⟐ Commented October 31, 2018 at 7:48 MST

⟐ Answer accepted May 26, 2022 at 19:35 MST

My lexmark priter model X2550 is not printing any thing. it is scanning.

just the its not printing.

⟐ Answered March 27, 2018 at 4:17 MST

The problem is I don't have a spare MS621 controller board and finding a used one for scrap prices without the paired control panel is proving difficult (you have to replace both together on the MS621, others can be reset with a POR). As I cannot find a used board to do the swap that I need readily on a site like eBay

I have found NEW boards but you will pay an arm and a leg for a new board (plus you will need a new virgin front control panel). All of this with the possibility of losing the programmed data like the PC, SN and other data such as licensing, even potentially being unable to initiate it since you need to load the files with very specific firmware only available to Lexmark internally.

I don't think I can swap the boards directly as the service vs update process is significantly different.

I did look for the 521 board which is basically the same as the 621 board with similar luck. Either way I can't readily find one at a price I will be content with using it for component removal :/... So that brings Plan B onto the mix: find one from a unit released in a similar period or newer, such as the B3340/3442/MS331/MS431 board.

Would it be possible to source a board from a MS331/431or a B3340/3442 and pull the port from that to put on a MS621 board? I checked the specs and both are gigabit Ethernet.

Part numbers:

B/MS (shared): 41X265 (not compatible with the "60k page drum" MS printers like the MS621; if it has the extended port, this will not work)

MS421: 41X1191

MS621: 41X1194

⟐ Answer edited August 14, 2024 at 10:18 MST

I had to replace my cyan and magenta toners for the same issue as can be seen here. I do not have a photo of the yellow toner but it's basically doing the same thing. I have a new yellow toner on hand but this one still has a bit of life left, the others were too close to not call it.

Is this leak worrisome to the point it's probably time to replace the yellow as well?

⟐ Commented March 02, 2023 at 0:02 MST

I have a Lexmark C3426 with $300(!!!) in new toner, with a HVPS issue. At the time I replaced the unit due to the HVPS failure as I needed it for a time sensitive project (and getting rid of 45lbs of printer was not something I was keen to do), so I never got rid of the printer. That paid off when I found the board from a toner refill dealer on eBay for $45 :-). The toner I have for it potentially not moving was also a deal breaker to get rid of it. It was throwing weird errors about the waste toner box initially, then flat out died with a code that points to the controller/formatter board (unrepairable by me), or HVPS board (I can replace this).

Is there anyone who has taken the job on who can give me pointers to do this? I bought the board used, which likely came from a unit someone scrapped due to needing everything but black as these C33/34 units run black only when it needs color, until the black runs out.

Please understand printers are usually sent to die if they annoy me enough, so I'm not 100% there on what I need to do. This C3426 is the rare exception due to the amount of new toner I would potentially lose - even if I had to end the life of a C3226 for a good HVPS that's working other then needing $400 in toner for a 1.5k CMYK set which will prove to be a money pit - yes, I have one of these; it was given to me, with the warning I will probably end it's life to fix a good one with how much of a joke the cost of toner is. In the case of my C3426, it's the rare exception where I liked it too much to totally write it off - mainly due to the 4.5k high yield toners (I can't use my C3326 3.5k set in the C3426, though) and the yield is the same, not this "more black then color" nonsense.

⟐ Commented November 12, 2022 at 12:21 MST

⟐ Answer accepted May 26, 2022 at 19:35 MST

The device is running the latest firmware.

Thanks, Anna

⟐ Answer accepted May 26, 2022 at 19:35 MST

⟐ Answer accepted May 26, 2022 at 19:34 MST

⟐ Answer accepted October 15, 2017 at 7:23 MST

At this point, the C3326 is nearing the end of its life due to the uncorrectable faulty registration. Given that this series is prone to error, I don't plan on trying again and burning the rest of the toner between the two units I have left, which aren't goners (MC3326/C3326). Beyond that, I have NO IDEA how to get rid of the MC3326 in a sane way as it will be out of toner unless the CMY registration also gives out on this one.

As the MC3326 seems to hold the registration, a parts pull condemn seems like a total waste :-(. What would be the best way to end of life it when it works, but I also got it to blow through $444+ worth of untransferrable "C331H" toner and the toner is expensive for such bad yields (1.5/2.5K)?

⟐ Edited by author September 06, 2024 at 15:41 MST

⟐ Answer accepted October 29, 2023 at 21:33 MST

I am aware this could be an inadvertent diagnostics reset from a technicians repair attempt which did not trip the permanent counter before it was dumped. That said if it the error came from a diagnostic reset error it happened early enough to not be a red flag to sideline it as waste at 21 pages, especially for $59. The unit was already a risk with red flags all over from the beginning given the screen is $200+, brands to the printer and can't be reused. The places with the part will not accept returns due to the branding once opened.

I took the risk on fixing this unit because I know the firmware sometimes revives the touchscreen on some of these prpblem Lexmark printers. The MS631 is one of them. Once it's updatedm it will never happen again unless the screen physically fails.

