Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Paper Jam
So, you have remedied the cause for slow printing only to end up with the King of All Printer Nightmares – the paper jam.
Solutions:
Your User Guide or control panel instructions should walk you through this easily enough. In fact, some Xerox printers provide video assistance and lighted interiors to make jam clearance a snap. Start by inspecting the paper path and remove any jammed material, being careful to take out any stuck paper straight —and above all—not tearing it. If it’s caught between rollers, follow the guide on how to release the pressure.
If it’s a misaligned paper that caused the jam, remove the tray to make sure the paper is positioned correctly and reset the tray. Sometimes you may find no mis-fed sheet at all, in which case you’ll need to remove the paper stack, check to see if it’s squared properly and reposition it back in the tray—all after taking a deep breath.
As a rule, you should always make sure the type of paper being printed is supported by your printer. And remember to store your paper where it’s dry to avoid moisture that can make printing difficult.
Checking for ink issues
If the printer's ink or toner is low, replace it. Low ink or toner is much more often a problem with inkjet printers than with laser printers. Making matters worse, many inkjet printers are notorious for not printing at all when even one of their multiple ink cartridges is empty. In other words, if your printer is out of yellow ink, you may not be able to print a black-and-white text-only document.
When your printer's ink needs to be replaced, you should get an alert message on both your computer and the printer's display. If you don't see a warning but suspect a problem, select your printer in the Print & Fax system preference, click on Options & Supplies, and then click on the Supply Levels tab for information.
Tip: A message that says you're low on ink may be incorrect. Especially if you haven't used the printer for a while, the problem may be that the print head's nozzles are clogged. To check for this, and hopefully fix the problem, clean the nozzles with the appropriate feature in the printer's utility. (The manual that came with your printer should provide details.) If that doesn’t work, it may need a deeper cleaning- Call us and we can help.
Problem: Really bad looking prints
Your printer is operating perfectly—but your final product looks terrible. Smudges, poor image quality or faded type make even the best documents look sloppy and unprofessional.
Solutions:
Try these easy fixes for better quality laser printing. If your issues persist, the problem is more likely to be due to supplies or hardware.
Check your print driver to make sure you have the correct paper or media selected.
Double check that the paper loaded in the tray matches the type selected in the printer driver.
In some laser printers, the fuser has an adjustment for paper type. If your printer’s fuser can be adjusted manually, check to see that it’s set properly but be aware: fusers get very hot so exercise caution.
Check out your toner cartridges, imaging unit(s) and the fuser for damage. These components vary by model and manufacturer so it’s best to refer to the User Guide.
If you’ve got smudge marks, print several blank sheets of paper and they will eventually fade away.
Problem: My printer isn’t printing
Next to the almighty paper jam, nothing happening also ranks high on the printing problem list.
Solutions:
First, check that you sent the print job to the right printer; you may very well be printing dozens of documents in the next department. To make your main printer your default, click navigate to Printers and Faxes in Windows®. Right-click on your printer icon and select Set as default printer.
Did you check that there is enough—and the correct kind—of paper in the tray? While you’re at it, make sure your printer is on and that all cables are secure. Both USB- and network-connected computers require that the print driver be installed on the computer you’re printing from. Print drivers with a two-way communication feature can tell you what might be causing your issue via desktop or driver notifications, without making a trip to the printer.
And finally, if your printer just won’t print or your print job seems stuck in the queue, the easiest solution is to restart. Begin by restarting your software application. If that doesn’t work, reboot your computer. Lastly, turn off your printer for a few minutes before switching it back on.
Before upgrading the FIRMWARE-
HP Firmware: What you can do to prevent a firmware attack READ HERE: https://www.scc-inc.com/Newsroom/HP-Firmware-What-you-can-do-to-prevent-a-firmware
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Clogged Print-head?
Print-heads build up ink that dries, and that then turns into a cement-like substance that a normal cleaning will not fix. For $20 upfront, we run a strong solvent through to dissolve the cement-like ink and if that works it's just an additional $20 on pick up. If it doesn't work then your print-head is worn out and you will need a new printer. Contact us today (Local only) to see if we can help you.