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Fix Your Dell 3100cn Streaking Issue

Dell 3100cn Streaks

Posted on Feb 09, 2008


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Well after owning my Dell 3100cn for a very very very long time, I've finally found out how to get rid of streaks that were running down the middle of the page on color prints.

Well today, I found an answer that immediately fixed the problem within about 2 minutes. I found a great article that shows that the culprit is bad design of the imaging drum inside the 3100cn. Here are the instructions on how to fix it: (This will void your warranty with Dell so DON'T DO THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR WARRANTY VOIDED. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT OCCURS FROM THESE STEPS:)

  1. Remove the drum unit from your 3100cn.
  2. Set the drum unit on a clean level surface and avoid touching the drum or the transfer belt (the decal with 4 arrows points to the transfer belt).
  3. Remove the 6 screws from the top cover (the cover has the blue handle attached). Two screws are on top at both ends of the blue handle. The next 2 screws are on the sides and line up with the decal with 4 arrows. The last 2 screws are also on the sides and at the lower corners of the big decal that shows how to remove the drum unit from the 3100cn.
  4. Carefully lift the cover from the drum unit and cover the drum unit with clean paper to protect the transfer belt from bright light. You can carefully reinstall the drum unit without the top cover and run some color prints. If the lines are gone then continue with step 5.
  5. Look at the ribbed side of the top cover. Some may show some toner build-up. Some of the rib intersections are too high and are dragging in the toner that is applied to the transfer belt. The ribs are there to add stiffness to the cover and to keep it from bowing.
  6. Place the cover handle side down on a clean towel.
  7. Using a palm sander with 320 grit sandpaper and light pressure (the weight of the palm sander) sand until the ribs going both directions are showing signs of being sanded. You will be able to see the difference as unsanded areas will be glossy and sanded areas will have a dull finish.
  8. Switch to 600 grit paper and do a light sanding.
  9. Wash the cover under cool water. Don't use hot water since that could cause the cover to bend.
  10. Dry completely. I used compressed air.
  11. Reinstall the cover to the drum unit. Tighten the 4 side screws first and then the 2 top screws last.
  12. Put the drum unit back into the 3100cn and try a color print.
  13. Please post if you have any questions about the procedure.
  14. If your next drum unit has the same problem you can swap top covers.

Well I am now very happy that my Dell 3100cn prints without any streaks. A little background will help you figure out why I'm so happy.

I got a Dell 3100cn printer a couple of years ago. I had a friend that had one and I loved the way it printed and everything about it, so I decided to get one of my own. After setting it up, I printed a few sheets and all of the color prints had streaks or lines that ran down the middle of the page at extremely regular intervals on every print. I called Dell and they shipped me a new printer drum. It didn't fix the problem. They had me ship the printer back and they sent me a used printer. (I was upset because I figured I'd get a new printer... but that is a different story.) This one wouldn't even fire up. It kept giving an error about temperature. They sent out a tech and he replaced some controller. It didn't fix the problem with the error message. So I sent that printer back to Dell.

Finally they sent me another printer that streaked again. I was fed up by then and found that if I printed enough pages the printer would "warm up" and the streaks would go away. So any time we wanted to print anything in color, we'd just print about 150 black and white pages of whatever and then print our color pages.

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Filed Under: Printer, Dell 3100cn, Streaks
 
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"Fix Your Dell 3100cn Streaking Issue"

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Comments

1

ender Feb 17, 2008

i can´t wait to try this out! i´ve just started having this issue after owning the machine for a year or two and i´ve been searching for a good solution. i love the machine, but it´s been unusable for anything except b/w printing for about two months now.

 

2

Donald Feb 24, 2008

I tried this today and I still have what you called "roller marks" when printing color only. None of the ribs inside the cover appeared to have built up toner. Any thoughts on how to get rid of these roller marks? Thanks!

 

3

bosque Mar 31, 2008

I sanded down the areas with built up toner and the streaks are now more noticeable. I left off the drum cover off and it prints fine. Guess I´ll just leave the cover off from now on.

 

4

Brian Kernan Apr 7, 2008

This is the solution I have been looking for. The first time I must not have sanded the cover enough, ´cause although streaks were reduced 95, there was still on e there. after sanding a little more streaks were gone and I was able to print my DVD case covers for my business again. I did do one thing differently. I added paper washers under the cover, on the top screws to add hieght. The washers were the ones you would find holding down a MotherBoard.

Thanks for you help.

 

5

Brian B May 24, 2008

This is great. I have been unhappy about the streaking problem for a long time and this did the trick.

However, I did not use a power sander. I just filed down the high spots and then went over all those areas with fine sand paper (on a block). It appears that things just needed to be smoothed out.

 

6

Vic Jun 1, 2008

Take the lid off the drum and keep it off. that is the easiest fix. Or, clip the lid and just keep the small section with the handle, and use the two screws on each end. Make sure you sand down the ribs and rough edges that remain. This way you can at least have a handle to help you manage your printer. This is a pretty unsophisticated repair, and a major disappointment. Dell should offer a recall for this problem, and free replacement parts for owners of this printer – whether the warranty is still active or not.

