Basic Troubleshooting Laser Printers

Laser printers are a complex combination of mechanical, electrical, and chemical components. Without the proper care and operation, a laser printer’s inner workings can suffer and cause printer malfunctions or poor print quality. But you can apply logical troubleshooting to identify many laser printer issues and perform the appropriate laser printer maintenance or software adjustment to resolve many printing problems. The following problems and solutions assume that your printer is responsive (see “What To Do When . . . Your Printer Won’t Print”) and concentrate on correcting the most common laser printer annoyances. Although your first instinct may be to rip open the printer and look for the “smoking gun,” the printer’s outputted pages provide the most solid trail of evidence. If your pages are flawed by smears, smudges, or lines, the problem is most likely within the printer because it’s doubtful a print setting could cause such defects. Laser printer components tend to degrade over a long period of time, so sudden changes in printer performance are more often the result of an improper print configuration in your application or printer settings. For example, if you have trouble printing from Microsoft Word but not from Internet Explorer or Microsoft Excel, a print setting in Word is causing the problem. If you’re unsure what your print problem is, first check your application settings or printer properties for faulty print configurations. A quick inspection of these settings can save you from wasting time and frustration pursuing other solutions.

Wheels Within Wheels To transfer a digital image to paper, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process that requires the near-instantaneous interaction of all its components. The printer shoots a laser beam onto an OPC (optical photoconductor) drum, and the drum’s electrostatic charge attracts a black or colored powder called toner. The toner is then applied to the paper and passed through a fuser that bonds the toner to the paper through heat and pressure. For the process to work perfectly, the toner cartridge, drum, fuser, and paper in the laser printer must meet product specifications. When purchasing any replacement parts, make certain the product is compatible with your laser printer’s model. If you don’t know your model or manufacturer, it’s displayed on the laser printer’s case, many times near the control panel or in the upper-left or right-hand side. To ensure quality, purchase replacement products from the manufacturer because their parts are optimally designed to work with their laser printers. Before opening your laser printer’s case, unplug the printer to prevent electrical shock from the printer’s internal components. If you recently used the laser printer, let it cool down for a few minutes so that the fuser mechanism and photoconductor drum don’t burn your fingers. Don’t touch the OPC drum or the oil on your skin may stick to its surface, get baked onto the roller, and cause smudges on all your future prints. If toner gets on your clothes, wipe it off with a dry cloth and wash your clothes in cold water because hot water will set the toner into the fabric. Laser Printer Paper Problems

Problem: My laser printer reports it has a paper jam, how do I remove it?
Solution: Open the front panel of the printer. Your printer’s users guide, user CD with flash animation, or an illustration on the printer can show you how to do so. Remove the toner cartridge from the printer and hold it horizontal to the floor to keep the toner from spilling. Place it on a disposable sheet of paper to confine any loose toner. Once you find the paper jam, gradually pull the paper out so that you don’t tear the jammed page. If the page can’t be moved, look for illustrations next to the rollers that indicate how to manually advance the paper. Should the paper rip, remove all the torn pieces, or they may jam the printer again.

Problem: The paper is stuck at the rear of the laser printer.

Solution: A paper jam stuck in the printer’s fuser mechanism is often unreachable from the front panel. For this reason, many laser printers include a removable rear panel. You may need to remove a few screws from the panel and the fuser assembly to reach the paper jam. Once the back cover is areas or blank spots.

Solution: The paper manufacturing process can sometimes cause paper to reject toner. Try a different type or brand of paper in the printer. If your paper is stored in a humid environment such as a basement or storage room, check the paper for moist spots on its surface. The paper may not feel damp, but its moisture content may affect how the toner fuses to the paper. Set the PERIPHERALS Laser Printers open, gradually extract the paper from the fuser assembly and pick up any torn pieces inside the printer.

Problem: The laser printer often feeds multiple pages into the printer.

Solution: Laser printer paper comes in many weights (the heavier the weight, the sturdier the paper) and finishes. Generally, laser printers work with a variety of paper types, but check your product specifications to make certain the paper currently in the tray is compatible with your printer. The main paper tray of most laser printers supports paper weights from 20 to 24 pounds, and the manual feed tray is designed to work better with heavier or specialty paper such as transparencies, stationery, and envelopes. Check that the paper isn’t warped or stuck together because this can cause the feeder to grasp multiple pages. Pick up the stack of paper and separate any pieces that may be stuck together by fanning the stack with your thumb. Remove any warped or bent pages and straighten a wavy stack of paper by bending it in the opposite direction. After you insert the paper, slide the back guide and side guides until they fit tightly against the stack of paper but not so firm that they cause the paper to bow. Avoid mixing different paper types in the same tray because their different textures and weights can make it difficult for the printer to grab a single sheet.

Problem: The printer won’t use its manual feed tray.

