There is always a debate whether to obtain a new full size copier printer scanner fax instead of a refurbished one. When you look in the lower end of the marked (Sub $1000 machines) it usually best to obtain a new copier printer or one that has less than 1 month duty cycle of pages. The duty cycle is defined as the maximum number of pages that the manufacturer the user should stay below each month.  Many new HP printers that are in the $1000 and above range have duty cycles of 200,000 pages or more.  The general rule of thumb is not to buy a used recondition HP printer copier scanner fax or any other brand that has more than 1.5 months of duty cycle so it will still have 5..7 years of very useful life.

If a used recondition HP 5035MFP, which is HP’s highest end black/white current model copier printer scanner, has over 340,000 pages then find another one. The HP 5035mfp is useful life designed for 4,000,000 (4 million pages) or more so we are talking about less than 10% of usage. Currently, the new HP 5035mfpxs cost $5,999.99 web pricing. However, you can obtain a quality use on for as little as $1995. That’s a giant savings!  The HP 5035MFPxs comes with the works: copier, printer, scanner, fax, stapler, 4+ drawers and rolling cabinet. Its designed for a small company of 5 to 12 people or a department level machine for large corporations.

Used recondition HP printer copier scanners of this durability will give you years of useful life. You may want to considered a printer maintenance program that includes everything except paper.  Printsolv and other PMS (print management systems) frees up your time by taking care of all supplies, repairs, parts and if you choose your vendor well it doe sit automatically so you do not need to chase for repairs or the supplies. If your are located in Florida  call Advanced Business Computers Inc. in Miami Florida for complete details and how to get the equipment at no cost when you select the Printsolv program. Currently they haev used reconditioned HP 5035mfp and other bands for quick delivery.

The high end HP printer scanner copiers designed for work groups, such as the HP 4345mfp and the current model  5035MFP are designed heavy usage. The HP printer scanner copier based unit is designed around the very reliable HP printer line. Basically they are the printers with the addition of the copier scanner fax  feeders and control boards. The use the all in one cartridge that contains the drum, toner, and pcr rollers so overtime you change the HP toner cartridge it’s like getting a new print engine. The repair of the HP 4345 MFP and the 5035 MFD copier printer scanners are quick and can be accomplished by any certified HP service center.

The repair costs and frequency for the HP 4345MFD and the 5035MFD are similar to the HP 4250 and HP 4350 models. They are work horses and when maintained properly with a mean repair period of 80,000 pages or more.  The ADF kit should last 80,000 to 120,000 pages and the internal maintenance kit 200,000 pages depending upon the paper used and who often you pm the machine.  The machine should be cleaned., lubricated and adjust approximately every 60,000 to 80,000 pages.  If you are in a dirty shop type of environment then the HP repair maintenance should be more frequent.

The HP 4345MFD and the HP 5035MFP are designed for a department size office of 5..10 staff members who produce  10,000 t0 20,000 pages per month.  New HP 5035MFD xs cost $599.99 and refurbished low page count copier printer scanner fax units average $2100.  The HP 4345MFD are discontinued at this time and refurbished copier printer scanner of this model range $1800 to $2000 with 90 day warranty.

The HP printer scanner maintenance repair kits for the ADF (automatic document feeder) and the 250,000 page maintenance kit are practically user installable. If you have good mechanic skill with a screw driver then you can repair or install the HP maintenance kits parts your self. However, when installing the HP 4345 and 5035 maintenance kits you should do a complete PM of the machine (lubrication and cleaning with a true toner vacuum) at the same time it ensure that parts last there expect life.

The current economic environment has lead to companies rethinking their desire to always have  new business class copier printer scanners. Leasing a new copier printer scanner is just like owning a new car, once its out of the show room it looses 30% of ti value but you are still liable for the full price! The trend to obtain recent model dealer select used printer copiers network equipment has driven the some brands of used copiers higher. Why?  Simple: dealers know which brands are durable and will provide trouble free usage for their clients.

What models and manufacturer are most in demand?  Currently, the number on based on review of three major off lease equipment companies (companies with an inventory of 3,000+ machines) are the Kyocera KM3035, 4035 and the 5035.  When they are received in from off lease they do not least more than a couple hours in inventory before a dealers grabs them. Kyocera copier printer scanner are know for their very high reliability and very long lasting maintenance kit. The Kyocera maintenance kit ha an estimated like of 400,000 pages.  The far superior than Canon, Ricoh, Minolta, Toshiba, Sharp and other brands.