 

7

doug Jun 25, 2008

i have a void down the right side of the print about 1.5 inch? color or black.

 

8

Naturelimit Jul 15, 2008

They had me ship the printer back and they sent me a used printer.

 

9

ed Sep 4, 2008

Excellent posting. I was just about to order a new drum kit, as I figured that was the reason for the streaking. Good thing I came across this post. Saved me a bunch of money! Thanks!

 

10

Bill Oct 10, 2008

Hey - thanks for the tip, did this and it fixed the streaks, now I just need to figure out the two dark lines and toner "dot" issue I have. Thanks again!

 

11

tony Oct 11, 2008

I´ll try this but also am loosing print on the right side of b/a and color printing as well as streeks on color. Any suggestions . I just put new drum in and streeking on color was there from the beginning woe the streeking happen right away, drum was remanufactured. Also can these printers still be purchased?

 

12

rocaveli Nov 7, 2008

thanks for your post! have the same problem as you, not sure if I´m up to sanding down my drum cartridge yet but I might get there

 

13

Patrick Nov 28, 2008

Thanks, you´ve just made my weekend. I have been having this problem since I bought the printer from ebay (for cheap). With this fix I´m sure I´ll enjoy using it for the next couple of years.

 

14

Sach Jan 9, 2009

I have same problem with Tony. The right sids of
the printout is truncated, disappeared. Not only
K,Y,C but also M. Its band is about 1 inch.
In this area, first color is dim, then disappeared. I replace the new drum, 4 new toner cartridges but it is not better.
Any help or advices are very appreciated.

 

15

Andy Jan 14, 2009

Awesome - this worked for me. I had the exact same problem, followed your instructions, and the printer is like new again. Thanks!

 

16

Andrew Jan 14, 2009

Thanks so much for posting this. It worked for me with a 3000cn that was acting up. I ended up leaving off the two screws closest to the exposed end of the transfer belt and adding a couple of washers under the screws near the handle (as suggested on the dell forum). It was a bit difficult to wiggle back in the machine, but works wonderfully now.

 

17

Avery S Jan 17, 2009

We have the same printer and problem I´m working on now. Howeve, we also have a vertical void 1/8 in. thick on the whole page in only blue. I traced it to the blue developement roller, which has a corresponding void band of blue developer. I suspect lint, hair, etc., has gotten in the blue toner (reman) and clogged this area behind the doctor blade. Does anyone have a teardown diagram or know where I can get one for the developement section of this printer?

Thanks.

 

18

Jesse Jan 22, 2009

Thanks for taking the time to provide your great fix steps. I took the drum cover off, sanded it down with an orbital sander, washed, dried, and put it back on. It totally fixed the short smear lines shown horizontally across the page in your example. Thats been an annoying issue for almost 2 years. Unfortunately I still have soft faded vertical streaks that run top to bottom where it looks like the ink (regardless of color) is barely printing. One is 1/4" wide and runs exactly down the center of the paper. The others are narrower. This second issue appears to be something different than the drum cover rubbing the paper.

 

19

Bruce Jan 30, 2009

tried this out after replacing the drum unit did not fix the problem. Took 5 minutes and fixed a very longstanding and annoying problem! Great work.

 

20

Kurt G Feb 14, 2009

Thanks for identifying a great solution to a problem I have experienced on two 3100 printers. I have kicked myself a hundred times for not sending the printers back when I first got them due to this issue. The solution solved 95 of the streaking. There is still one small point that I cannot solve even after repeated sanding. Will try adding a thin washer next time I open it up. as suggested by Brian Kernan below.

 

21

Chuck M Mar 27, 2009

Thanks for the tip. I also find that if I turn on the printer about 30 minutes before I´m ready to use it, the printer warms up more and that also helps to alleviate the problem.

 

22

Jonathan Apr 2, 2009

Just so everyone knows, the problem is a defection drum unit design. Dell replaced mine (along with many others) free of charge, and the problem completely went away. They may still be replacing them for free, check out the Dell forums. Cheers.

 

23

Idaho Falls SEO Apr 3, 2009

Jonathan, I had my drum "replaced" a couple of times by Dell and it never fixed the problem. Unless they have changed the way they are making the drum, there will be some that have the problem.

 

24

James nielander Apr 29, 2009

We are having the same problem that Tony and Sach has. It dissappears at the right. Can this be fixed by replacing the drum or does anyone know what can be done?

 

25

John Rives Jun 22, 2009

Thanks for the info. I was thinking I might have to replace the drum, but this little trick fixed my 3100cn good as new. Thanks for the post and instructions

 

26

shigadeyo Aug 14, 2009

My Dell 3100cn started exhibiting this issue after just 2000 pages. Thank you for sharing this information on how to fix the problem. Now it prints as good as new again!

 

27

Alan B Aug 27, 2009

Has much sanding is required? I took the drum apart a couple of times, sanded and re-assembled. The streaks got better but don´t go away completely. Now the streaks are more like dots. Does it require sanding away a significant amount of the ribs? Is the area of concern the flat portion?

 

28

Joel D Aug 28, 2009

Wow! Took the cover off and it works perfectly! There goes years of frustration! Thanks so much for the post!!!