Solution: Laser printers typically automatically sense paper in the manual feed tray through a trigger switch next to manual tray’s entrance. If the paper or media isn’t firmly inserted into the tray, you may need to set the side guides or insert the paper farther into the tray to activate the trigger switch. If the printer still uses the main tray, change your printer’s properties to always grab media from the manual feed tray. Click Start, Printers And Faxes, and then right-click your printer and choose Properties. Click the Device Settings tab and in the Paper Source drop-down menu choose Manual Feed. Once you finish printing from the manual tray, change the Paper Source back to Main Tray, or it will continue to grab media from the manual tray.

Problem: My laser printer won’t feed transparency sheets, or the transparencies are coming out melted or warped.

Solution: Before you print a transparency, remove the white piece of gripper edge tape because the printer may have trouble grabbing or moving the polished edge through its paper path. Typically, transparencies feed better through the manual tray because it’s designed to handle specialty media. Transparencies have a rough and smooth side, and you should print on the rough, grainy side of the sheet. If your transparencies come out of the laser printer slightly melted or warped, you need to purchase laser printer compatible sheets because unsuitable transparencies may melt and injure your printer’s internal components.

Problem: I’m having trouble feeding envelopes in the laser printer and getting the text to appear in the correct location.

Solution: Each laser printer handles envelopes in a different fashion, and you should follow the laser printer’s guidelines exactly. Typically, the manual feed tray’s paper path is better at handling thicker and smaller media, so it’d be best to insert your envelopes in the manual tray. Any envelopes you use should fall within the type and thickness recommended in your laser printer’s manual and meet general laser printer standards. The heat and pressure applied to the glue during the fusing process could seal unsuitable envelopes. When you insert an envelope, adjust the paper guides so that they will pull the envelope straight through the printer. Remember to reconfigure your printer’s software for the proper envelope size. Once you set the correct media size, use the print preview function to make certain the text is correctly formatted. The Print Quality Is Poor.

Problem: My laser printer prints out pages with randomly faded-out areas or blank spots.

Solution: The paper manufacturing process can sometimes cause paper to reject toner. Try a different type or brand of paper in the printer. If your paper is stored in a humid environment such as a basement or storage room, check the paper for moist spots on its surface. The paper may not feel damp, but its moisture content may affect how the toner fuses to the paper. Set the paper in a dry room or storage container for a week or two before reinserting it in the printer. The toner cartridge may also be running out of toner. Remove the cartridge and shake it horizontally to redistribute the remaining toner. If the blank spots still crop up, it’s time for a new toner cartridge.

Problem: Blank spots or faded-out areas appear in the same spot on every page.

Solution: The photoconductor drum underneath or inside your toner cartridge needs to be cleaned, or it has been damaged. Although the drum may not appear dirty, it could have residual electrical charges that impede the laser printer from applying new charges. Depending on your printer, its software may include an internal cleaning utility that can wipe the OPC drum of both residual toner and electric charges. Various programs label their utilities differently, but your users manual will indicate which program to use and provide step-by-step instructions. You could also purchase laser printer cleaning sheets that feed through the printer to remove toner particles from the internal rollers and drums. If cleaning the print drum doesn’t fix your problem, you may need to purchase a new toner cartridge or OPC drum.

Problem: The entire page prints out black.

Solution: If your printer has a Print Density setting, verify that it has not been turned to the darkest level. If the Print Density is set correctly, your toner cartridge may be damaged or incorrectly installed, causing it to release too much toner. Remove the toner cartridge and make certain it fits within your laser printer’s product specifications. Although a little loose toner is normal, excessive amounts within your printer not only cause bad prints, but will eventually cause the failure of your printer’s mechanical parts. Wipe the internal printer cavity with a dry, lint free cloth and use a brush to clean toner particles off the components. If the toner cartridge needs to be cleaned, follow the manufacturer’s directions in your users manual to both clean and correctly install it.

Problem: The printer only outputs blank pages.

Solution: If the toner cartridge is new, make certain you removed the sealing tape covering the toner cartridge’s opening. If you noticed the laser printer outputting lighter and lighter pages, the toner cartridge may be running out of toner.

Problem: The printer occasionally prints completely blank pages.
Solution: Your laser printer may be configured to separate different print jobs by attaching a blank page after each individual document or image. Click Start, Settings, and Printers And Faxes. Double-click your printer, select the Printer menu, and click Properties. Click the Separator Page button, remove the separator page file, and click OK. If no separator page is selected, you may have extra spaces or blank lines attached to the end of your documents.

Problem: The same object or letter repeats down the length of the page at even intervals.

Solution: This effect is called ghosting, and it usually occurs with images that require a large amount of toner. When the toner cartridge can’t provide sufficient toner, a residual electrical charge can be left on the drum that will repeat down the length of the page. To resolve ghosting, try printing in Landscape mode because the different perspective may distribute the toner better. Click the Start menu, select Settings, and then click Printers And Faxes. Double-click your printer and select Properties. In the laser printer’s Preferences, change its Orientation radio button from Portrait to Landscape. If that doesn’t do the trick, lower the Print Density setting through your printer’s control panel. You could also try inserting a high-quality paper that will better adhere with the toner. In most cases, this condition only affects certain images because their detail requires a sizeable amount of toner.

