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The advice provided below may help you troubleshoot printer issues if you’re having difficulty. An famous scene from the cult classic movie Office Space features a group of office workers taking their dreadful printer/copier into a field and destroying it ruthlessly while an explicit rap song plays in the background.
The inability of your printer to cooperate when you urgently need to print something is one of the fastest ways to become frustrated. Dealing with a printer that won’t even notice you is a nuisance, as opposed to having streaky lines across your photographs or faded lettering.
That moment fulfills a lot of people’s fantasies. If only we had the ability to quickly execute the printers who make our life miserable. Unfortunately, in practice, that isn’t really an option, so your best bet is to track down and address printer issues as they arise.
Ways to troubleshoot printer issues
Driver Issues
When you try to print, your printer displays a “no driver found” warning. If this happens, the software can be the problem. A short driver update is frequently sufficient to address this problem and restore your printer’s proper operation.
The simplest approach is to remove any active printer drivers you may have. Install the most recent version after finding it. To do this, navigate to the “drivers and support” page for your printer model.
New Cartridge Does Not Work
You may occasionally insert a brand-new cartridge just to have it not work! Replacing it with the previous cartridge once more is a straightforward troubleshooting step. Replace the old cartridge with the fresh one once more if the printer continues to print using it. This extra exchange can occasionally encourage the printer to accept the new one.
If not, there might be another problem. Did you take off the security seal? Double-check the replacement cartridge for any tape or plastic fragments. The cartridge vent can then be examined. Ink cannot exit if the vent is closed. You can use a safety pin or needle to unclog the vent if it is blocked.
Solving Paper Jams
Is there a paper jam error message on your printer? Well, first of all, see if the printer genuinely has paper jammed in it. If so, close the printer and carefully open it to remove the paper. then put these into practice to stop more traffic jams:
- Align the paper correctly in the tray. It should be straight and the stack should be even.
- Don’t exceed the limit. Trays have a paper limit, they are not designed to hold a huge stack. Usually, the limit is 100 pieces. If you struggle with jams, try only putting the pieces you need for that print job.
- Make sure the media type matches the surface you are trying to print on. For example, it should be set to card stock if you’re printing on card stock.
- Check the paper rollers. If they are old, they may need to be replaced.
Printhead Clog
Clogs may result from the drying out of the printer head. When you don’t use the printer frequently, this most frequently occurs. How can you determine if this is taking place? A clogged printhead may be the cause of documents having streaks or having some sections with lighter print.
Occasionally, a clogged print head will turn on the “change cartridge” signal. It could also prevent ink from being released by your printer onto the paper.
Unfortunately, clearing the printer head clogs takes time and is a nasty process. The printhead on the cartridge can be blotted with a wet paper towel. Slide the cartridge down the paper towel after tapping it. When there are clear ink lines, the item has been cleaned. Hold it up against a dry paper towel at that point.
Beware of printers that incorporate printheads into their design, which makes them more difficult to maintain. These printers frequently offer a cleaning mode that will aid in maintaining the device.
Speed Up Printing
For one or two documents, slow printing might not be a major concern, but if you have a big print job, speed is crucial. If your printer seems to be operating more slowly than usual, you may need to troubleshoot it. Try these things:
- Update all drivers and software
- Move the printer closer to your router (for wifi printing)
- Try to print via cable instead of wifi
- Put the printer in a lower-quality setting. High-quality settings use more ink, which takes longer.