Why Toner Cartridge Is Streaking / Leaking and How to Fix It

A leaking printer toner cartridge is the bane of many laser printer users. A leaking/streaking toner can imply a powdery mess inside the printer, a stained piece of clothing, or streaked printouts.

Basically, a leaking or streaking toner can ruin your day.

If your toner cartridge is leaking or has leaked inside the machine, it will need to be fixed or replaced.

Before we dive into the details of how to fix a leaking toner cartridge, let us first understand why it is spilling toner in the first place.

Damaged Toner Cartridges Can Experience Leakage Problems

Toner cartridges comprise of dozens of moving parts. All of these small components must work in unison so that your cartridge performs as expected.

If one or more of these moving parts aren’t functional, it could lead to toner leakage inside the printer.

Toner cartridges can also get damaged while in transit or due to accidental falls. A damaged cartridge can spill out toner or produce prints with streaks.

If any part of your toner cartridge or its photoconductor (the component with green or blue roller) is visibly damaged, the cartridge will need to be replaced.

Leakage Problems with Refilled Toner Cartridges

Some people refill toner cartridges at home or a local office supplies store. Refilling ink or toner cartridges is a bad idea.

Refilled cartridges don’t fit in properly in the laser printer and can leak easily.

During refilling, you may end up damaging the blade, fuser, photoconductor, or other components.

There are better ways to save money on replacement toner cartridges.

You can, for instance, buy compatible toner cartridges for your Brother or HP laserjet instead.

Your Drum Unit could be the Culprit

Toner leakage inside the printer or vertical streaks on printouts can be due to a faulty drum unit.

Your laser printer’s drum unit may also be past its useful life.

Depending upon whether your printer uses a separate or an integrated drum unit (with toner cartridge), you will need to get the necessary replacement.

A separate drum unit is more likely to be the culprit if you notice toner leakage in an old laserjet with a recently installed toner cartridge all of a sudden.

It may be a sign that your drum unit needs to be replaced. Other signs of drum failures include equally-distant smears or lines of toner across printouts or dots that appear evenly down the page.

Recovery Blade May be Damaged

Recovery blades are thin plastic blades that direct residual toner onto rollers.

If the recovery blade is damaged, it will result in random dots all over your printouts.

This is referred to as ‘flicking toner.’

With a damaged recovery blade, toner continues to accumulate on top of the blade. Excess toner accumulation eventually appears as if the toner cartridge is leaking.

So, you need to get the recovery blade repaired or replaced to fix the issue.

Cleaning a Toner Spill

1. Unplug the printer from the power socket and let it cool for at least an hour. Remember, there are heated components inside laser printers.
2. Use a postcard or a scraper to scoop out as much toner as possible.
3. Next, use a soft and dry lint-free cloth to wipe a toner spill. Do not use a paper towel or a damp cloth unless you are cleaning the outer surface of the printer. With liquids, the toner powder can turn sticky.
4. Toner spills on carpet or cloth can be dabbed with a slightly moist paper towel. However, you should be careful not to get the target area too wet. Dissolved toner can leave a permanent stain.

Remember not to use the standard vacuum cleaner to quickly remove the stains.

First, excess pressure can damage your laserjet. Second, toner powder conducts electricity and can damage (short-circuit) your vacuum cleaner.

Cleaning a Leaking Cartridge

1. Place a piece of cloth or paper towel below your printer’s cover panel to collect the loose toner.
2. Open the front cover of your printer and remote the leaky cartridge.
3. Hold the leaky toner cartridge at a level to prevent any more spillage. Place it on a paper towel.
4. Carefully wipe the cartridge down with a dry cloth and remove all loose toner particles. Don’t get the cartridge wet. Doing so can damage your toner cartridge as well as the components inside your laser printer.
5. Reinstall the cartridge.

In case the cartridge is damaged, toss it in the bin.

Final Words

Loose toner powder can damage your laser printer in many ways.

So, it is important to remove excess toner and replace or fix a leaking/streaking toner cartridge as soon as possible. It’s a part of the standard laser printer maintenance routine.

In some cases, you may also need to replace other components (as described above) to fix toner leakage.