handout troubleshoot printers

7/23/2019 Handout Troubleshoot Printers

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H A N D O U T : T R O U B L E S H O O T P R I N T E R S

Revision Date: 5/10/2013

Time 1.0 Hour

Cyanna Education Services, 2013 Page 1

KEY POINTS

Printer setup will vary according to the type of printer you are troubleshooting. The best place to find the correct steps is

to use the users manual or the company website.

New multifunctional printers are shipped with the scanner lock switch set to l ock.

Spilled toner should be vacuumed immediately.

Printer best practice maintenance includes vacuuming, lubricating and cleaning components.

Print jobs are sent to the printer as spooled files.

It is important to use the correct ink and paper for the type of printer you have.

Every printer has a troubleshooting guide you can follow to fix printing problems.

TROUBLESHOOT PRINTERS

COMMON SYMPTOMS TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS OR TOOLS

PrintQuality Issues

Streaks

Faded image

Ghost images

Vertical lines

Color prints in wrong print color

1. Use the correct ink for the printer

2. Run a diagnotics test

Print a test page

Check the report for erros

Look for alignment patterns

Color is uniform, unstreaked

Clean ink cartridges & nozzles

Replace cartridges that are

damaged

3. If the test shows no defects, make

sure that the image you areprinting has sufficient resolution.

Images that have been enlarged

too much might appear fuzzy or

blurry.

StreaksAre the appearance of colors

that are streaked with another coloror

or have white streaks.


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Faded image

Ghost imageswhen the printer prints

a lighter shadow image of the same one

it's supposed to printing along with theimage, but is shifted or shadows the

normal image.

Ghosting is typically generated by

accumulated toner filling the

moderately sized waste chamber.

Check the printer drum and replace if the drum is:

Scratched

dirty

wiper blade is worn

Clean waste chamber usingToner

Vacuum

NOTE : Do not touch the imaging drum on thebottom of the cartridge. Fingerprints on theimaging drum can cause print-quality problems

Vertical lines on pagetroubleshooting

will vary based on the type of printer.

Laser printers vs. Inkjet.

1. Use the correct paper for

the type of printer ink.

Ink that is not absorbed

will smear or streak

2. Or clean scanner glass if

occurring on a copy

3. Replace the drum or

replace the toner

cartridge if the printer contains a drum.

4. Remove and shake the toner cartridge.

Color prints in wrong print color 1. Run a diagnostic test

2. Check ink levels and replace low or empty cartridges

3. Always use the power button to turn the printer off. This protects

the cartridges from exposure to air.

Toner not fused to the paperThis is a

problem with Laser Printers only

because fusing is melting the toners

plastic particles so they stick, or fuse, to

the fibers in the paper.

1. Feel the paper as it is coming out of the printer. It should be warm.

If it is not, the fuser is broken and needs replaced.

2. If the paper is warm, but the toner is loose or smeared, clean the

fuser with soft cloth and alcohol.

3. Change the paper type settings

Load the paper you want to print on into the input tray.


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Click File then Print. The Printing Preferences window opens.

Click Printer Propertieslink

Click the Paper/Qualitytab.

Open the Mediadrop-down list, choose the paper type

Click OK

All White Page 1. Check your toner and replace if necessary

2.

Check the transfer corona

All Black Page 1. Corona is broken, replace it

Paper jam / Creased paper / Paper not

feeding - During printing, the printer

stops feeding pages, and the error

message Paper Jamshows on the

printer control panel. The Power light

on the printer control panel might also

blink fast.

1. Clear the paper from the printer

2. Make sure the paper is placed in the tray straight and not overfull

3. Use paper that is of good

quality and free of cuts, nicks,

tears, spots, loose particles,

dust, wrinkles, voids, staples,

and curled or bent edges.

4. Use paper that has not been

previously printed on5. Use paper that does not

contain metallic material such

as glitter.

6. Use paper that is not too rough.

Using smoother paper generally results in better print quality.

7. Use paper that is designed for use in your printer. Do not use paper

that is designed only for use in Inkjet if you have a laser printer and


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visa versa.

8. Go to the Printer manufacturer support site or follow the manual to

reset the printer.

9. If the problem persists, continue troubleshooting

10. Rollers may have dust or paper on them and may need to be

cleaned

No connectivity / Printer will not print 1. Make sure printer is connected to power supply

2. Ensure the cables are connected to the printer and computer

3. RunPrinter Troubleshooter to see if it can resolve the issue

4. Reset/StartPrinter Spooler

5. Update the printer driver

6. Go to Printer Manufacturestroubleshooting manual or website.

Garbled characters on paper 1. Look at the following:

The print cartridge seal is in place, or the print cartridge is

damaged.

The USB cable is loose or damaged.

The computer needs to be restarted.

The wrong printer driver was selected

when the software was installed.

