Do I have to replace my printer’s drum unit?

There are usually two ways you find out that your new laser printer requires a separate drum unit. You change the toner cartridge and realize there is another big piece of plastic that the toner cartridge sits in. Or you get an alert on your printer to replace the drum unit.

What is a drum unit? The toner cartridge has all the toner powder in it, why do you need a drum? The drum is responsible for fusing the toner powder onto the paper. The fuser is also involved, but that’s a separate post 😊

Some printers have a drum separate from the toner cartridge (Brother and Lexmark – Lexmark calls it an imaging unit). When you change the toner cartridge you often have to take the cartridge out of the drum. You should change the drum approximately every 4 times you change the toner cartridge.

Your toner cartridge has a page yield, and so does your drum unit. Your ETB Account Manager, can help you figure out the page yield of each of your toner cartridge and drum so you know how often you should replace your drum.

In some printers, the drum is included in the toner cartridge. Most HP laser printers are designed this way.

The drum unit is very important because it fuses the toner power onto the paper, so if there are any marks on the drum, they will transfer to the paper. This can cause print issues and is best addressed by talking to your ETB Account Manager.

There is a coating on the drum unit that wears off over time. When this coating wears off, toner powder sticks to the drum unit, causing “tire tracking” down the paper. Because the drum unit is a cylinder, the marks show up in regular patterns down the paper. If your printer is leaving regular marks down your paper, and you haven’t changed the drum unit in a while, it’s probably the cause.

People think printers are simple, but there are a lot of moving parts. Your ETB Account Manager is happy to answer any questions you have about your printer consumables! 😊

Need supplies? We’re here to help 🙂