Beyond the Kyocera the next brand are Ricoh and then Sharp brands.  Be very careful when purchasing a used refurbished copier printer  from a company going out of business.  We get calls all day long form people who said hey got a great dealer only to learn the machine is 7 to 12 years old and it needs maintenance. Copier printer scanner maintenance can run into the hundreds of dollars.  the company is going out of business so do you think they maintained their copier printers?

Before you buy a machine get the meter count, supply/maintenance status page and the then call to get the true value of the used copier printer before you buy. Or post a question here. for a quick reply.  The used refurbished printer copier resource is updated everyday and a simple questions will tell you if you are getting a deal or not.

Brother toner based MFC have been in the forefront of the multi-function all in one printer scanner copiers for the since the nineties long before Hewlett Packard  and other brands.  Brother produces good quality toner based small off and home based office printer copiers that have always preform well. Brother MFC ink based ones are very popular due to low cost. This article covers the toner based MFC color all in one repair maintenance image problems.

Repairing and performing maintenance on the Brother color copier printer scanners is not difficult if you know the steps to take. First, is to determine the cause of the problem. Just like when repairing HP, Lexmark and other copier printer scanners use the process on elimination. All color printer copiers contain four toner cartridges, a set of drums, imaging unit and fuser. Depending upon what the actual image repair maintenance problem looks like will determine which part to replace.

If the printer copier repair image problem only effects one color (black lines on color pages, or getting blue streaks/spots but not yellow, black or magenta, etc.) then you can eliminate the imaging unit and the fuser as the problem.   On the Brother MFC 9840, 9440 and similar models it uses one drum unit and four separate toner cartridges.  If you are only having problems with the cyan (Blue) then you either need to replace the cyan toner or the drum unit.  If the printer repair image problem is a yellow line then its the yellow toner or drum unit. If you are having a black line then things are a bit different because the problem can be the fuser too.

Now if the image problem does not follow and one particular problem then the cause could be the drum, image unit or the fuser. Print out several pages and see if the image problem is a pattern (repeats two or more times per page) or is a print repair maintenance problem along the whole page.  The image unit rotates once per page, the drums approx 3 times and the fuser 5 times per page.

The next step is to pull out the image unit, drum unit and he fuser and try to match the printer image problem with the actual unit.  If your technician has repair and performed printer copier maintenance repair worked on the Brother and other brands such as HP, Lexmark, Ricoh and canons then over the phone they should be able to diagnose the problem with 97% accuracy without you spending a dime of your money upfront.  If they can not give you an idea and you are in South Florida contact Advanced Business Computers printer copier repair department.

here is the next set o Ricoh repair maintenance error codes fro repair technicians. If you own a Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner or Lanier then these codes are all the same.  Repairing the complete line of Ricoh printer copiers is easy because all the Ricoh brands use the same error codes, parts and supplies.  If you prefer to place your copier printer under a service maintenance agreement or have questions concerning printer copier scanner repairs then contact Advanced Business Computers.

SC410 paper seperation leak

SC411 Separation bias leak error

SC420 Cleaning motor lock

SC422 PCC Leak

SC430 Quenching lamp error

SC440 Main motor lock/drum

SC441 Development motor lock

SC450 Paper transfer bias leak

SC451 Paper transfer belt motor lock

SC452 transfer belt mark detection error

SC455 Paper transfer belt discharge corona current leak

SC456 Paper transfer unit position error

SC457 Image transfer belt cleaning unti position error

SC460 Thermistor 1 temperature error

SC461 Thermnistor 2 error

SC471 Transfer Belt HP sensor error

SC490 Toner supply motor leak

SC492 Cooling an motor lock

SC493 Exhaust fan motor lock

SC495 Toner recycling unit error

SC496 Toner collection bottle error

SC497 Toner recycling motor error

Half the battle in repairing copier printers is knowing what the error codes mean.  If you are not familiar with copier printer repair terminology then you will need the complete service manual for the Ricoh, Lanier, Gestetner and Savin printer copier scanners to repair them.  Some copier printer repair maintenance codes are misleading for example motor lock does not mean you need to replace the motor. You may need to replace a gear set or during the repair of the copier printer find the paper clip or staple that is causing the motor to jam. If you need further assistance contact Advanced Business Computers in Southeast Florida.

