A user reports that their laser printer, which has been reliable for two years, is now producing printouts with toner that is not properly adhering to the paper, and can be smudged off with a finger. Given that the printer is not displaying any error messages and there is no evidence of loose toner inside the machine, which is the most likely cause of this problem?
The fuser assembly has become faulty and is not heating up sufficiently.
The toner cartridge is low and needs replacement.
The transfer belt is misaligned or malfunctioning.
When a laser printer's toner does not fuse properly to the paper, the fuser assembly is often responsible because it is the component that applies the heat and pressure necessary to melt and bond the toner to the paper. If the fuser has become faulty, maybe due to reaching its end-of-life or sustaining damage, it won't produce the required heat to complete this bonding process, leading to smudgable toner on prints. While a low toner cartridge may indeed cause faint prints, it would not cause the toner to fail to fuse to the paper. A malfunctioning transfer belt would typically result in color alignment issues or missing colors, not fusing errors. Cold background usually indicates excess toner is present all over the paper, not just where the image forms.
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What is a fuser assembly and what does it do?
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What maintenance steps should be taken to prolong the life of a fuser assembly?