The timing strip is a clear, plastic strip approximately 1/4" in height positioned horizontally across the center of the unit, just in front of the carriage drive belt. The timing strip contains many thin black vertical lines that help determine the carriage position during operation.

During certain uncommon tasks such as the removal of a paper jam, it is possible to inadvertently touch a lubricated area on the printer's chassis causing a small amount of grease to be deposited onto the timing strip.

Grease on the timing strip may result in poor print quality including; mis-aligned or distorted characters, vertical lines or, in some cases, an inoperable error condition (such as 5100) or knocking / grinding noise.

In most cases, it is easy to remove the grease from the timing strip using common household items. If you wish, you may follow the steps below to remove the grease from the timing strip.

Items needed:

Clean, unused cotton swab

Small amount of Isopropyl Alcohol or window cleaner

Flashlight or other light source

1. With the machine turned on, open the front cover.

2. Turn the machine off.  After it has powered off, power it back on.

3. When the ink carriage begins to move, unplug the power cord.

4. After the power cord has been unplugged, you will be able to slide the ink carriage to the left or the right.

   

   The above image illustrates a MAXIFY MB5120.

5. Gently slide the carriage to the right side.

6. Using a flashlight, carefully inspect the timing strip for grease that may have attached to the timing strip. It is helpful to view the timing strip from several angles as even a small amount of grease can impact print quality.

   

7. If any grease is found, moisten the cotton swab with Isopropyl alcohol and carefully remove the grease from the timing strip. To prevent further spreading of grease, be careful not to touch the chassis or other areas inside the unit which may contain grease from the factory.

    If Isopropyl Alcohol is not available, you may use window cleaner solution.

    Do not remove the grease on the chassis (metal rail).

8. After removing any grease found, look at the center portion of the timing strip.  Remove any grease found using the moistened cotton swab.

   

9. Once you have confirmed that the left and center portions of the timing strip are clean, gently slide the carriage all the way to the left.

10. Repeat steps 6 & 7 for inspecting the right side of the timing strip until is completely free of grease and other matter.

11. Gently close the front cover.

    

12. Reconnect the power cord and power on the printer.
    (The indicator light blinks steadily while the printer initializes.)

      After the printer is powered back on, you will receive a message on the printer's display that the printer was not properly turned off. Tap OK to clear the message and return the printer to standby mode.

13. Confirm operation of the unit by printing a text document and photograph. Printing this document is a good test since it contains text and images. If print quality is still poor, repeat the above steps.

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