Printer Related Troubleshooting

Common Problems• Printer Problem

•Print quality problem

•Paper Feeding

Very Basic Check• The printer is turned on

• The power cord is plugged in

• Other electrical equipment plugged into the outlet works

• The printer cable is securely attached to the computer and the printer

Printing problemsSolutions to printing problems you may encounter are listed below

Your job did not print. 1. Your printer is not ready to receive data. Make sure Ready appears on the operator panel before you send a job. Press Go to return to Ready

2. Make sure paper is loaded in the trays.3. Make sure you are using a recommended printer cable.4. Make sure the printer cable is securely connected.5. Your print server is not connected properly. Verify that you set up

the correct network address.

Cause Solution

Your job prints, but the margins are incorrect

Check the Paper Size setting in your printer driver and your software application.

Your job prints from the wrong tray or on the wrong media.

Check the Paper Type and Paper Source settings in your printer driver.

You printed an envelope but the words run off the Side

You printed an envelope but the words run off the Side

Menu settings changed from the operator panel have no effect.

Your printer driver overrides all but the Paper Size and Paper Type settings set from the operator panel.

Printing problems (Con.)Solutions to printing problems you may encounter are listed below

Flashing Lights Some printers will have flashing light codes to tell you what is wrong. These differ from manufacturer to manufacturer and also from model to model. Consult your manual or manufacturer's web site.

Cause Solution

You installed the 250-sheet drawer (or the multipurpose feeder) but the printer driver does not recognize it.

1. Make sure the printer is on the drawer correctly and that both sides of the printer are lined up with the drawer.

2. Make sure the multipurpose feeder is installed correctly.3. If you are using Windows, make sure you added the option in

Printer Configuration.

IO or Other Error Most IO errors will be cleared by powering the printer off for 1 minute and turning it back on. You may also need to check to make sure the network cable on the printer is plugged securely into the printer and into the network jack on the wall.

Poor print qualitySome print quality problems are solved simply by replacing an ink cartridge, print head

Cause Solution

Colors are streaked or uneven. 1 Check that the print heads are positioned correctly in the carrier.2 Do a Short Clean to remove any ink plugs or clogs in theprint heads.3 If this does not solve the problem, do a Long Clean.

You cannot tell from the test page that printed when you did a Short Clean which print head is unsatisfactory.

Do a Long Clean on all four color bars to clean both print heads.

Your print job hasmisaligned lines.

1 Check that the print heads are positioned correctly in the carrier.2 If this does not solve the problem, align the print head. Print an alignment test page and select the alignment value that comes closest to forming a straight line.

Problem: Printing is too slow.• Solution: Rev up printer performance--and save ink in the process--by

reducing print quality for everyday output. While printer settings vary by model, here's how to switch to draft-printing mode in most Windows apps. Select Print and Properties, and then look for a setting that reduces print quality. With the HP Photosmart 8450, for instance, change the default print quality setting from Normal to Fast Draft (click screen-shot at right). Other speedup suggestions: Print pages from websites without graphics, and add RAM to your printer, if possible. Read "Speed Up Everything" for more tips.

Problem: My prints are too light, too spotty, or have horizontal lines.• Solution: You may have a clogged

print head, a problem that can occur if you use an inkjet printer infrequently. Your printer's utility program can clean out the dried ink, and print a test page for inspection. The step-by-step instructions on how to do this vary by printer. From the Windows 7 Start menu, click Devices and Printers or Control Panel, and look for your printer's utility app.

Troubleshooting TipsHere are a few simple techniques that will solve many printer problems. Reboot your computer. This generally solves most printing problems. If it's not printing, or you're getting a message about the printer, change your default printer: Click on Start -> Devices and Printers, right-click the printer, and then select (left-click) Set as Default Printer. Check and make sure all connections going to and coming from the printer are firmly in place. Check that the printer is on-line: Print a test page. If that prints and the application you are using doesn't, you probably will need to contact the application's vendor for support. Turn off your printer for 10 seconds and turn it back on. Make a note of any error messages or flashing lights when the printer is turned back on. If your printer is connected directly to another computer, try rebooting that computer. You may try to uninstall and then re-install your network printer.

Uninstalling and Re-installing a network printer: To uninstall: 1. Click on Start -> Devices and Printers ->right-click the network printer that you would like to uninstall. 2. Then click on Remove Device. To re-install: 1. Click on Start -> All Programs -> NUSNET -> NUSNET Network Printer Selection. 2. Select the network printer, then click on Connect. 3. Print a test page to verify.