Is your Brother printer displaying a “Drum Replace” message? Don’t worry, replacing the drum unit is a straightforward maintenance task you can easily handle at home. This guide will walk you through the process of replacing your Brother printer drum unit and resetting the drum counter, ensuring your printer continues to deliver crisp, clear prints. It’s important to understand that the drum unit and toner cartridge are separate components in Brother printers, and this guide focuses specifically on drum replacement.
Replacing the Drum Unit
Before you begin, ensure you have a new drum unit compatible with your Brother printer model. You can usually find this information in your printer’s manual or on the Brother support website. Once you have your replacement drum, follow these steps:
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Power Off: Make sure your Brother printer is turned on. This is crucial for the printer to properly register the new drum unit later.
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Open Front Cover: Locate and open the front cover of your Brother printer. This is typically where you access the toner and drum unit.
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Remove Assembly: Carefully pull out the toner cartridge and drum unit assembly from the printer. It usually slides out easily.
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Separate Toner and Drum: On a clean, flat surface, locate the green lock lever on the drum unit. Push down on this lever to release the toner cartridge. Gently lift the toner cartridge out of the old drum unit. Set the toner cartridge aside.
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Unpack New Drum: Take your new drum unit out of its packaging. Be careful not to expose it to direct light for extended periods before installation.
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Install Toner in New Drum: Insert the toner cartridge firmly into the new drum unit. You should hear or feel it click into place, indicating a secure connection. Ensure it’s correctly seated to prevent separation and printing issues.
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Clean Corona Wire: Locate the green tab on the top of the new drum unit. Gently slide this tab from left to right and then back from right to left several times. This cleans the corona wire, which is essential for print quality. Return the tab to its “Home” position, ensuring the arrow on the tab aligns with the arrow on the drum unit. Misalignment can result in vertical stripes on your printed pages.
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Reinstall Assembly: Slide the toner cartridge and new drum unit assembly back into your Brother printer until it clicks or sits securely in its slot.
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Close Front Cover: Close the front cover of your Brother printer completely.
Resetting the Drum Counter
After replacing the drum unit, it’s important to reset the drum counter. This tells your printer that a new drum unit has been installed and prevents inaccurate “Drum Replace” messages from appearing prematurely. Here’s how to reset the drum counter:
- Printer On: Ensure your Brother printer remains powered on.
- Open Front Cover: Open the front cover of the printer again.
- Access Drum Reset: Press and hold the OK button on your printer’s control panel for approximately two seconds. You should see “Drum Unit” displayed on the screen. Press OK again.
- Reset Counter: Use the Up arrow key to select “Reset” or a similar option to reset the drum counter.
- Close Front Cover: Close the front cover of your Brother printer. The drum counter should now be reset, and your printer should be ready for printing with the new drum unit.
By following these simple steps, you can easily replace your Brother printer drum unit and ensure your printer continues to operate smoothly. Regular maintenance, including timely drum replacement, is key to prolonging the life of your printer and maintaining print quality.
