Common Problems With Printers And How To Solve Them
Corey Bogedain is a network technician and web developer with Tech Experts. |
If you have to print on any kind of regular basis, you know how frustrating printers can be. Fortunately, most printer problems are a lot simpler than they appear and are relatively easy to resolve.
Here are a few tips:
First, think about what has changed on your computer and printer since the last time you were able to use the printer. If nothing has changed, the problem should be easy to solve.
Check to see if the printer is on, you never know if someone during the day might have unplugged the printer or just turned it off.
Next, check the display on the printer if it has one. If it does not have one, then check for a status light. Usually if there is an issue, it will be blinking.
If it is blinking or there is an error code, then look in the owner’s manual which should give you a list of all the errors that occur with the printer. Most manuals will also give you a way to diagnose the problem.
A lot of printer issues are related to toner or paper and can usually be resolved very easily.
Check for obvious paper jams. There are usually a few covers that can be removed to help try to get the jam undone.
Most printer jams can be avoided if you flip through the paper before you put it in the printer. This eliminates static and clears any paper dust that might be on the paper.
If there is a toner issue, then it might be because either the cartridge is bad, low, or completely empty.
Almost all printers will give the computer user some sort of error message by either the display on the printer, status light, or the actual computer itself.
If the printer is a laser printer, then there is a toner drum that should be replaced about once a year depending on how much it is being used.
If your printout is fuzzy or faded, then this is a sure sign the drum needs replaced.
If there are no signs of issues with the printer then check the USB cable connected to the printer. Most cable problems will say the printer is offline due to connectivity issues.
Printers can be connected to a computer via USB or parallel port. Check both ends to make sure the cable is completely connected. If you have another cable, it never hurts just to swap them out to test the cable.
If you have an ink jet printer and you get smudged or blurry images, you might want to look up the utility on the printer that cleans and or aligns the print heads.
Most ink jet printers either have software that can start this process or have a setting on the printer itself that can kick start it.
If your printer produces strange characters, it’s likely that you have a printer driver problem. When a printer acts up and there are no hardware problem, the solution is often a driver issue.
A driver is a piece of software that helps the computer communicate with the printer. Drivers are updated constantly - be sure to check yours.
These are just a few problems that can happen. These should help a novice user start to troubleshoot typical problems with a printer.
Reduce Printing Costs With These Six Tech Tips
Printers are an essential part of daily business, and often, business owners struggle with ways to reduce the costs associated with printing office documents. Here are a few tips that will help keep printing costs in check.
1. Set the print quality to its lowest setting for day-to-day printing. Most printers automatically default to high-quality printing to make sure the pages come out looking good. However, these high-quality images require a lot of ink or toner which can cost you a pretty penny over the life of your printer.
For most print jobs, the lowest quality setting will work just fine.
A new multifunction printing technology has been announced by Xerox which uses solid inks and manages to reduce printing cost of color pages up to 62%. |
When you need a sharper print job, you simply change the setting for that one document. How to change your printer’s settings varies depending up on the type of printer.
In Windows, go to the “Start” menu and click on “Control Panel.” Choose “Printers and Faxes,” right click on the printer you wish to change and choose “Properties.” While you’re there, set the default to black and white to save on color ink and toner too. If black and white is fine for most day-to-day print jobs, you will save you a bundle on color ink.
2. Print more on every page. This will save ink as well as paper costs. Reduce the font size in a document by a point of two In just one year, going from 12 point to 9 point type, could save 3-5 reams of paper, per user.
3. Don’t let your inkjet printer go for more than a few days without use. If it sits for long periods of time, the tiny jets in the printer cartridge can dry up causing print jobs to have white streaks. Correcting this causes a large amount of ink to be used. And for laser printer users, turn off the printer when it won’t be used for a period of time. Keeping the printer’s fuser hot takes a lot of energy.
4. Clean your printer frequently. Faint output, unprinted lines running across the page, or streaks on your printouts can indicated clogged nozzles or a dirty printer. Check your user’s guide for the recommended cleaning procedure for your printer.
5. Refill your cartridges. You can buy kits and do this yourself or you can buy refilled cartridges. The quality is just as good as new, but the cost is much lower. Plus, you’re helping keep old cartridges out of the landfill.
6. Buy a laser or solid ink printer. Inkjet printers cost significantly more per page than laser printers. If you do a lot of printing, a laser or solid ink printer is an economical investment.
For example, this newsletter is printed on a Xerox Phaser 7400 color printer. The output is amazing, the printer is fast, and best of all, the cost per print is extremely affordable.
What About Remanufactured Toner Catridges?
Looking for a way to save money and increase use of “green” products in your business? Try using remanufactured toner cartridges, which have the same quality as new cartridges at a lower cost.
The quality of remanufactured toner cartridges has improved dramatically since they were introduced more than 20 years ago. High-quality remanufactured cartridges now undergo a process that makes them equivalent in performance, print quality and page yield to new models, and they meet all original equipment manufacturer (OEM) standards and specifications.
The current remanufacturing process requires cartridges to be disassembled and inspected to determine any problem areas. Worn components are replaced with new parts, all sections are cleaned, and a fresh supply of toner is added before the cartridge is resealed.
The environmental benefits of using remanufactured toner cartridges include keeping non-biodegradable material out of landfills and conserving the equivalent of three quarts of oil per cartridge.
It’s important to note that it’s illegal for a laser printer manufacturer to require you to use or purchase a particular brand of cartridge. An OEM cannot void your warranty simply because you choose different brands of supplies for a piece of equipment like a printer.