Fuji Xerox DocuPrint CM305 df Questions & Answers

In the maintenance menu accessible from the control panel (your manual will show you how, or look for a YouTube video on Maintenance menu for Xerox CM305, and from there select cleaning. If you are lucky, this may clear the problem. Sorry I cannot be more specific as my CM305 went the way of the Dodo a few years ago and I cannot recall the exact sequence of steps anymore. YouTube will certainly have a video on cleaning the CM305DX

thanks Frank

OK I have disassembled the DF Hinge causing this issue. The Left Hand Hinge unit has snapped where the spring inside has broken through the base which therefore does not allow the DF to sit flush with the Platen frame. Need to find a replacement Fuji Xerox Docuprint CM 305 DF Hinge Kit. Could anyone suggest where I might get a used part, where similar machines are being "parted-out". As it's an end-of-life machine Fuji do not stock the part. The only place I could find that still has genuine parts the cost is almost the same for a new machine...:-( Any recommendations/suggestions will be gratefully appreciated. Thanking you.

Hey John, I found your query when I found the same issue with my little printer. I put some strong tape over the broken bits - three pieces - to hold the broken bit in place, and so far so good. It sits flat, and seems fine. 5 minute fix!

I did look at this, and I was concerned that due the strength of the internal spring that any taping of the broken pieces would not hold and certainly not gluing it would work either! In the end I capitulated & purchased a new replacement Hinge Kit at an outrageous cost. In the scheme of things if the machine lasts me another five years when the rollers (thermal unit) will need to be replaced, I won't complain to buy a new machine, as this unit will have been an exceptional piece of kit. I would probably purchase another Fuji/Xerox machine given the overall reliability of this unit.

It sounds most probably like either a problem with the drum unit - possibly scratches on the black drum for instance (is it a genuine Xerox unit or an OEM that you installed?) or if you are lucky it's because the machine needs cleaning, but the need for cleaning would usually effect all colours the same way

Thanks for the reply, yes it was replaced with a Fuji-Xerox genuine Drum, and I also replaced the fuser unit with genuine as well.

It sounds to me that you have a major fault with the power supply. Loss of the high voltage that charges the drum to transfer the image would produce exactly the result you have, as would loss of the laser scanner. However I would have expected both of these to produce an error code on the display panel. There is a slight chance of a failure of the memory where the image is stored before printing, or a data communication loss with the PC if you are printing from a computer. Have you tried an on glass photocopy? Also, try printing a test page from the maintenance menu. If they all come up blank, then you have an expensive problem. By the way, if the drum unit is faulty, and with that many pages the odds are good that at best it would be printing pretty poorly, you should still have an error code being generated. A transfer drum fault will usually involve only one primary colour, by the way, or poor quality overall. I have not seen one suddenly produce blank pages, but there is always a first time. With the age of these printers now it would be impossible to justify the replacement cost of the drum unit - it would be far more than the dollar value of the printer.

Thanks Frank - no error codes which is a bummer and seems to print like normal, except the pages come out blank. Ive tried the glass copy a page and that also is not working, also maintenance page comes at blank, re power supply, any data on available re test points / voltages ? regards

Sadly it sounds to me like you need a replacement Drum unit, and given the ridiculously high cost of them (usually towards $400 in Australia) is far more than the printer is worth. Plus if you do buy one and the fault surprisingly turns out to be caused by something elsewhere in the printer, then you've wasted a lot of money. The Xerox drum units can be relied upon for up to about 20,000 copies/prints usually, much less with non-genuine toners - after that, the quality falls off pretty quickly, so if you check to see how many total prints your printer has done (from the Maintenance menu from memory) the higher the number is, the more likely it is to be the drum, and if it's not the drum this time, depending on the work it's done, next time it fails it probably will be.

That sounds like a fuser problem. Drum issues will result in no toner, incorrect colours or other impeded quality in the image. In your case, the toner is being laid down correctly but it's not being fused on the paper, so it rubs off. Please note though the problem may be deeper, as a faulty fuser usually fails to fix the toner on every page, not every second page. I suspect it may be a problem on the logic board. If so, it's probably time to start looking for a new printer, as these older ones are hard to get such parts for, and generally worth less than the cost of the spares even if available

Ok great thanks very much for your thoughts Frank. I have been thinking it is time for a new printer but just didnt want to throw away this printer. We are such a disposable society :(

You will get a message in the display when the maximum copy count for the fuser is reached and it's time to change it. If it's been physically damaged however, you will get smudged, poor quality prints that are not properly fused and/or the paper will frequently jam or crease as it enters the fuser, but the control logic in the printer will not 'know' about the damage so it's up to observation. Remember that a worn or damaged drum unit can also give poor copy quality, and is most often the cause of poor prints. They are only good for 20,000 copies

thank you

It will have nothing to do with the paper size selected I think, much more probable that it's a mechanical problem. It is quite possible that there may be a small piece of paper stuck along the paper path from an earlier jam - did you have a jam before all this started where the page was torn? It can be hard to find, but close inspection of the whole paper path will reveal it if this is the case. You might also try feeding some pages from the bypass tray to see if they get through. If they do, the problem will be at the back of the paper tray (Remove the paper tray when using the bypass to make sure it feeds from the bypass tray) There is also the possibility of a damaged or faulty rubber feed roller on the paper feeds. Of much lesser likelihood is the paper catching on the drum unit or the fuser unit if either of them have become damaged. Hope this helps

This may also be a problem with the sensor. Apparently the paper sensor goes faulty and everything hangs up while there is no problem. It's an expensive fix.

