Dell C2665dnf Printer Faded Black Text

Hi,

I finally found a solution to my faded text problem.

Despite trying to receive help from Dell Support and not getting any (I never did find out if I was talking to a real person or not), I persevered one more time to resolve my issue.

For anybody in the same situation, I recommend you try all the suggestions made in the troubleshooting section of the printer's user manual first.  These are listed below:-

• The toner cartridges may be low or need to be replaced. Confirm the amount of toner left in each toner cartridge. Check the toner level in the Status tab in the Status Monitor.
• If you are using non-Dell brand toner cartridges, enable the Non-Dell Toner option. a Launch the Tool Box, and click Service Tools on the Printer Maintenance tab.
• Disable the Toner Saver in the printer driver. On the Others tab, ensure that Off is selected in the Toner Saver drop-down menu.
• The print media surface may be uneven. Try changing the Paper Type setting in the printer driver. For example, change the plain paper to thick. On the General tab, change the Paper Type setting.
• Verify that the correct print media is being used. See "Supported Paper Types." If not, use the print media recommended for the printer.
• Clean inside the printer by using the cleaning rod. See "Cleaning the Raster Optical Scanner (ROS) Window."  After the cleaning is completed, click Chart Print on the Diagnosis tab.
• Replace the drum cartridges. See "Replacing the Drum Cartridges." After you replace the drum cartridges, click Chart Print on the Diagnosis tab. Click 4 Colors Configuration Chart.

For the record, I didn't try replacing the drum cartridge as I had no spare at hand.  Had I owned a spare, this would've fixed the problem but replacing it wasn't actually necessary, particularly as my printer's status menu stated that the overall condition of the print drum was good.

I tried various other things suggested on the net.  I saw something about changing the "altitude" of where your printer resides to x-number of feet above sea-level.  For me, this didn't work either.

Anyway, the solution was that the black drum unit simply needed a thorough clean.

This link gives you all the info you need to clean the drum yourself:- https://smallbusiness.chron.com/clean-printer-drum-57544.html

As described in the link you need some isopropyl alcohol which can be obtained easily from places such as Amazon.  Also, you require a lint cloth to wipe the rollers afterwards.  Fortunately, I had a spare cloth from some spectacles I once owned.

Now my printer is producing super black prints again.

Hope this helps somebody.

Steve.