THIS IS A TONER THAT HAS THE OPC DRUM BUILT INTO THE CARTRIDGE ITSELF AND IS REPLACED AS ONE WHOLE UNIT.  THERE IS NO SEPARATE DRUM UNIT.

 

Not Recognizing

 

Verify you have the correct cartridge for your specific printer model.

 

There is a smart chip located on the front of the toner cartridge.  Check this chip for damage or debris.  A Q-tip can be used to fit down and clean the four gold contacts.

 

Check to make sure the cartridge is fully inserted into the printer.

 

To remove and install the toner cartridge in the Dell 1815DN printer do the following;

–          Open the front cover and pull the toner cartridge out using the handle.

 

–          Holding the new cartridge by its handle, slowly insert the cartridge into the opening in the printer.  Tabs on the sides of the cartridge and corresponding grooves within the printer will guide the cartridge into the correct position until it locks into place completely.

 

–          Close the front printer cover.  Make sure that the cover is completely closed.

 

Print Quality Issues

 

There is a piece of paper held on by tape that wraps around the front of the cartridge and helps protect the OPC drum located on the bottom of the cartridge.  Make sure this paper has been removed prior to installation.  There is also a black piece of paper held by a piece of tape which helps protect the OPC drum which must be removed.

 

The OPC drum is located on the bottom of the cartridge.  There is no plastic shutter protecting the OPC drum so care must be taken in handling the cartridge.  Be careful when placing the cartridge down on a surface as the OPC drum can be easily nicked or damaged.  Visually inspect the drum for damage or debris.  A soft, clean, dry, lint-free cloth can be used to gently wipe the OPC drum.  Do NOT touch the drum with your fingers and do NOT use moisture of any kind.

 

Dell also has a drum cleaning feature built into the printer.  To access this feature do the following;

–          Make sure plain white paper is loaded into the paper tray

–          Press Scroll (◄ or ►) to highlight Menu and press Select √

–          Press Scroll (◄ or ►) to highlight Maintenance and press Select √

–          The first available menu item, Clean Drum, displays

–          Press Select √ twice

 

If the toner is smearing off the paper or isn’t adhering properly, make sure the paper settings on the printer match the paper type being used.  Thicker paper, such as labels or bonded paper, require a different paper setting to allow more heating while printing to ensure the toner melts properly to the paper.  Trying to print on thicker paper while under that standard paper setting will cause the toner not to get enough heat to melt properly.

 

Thoroughly shake the cartridge from side to side 5 or 6 times to distribute the toner evenly inside the cartridge.

 

Not Fitting

 

Verify you have the correct cartridge for your specific printer model.  Check inside the printer to see if there are any obstructions which may be hindering the cartridge from installing.  Check the cartridge itself for physical damaged.  Make sure you are installing the cartridge with the chip facing the printer and that the cartridge is inserting using the grooves inside the printer.

 

Leaking

 

It is normal for a small amount of toner leakage to be present in the packaging.  The cartridge is unsealed and vibrations during shipping can cause a small amount of toner to leak.  If there is excessive toner leakage then a reship should be setup.