Identical smudges 3 inch spacing

Chances are the fuser is not working correctly. How warm is the paper as soon as it leaves the printer? It should be quite warm. The fuser heats the toner and 'fuses' it to the paper. If the fuser does not get hot enough, then the toner which is a powder smudges on the paper. Also not setting the correct paper type for a tray will also cause the toner to smudge as the printer adjusts the temperature based on the type of paper selected.

If this smudge is showing up on the faxes you are RECEIVING and you have changed the toner then the next most likely cause is a fuser problem. This is especially true if the smudged area feels gritty or the toner rubs off the page in the smudged area. If this is the case then you need to replace the fusing unit or have a local repair place replace the fuser "film" on your fuser unit.
Good Luck and Thank You for using Fixya.

Check and verify smudging not caused by toner cartridge by removing toner from printer and checking the blue roller. DO NOT TOUCH the roller as oil from fingers may cause image defects. If toner good suspect fuser causing smudging on your printouts. Note fuser not considered a customer replaceable part for this model.

See its a very common issue.the right side of the drum has moisture on it.remove the toner and drum and apply a hot air blower on it for some time also clean the printer internally.reinsert the toner and drum.
check by printing few pages the smudging on the right should go within 10 to 12 pages.
if the smudging doesnot go away then its time to replace the drum to solve the issue.

This will help. Thanks please keep updated.please do rate the solution positively .thank you for using fixya.

Hi:

Since you have already replace the toner cartridge then the most likely culprit is the fuser assy. You can test this by trying to print something and stop it by opening the cover just as the paper is trying to pass under the toner cart. Remove the toner cart carefully and look at the unfused print on the paper. Do you see the faint smudges? If not, then the problem lies with the fuser assy. This is the unit that gets hot and fuses the toner to the paper. If this is the case you will need to have a tech replace it for you.

Good Luck

Andrew

Try reducing the print resolution using the menu buttons. Does it smudge with coloured prints? If so then the fuser unit is faulty. If it is only black that smudges it is likely to be the K Developer unit. Ensure that you are using genuine toners, not refills or third party as the quality of toner can cause similar results.

Usually ghosting is caused by the fusing unit, which usually means that it needs replaced to be honest. You could try getting into the fuser and giving the rollers a wipe, they may have dry toner on them which could also cause the fault. but i'd say the fuser could need changed!!!
Hope that helps  (",)

Try performing a test by printing a test page from Tray 1 and open the top cover as soon as the paper is 60% inside. The paper would jam below the toner cartridge before it reaches the fuser. Remove the toner cartridge carefully and verify if the smudges occur. This would eliminate the fuser. If the print quality is fine, then you need to swap the fuser.

If they are the same distance apart every time then suspect the problem to be caused by the components in this order First the drum that is in the print or xerographic module, the charge and cleaning roller are located in that module also. So I suspect that first.its .Located above and to the right of the toner cartridge. Secondly it could be the roller on the toner cartridge, that would occur probably every 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart, the drum would cause the defect about every 3 inches. It less likely could be coming from the fuser, and if the fuser was causing that you should also have a lot of jams. There is also a transfer roller on the right hand door that could be causing it, but that would be exceptionally rare.
If the lines are random and have no consistant spacing, I would suspect the power supply then the laser.

There isn't a cleaning page on a Brother 5140. If the smudges are about 3.5 inches give or take a little and the same each time in a line it's probably the drum is damaged. If they are closer like 1-3/8" to 1-1/2" it will likely be the toner cartridge.

If it spaces out a more, something like 2-1/2 it will be the fuser.

Sounds more like toner cartridge though.

Hope that helps you.