What the the normal cases of lines on printer copier fax machines?  Resolving lines on pages is as easy as cleaning the glass in the adf area and as difficult to repair rebuild copier printer fuser assembly.  First, lines are caused usually caused by one of the three following printer copier repair problems: dirty glass in the scanner area, bad drum/blade,  or fuser assembly maintenance needed.  depending upon your printer copier scanner follow the following steps to determine the cause of your printer repair maintenance needs.

First, does the line show up when you are printing, copying or both? If the copier printer fax multi-function equipment is producing lines only when you fax out then the problem is the scanner glass. You will need to open the ADF (automatic document feeder) which is the part you feed the pager you are trying to copy or fax out.  Fine the scanner glass which is usually 1 inch in length and 11 to 17″ long. Cleaning the scanner glass is a regular Copier printer maintenance that does not require a technician. Remember, I am not talking about the large glass on the flat bed of your copier printer scanner.  The automatic feeder has a separate scan glass in the ADF area usually designed for easy access.

If you are getting lines if when printing or if the scanner glass is not the cause then you need to check the fuser and/or drum/developer unit of your printer copier fax multi-function device.  Depending upon you equipment this may require a copier printer repair technician to perform the task. If the line are horizontal across the page they the get a bit lighter after a few pages (you need to print several pages at one time) then its the drum unit causing the problem. If the lines are pencil thin then it is usually the drum unit too.

The fuser assembly on your copier printer may need a complete maintenance kit or replacement depending upon you model if your printer copier repair problem consist of thick lines or lines that are not solid all the way down the page.  Put out the fuser assembly and see if the upper heat roller coating is wearing away.  when repairing copier printers the technicians can determine the problem if less than 30 minutes. Remember to get certified printer copier repair maintenance service technicians. Be careful of one man operations or companies that can not explain over the phone print copier repair costs.

First, let make a general statement that none of the above copier printer scanner fax machine manufacturer say: they all make a bad model once an a while and some of them make many bad models. However,  looking at the past 3 years history on actual service calls and by actual technician as that are NOT committed only one particular brand there are some clear winners.  many copier printer scanner companies only offer one brand due to the fact they have to invest large sums of money to become FACTORY AUTHORIZED.  IN fact, many manufactures of copier priers force dealers to be only related to one brand of they will not get authorization. What does this mean to you?

Simply put, if you talk to a Sharp dealer then Sharp is best, if you talk to a Xerox dealer then Xerox is best, if you talk to a Canon dealer then Canon is best.  So how do you know which one is actually the best copier printer scanner? Talk to independent dealers, check the copier printer Bertl reports,  Best Buy reports, consumer reports and finally the resell value. However, when you check the resell value on a used copier printer do not ASK the dealer! Why because their book value is usually way, way higher than actual value.

Ok in the resell market the HOTTEST printers (the hardest ones to get by dealers) are Kyocera 3035, 4035 and 5035 in the black/white models and for color copier printers Ricoh colors MPC series.  How is this know?  This is determined by how long a particular model of copier printer stays in inventory of major wholesale distributors of used copier printers. These distributors supply copier printer dealers with used machines to resell or export.  Presently, of the three largest dealers the Kyocera 3035, 4035, and 5035 do not last even one day!

Why are Kyocera so good? Because they are very clean operating, extremely reliable and very long duty cycle (time between replacing the copier printer scanner maintenance kits).

What is the biggest name used copier printer machines? Canon and Ricoh however, they are not the best.  Which ones do independent resellers stay away from due to problems, excessive repair costs and poor quality? Toshiba, Xerox  and Minolta.  Beyond the model what else should you consider when selecting a used or reconditioned copier printer fax? duty cycle, number of current pages on unit, warranty, age (this is a big one) and reliability of the dealer (is it a one man show or a company with several repair technicians?).

One of the most frustrating parts of copier printer repair service is to quickly determine the meaning of error codes.  Savin, Ricoh, Gestetner and Lanier copier printer repair maintenance codes are all the same. The copiers use the same maintenance and repairs parts because all are manufactured by Ricoh corporation,

The following list of copier maintenance repair error codes are directly from the Ricoh service manuals.   If you are familiar with repairing Ricoh and Lanier copier printer them the errors codes are group by problem.  Several of the copier printer error codes are very similar.  This group of printer copier error codes from Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier copiers scanners start with copier repair error code SC184 and ends at SC306.

