logo
logo
Sign in

7 Basic Printer Challenges You Can Fix Yourself

avatar
Hena Bekar
7 Basic Printer Challenges You Can Fix Yourself

It's simple to get angry when an office printer fails to complete its one task. Additionally, your productivity will suffer if the defective device is a multifunction printer (MFP) that also serves as a scanner and copier, wasting valuable business time.


It's enough to make you want to give up and throw up your hands (or throw your printer against the wall). But many problems can be fixed with a little DIY printer knowledge.


We've collected a list of the top 7 common printer issues and solutions so that you can fix them quickly and get back to work.


1. The printer is not working


Prior to delving too deeply into the specific typical printer issues and fixes, take into account the best practises that our Managed Print professionals adhere to. Be sure to check the fundamentals first before attempting to fix frequent printer issues:


  • The printer is on.
  • Is there paper in it?
  • Are all required cables in place?
  • Are there no issues with any wireless connections?
  • Have you examined the toner or ink cartridges for your printer?


You can continue your research after getting the answers to those queries with some of the following suggestions.


2. Printer Not Printing


Do you experience control panel errors or merely the impression that your print job is stalled in cyberspace? Even if restarting your printer is the simplest fix, you should make sure you've chosen the right print settings first—preferably before you send a dozen copies of your document to a device in the next room.



If your printer driver supports two-way communication, you might get a warning about a problem even before you head over to the printer only to discover that there is nothing ready for you on the print tray. Fortunately, these alerts frequently explain the issue and offer possible solutions. If everything else fails, restart your printer and software after turning it off and waiting a while.


3. Bad quality Printing


Although it might seem inconsequential, the type of paper you use can have a big impact on the quality of your printed documents. Generic printer paper typically has more problems than picture paper, which is sold by the maker of your printer. What's more crucial, though? To print what you have in mind, match the printer's settings.


This entails selecting the appropriate print quality settings for your printed pages in addition to making sure the right type of paper is chosen. Do you need to print out pictures for a presentation, or are you just going to store away a copy of an email? Draft quality and plain paper settings won't work if you're printing high-quality photographs on glossy paper. Additionally, mixing different paper types and brands in the same printer tray can result in additional problems.


4. Concerned About Security of Printer


The majority of printer manufacturers include security features to guard against unwanted access. A hacker, however, might use your printer as a backdoor to access your network if specific precautions aren't taken. The most important measures you can take to stop this are to change the printer's default password and confirm that the most recent security updates have been implemented.


Ask your IT manager or Managed Print Service (MPS) provider to configure your security settings if you're unsure how to do that. They'll make sure your security settings are current and that you have a digital lockbox. To guard against potential internal dangers, they can even set up confidential printing modes.


5. My Printer Is No Longer Scanning


Corrupted scanner software frequently plays the bad guy when an MFP stops scanning. Reinstall the printing software package to get your printer scanning once more. If it doesn't work, check out the troubleshooting section of the user manual or search online for your particular printer model on the manufacturer's website. Hardware problems could exist and require maintenance or replacement.


6. Excessive paper jams


While foreign materials loose inside the printer may be the obvious cause of a paper jam, there are a number of less obvious causes as well, such as an overfilled paper tray or incorrectly inserted paper. Reposition the paper while keeping it flush with the guides after fanning the stack to reduce static and dust. It is frequently preferable to manually feed each sheet of thicker paper into the printer using a bypass tray when using such paper.


7. Too Slow Prints


Even though the ink drying process for inkjet printers might be infamously slow, laser printers can also experience problems. Print quality problems can occur when printing simple black-and-white text documents in presentation quality, just as they can when printing complex photographs in draught quality.


The speed at which it prints depends on how low the print quality criteria is. Additionally, think about whether or not your print job is printing in duplex mode (using both sides of the paper). The printer will need to take its time turning each sheet of paper over in this situation. The simpler the printer settings, the better if speed is your objective.


collect
0
avatar
Hena Bekar
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more