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My laser printer leaves traces of dust on printed pages. What could be wrong with the printer?

I have an HP 4500N LaserJet printer. It has printed almost 50,000 pages and now it is starting to leave some toner dust on the pages. I would like to know if there is a specific mechanical problem with the printer that could be causing this? Or maybe it is just a faulty toner cartridge?

Public Comments

1. You need to clean the screen and possible change the toner. This happens at my work from time to time. The things that moves over the glass screen should be cleaned as well.
2. Bad cartridge. The original lasers had a "pick up bar". This would be a separate, felt-faced squeegee that picked up the unused toner off the drum. Searching online, I see the on the HP the wiper blade is an internal part of the cartridge. The nasty secret on cartridges is HP wants the old cartridge and they refil and sell as OEM, but if you read the label, it will say mfg. with new and refurbished -- meaning they skipped some replacement parts. Over time, the cartridge parts begin to fail. The spent cartridge is worth $3 at Office Depot.