There are instances when the printers fail to work on their own. A printer not working is such a familiar problem. Even though it is annoying to have the printer not work as it should, especially when you need it, printer troubleshooting steps are quite easy to follow.
Most of the time, within a few minutes, you get to know what is going on and end it. In this article, we look at situations where a printer may not be properly linked to a device, or if lines appear on the paper print, here is how to repair a printer.
The best way to connect a new printer to your computer is through a wireless connection.
To add a new printer, one must go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Devices’. Open the start menu and click on the option ‘Devices and Printers’ and then on ‘Add a Printer’. Provided the printer is locatable, the system should pop it up here, and you should have no issues adding it to your desktops.
This is not the same case as attempting to print from a smartphone or tablet, for instance. It needs a WiFi connection, and the way to do it depends on the brand of the printer or device being used.
But in most cases, provided your WiFi is connected, the printer should appear automatically when you try to print something. Apple devices employ a system known as AirPrint, while Android features use Google’s cloud print option. If your printer is not listed as an available printer for you to select when you click Print, then see these tips.
A test page will let you know a few things. It will notify us when a printer is available. It will detect cases of alignment or printing disorders if there is one in a new printer. If that is so, the user is sure there is no problem with the connectivity or software being used. Should a test page not be printed properly, any current issue is likely hardware in nature and may require some repair or potentially new printer equipment.
To print a test page for the printer, open the ‘Setting’ and go to the ‘Devices’ section. Open ‘Settings’, click on ‘Devices’, select ‘Printers & Scanners’, click on the desired printer and click on ‘Print A Test Page’.
When you have not used your printer for a while and switched it on, the driver could be an issue. This is one of the software problems and has nothing to do with the hardware. First of all, you may need to check if your printer is compatible with the OS, and update it if necessary. In some cases, a printer will either be nonfunctional or unresponsive to simple instructions when the driver is old.
To update your printer drivers, you must go to the website of the specific printer manufacturer. Always look for printer model numbers and use them to search for the required drivers for the printing machine. Apply them, turn the printer on again, and attempt to print again.
Some of the underlying causes of a printer paper jam include when a jam happens when there is no paper in the printer.
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First and foremost, if you are getting a jam with no paper in the machine, then it is mechanical. The printer must be clean. After that, or according to manufacturers’ instructions, there is a dismantling process to carry out and wipe all the surfaces of your printer with a cloth.
In ninety per cent of cases, it will be a simple paper stuck in the machine. If the paper is not well aligned, it can jam the machine. Hence, the first action plan when one experiences paper jam in a printer is to make sure to pull out the paper gently, adjust it, and power the printer on to see if the paper jam has been fixed.
If you have tried to load too much paper, overloaded capacity can also cause a jam. Likewise, incorrect input of settings such as paper size.
If you still find that you’re having to deal with jams after you’ve gotten your piece of paper unstuck, check that the printer’s settings are suitable for the type of paper you are using. When you try to print, for instance, card stock, photo paper or presentation paper, the behavior of the printer will be different than when you use standard printer paper.
Ever tried to replace an ink cartridge, and your printer refused to go for it? This is particularly so with third-party ink cartridges. You may receive a message on your computer screen to the effect.
One common printer problem is when the printer does not recognize the ink cartridge. The solution to this problem is to simply pull the cartridge out and ensure that the gold contact chip is clean. Clean it up using a lint-free cloth, and place the item back into the printer. These are others which can also be implemented for the purpose if the former does not work, as illustrated below.
Sometimes, ink in a printer may dry, or block the printhead, leading to worse consequences. If you are seeing lines, streaks, or bands of ink on your printed documents, or some of the writing or image is light, then it means there is something wrong with your ink cartridge. Although dealing with a printer head or fixing a printer ink cartridge can be a little messy if you are not so careful, here is what should be done.
If your printer employs two cartridges: black and tricolor, you are in luck because you have what is known as an integrated printhead. In this case, it is recommended to use a damp paper towel to gently pat the cartridge, which is put with the printhead downwards. Then tap the cartridge a few times.
The cartridge must be slid down the paper towel so that the solid lines of ink become visible. After some time, once the solid ink becomes visible, place the cartridge against the paper towel for at least 30 seconds to draw out all dried ink. When done, replace the ink cartridge in your printer and make a test print to see if the problem has been solved.
On the other hand, if the printhead is integrated into the device, you can have dust particles, air bubbles, or baked-on ink impeding the flow. Since you cannot unplug the printhead, you can clean it by using the printhead cleaning, which will remove anything on the print nozzles.
If this has not been effective for you, you might be required to check whether there is ink remaining and/or use the new ink cartridge.
But if you receive a ‘Low Ink’ message, you don’t require changing your cartridge immediately. It goes without saying that if there is ink, your printer should work fine. If your printer is not cooperating and will not print, there is the option of resetting the cartridge by unearthing it and fixing it in the right manner.
This usually helps. If your cartridge is low, you could have some dried ink, which will need some special procedures to fix, or maybe it’s time for you to replace your printer’s cartridge.
Finally, these notifications should not prevent a printer from functioning effectively and completing its assigned tasks. If these ‘Low Ink’ notifications are intrusive, they can be turned off. Detailed information on how to do that is provided in a printer’s ownership manual.
At some point, the printer may become non-functional, and you may be like I should buy another brand new model. Before you do that, however, here are a few things you might like to try out. Read our article in which we discuss the best printers of 2024.
If none of the above troubleshooting has solved the problem with your printer or the ink cartridge, then consider purchasing a new printer or a new ink cartridge.
