What is Fuser in Laser Printer and How We Can Clean It?

You can find fuser roller in every laser printer. After continuous use this fuser assembly gets dirty, which can adversely affect the quality of printouts produced by that printer. Therefore, experts recommend that for proper functioning of your laser printer you must clean its fuser rollers at regular intervals. In this guide, we will tell you what is a fuser in laser printer and how we can clean it in order to get the best print quality from the printing device.

What is Fuser in Laser Printer?

Fuser assembly consists of two pairs of rollers. The lower fuser roller, also known as the pressure roller, is a soft rubber roller. While the upper fuser roller, also known as the heat roller, is a hollow aluminum tube coated with Teflon that contains a heating element inside it.

At the time of printing, the powdered toner is put on the printing paper. This printing paper then travels through these two fuser rollers. This way the printing paper is subjected to heat and pressure at the same time, which melts the toner and creates the desired printout.

Precautions To Be Taken While Cleaning Fuser

1. Fuser rollers tend to get very hot while printing. Therefore, before starting the cleaning process you should let the printer cool down.
2. If you don’t have the right cleaning fluid, then go for isopropyl alcohol. Never use rubbing alcohol as it may have some ingredients which will remain on the fuser surface after cleaning. Also, avoid using harsh chemicals for cleaning the rollers.
3. Fuser roller surface is made-up of a Teflon film that can easily get damaged. Therefore, apply gentle pressure while cleaning the roller.

How We Can Clean a Printer Fuser?

We will describe the process of cleaning a printer fuser below. The process may be slightly different for each laser printer depending upon its manufacturer and model number, but the core operations will remain the same.

1. Open the front cover of your printer.

2. Now, open the fuser cover.

3. Now you will be able to see the fuser system of two rollers. The rubber roller is the pressure roller and the hard roller is the heated roller.

4. Check carefully for the lines or any other defects in the rollers, like dust particles or pieces of paper.

5. Dampen a cotton swab with cleaning fluid and start to clean the visible portions of the fuser rollers. Use light pressure while cleaning.

6. Once this cleaning process is completed. Close the fuser cover, then the front cover of your printer. Now, fuser will move into another position. After a few seconds, again follow the steps 1 to 5 given above. Repeat this operation until the fuser rollers are completely clean.

Conclusion

If your laser printouts are showing black or grey streaks, then most probably fuser rollers have become dirty. Don’t worry, by following the information given in this guide you will be able to clean your printer fuser rollers easily and properly. However, you must remember that cleaning a fuser in laser printer is not going to work if the roller is damaged or worn-out.