Handout Troubleshoot Printers

HANDOUT: TROUBLESHOOT PRINTERS
Revision Date: 5/10/2013

Time 1.0 Hour
K E Y P O IN T S
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 lock.
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.
T ROUBL ES HOOT P RINT ERS

C OMMON S Y MP T OMS
Print Quality Issues
Streaks
T R OU B L E SH OOT IN G S T EP S
1.
Use the correct ink for the printer
2.
Run a diagnotics test
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Print a test page
Faded image
Ghost images
Vertical lines
Check the report for erros
Look for alignment patterns

Color is uniform, unstreaked
Color prints in wrong print color
Clean ink cartridges & nozzles

Replace cartridges that are
damaged
3.
If the test shows no defects, make

sure that the image you are
printing has sufficient resolution.
Images that have been enlarged
too much might appear fuzzy or
blurry.
Streaks Are the appearance of colors

that are streaked with another coloror
or have white streaks.
Cyanna Education Services, 2013
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Faded image
Ghost images when the printer prints

a lighter shadow image of the same one
it's supposed to printing along with the
image, but is shifted or shadows the
normal image.
Check the printer drum and replace if the drum is:

Scratched
dirty
wiper blade is worn
Clean waste chamber using Toner
Vacuum
Ghosting is typically generated by

accumulated toner filling the
moderately sized waste chamber.
Vertical lines on page troubleshooting

will vary based on the type of printer.
Laser printers vs. Inkjet.
N OT E : Do not touch the imaging drum on the

bottom of the cartridge. Fingerprints on the
imaging drum can cause print-quality problems
1.
Use the correct paper for

the type of printer ink.
Ink that is not absorbed
will smear or streak
2.
4.
Or clean scanner glass if

occurring on a copy
Replace the drum or
replace the toner
cartridge if the printer contains a drum.
Remove and shake the toner cartridge.
1.
Run a diagnostic test
2.
3.
Check ink levels and replace low or empty cartridges

Always use the power button to turn the printer off. This protects
the cartridges from exposure to air.
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.
If the paper is warm, but the toner is loose or smeared, clean the
fuser with soft cloth and alcohol.
Change the paper type settings
3.
Color prints in wrong print color
Toner not fused to the paper This 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.
2.
3.
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 Properties link
Click the Paper/Quality tab.
Open the Media drop-down list, choose the paper type
Click OK
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 Jam shows 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.
3.
Make sure the paper is placed in the tray straight and not overfull
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.
Use paper that has not been
previously printed on
Use paper that does not
contain metallic material such
as glitter.
Use paper that is not too rough.
Using smoother paper generally results in better print quality.
All White Page
4.
5.
6.
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.
9.
Go to the Printer manufacturer support site or follow the manual to

reset the printer.
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
Garbled characters on paper
1.
Make sure printer is connected to power supply
2.
3.
Ensure the cables are connected to the printer and computer

Run Printer Troubleshooter to see if it can resolve the issue
4.
Reset/Start Printer Spooler
5.
6.
Update the printer driver

Go to Printer Manufactures troubleshooting manual or website.
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 be

a 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.
2.
Press cancel button on printer

Turn printer off and then back on
3.
Open Devices and Printers in Control Panel

Right-click the 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 Documents on the
Printer menu.
Access denied error message when

trying to print
4.
Go to Printer Spooler section for a step by step guide on how to fix

a spooler problem.
1.
To fix the access denied error, go to Devices and Printers in the

Control Panel and 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 Sharing Tab and check the box to Share this printer click
Apply then click OK.
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4.
Unable to install printer
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Also go to Network and Sharing Center and 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 Discovery and File and printer sharing radio
buttons are both turned on.
To 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.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click New Driver, and then follow the instructions in the Add Printer
Driver wizard.
3.
4.
OR
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Error codes
There are various error codes that could
be displayed such as:
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Go to the website or use the instruction manual and find the error codes
and follow the directions provided to correct the problem.
low ink
Paper jam
Connection error
Ink cartrige failure, or damaged
Low memory errors
S O F T WA R E T O OL S
P R IN TE R T R OU B LE SH OOT E R
1.
Open Troubleshooting in Control Panel
2.
Choose Use a Printer under 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 Next button and then choose Try these repairs as an administrator
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7.
Once the problem is fixed click Close button
8.
Try to print your document again
P R IN TE R S P OOL E R
When printer is physically fine (No paper jam or any error indications on printer). You can use either the Command Prompt or
Services to clear the pending print jobs (print queue).
C OMMAN D P R OMP T
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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S E R V ICE S A P PL ET
1.
Open Services in the Administrative Tools
2.
Find Print Spooler in the list click it and then right click and choose Stop, Start, Pause, Restart or Resume
3.
You can right click on All Tasks to Stop, Start, Pause, Restart or Resume
P H Y SI C A L T OO L S
M AIN T EN AN CE 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
T ON E R V ACU U M
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 hose
and 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.
C OMP R E SSE D / C AN NE D 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.
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HANDOUT: TROUBLESHOOT PRINTERS

Revision Date: 5/10/2013

Spilled toner should be vacuumed immediately.

Print jobs are sent to the printer as spooled files.

T ROUBL ES HOOT P RINT ERS

Use the correct ink for the printer

Run a diagnotics test

Print a test page

Check the report for erros

Look for alignment patterns

Color prints in wrong print color

Clean ink cartridges & nozzles

If the test shows no defects, make

Streaks Are the appearance of colors

Cyanna Education Services, 2013