SC 184 CIS Transmission error

SC191 BAr code scanning error

SC192 Automated SBU adjustment error

SC193 Image transfer error/IDU error

SC194 SBU white level detection error

SC195 DF gate assert error

SC196 DF gate negate error

SC197 DF gate error

SC198 Memory address error

SC188 DF scanning finish error

SC201 Polygon motor error

SC220 Laser synchronization detection error

SC221 Scan length detection errro

SC230 BCU received no feedback from LD F-gate timeout

SC231 Laser beam feedback from LD F-gate error

SC240 LD power supply excessive

SC260 HP sensor error

SC261 HP sensor not turning off

SC285 Line position error

SC300 Charge corona output error 1

SC301 Charge corona output error 2

SC302 Charge corona output error 3 grid voltage error

SC303 Charge corona output error 4 grid leak

SC304 Charge roller current correction error

SC305 Charge corona wire cleaner error 1

SC306 Charge corona wire cleaner error 2

Next week look for another list of copier printer repair maintenance error codes for Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier brands of printer copier scanners.  if you have printer repair or copier repair questions please post a question here or contact Advanced Business Computers Inc in Miami Florida for more repair help and problem solving.

The following is a partial list of Service repair codes for Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier. I will list other Ricoh repair error service codes in the in groups in during the following few weeks as time permits. If you have a particular Lanier Ricoh Savin or Gestetner error code you need to be defined to repair your copier printer scanner please post a question.

The copier repair codes and printer service codes were derived from the service manuals from Ricoh Lanier. If you are familiar with repairing Ricoh and Lanier copier printer them you know that Ricoh, Lanier, Savin and Gestetner are all the same machines but with different names. They use the same repair parts and share the same copier printer error codes.

The first group of Rioch Savin Gestetner and Lanier copier printer scanner repair codes include mostly services codes related to the scanner portion.

SC101 Exposure lamp error

SC107 Sacnner Lamp regulator Malfunction

SC120 Scanner home position error 1

SC121 Scanner home position error 2

SC 122 Scanner home position error 3

SC123 Scanner home position error 4

SC125 Scanner motor speed error 1

SC126 Scanner motor speed error 2

SC127 Scanner motor encoder rotating direction error

SC128 Scanner motor start erro

SC129 Scanner motor speed control error

SC130 SBU defective error/Scanner start adnormal

SC131 F-Gate assert during shading

SC142 White level detection error

SC143 SBU auto adjust error

SC144 SBU connection error

SC150 Scanner Rom mistmatch

SC170 Scanner DAJ adnormal error1

SC172 Scanner DAJ adnormal error 2

SC173 Scanner lamp regulator adjustment error

SC174 Scanner DA2 adnormal

SC182 CIS lamp adnormal

SC183 CIS auto adjust error

The next set of error copier printer repair for the Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier service problems will be posted next week.  If you need further assistance to repair your copier printer by Ricoh Gestetner Savin or Lanier contact Advanced Business Computers. Comments and additions are always welcome.

the fuser assembly is the part the uses pressure and heat to melt (Fuse) the toner to the paper on copier printer fax machines. The actual fuser assembly has several parts that will cause sc521, sc541, sc542 and other Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier error codes.  If you are hainvg a call service repair maintenance with one of the following codes then you have a problem with the fuser assembly.

SC531 copier repair error means the thermistor is open.  The thermistor is a temperature gauge that sends signals to the for matter of the copier printer. the repair requires replacing one or more thermistors in the printer copier  fuser assembly.

sc541 ricoh savin error is a temperature warm up area which means the fuser is not reaching the right temperature to fuser the toner to the paper.

SC543 si the opposite of SC541. This copier repair error code means the fuser is getting too heat and can not regulate itself.  Just as in the SC541 and sc531 the copier repair requires replacing the thermistors.  Also, the thermostat my need replacing.

SC544 is the basically the same printer fax repair error as the error code sc542.

SC545 and sc546 means the fuser can not maintain a stable temperature.  This copier repair is usually solve with replacing the thermistors and may require the replacement of the heating element in the fuser assembly.

SC547 Savin, Gestetner, Lanier and Ricoh error code means that the hot roller does not increase in temperature when required.  This error code is repaired by replacing the thermistors. thermalstat and/or heating unit.

SC550 means the fusing web needs to be replaced on the Rioch, Savin, Lanier or Gestetner copier printer scanner. the fusing web is a roll that lubricates some models of copiers fuser heat roller.  If you do not do the copier repair maintenance replacement of the fuser web then it will cause paper jams and damage to the fuser assembly.

There are several other fuser error codes for the Ricoh Lanie Savin and Gestetner copier scanner. If you have a code and need information to solve the repair the copier printer please contract Advanced Business Computers Inc or post a request here for more help.