LaserWriter 8500 Output

Question

LaserWriter 8500 Output

Hi. I just inherited a (huge) LaserWriter 8500 from a friend who was moving. I have three questions about it:

1. My friend said she'd recently replaced the toner cartridge, and that the cartridge seemed to be screwed up, since it was printing with light spots (looking like it's running out of toner). I was just wondering...is this definitely something I can fix by buying a new toner cartridge? Or could it be something more sinister like needing a new fuser or something? Any way to know what's causing the problem?

2. Also, the output seems to be at a slight angle. It's not a huge deal, but if there's some way to fix it, I'd like to.

3. One last thing: the manual claims it can output full-bleed pages, but I can't seem to figure out how, even with custom page sizes. Is full-bleed possible with this printer under OS X (Tiger)?

Thanks.

Dual 800MHz G4, 1GB RAM, 120+60GB, Mac OS X (10.4)

Posted on Nov 22, 2005 11:04 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 22, 2005 11:31 PM in response to D. Nathan Rice

I was also wondering about the long-term prospects of this behemoth...

I am considering getting an A3-size tray and feeder, if this printer will be around and serviceable for a while. Do these printers have a good track record?

Also, it now has the original 16 MB of RAM installed. Would upgrading this to the full 48 MB speed things up much? Or would it be a waste?

Thanks.

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Answer 2

Nov 23, 2005 1:32 PM in response to D. Nathan Rice

You can try shaking the cartridge well to see if this inproves print quailty. New cartridges can be expensive. You can get the service manual from http://www.whoopis.com/computerrepair/LaserWriter8500.pdf Cleaning the pickup and transfer rollers should fix the paper problem. You can print on large size paper using the manual feed. The memory upgrade is a standard 32MB, 16 chip, double sided 72 pin SIMM that you can easily find used and is needed for printing on the larger paper sizes. This printer is great when in full working order but it is difficult and expensive to fix when something breaks.

G4 450MHz Mac OS X (10.4.3)

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Answer 3

Jan 10, 2006 4:47 PM in response to D. Nathan Rice

Turns out a large amount of the ribbon (the one you remove when installing the cartridge) was still stuck in the cartridge. And I mean stuck! The tab had ripped off, and it was very difficult to get out.

Now it's gone, though, it prints fine. Thanks for the help.

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