HPLJ M605X Ink Erasing

[Payroll]

I purchased an HPLJ M605X on 01/29/16.  When we print checks, the ink lifts so some of the checks cannot be cashed because the ink has been erased.  What could be causing this?

[tonerspills]

Are you using a pre-printed check stock?

Are you using MICR toner?

When you say ink is lifting off, do you mean the ink that was preprinted on the check stock, or the toner from the printed image you are sending to your laser jet printer.

I do have this problem alot, and there are so many contributing factors. The best way I can advise how to troubleshoot, is to create a blank voided check in the format that you use so you can test with.

MICR toner is not HP toner- You may have to adjust your machine settings to a different paper type in order to get the toner to "fuse" properly to the paper. Most often, check stock is printed using liquid ink that uses a different process that the fusing that takes place in a laser printer. When your printer heats up to fuse the toner, it can create a chemical reaction which releases gasses into the printer coating the fuser film and causing the toner not to bond. Also, alot of production offset printers will use a very fine powder in their printing presses that allows their output to be stacked while still not completely dry. This powder could be coating either your imaging drum in your cartridge or your fuser film. Again, if you are using a MICR toner- those expire usually after 6 months to 1 year.

Create your test page, print on plain paper and see of the toner rubs off. If it does, then you probably have an expired MICR cartridge or your fuser has failed prematurely. If the toner adheres just fine, then try printing on your check stock, if the toner rubs off, then the problem may be with the ink on your preprinted check stock.

[Payroll · Accepted solution]

Dear Grad Student,

Thank you very much for responding to my post so quickly.  I am printing on a blank check stocks using a regular toner (not MICR), however, it's not OEM.  I had a printer technician look at it 2 weeks ago and he didn't find anything wrong with the machine and we put in a brand new toner.  It was ok for 2 weeks and then it started happening again.  However, there's no problem printing on plain paper.  Since we're not using MICR toners, do you think it will solve the problem if I purchased an OEM?  It's very expensive so I don't want to do it unless it'll really work.  If I don't find a solution, I'm left with no choice but to buy a new printer again.  Thank you.

[tonerspills]

You're certainly welcome. I always advise my customers to go with the HP OEM toners, especially when printing checks. They are more expensive, but the quality is so much better. Some people have luck with off brand, but the overwhelming majority of my customers that use off brands have to fight toner spills, replace damaged fusers, or have print quality issues. So it really ends up costing more in the long run.

If you had a printer tech out, and he said nothing was mechanically wrong with the printer- that almost certainly points to a bad toner. Usually the only thing that would cause toner not to adhere to the paper is bad toner, or a faulty fuser- if changing the toner seemed to make the problem go away, but it returned- that points to the toner cartridge.