I grabbed this MS631 because of a bad touchscreen from a company that noted the repair cost for the panel was $200+. I confirmed the price, and the printer pairing issue remains. The MS631 is the same as the MS621 (with a touchscreen, +15k pages drum lifetime, and different toner CRUM IDs), but the price made the risk worth taking, given what the major parts that aren't machine locked are worth.

It turned out to be a bad touchscreen connection that caused the issue, and given that the MS631 is dependent on it, nerfed it and made it "useless", and a very cheap risk. It came from a facility participating in Lexmark SupplyPlus (facility purchases the printer outright but gets a discount on supplies, not the same as the MPS version they had with the MS621 and older, where "contract" units take retail and Contract toner CRUM IDs, and were built with different controller flagging). It's the same supplies I buy outside of it, but with a discount, AFAIK. That’s how I knew it wasn't factory fresh when I got it, compounded by missing drum packing material you would see on an actual 0-page printer.

However, when I did the meter check to make sure it isn't a 100-150k page machine for what I paid, I noticed a 0 page count, but a 21 count on the permanent meter. This is compounded by the toner having 21 cycles; it is also counting, so the page counter isn't disabled. I also noticed a telltale mark on the imaging drum foam seal (entry port on the drum) that leans towards prior use, indicating a possible reset. Here is an example of how it looks when the drum has been run even briefly (14.7k pages, MS621):

Now the MS631 with "0 pages":

This only occurs after you use the printer and complete a print cycle, but some toner may spill during shipping (although it shouldn't be much). Based on those little cues, I believe this was lightly used before I got to it. Someone else's troubleshooting led to a cleared meter, likely ~21 pages before I received it (now up to 28 due to my meter count test, as the logic is that 26 were permanently logged, and I added 2; thus, the permanent counter increased to 28). SO to recap:

• Permanent counter: 21
• Page count (visible): 0
• Drum unit cycles: 21
• Toner cycles: 21
• After testing for meter functionality: 23 pages toner, 21 drum (I ran the device information pages not to burn toner, so it may not have triggered), 23 permanent, two pages printed on the visible counter

That said, I am also conflicted. I checked a NIB (opened, unused) CX431 color laser. I found 26 pages on the permanent counter with all the original unit packing materials, including the ITB protector (no foam or other factory material). It isn't shown, as I didn't consider it in the initial photos, but the MS631 comes with a Lexmark SWP drum and toner (which mine came with). I'm not sure if one can transfer the drums between printers, but SWP toners are locked to the specific shipping machine.

Now for a used CX431:

Meter counts are as follows

• Permanent (Color+Mono): 1,288
• Visible color+mono: 1,257
• All other details are written in Sharpie on this image. This unit has a 31-page gap between permanent and visible (printed) pages, likely due to the complexity of adjusting the CMYK registration on color lasers. The new one is almost as high, even with zero user prints.

Based on these clues and the meter oddity between the two, is this likely diagnostic testing triggering a reset, or a potential diagnostic reset before I even got to the unit? The drum could be genuine, given that I risked losing its current cycle count in my MS621 by performing a maintenance mode reset (1), and it stuck. However, I'm a little unsure.

(1) Put the pitchforks down. The foam seal, where the toner entry port mates with the drum, is degraded due to compression and is partially crumpled. The drum I tried it on is already on borrowed time, as the failure will eventually cause a print defect. THIS IS MY UNIT. THE DRUM IS NEAR THE END OF LIFE. I have a spare.

Here is what I pulled from the printer's internal data that remains:

After putting two pages on it to make sure it is counting:

⟐ Answer edited March 20, 2026 at 10:00 MST

⟐ Answered April 03, 2025 at 0:25 MST

I have changed the printer's name to properly reflect whose it is, but I am seeing if there are other controls I can deploy like if Lexmark has color control software so even if the name change fails to catch these out, devices that aren't mine will be blocked from using the color supplies, even phones besides mine. I know the higher-end machines like the CS tend to have this control, but I'm not sure about the GO line which my C3326 falls under.

⟐ Answer accepted October 28, 2023 at 14:31 MST

I will admit, I DID ask the seller to remove them, they didn't do it by their own free will. I have had problems before here, as @jayeff knows from my last Lexmark saga (*Lexmark CS417dn* Do these Lexmarks have an "override out" mode?).

They did honor it which is amazing by eBay standards and it did save the printer :-).

Should I mention this to the seller or just take the hit and buy a new black?

⟐ Answer edited May 26, 2022 at 21:01 MST

But say when I eventually get rid of them (they're fairly common because most people see the ~$25-50 savings and give into the "return program" scam) and swap for standard toner as needed, can I put the printer into a "override out" condition where the toner levels are disregarded like what the HPs offer? I looked at the more current HP color lasers (the older pre-2015 ones like the Pro 400 M451dn/dw and the CP2025 are beginning to enter "high page count" status, sigh). My problem with HP is after 2014 all new models are "dynamic security" based and that includes the toner. That alone has largely put me off to getting another HP.

If this mode isn't possible, is it at least possible to use it as a monochrome printer until the empty toner is replaced?

⟐ Answer accepted March 17, 2022 at 22:47 MST