicative of different problems.

tooki

[Mac Hammer Fan]

Originally Posted by tooki

To give a diagnosis, you'll need to be very specific about the nature of the "spots and lines" that appear on the pages. Different print defects are indicative of different problems.

tooki

When I change the toners there are other lines and spots, but not in the same manner. I guess the 2 toners are bad. One machine came without a toner.

[Tomchu]

Laser printers are extremely complex inside. I bought a used Lexmark Optra T612, and at first it had some serious print defects. I took the various user-replaceable parts out of the printer, and inspected them all. It turned out that the fuser and transfer roll had a few nasty gashes in it. I went back to the guy that I bought the printer from, and he happily gave me a fuser/transfer roll from a different printer that didn't have the gashes in it.

[tooki]

Originally Posted by Mac Hammer Fan

When I change the toners there are other lines and spots, but not in the same manner. I guess the 2 toners are bad. One machine came without a toner.

That's not what I asked.

You need to either a) very clearly describe the nature of each line/spot, or b) post a link to a high-resolution scan of a test page.

Also, be specific: is the toner cartridge just toner, or is the imaging drum part of it?

tooki

[Mac Hammer Fan]

It's the cartridge toner that I mean.
Here are some parts op scanned pages.
http://users.pandora.be/filip.roose/scantest/scan.jpg
Some pages were printed recto verso.
Pictures are too dark.
I have set darkness to light but it didn't help.

[Tomchu]

It looks like you've got really dirty rollers to me. Find the manual for your particular printer so that you can find the instructions for how to remove the various rollers. Clean them off with a lint-free cloth and rubbing alcohol.

It doesn't look like a toner cartridge problem to me, unless the toner cartridge is "leaky".

[Mac Hammer Fan]

Originally Posted by Tomchu

It looks like you've got really dirty rollers to me. Find the manual for your particular printer so that you can find the instructions for how to remove the various rollers. Clean them off with a lint-free cloth and rubbing alcohol.

It doesn't look like a toner cartridge problem to me, unless the toner cartridge is "leaky".

I am afraid it doesn't help to clean the rollers.
I guess the toner cartridge is the culprit. I printed a beige cat and he was completely black...

[Mac Hammer Fan]

Originally Posted by Tomchu

It looks like you've got really dirty rollers to me. Find the manual for your particular printer so that you can find the instructions for how to remove the various rollers. Clean them off with a lint-free cloth and rubbing alcohol.

It doesn't look like a toner cartridge problem to me, unless the toner cartridge is "leaky".

I am afraid it doesn't help to clean the rollers.
I guess the toner cartridge is the culprit. I printed a beige cat and he was completely black...

[OreoCookie]

I would be very careful not to put too much money into such an old printer, especially if it has been used to print a considerable amount of pages. As tooki has already suggested, it might be easier for you to look into a new laser printer which is faster, has probably a better print quality and still has warranty.

[Mac Hammer Fan]

A Toner cartridge for such an old printer is perhaps a risky buy, since it is very expensive...

[OreoCookie]

You can get a new laser printer for the prices you've quoted, which is even almost surely faster. Do a search in the forums for some suggestions. But unless you have some spare parts available for free/very little, I wouldn't suggest investing any more money in them … 

[tooki]

Originally Posted by Mac Hammer Fan

It's the cartridge toner that I mean.
Here are some parts op scanned pages.
http://users.pandora.be/filip.roose/scantest/scan.jpg
Some pages were printed recto verso.
Pictures are too dark.
I have set darkness to light but it didn't help.

Sorry to be a nag, but you need a scan of a whole page, to see the frequency with which defects repeat. That lets you figure out where the problem lies.

tooki

[Mac Hammer Fan]

I appreciate your help Tooki, but I just brought these Lexmark printers away. It's better to buy a new one than to use a 10 year old printer that printed 250 000 pages...
A replacement tonet cartridge will be too expensive.