Why is my printed page gray with barely readable text?

"Fuser is worn out or you’re using an old toner cartridge. Since you’ve already tried 2 carts, it is probably a bad fuser.

Sadly, this part was made obsolete many years ago so you need to buy a rebuilt one and it may be as much as a whole new printer :-(. Unless it’s one of the few low page count ones left, this may not be worth pursuing further. Since these are so old, find out how many pages it has logged and make the call yourself (this is more easily said then done without the Ethernet card. This will be a pain to do without an old Serial Mac with OS8/9). If it’s high mileage (200k+), expect to need to change out a *lot* more then just the fuser; this may total it out. Watch this video to see how to do the fuser swap.

If the printer is totaled out due to the page count or parts cost, find a LJ 4250/4300 (11x17 compatible 4200 series). It’s much newer and it carries the million page endurance of the 4000 series but you need to replace the plastic swing plate gear (or assembly) as it has a tendency to wear out earlier then the rest of the printer. If you don’t want to do that job, Printer Techs sells them with the replacement gear done for you but their repaired printers are pricey compared to others who ignore the problem. That said, these pre-2007 machines are so much better then the more modern ones because they don’t have as many electronic failures as the new ones. These old printers are the last of their kind."