On 09 Jan 2010 11:33:25 -0500, (Samuel M.
Goldwasser) wrote:

This printer has served me well for several years since inheriting it
from a friend.

Beware of friends bearing free printers.

Is it an HP 5M, 5P, 5L, 5N, or 5Si. They're all quite different.

It has always been rather light even on maximum dark
settings but is now getting to the point where I'm thinking of actually
buying (gasp!) a new printer.

The symptoms are that thin lines print very light while large areas
are solid black.

My guess(tm), is that it's the laser scanner assembly. The optics are
either full of filth, or the laser diode is low on output. I vaguely
recall that you know something about lasers. However, it's more
likely that the rotating mirror or plastic optics are filthy.

The toner cartridge and been replaced with no change.
It's not used very much, mainly for mailing labels and is clean inside.

I recall that this was the lightly used printer that I suggested you
replace about 9 months ago.

It seems to me that there use to be settings for darkness in the LJ5 driver
but since upgrading (!!) to XP, they don't appear anymore. That improved
it a bit, though never as dark as it should be. But might be enough.

Depending on model, most have the adjustment. Make sure the
"economode" is off.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Get a new (used) printer.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558