****** WARNING: Though not difficult to do, the following adjustment IS NOT guaranteed to give you better results. In fact if you are not having problems now, this could make it worse and you may never get it adjusted properly. If you are paranoid about loose toner, this is not for you. Once toner escapes, it seems to get everywhere you don't want it. However, if you are careful with your handling of the hopper and check for loose toner in the printer after doing a trial printout, you should be OK. This may require you to open your printer a number of times so follow ALL of the necessary precautions regarding exposing your drum to light. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU ASSUME ANY AND ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PROBLEMS YOU MAY CREATE. THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY. (These warnings are longer than the instructions, but I think that about covers it. :}) ) ************************************************************************* THIS IS PURE SPECULATION: It seems to me, from reading many messages written by people who have SLM804 printers, that some of us are getting a full 10,000 pages from their drum units before needing replacement, and some of us only get around 5000. I went through 2 drums getting only 5000 apiece even though I was VERY careful about light exposure and performed all of the recommended cleanings and changes of chargers, felt pads etc. I read about the starter toner. I could be wrong, but I would have thought the toner I got when I bought the printer (new) would have been starter toner. I did not use starter toner with my second drum. I can't say how much of a difference it would have made, though I'm sure it would have made some. On the toner hopper there is a part that can be adjusted which allows varying amounts of toner to be available to the metal roller. I THINK that these are not all adjusted identically when they leave the factory, with the result that as the drums sensitivity deteriorates, some machines printouts fade to the point where the density adjustment cannot compensate. On my machine, when running 20 pages of a mailing list, the 20th page was 3 times lighter than the first. OK for mailing lists, not too great for DTP work. Also I noticed that the left side of the page was printing much lighter than the right side. OK, NOW TO GET TO THE REASON YOU D/L'd THIS FILE: **************** (FOR PRECAUTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR REMOVING YOUR TONER HOPPER PLEASE SEE YOUR MANUAL OR CAT 14 TOPIC 11) I took a look at the toner hopper. Cleaned it thoughout. Made a note as to the proper direction to turn the agitator. There is a little clear plastic flap inside the hopper, attached to the agitator, which cleans a sensor when turned. When you see it, it becomes obvious which way it is supposed to turn. (Make a note as to the proper direction). *** If you know which way the metal roller is supposed to turn, or you can determine the proper direction without emptying the hopper, you can leave the toner in the hopper, just make sure the outside is clean. Right above the metal roller that collects the toner on the outside of the hopper is a thin, somewhat bendable plastic strip which runs the length of the hopper. It has a tab on each end which fits in the hopper to keep it in place. You can carefully bend the strip to remove it. That will reveal a metal (looks like brass) strip with 3 screws. It seems that this strip regulates the amount of toner available to the metal roller. Notice that the screwholes are slotted for adjustment purposes. If you removed the toner you should replace it now. Use new toner if you have any doubts as to the purity of the stuff you removed. Be careful not to scratch the metal roller. Scratches can set up strange patterns in the toner and affect your printouts. Try to loosen the screws just enough that there is still some "drag" on the metal strip. That will help you to move it in SMALL amounts to adjust it. *** Make sure that the metal strip does not contact the roller ***. Moving the bottom edge away from the roller allows more toner out, closer to the metal roller restricts the toner. By turning the metal roller in the proper direction, you can get a feel for the adjustment. Also note the distribution of the toner across the length of the roller. It should be even. The toner will probably look like light and dark bands across the roller. That is normal. There's a small roller inside which turns the opposite direction which evens out the bands when the hopper is in the printer. The only guidance I can give at this point is to pick a spot where the toner covers the roller (remember the banding is normal) and it is even from side to side. Tighten the screws (not too tight, but snug) and try it out. I suggest leaving the density control knob in the back adjusted half way. CAUTION: A few hundredths of an inch out of adjustment, one way or another can give terrible results. Also if you allow too much toner out, IT WILL leave a deposit inside your printer by the hopper. Remember to check this after a trial printout so it doesn't become distributed throughout the printer. Compare the results to what you want and readjust the strip as necessary. Remember to move the strip in SMALL increments or it will take forever for you to zero in on it. WHY WOULD SOMEONE BOTHER TO DO THIS? Well, besides the economy of giving new life to my premature dying drums, I feel like I got a NEW machine. Even business letters I do on it have a new crispness I didn't have before. It's nice to have room to turn up the density if need be instead of running it cranked up all of the time. I even packed away my new drum and have been using my "old tired" one. The results have never been better! If someone has questions I'll try to answer in Cat 14, Topic 11 or you can E-Mail me at R.GRUBEL. I hope Michael Gater doesn't mind, but now that he's done it, he has as much experience with it as I do! His help made the instructions more complete. If anyone tries this, I'd be interested to know the results. - Bob Grubel