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6 Posts
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65
January 26th, 2026 05:44
Printer drum or toner cartridge
There was a 2" wide streak on the page when I print. I cleaned the drum and the streak is still there, just not as wide. Cleaned the drum a 2nd time, smaller streak is still there. Rest of the page prints clear.
Is the problem the drum or do I need a new the toner cartridge?
Drum is original, printer is 1720. I read the drum should be good for ~30k pages. Printer and drum visually look to be in good shape. Yes its an old printer, but except for the recent streak, it works and sounds fine. Don't know how long ago I replaced the toner cartridge but its a MW558 High Capacity Toner Cartridge.
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ejn63
10 Elder
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30.8K Posts
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January 26th, 2026 12:04
Carefully check the drum for scratches -- it sounds like the drum is the issue, in which case you'd need a new one.
LukeNYC212
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January 26th, 2026 13:50
I don't see any scratches on the drum roller. The 1" wide streak goes down the full length of the paper front and back. The green drum roller and the thinner white-ish roller that is part of the roller component both are covered 1" wide with toner all the way around. After I wipe both clean, try to print, both rollers are covered with the 1" wide layer of toner.
Neither of the replace toner or drum lights are on.
ejn63
10 Elder
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30.8K Posts
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January 26th, 2026 14:30
That is common when the edge of the drum is scratched -- the toner sticks where it should not.
Printer Tales
2 Intern
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31 Posts
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January 29th, 2026 09:27
A vertical streak that gets narrower after cleaning usually points to the drum, not the toner. Toner problems usually show up as light printing, uneven coverage, random spots, or a not clean, straight line running down the page. Since cleaning helped but didn’t fully fix it, the drum is likely worn or damaged and nearing the end of its life even if the page count seems low. Replacing the drum should resolve the problems.