If a specific file prints garbled text,

there might be a problem with that

specific file.

If a specific software program prints garbled text, there might bea problem with that software program.

2. If these troubleshooting solutions do not solve the problem, have

the printer serviced.

Backed up print queue- Print jobs get

"stuck" in the print queue.

1. Press cancel button on printer

2. Turn printer off and then back on

3. Open Devices and Printers in Control Panel

Right-clickthe icon for your printer, and then click Open.

Double click See Whats Printing

To cancel individual print jobs, right-click the print job that you

want to cancel, and then click Cancel.

To cancel all print jobs, click Cancel All Documentson the

Printermenu.

4. Go toPrinter Spoolersection for a step by step guide on how to fix

a spooler problem.

Access deniederror message when

trying to print

1. To fix the access denied error, go to Devices and Printersin the

Control Paneland double click on the printer icon you are trying to


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access.

2. Double click on Customize Your Printer

3. Open the SharingTab and check the box to Share this printerclick

Applythen click OK.


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4. Also go to Network and Sharing Centerand choose the Change

advanced sharing settings. Choose the Network profile you are

trying to access the printer from (Home or Work / Public) Make

sure the Network Discoveryand File and printer sharingradio

buttons are both turned on.

Unable to install printerTo manually install a printer driver

1. Click to open Devices and Printers.

2. Right-click the printer you want to update, and then click Printer

properties.

3. Click the Advancedtab.

4. Click New Driver, and then follow the instructions in the Add Printer

Driver wizard.


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Error codes

There are various error codes that could

be displayed such as:

low ink

Paper jam

Connection error

Ink cartrige failure, or damaged

Low memory errors

Go to the website or use the instruction manual and find the error codes

and follow the directions provided to correct the problem.

SOFTWARE TO O LS

PRINTER TROUBLESHOOTER

1.

Open Troubleshootingin Control Panel

2.

Choose Use a Printerunder Hardware and Sound

3.

A new Printer Window will open click Next

4.

If more than one printer is installed, choose the printer you want to troubleshoot, click Next

5.

You can click the view detailed information link to see the report


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6.

Click Nextbutton and then choose Try these repairs as an administrator


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7.

Once the problem is fixed click Closebutton

8.

Try to print your document again

PRINTER SPOOLER

When printer is physically fine (No paper jam or any error indications on printer). You can use either the Command Promptor

Servicesto clear the pending print jobs (print queue).

COMMAND PROMPT

1.

Open a Command Prompt as adminstrator

2.

To stop the spooler, Type: net stop spooler

3.

To start print spooler, Type Net start spooler


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SERVICES APPLET

1. Open Servicesin the Administrative Tools

2.

Find Print Spoolerin the list click it and then rightclick and choose Stop, Start, Pause, Restart or Resume

3.

You can right click on All Tasksto Stop, Start, Pause, Restart or Resume

PHYSICAL TOOLS

MAINTENANCE K IT

A maintenance kit is a set of replacement parts for a printer. Each printer has a preset maintenance interval, which occurs after a

certain amount of pages are printed. The maintenance interval lets the user know that its time to install the maintenance kit so

that the parts within the printer do not get overused.

These kits provide all the parts necessary for you to perform do-it-yourself maintenance on your printer and to help extend your

printer's life.


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Go to your printer manufacturers website and look up what is included in their maintenance kit

TONER VACUUM

Toner particles have electrostatic properties and can develop static-electric

charges when they rub against other particles. For this reason toner needs to

be vacuumed with a specialized vacuum with an electrically conductive hoseand a high efficiency (HEPA) filter. If you use a normal vacuum cleaner, static

discharge from charged toner particles can ignite dust in the vacuum cleaner

bag or create a small explosion if sufficient toner is airborne.

COMPRESSED / CANNED A IR

Canned air is used to clean dust off of electronic components that cannot be

cleaned with water or are hard to reach. It is not air that we breathe, but is a

product made of gas that is compressed into a liquid and canned. The types of

gases used vary, and some are dangerous when used improperly. Some of the more common dangers include:

Flammable ingredients.When canned gas is

tilted, the liquefied and highly flammable gas can

be released into the air and onto surfaces it

contacts. This can be especially dangerous in

poorly ventilated areas. When a flammable

atmosphere is created, flames, sparks and

electrical switches can ignite the concentrated

gas, causing a flash fire.

Frostbite.The liquid inside canned air can cause

frostbite when the skin is exposed to a steady

stream. This can vary from an intense burning

sensation to serious physical injuries such as skin

cracking, and damage to muscles, blood vessels

and nerves.

Asphyxiation and toxicity.When high

concentrations of the gas are released into a nonventilated area, oxygen deficiency and possible asphyxiation can occur.

The effects of inhalation vary depending on the type of chemical used, as well as the intensity and duration of exposure.

When used properly, a serious breathing problem is unlikely to occur.