Kyocera 5526 "grease smudges"

[binom]

Hey all,

I am struggling with getting an ecosys 5526cdw to print acceptably. The owner is using aftermarket toner in it, and I have had to replace the itb cleaner assembly, and i wish he would have bought a different device, but here we are. I see these repeating "greasy" smudges on full page color prints, and have located it to come from somewhere within the cyan drum assembly.
IMG_20241212_104931.jpg
The distance between the smudges is around 30mm, suggesting a roller with a diameter of around 10mm. I have tried cleaning the rubber pinchroller with IPA, but it has not made a difference. Do you think replacing the whole cyan drum is the right thing to do? I also want to convince him to get another desktop color laser, I was thinking of recommending he get a brother 8690 instead, what do you think of that device?

Thank you for any recommendations!

[Ropariva]

Looks like the cyan main charge unit has a pock mark on it. If this one has started to do it then the other three are probably not far behind. There are no separate main charge units available for these machines so the only option is a complete drum assembly DK-5230. Even as an entry level machine these are pretty disappointing and expensive to run with genuine toner, so the decision to repair or replace often comes down to how many cartridges they have purchased in advance. A good machine if the client is going to do maybe 20,000 prints maximum over an expected 5 year life, otherwise it’s not the right machine.

[binom]

Great. So realistically, it's 4 new drum units in the near future. I think the client just got sucked in by the low upfront cost of the 5526.

As for this:

A good machine if the client is going to do maybe 20,000 prints maximum over an expected 5 year life, otherwise it’s not the right machine.

Does this apply to the 5526 or my question about the brother 8690?
Thank you for your insight!

[Ropariva]

Great. So realistically, it's 4 new drum units in the near future. I think the client just got sucked in by the low upfront cost of the 5526.

As for this:

Does this apply to the 5526 or my question about the brother 8690?
Thank you for your insight!

I don’t know the Brother machine specifically but I’ve seen similar run fine for ten plus years with a seemingly great tolerance for non genuine consumables. The Kyo 5526 and the new M generation are far from workhorses and I wouldn’t recommend one to a family member or friend 🫤

[binom]

Ropariva Interesting! What would be your device of choice in this category (small office, color laser, <4000 pages a year, duplex scanner, reliable and long-lasting)?

You've helped me a lot, thank you so much!

[ihatefinishers13]

Ropariva Interesting! What would be your device of choice in this category (small office, color laser, <4000 pages a year, duplex scanner, reliable and long-lasting)?

You've helped me a lot, thank you so much!

Epson WF-C579R, or now the EM-C800(new model). Great machines, minimal issues, long-life. We had 4 in the field, 3 years, all made it to 150k before needing just feed tires in a cassette. We have 50-75 of that series in the field without any major problems. Cheap to fix, and the print head warranty is nice.

[binom]

ihatefinishers13 thank you for the recommendation! Gonna have a closer look at them. Initially this seems like an awesome piece of kit! I fear it's gonna be hard convincing him about the upfront cost though...

[Ropariva]

Years ago I made up a simple spreadsheet to quickly work out the cost of ownership of a device. I’m sure there are calculators available on the web to do this for you. Knowing you colour and black volume is essential to making the right choice. Upfront cost may end up being the smallest expense at the end of the day if the cartridges you need to buy are low yield and very expensive (like the 5526) Look at the MA3500ci or even the lower spec MA3500cix and do the calculations. Personally I’m not a fan of inkjets but if the upfront costs and consumables work out good for the client then it might be an option.
The problem with all these low end machines is they are built with a tight budget and specific usage in mind. If you check the parts listing of the 5526 for instance you will note a distinct lack of any maintenance kits. There isn’t one as the engine is a 100k life, and this is the same across other brands. I had a small Fuji in the workshop recently. Needed a transfer belt but couldn’t be repaired as the part isn’t available. Basically a throw away machine.
good luck with your quest.

[ihatefinishers13]

Years ago I made up a simple spreadsheet to quickly work out the cost of ownership of a device. I’m sure there are calculators available on the web to do this for you. Knowing you colour and black volume is essential to making the right choice. Upfront cost may end up being the smallest expense at the end of the day if the cartridges you need to buy are low yield and very expensive (like the 5526) Look at the MA3500ci or even the lower spec MA3500cix and do the calculations. Personally I’m not a fan of inkjets but if the upfront costs and consumables work out good for the client then it might be an option.
The problem with all these low end machines is they are built with a tight budget and specific usage in mind. If you check the parts listing of the 5526 for instance you will note a distinct lack of any maintenance kits. There isn’t one as the engine is a 100k life, and this is the same across other brands. I had a small Fuji in the workshop recently. Needed a transfer belt but couldn’t be repaired as the part isn’t available. Basically a throw away machine.
good luck with your quest.

Normally Ink jets are terrible investments. But the business grade Epson line is actually pretty good. There is a straight printer version, but also a more consumer grade version (WF-C5790, and a newer version) that are reasonable, and more so in the middle between upfront cost and high ink/toner prices.

[binom]

I'm also firmly in the inkjet sceptic camp, but looking at consumable prices, and if they are as reliable as you say they are, I'm willing to be proven otherwise. My only worry would be smearing, that's a true advantage of toner based printers.

[ihatefinishers13]

I'm also firmly in the inkjet sceptic camp, but looking at consumable prices, and if they are as reliable as you say they are, I'm willing to be proven otherwise. My only worry would be smearing, that's a true advantage of toner based printers.

You mean when the drum blades wear out and the drum keeps the image longer and "smears" on the page? Smearing on the Epson business line really only happens when using wrong paper settings/paper type. We even just printed on ultra premium glossy photo paper, and after letting it dry an extra minute or two, the image looks better than the Sharp's we sell. Super surprising honestly, as I was super skeptical when we first brought the line on. They're better than you think, the only real downside from us the would be some of the settings are a little quirky, and don't really work exactly as you'd expect them to, but the cost savings usually ends up being okay for the customer.