(^438) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide
inside the printer, don’t use a standard vacuum cleaner to clean it up. Remember that
toner is very fine particles of iron and plastic. The particles are so fine that they seep
through the walls of most vacuum bags and get into the motor, where the plastic melts.
Special types of vacuums and vacuum cleaner bags are made for working with toner.
Should you get toner on your skin, never rinse it off with warm or hot water. Hot water
may cause the toner to fuse to your skin. It’s best to first wipe off as much of the toner with a
dry paper towel or soft cloth. Then rinse with cold water, and finish by washing with soap
and cold water.
A cleaning brush or large plastic swab with a cotton pad is usually packed with the
toner cartridge to clean the transfer corona wire. You can clean the primary corona wire
with an ordinary cotton swab as well, but make sure the laser printer has had time to cool
down. While cleaning these wires, be very careful not to break them.
Ozone and Exhaust
During the print process, the laser produces a gas calledozone, and the toner emits an exhaust
when it is heated. Most laser printers have an ozone filter that also captures toner dust and
exhaust and paper dust. This filter should be replaced or cleaned in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions in the printer’s manual. Spare filters are usually shipped with
the printer. If not, contact the manufacturer or vendor to get spare filters, if needed.
Cleaning the Mirrors
Inside the laser printer are two or more multisided mirrors that are used to reflect the laser
onto the drum. Periodically clean these mirrors using a clean, lint-free cloth. Be sure the
power is off and the unit is unplugged. Never, ever, repeat, never look directly at the laser.
Along this same line, never operate the printer with its covers off. Most printers will not
power up with its cover open, anyway.
Fuser Pads and Rollers
The fuser cleaning pad (that cleans the fusing roller after it presses the melted toner onto
the paper) and the fusing roller can become dirty and begin to leave unwanted toner
blobs on the paper. Check the fuser cleaning pad and the fuser rollers regularly and clean
them as necessary.
Setting Up a Printer in Windows
Setting up a printer on a Windows system is the same for virtually every printer. However,
you should always follow the setu pinstructions that come with the printer.
Windows 9x, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 each carry a remarkable number of
printer drivers with them. However, to be absolutely certain that you have the very latest
driver for the PC’s operating system, visit the manufacturer’s Web site. Some printers
come with a separate printer driver included on a diskette or a CD-ROM.