 

29

Yonian Sep 2, 2009

Thanks 10^6.
Rather than sanding I put a few layers of (trimmed) Scotch tape along the edges to shim the cover a little higher. Worked great. Now I´m a hero to my boss.

 

30

Paul Sep 6, 2009

Thank you so much for a simple answer. I bought my printer of Ebay for £51 - a real bargain - especially as it had only printed 3,600 pages from new. I had to sand down the front edge of the ribs quite severely before the smudging stopped, I also packed out the edges to raise them a little with some sticky tape and it is now perfect. Many thanks agin.

 

31

Bob Richardson Oct 12, 2009

I´ve had this problem for a long time. Was so irritating I bought a Dell 1320c which I started using as my default printer. Not thinking, I ran a window envelope through the 1320 and the window melted. now machine doesn´t work. So I started using the 3100n again to complete a print job. The replace drum soon message came on (after less than 7k color
4k bw prints) - $170 part. Can´t decide to buy a new drum or new printer. 1320c on sale for $178. Samsung 315 on sale for $99. At least I now know how to fix streaking if I decide to replace 3100n drum. Anyone want to buy my 3100n? :-)

 

32

Idaho SEO Oct 14, 2009

Bob, I have a way to fix your "replace drum cartridge" error as well for less than replacing the whole stinking drum.

There is a little RFID chip in the drum that identifies the drum cartridge. The drum automatically tells you to replace the drum after some number of prints. Normally, all you have to do is clean out the drum by taking the drum out and unscrewing the four screws on the end with the clear bulb looking thing and dumping out the excess toner that builds up. Sometimes that is all it takes, but normally after that all you have to do is buy a replacement RFID chip (it looks like a circle about the size of a nickle on the side of the drum.) You can buy them for about 15-20 bucks. I have a link to buy them from Amazon at the top right of this page.

I´ve done this before and it worked like a charm.

 

33

Idaho Web Design Oct 14, 2009

This is how to fix the "Replace Drum Cartridge" Error on a 3100cn.

What I have found so far it that there are a couple of steps that you need to take. One is mechanical and easy to do. The other is electronic and I am still trying to figure it out.

The drum cartridge collects and stores all of the excess toner. It really does fill up. If you look on the sides of the cartridge, on the end that you insert into the printer first, you will notice two caps (one on each side) that are secured with one screw. They have a green arrow on them.

Open one and empty the toner (be careful there will be a lot). Close that side back up and repeat on the other side.

Now look at the middle of that same end of the cartridge. You will see a clear plastic "nipple" that looks something like a Christmas light. When the cartridge is full of toner, it pushes down an opaque piece that evidently blocks light and presumably informs the printer that it is full. There is a small hole in the end of the "nipple". Use a small paper clip and push it back up inside (softly, I didn't need to do this step; it went back up after I emptied the excess toner.).

If you are lucky, your toner was simply deactivated because it was full and you will now be able to use it again.

If not, it is the result of the "life chip" on the left side of the cartridge. You will see it as a round black plastic disk. Use the tip of a sharp pen knife and pop it out. It appears to be a passive RFID device with antenna. By the way, they are the same devices as are used in the ends of the toner cartridges but they are not programmed the same. This is what I am still trying to circumvent.

The quickest fix is to buy one on Amazon for about $15. Still cheaper than a new drum cartridge but it is the principle of the thing.

You can also purchase them from http://www.tonerrefillstore.com/dell3100cndrchip.html. I bought one from them and it was dead on arrival. I emailed them and they sent a replacement and it worked like a charm.

I cannot stand the idea that a manufacturer can "decide" that we need to spend more money on consumables when the unit is perfectly fine!

 

34

Chris Nov 8, 2009

I finally built the guts up and followed your directions. Worked! I had to keep going back and forth to Sand more and more but finally got it where I needed it Dell was trying to get me to buy another drum unit. lol Glad I found this post Thanks.

 

35

Kevin Sweere Dec 7, 2009

If you think there are 8 screws. you´re wrong -- those 2 extra middle ones hold on two small rollers. Wear rubber gloves and be extremely careful NOT to touch the roller fabric. I used 220, 400, and 1000 grit to sand. Remember to have ample lighting, a soft towel/carpet underneath, and wear a dust mask when sanding. I took a good deal off but still had some streaks. perhaps I bent the cover. It runs fine w/out the cover.

 

36

Tim Dec 29, 2009

I took a lighter to the cover and put a ´bow´ in it such that its bent away from the belt. 3 minute fix with no sanding required. Worked like a charm.

 

37

David Dec 31, 2009

It should be noted that you sand the tapered side of the panel, the side that has the arrows on it.

I spent a few hours sanding the other side with no luck and found out later it was the wrong spot! I didn´t have any toner on the cover though so it was hard to find the spot.

I´m shocked Dell has not fixed this issue before releasing the final printer.

 

38

Russ Jan 3, 2010

I block sanded with 80, 220, and 400 grit sandpaper. No help. Shimmed the cover edges with 3 layers of 1/4 inch wide masking tape. Little help. I think I may just leave the cover off, since it prints beautifully without the cover.