A drum cartridge is the main part of black and white laser printers, fax machines and copy machines. At the time of taking the printout, it transfers the toner onto the paper. This produces an image that is exactly the same as the one loaded in the machine.

Benefits of Drum cartridge over printer ink cartridge

1. Cost saving: In case of printer ink cartridge, the entire printer cartridge should be replaced if it runs out of printer ink.  In case of drum cartridge, the printing job can be resumed after changing the toner. This reduces the printer cartridge costs to a great extent.

2. Long life: compared to printer ink cartridge, the drum cartridge has a very long life. But, it should be cleaned regularly for efficient working.

Cleaning the Drum cartridge

You can clean the Drum cartridge  by following the below given simple tips.

1. Handle the drum carefully. Before cleaning the drum, know the parts that should not be unassembled or touched such as the chamber containing the corona wire. It contains three rollers. Of all the three, care should be taken while cleaning the black glassy roller. It should not be over exposed to light. Never clean the rollers with bare hand or cleaners. Any marks of finger oil on the roller ruins the print quality.

2. Keep all the disassembled parts safely. The drum is disassembled by removing the E-clips that hold the photosensitive glassy roller intact. These clips must be saved carefully. To avoid misplacing, keep all the parts on a clean white paper.

3. Pay attention at the time of taking the parts apart. To assemble the drum properly after cleaning, it is essential to remember how you unassembled it. Repeat the same in reverse order and your drum cartridge will be ready to use.

Generally, the cleaning process is usually being done when adding and removing the toner.

Changing the toner

This is a very simple task. Even a novice can do it with careful handling.

When is it time to change the toner?

The two major indicators that warn you to change the printer cartridge toner are:

1. Poor quality of the printing: If the printer is running out of toner, black lines start to appear on the paper when printing.

2. Electronic indicators: Most of the printers have an in-built system to generate a beep sound when it is time to change. Some printers may even have a digital display system to warn you for changing the toner cartridge.

It can be changed without staining your hands with the printer ink remains. In most printers, it is a simple three step process:

1. Slide the drum as directed in the user manual.

2. Insert the new toner cartridge.

3. Slide the drum back to actual position.

Before changing the toner, read the user manual to find out the toner cartridge that is compatible with the printer type. Though changing the printer cartridge is a very simple process, follow the steps given in the user manual carefully.

Lastly, it is recommended to dispose the used printer cartridges appropriately to avoid environmental pollution. In some places, disposing the computer and electronic waste inappropriately is against the law. Dispose the used toner cartridge at computer and electronic waste recycling centers.