Pull the paper tray right out and, using a torch if you have to, look right up at the beck end and see if you can spot even part of a sheet of paper there. You may have a page caught up that is preventing the following pages from making contact with the transfer belt and thus not picking up an image before going on to the fuser. Failing that, you may need to withdraw the fuser and the drum unit to see if anything is caught up behind them (Should be full instructions for this in the manual that came with the printer, failing that, there are plenty of YouTube videos that show you how it's done. If all that fails, it's going to be a call to Xerox service who will most likely want to charge you an arm and a leg to look at it... *Sigh*

It could well indicate a problem with the fuser. Are they coloured marks or black only?

Have you recently changed the black toner cartridge? If so, I suspect it will be a generic, non-genuine type an the problem most likely lies there. While some generic toners work OK in these printers, many do not and their quality control leaves much to be desired. Try another cartridge from a different manufacturer to see if that helps.

Alternatively. if you have not recently changed the toner cartridge, then it has most probably run out of toner - often due to the generic cartridges not being completely filled at manufacture and so they run out of toner much sooner than they should.

There is an option in the "Maintenance" menu (refer to your owners manual for instructions on how to reach this menu if you are unsure how) called 'toner refresh'. You could try refreshing the black toner to see if that helps, but I suspect it will not.

Hope this helps

Regards Frank

Are you certain the toner you are using has the Xerox chip installed? If not, the copier will not recognise it as being present. Some generic cartridges are supplied without the chip in them, making them pretty useless, other generics have a copy chip installed and work as normal. However, there is a fix for the chip-less types (OR cartridges with a faulty chip in them); In the maintenance menu, there is an option to allow use of such non-genuine toners. To access the option, press the "System" button on display panel; step down (using the up/down arrow keys) to "Admin Menu" and press "OK". Step down to "Maintenance" press OK; Step down to "Non-Genuine" , press "OK". "Toner" will be displayed. Press "OK", step down to "ON" press "OK" one last time. Now your toner recognizable to the printer if it's a chip problem, BUT you will no longer have the "Toner Remaining" window showing the levels of remaining toners when you use the printer, so it's not a good way to go as you will not know when toners are about to expire. IF this fixes the problem, ensure that any future cartridges you order have a chip installed in them. Also, do not forget to repeat the above steps but select "Off" at the last step instead of "ON" to return the printer to normal operation when you are using proper toners again

If it is not a chip problem, the most likely alternative possibility is that the toner cartridge is not seating properly into the machine, and/or when you slide the cartridge across it's not going the whole way. This will cause the chip to fail to connect with the printer and produce the same symptoms as above

Hope this helps

Thank you, will do as you suggest .

Like everything else, not all toner products in the marketplace are of the same quality. Certainly there are cheap generic toners that have course particles and are of inappropriate chemistry which can damage your printer at the worst and reduce print quality at the best, but there are also other generics which meet or exceed the standard of the genuine Xerox ones. Sounds as though you struck out with the wrong type. My CM305 has been running on generic toner for about 18000 copies now with no scratching of the drum apparent, and with a print quality that has not deteriorated beyond expected wear and tear (very little). Certainly avoid the cheaper eBay toners, as they are likely to be of inferior quality, but generic toners from well known and established companies are far more likely than not to be completely safe to use :o)

I agree...had to throw my last printer away because of the damage generic toners did to it. It was better to do that than the hassle and cost to fix it. Never again will I use them.

Generic compatible toners do fit. You may have to find a You tube video to assist you if there is one. You may have to ring Fuji technical support to guide you over the phone. Please be aware that by using generic toners will reduce the life of your printer and quality output in the long run and that’s speaking from experience.

I'm sorry I can't help. This is the same problem I had. The apparent solution is to replace the drum unit, which is more expensive that purchasing a new machine. I bought a Brother HL3170CDW, which is much cheaper; much, much, faster and simpler to install and use. Hope this helps.

Why would I need a new Drum when it is just the toner that needs replacing?

I’m sorry I’m not technically trained to help you. You will need to call Fuji Xerox customer services technical queries and they will be better equipped to answer your question.

Thanks,

Athena

The chip keeps a record of the amount of toner left in the cartridge. By fitting the chip from a spent cartridge into your new one, you are actually telling the printer that the new cartridge is empty - even when it actually is not. Contact your toner supplier for a compatible chip - it should have shipped already fitted into the OEM toner that was sent to you

This printer does not support two sided copying or printing. The machine will only do one sided. Please contact Fuji’s support centre for further assistance.

Hi Wen, this is a technical question that I can’t answer. You will need to ring Fuji Xerox customer service which I the paperwork has been provided to you when you purchased the machine and they will be able to direct your query to somebody that should help you. Good luck.

Athena

This printer offers single sided scanning through a top mounted document feeder and also a glass bed for photos and other formats. Scanning is easy if you read the instruction manual. You can also scan straight to a network device. For example I set up my scanner to talk to my home server which is very convenient. The only annoying thing about this is you can't name the files at the printer. Scan quality is good with this machine but I do find I have to periodically clean the document feeder sensor to get rid of coloured stripes that appear in the scans.