So You Want To Clean Out A Photocopier Drum?

A photocopier is possibly one of the most important pieces of equipment in today’s office environment ranging from the multi-million dollar corporation spanning several countries to the sole trader in their home office. Just like a motor vehicle, a photocopier requires some essential and regular maintenance in order to keep the photocopier churning out the toasty warm paper. Interestingly a photocopier drum is like the heart of the photocopier, the drum utilises an intensive light, which causes the photocopiers drum to react in such a way that it conducts electricity. There are two drum types when it comes to cleaning: those that can be cleaned and those that can not be cleaned – and thus must be replaced rather than simply cleaned. A few tips here which will help you in your effort to clean out a photocopiers drum: Before you start, turn off the photocopier and unplug it – health and safety first! Cleaning your photocopier while its on is really dangerous and could break it or worse cause you serious damage. Open up your photocopier draws and doors, look out for a diagram depicting the photocopier, if you cant find one then find your user manual, failing this a simple Google of manufacturer and model number will produce some possible results you can choose from. Find the photocopiers drum, most photocopiers tend to located these in the same kind of place and it is attached to a cartridge known as a ‘toner cartridge’, usually you will just slide this out or follow the instructions on the actual drum. It can feel quite abnormal when removing the drum – be sure not to force it! This could lead to a broken, thus useless drum. Look out for a bar often thin and made of a rubberised material, this is known in photocopier terms as a ‘mylar bar’ – it can be used to remove toner from your photocopiers drum. Use the blade to remove any excess toner from the drum, Now that you have successfully cleaned your drum, check over for any wear or signs of needing a replacement. If everything is ok, pop the cartridge back in to the photocopier and reinstate the power. Print a test run to ensure you are getting the best possible prints. A recent expansion of cartridges and the ever decreasing cost of consumer electronics has produced a new type of toner cartridge which is a disposable one. Essentially this process removes the need to clean your photocopiers drum at all. Always consult your manufacturers handbook before undertaking any kind of maintenance, cleaning or anything else which might damage yourself or your printer, check online using search engines such as Google if you have lost your handbook!