Replacing a Toner cartridge and Drum is both different but the symptoms are similar,with a little technical know-how and understanding what signs and symptoms to look for, you can rule out ink and toner problems and determine when printer drum replacement is necessary.
Blurry Prints
If your printer is churning out blurry pages, it either means that your printer drum is damaged and in need of replacement or that you need new ink toner. You can determine what the problem is by checking the toner cartridge.
Black Spots
Another common sign of a damaged printer drum is the presence of black spots or blotches on printed documents. This is often the result of a scratched or damaged printing drum surface, which prevents ink and toner from printing properly. If it's just dirt and dust that's present on the printer drum, wipe it off with a dry, lint-free cloth and resume printing to see if that fixes the problem. If problems persist, the drum likely needs to be replaced.
Poor Print Quality
If you're printer is churning out low-quality documents, it's likely the case of a damaged printer drum. Unlike blurry prints or black spots, poor print quality is characterized by faded text and images. However, this is another sign that is easily confused with empty ink and toner cartridges. After you check your ink cartridge levels and determine that they are adequate, check the printer drum. Drums are sensitive and don't last forever, so at some point it is likely you will need to replace it.
Other Signs and Symptoms
There are a variety of other signs and symptoms that point to a printer drum in need of replacement. The most obvious is most common on laser color printers and can be detected by a flashing message on the printer display screen. Other signs of a bad printer drum include printing blank pages, printing gray pages and strange sounds coming from the printer as it prints.