These are not inkjet or toner cartridges but rather wax cubes which the printer melts and uses to print using a separate print head.  They are compatible so their shape will differ greatly from the OEM sticks however they will fit and will work.

This printer uses 4 colors; Black, Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan.

The black is sold as a 7 or 3 pack, the colors are sold as 3 packs.

 

Not Recognizing

 

Verify you have the correct ink sticks for your specific printer.

 

Being that these are wax cubes there is no smart chip or any kind of electronics on the cartridge.  Make sure that the cartridge is fully inserted and that the correct color is in the correct slot.

 

Make sure the sticks are installed correctly and have properly slid into the appropriate color slot.  The color slots are keyed into a specific shape which should only allow the correct color to be installed.

 

To install these wax sticks into a Xerox Phaser 8400 do the following;

–          Open the top cover.

 

–          Make sure you have the correct color stick for the color you are adding.  Insert the ink stick into the correct color opening of the ink-loading bin.

 

–          Close the top cover.  The front panel may read Warming Up until the printer is ready for printing.

 

 

 

Click on the YouTube video below to watch ink sticks being installed into a Phaser 8560.  The process is very similar for the Phaser 8400

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfzGcjm-NGY[/youtube]

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Print Quality Issues

 

Xerox provides different cleaning options on the printer to resolve various print quality issues.

 

If you are experiencing random light stripes or missing color bands there is a cleaning function available.

 

To run the cleaning utility to help resolve random light stripes or missing color bands, do the following;

–          At the printer’s front panel, select Troubleshooting.

–          Select Print Quality Problems.

–          Select Eliminate Light Stripes.

–          Press the OK button.

–          It may be necessary to run this cleaning up to 3 times to fully resolve the issue.

 

If you are experiencing smudges or smears there is a specific cleaning function to help tackle these print quality issues.  To run this cleaning function do the following;

–          At the printer’s front panel, select Troubleshooting.

–          Select Print Quality Problems.

–          Select Remove Print Smears.

–          Press the OK button.

–          It may be necessary to run the cleaning function up to 3 times to fully resolve the issues.

 

If you are receiving predominate light stripes which are occurring across all 4 colors then the paper release blade or maintenance kit wiper blade may be dirty.

 

To clean the maintenance kit wiper blade, do the following;

–          Open the side door.

 

–          Pull the orange maintenance kit completely out of the printer.

 

–          Use a lint-free cloth to clean the top and upper edges of the flexible plastic wiper blade located next to the roller.

 

–          Replace the maintenance kit.

 

–          Close the door.

 

To clean the paper release blade, do the following;

–          Open the exit cover.

 

–          Tilt the green paper guide toward the front of the printer.

 

–          Clean the white plastic paper release blade on the green papger guide by wiping it with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with rubbing alcohol.

 

–          After the paper release blade is clean, put the green paper guide back in its original position.

 

–          Close the exit cover.

 

If there are blank lines going through the pages or ghosting images and cleaning doesn’t resolve the problem, then the maintenance kit on the printer may need to be replaced.  The maintenance kit contains a maintenance roller that keeps the surface of the Imaging Drum clean and oiled as well as contains a new wiper blade.  The maintenance kit will need to be replaced over time usually after anywhere from 10k to 30k pages are printed depending on if you have a standard or extended capacity maintenance kit installed.

 

Not Fitting

 

Verify you have the correct ink sticks for your specific printer model.  Try installing the ink sticks in a different orientation.  Make sure you are installing the correct color into the correct color slot.