One way to address vertical streaks on m551dn / m551n / m551xh

[jik2]

There are a number of postings on this board about people having problems with vertical streaks on printouts from their LaserJet m551dn, m551n, and m551xh printers.

The advice typically given is to use compressed air to blow toner out of the printer (probably a bad idea because you really don't want to spread toner all over your office or breathe it in) or replace the transfer unit.

I didn't want to spend ~$400 on a new transfer unit, so I decided to look for alternative solutions. I found one: you can partially disassemble the transfer unit and clean out the toner that is causing the streaking.

The other postings I looked at were closed to replies so I couldn't post about this solution on them, so I'm posting this in the hopes that it might help some people.

I've posted additional details, with photos, on my blog.

[Repairatrooper]

Nice write up. The one challenge is that sometimes the mylar wiper blades are deformed and all the cleaning in the world will not help that . I have seen new waste bins for sale on Ebay from time to time.  As for the belt itself I have successfully cleaned off finger prints using platen cleaning solutions like SelSol. 

Aside from canned air, people should avoid the urge to clean using a standard vacuum cleaner as the toner particles are fine enough to pass through most filter media.