HP 2605DN printing faint magenta prints or not printing magenta also with 1600 2600 2605 HP printer models.

If you are experiencing faint magenta or red prints and have already changed the magenta toner cartridge with no effect then the issue you have is a dirty scanner lenses.  A good way to test this is to print a solid block of red A4 size if you can if you see faint print from left to right then this is a sure sign that the scanner assembly lenses need to be cleaned. It is a very common fault with these machines and not too hard to fix no parts are required only a clean of the lenses.

This problem can be resolved by cleaning the scanner assembly’s mirrors and lenses especially the magenta one this involves removing the scanner assembly from the machine and cleaning it with a cotton bud and after which your machine will be as good as new.

This procedure will take an experienced printer engineer around 45mins to do and a novice 2/3 hours.

Here are some brief instruction if you wish to fix the printer yourself.

1. Remove the right cover; remove one screw at the back and pull the right cover off
2. Remove the left cover; remove one screw at the bottom of the cover, press the clip in at the front, and pull the cover off
3. Remove the metal plate on the back of the printer.
4. Remove the cables connected to the two logic boards except for the flat cable connecting the two boards together and the yellow cables at the bottom of the right hand board
5. Remove the cables from the black plastic cable guides
6. Remove the L shaped cable guide at the right by pressing in two clips with a small screwdriver and pull the guide out.
7. Remove the long horizontal guide by sliding it to the left and lifting it away.
8. 2605 – unclip the cable guide on the left
9. Remove the eleven screws from the metal plate with the two logic boards on it and lift the plate away complete with the boards.
10. Remove the white plastic clip holding the two flat cables from the scanner to the printer chassis
11. Remove the three screws from the scanner, two at the top and one at the bottom, and lift the scanner assembly out of the printer (2605 – bottom screw has a metal spring plate covering it)
12. With the scanner on the bench in front of you, you can now dismantle it ready for cleaning.
13. Remove one screw and a spring from the front of the scanner and lift off the cover.
14. Remove the long plastic arm which will fall out if you turn the scanner over. Remember how this arm fits.
15. You will see four 6 cm long red / purple coloured mirrors inside the scanner. Inspect the bottom one. Initially it will look the same as the others. Carefully wipe a small part of it with a cotton wool bud and you will see the difference it makes. It is this thin coating on the mirror that causes the fault.
16. Carefully blow away the dust from inside the scanner. Use the cotton wool buds to clean all the mirrors and lenses. Blow again to remove any fluff left behind by the cotton wool buds. It’s now ready for reassembling.
17. When you fit the scanner back into the printer, make sure it’s seated correctly. It hooks in at the top first and there are two locating lugs on the right hand side, one at the top and one at the bottom.
18. Be careful not to pull the two flat cables out of the scanner. When you fit the plate and logic boards back into the printer, be careful not to trap the purple wires from the top of the scanner behind the metal plate.
19. It’s probably best to leave the side covers and back cover off until you’re sure it’s working. Power the printer on. If you get any error messages, check all the cables are connected. Any scanner related errors are usually caused by the flat cables from the scanner coming out or the purple wires from the scanner trapped behind the metal plate.

Do a test print. It should be looking good now.