Troubleshooting Printer Problems
The holiday season is in full force and it seems like the economy is picking
up a bit. Most of the major store chains are reporting good activity.
When all of you get your new printer for Christmas you might want to keep this
article because some of you will need it . :-)
Before you storm back to the store take a deep breath and carefully read my
article, "Troubleshooting Printer Problems".
.........
Don't forget to use your new Fall coupon. With the holidays coming up make
sure you have plenty of ink on hand so you don't run out.
Cartridges and refill kits make great Christmas presents! Order early, before
you forget.
Troubleshooting Printer Problems
By Barry Shultz
Printers are great when they work but when something goes wrong all of a sudden they are "crappy printers", "piece of junk" and so forth. Actually
the technology is pretty impressive and if you ask me I think it's nothing
short of magic. All that said lets explore some of the more common problems
that cause the 45% of the help centers phone calls.
If nothing has occurred since the last time you used your printer chances are
the problem is straightforward. As obvious as it sounds check to make sure
the printer is turned on. Somebody may have turned it off while you were away from your desk or computer. Make sure there is power to the printer.
All printers have some kind of light or LED to let you know that it is powered
up.
If it is turned on but has some flashing lights then check with your owners
manual to see what the lights mean. Most of these indicators will be related
to either paper, toner or ink.
Make sure there is paper in the printer. If it's empty then refill the paper tray.
Make sure to "fan" the paper stack before you put it in the printer. Fanning
the paper merely involves flipping through the paper stack with your thumb.
This ruffling separates the paper thereby reducing paper jams. When the paper stack is cut at the factory sometimes it causes the pages to stick
together.
If the paper is full then check for a mis-feed or paper jam. Remove the paper
stack and check the feed area for jammed paper. You may have to open several panels to make a thorough inspection. Even a small piece of paper
stuck inside the printer can cause problems. You might have to use tweezers
to remove small pieces. Be careful not to damage any mechanical parts with
the tweezers.
If all seems well with the printer it's time to check the wire that connects the
printer to the computer. You may be using a parallel or a USB connection. Make sure the cable is connected properly. Turn the equipment off and
remove and re-insert the connection on both the printer and the computer to ensure a solid connection. If you are at work and your printer is connected
to what appears to be a telephone wire then it's time to call your resident
network expert.
If the printer works but only prints garbage then that is a good indication of
a printer driver problem. The printer driver is a software program that translates the computer instructions into something that the printer can recognize. Try re-booting the computer and turning the printer off and on
before messing with the driver. Sometimes that's all it takes. If after doing
that you still have the problem it's time to replace the printer driver. Your
printers manufacturer has a web site where you can download another printer driver. They are free to download and usually are updated as well.
Follow the instructions given by the manufacturer to replace your driver.
If you have a scanner it may be interfering with your printer. Try reinstalling
the software for both BUT install the printer driver first, then the scanner
driver.
If nothing I've said results in a solution then it may be time to call the printer
manufacturer. Make sure that you are near the printer when you call and have all your warranty information available.
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Till next time.
Happy printing
Barry Shultz
Atlascopy, Inc.
http://atlascopy.com
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