These toner cartridges do not have the OPC drums built into them.  The drum unit is a separate, NON-replaceable unit.  These are very basic toners that slide into the side of the printer.

 

There are four colors in this series of cartridges; Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow.

 

These are compatible toner cartridges so there will be some differences between these and the OEM.  These differences will not affect the function.

 

Not Recognizing

 

Verify you have the correct cartridge for your specific printer.

 

Make sure the correct color is installed into the correct color slot.  The cartridges should be keyed to only allow them to fit into the correct slot.  The color order from left to right is Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, and Black.

 

These cartridges have a smart chip located on the end of the cartridge.  Check to make sure the gold contacts are clean and undamaged.  For recognition issues the best troubleshooting you can do is remove the toner cartridge from the printer, disconnect the power cord for 10-15 seconds, re-connect the power, re-install the toner cartridge.

 

Make sure the cartridge is fully inserted and that the cartridge clicked into place.

 

To remove and install these toner cartridges in a Dell C1660W printer do the following;

–          Open the toner access cover on the side of the printer.

 

–          Pinch the cartridge firmly on the color you are replacing, pressing the release button up.

 

–          Pull the toner cartridge out.

 

–          Make sure you have the correct color cartridge for the color you are replacing.  Adjust the toner cartridge to the associated cartridge slot, and then insert it into the correct color slot firmly by pressing near the center of the label until the cartridge clicks.

 

–          Close the toner access cover.

 

Click on the YouTube video below to watch a video on installing these style cartridges into a Dell 1250c, the process is the same for the newer Dell C1660w

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i77v3llq5jI[/youtube]

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Print Quality Issues

 

Try gently rocking the toner left to right holding onto the ends.  Be careful as this is an unsealed cartridge toner powder may leak.  Do this over a trash can.

 

There is a protective piece of tape covering the toner nozzle that will need to be removed prior to installation.

 

To help narrow down a print quality issue and to see which color or colors the issue is occurring with you can print the Color Test page.  To print this page do the following;

–          Press the MENU button.

–          Press ▼ until Report/List appears, and then press the SET button.

–          Press ▼ until Color Test Page appears, then press the SET button to print the page.  Look at the page to determine the print quality issue and where it’s occurring.

 

If the printer pages are too light, try removing the color cartridge that is displaying the issue and rocking it back and forth.  If this does not resolve the issue or if all the colors are printing light, make sure that toner save mode is not selected.  To check this do the following;

–          Open the Printer Tool Box program on the computer.  In the Windows OS click Start ► All Programs ► Dell Printers ► Dell C1660w Color Printer

–          Click the Other tab.

–          Ensure that Toner Saver is selected as OFF.

 

If the toner is smearing off the page, try adjusting the paper type to thicker paper in the printing preferences menu of the print window that pops up when you print something.  Any time a thicker paper is used you must manually select the correct paper type.  You can also manually adjust the fusing unit temperature to a higher temperature.  To adjust the fuser temperature do the following;

–          Open the Printer Tool Box program on the computer.  In the Windows OS click Start ► All Programs ► Dell Printers ► Dell C1660w Color Printer

–          Click on the Printer Maintenance tab.

–          Click Adjust Fusing Unit.

–          Adjust the fixing temperature by turning up the value for your printing media.

–          Click Apply New Settings.

–          Close out of the Printer Tool Box.

If there are white streaks appearing on the printed pages then the inside of the printer will need to be cleaned.  Dell has a built in cleaning rod that can be used to clean the printer through four cleaning slots.  To access these and clean the inside of the printer do the following;

–          Confirm that the printer is not in operation, and open the toner access cover on the side of the printer.

 

–          Pinch the cartridge firmly, pressing the release button up.

 

–          Pull the toner cartridge out.  Repeat the previous step and this step until all toner cartridges are removed.

 

–          Pull the cleaning rod out.

 

–          Insert the cleaning rod fully into the hole beside the arrow on the printer until its tip reaches the interior of the printer, and then pull it out.

 

–          Repeat the same procedure for the other three holes for each color.

–          Insert the cleaning rod back to its original location.

 

–          Replace the toner cartridges by adjusting each one to its associated cartridge slot, and then inserting it firmly by pressing near the center of the label until the cartridge clicks.

 

–          Close the toner access cover.

 

Click on the YouTube video below to watch a video on this procedure done with a Dell 1250c printer, the process is the same for the newer Dell C1660w

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t1YrJMgrA0[/youtube]

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If the printer is being used in high altitude this can cause numerous toner dots to appear on the printed pages, this is known as Bead-Carry-Out.

 

You can set the altitude of the printer within the printer settings to resolve this.  To adjust the altitude setting on the printer do the following;

–          Open the Printer Tool Box program on the computer.  In the Windows OS click Start ► All Programs ► Dell Printers ► Dell C1660w Color Printer

–          Click on the Printer Maintenance tab.

–          Click Adjust Altitude.

–          Select the value close to the altitude of the location where the printer is being used.

 

If there is a light background being printed across the entire page, there is a diagnostic tool in the printer settings that can be done to help resolve this.  To run this tool, do the following;

 

–          Open the Printer Tool Box program on the computer.  In the Windows OS click Start ► All Programs ► Dell Printers ► Dell C1660w Color Printer

–          Click the Diagnosis tab.

–          Click Developer Stir Mode.

–          Click Start.

 

Streaking, lines, ghost images, and repeating image defects are drum/printer related issues.  The drum unit is built into the printer and is not replaceable with this printer.  You will need to contact Dell Support for help with a defective printer.

 

Not Fitting

 

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

 

Make sure the correct color cartridge is being installed into the correct color slot.

 

Verify that any protective pieces, such as tape, have been removed from the cartridge.