Problem: My photo prints tend to look mediocre.

Solution: Although standard office paper works great with text, photos have greater detail and look dreadful on anything less than photo-quality laser printer paper. If your photos still look bad using photo-quality paper, make certain the printer is configured to output on photo-quality, glossy, or thick paper. Besides setting the paper quality, make certain your printer is set to output on the highest resolution possible. Each printer’s software is different, but typically you can choose the paper quality and print quality in the printer’s preferences.

Problem: Some images in photo prints are wavy or seem twisted.

Solution: Typically, this happens with photo paper or glossy paper that isn’t intended for use with laser printers. Make certain the paper fits within the printer’s specifications or try using another kind of paper. If the laser printer is outputting a scanned image, the paper on the scanner may have moved during the scanning process.

Problem: There are black horizontal or vertical lines on every page.

Solution: Other than smoke billowing from the printer, consistent black horizontal or vertical lines are the worst problem a laser printer can display. In most cases, the black lines mean the printer’s OPC drum has a scratch that has accumulated baked on toner. Even if you clean off the toner, new toner will collect each time you print a page and result in the same horizontal or vertical line. Because the drum is a cylinder, the lines will appear at equal distances down the page. However, a dirty corona wire can also cause distinct lines and fuzzy areas along the length of the page. Your users manual will indicate the correct way to access the wire, and you can clean the particles off it by running a brush or cotton swab along the wire. Check the printer’s preferences and verify the line isn’t caused by any watermarks or hidden lines in your application. If the line persists and the laser printer is older, consider purchasing a new one because a new toner cartridge or print drum can be almost as expensive as a brand new laser printer.

Problem: The page is full of garbled text or is missing portions of text.

Solution: The cable that connects your laser printer to the computer may be too long or has become damaged. Your printer’s specifications usually list a recommended length; parallel cables generally need to be less than 6 feet, and USB cables should be less than 10 feet long. If you connect the laser printer to a USB hub, your printer may be sharing the same port with another device that’s causing interference. Directly connect the printer to the computer’s USB port. If the printer still outputs rubbish, download and install an updated driver for your printer from the manufacturer’s Web site. The Next Step If your problem isn’t covered in this article, consider searching your manufacturer’s Web site for some model-specific troubleshooting. If the manufacturer doesn’t offer many online solutions, try running the software CD that came with your printer. Many newer laser printers include a CD with troubleshooting advice and flash animations to help you perform basic maintenance. If you’re still unable to fix the problem, call the manufacturer’s tech support for further advice.

Basic Troubleshooting Inkjet Printers

Most of us have experienced the frustration of encountering a printer error just as we attempt to print a quick copy of a document. It seems that printer problems never occur at a convenient time, but at least with the right knowledge and a little bit of effort, you can troubleshoot your way through most of your inkjet printer woes. What You Need To Know Before you begin to troubleshoot your printer, make sure that you know if you have an inkjet printer or a laser printer.

There are several differences between an inkjet and laser printer. For instance, an inkjet printer dispenses small droplets of liquid ink from a cartridge onto a sheet of paper. A laser printer, on the other hand, uses toner, a powdered form of ink. To make the toner adhere to the paper, the toner must be hot so that the powder can fuse to the paper. A laser printer uses a laser and static electricity to do this. You may not be able to tell just by looking at your printer whether it is an inkjet or a laser printer, but generally paper comes out of an inkjet printer relatively cool, whereas paper comes out of a laser printer quite warm to the touch. Often, you can tell from the name of a printer whether it’s a laser or an inkjet. For instance, laser printers may contain the word “laser” in the product name, and inkjets may contain the words “jet” or “photo” in the name. Of course, the best way to find out for sure which type of printer you have is to look in your users manual or visit the manufacturer’s Web site.

This article deals primarily with the type of problems you may encounter when you use an inkjet or photo printer. If you have a laser printer, see the article “Basic Troubleshooting: Laser Printers”. The first thing you should do is identify the manufacturer of your printer, as well as its model name or number. Usually this information is printed on the face of the printer. Some common inkjet printer manufacturers include Canon, Epson, HP, and Lexmark, among others. The model number usually (but not always) consists of a series name, one or two letters, and a string of numbers. For example, you might have an Epson Stylus Photo R300. Epson is the manufacturer, Stylus Photo is the series name, and R300 is the model number. It’s important to have this information so that you can download drivers, manuals, and any other necessary files from the manufacturers’ Web site. You may also find it helpful to have a copy of your printer’s specifications. You can usually find the specs either in your users manual or on the manufacturer’s Web site. Typically, on a company’s Web site, specs are located either on the product page or in the Support section.

In the specifications, you’ll find information such as the maximum paper-handling capacity of your printer so that you don’t overload the inkjet tray with paper. You’ll also find what resolutions the printer supports, which can help you determine if your prints reflect the image quality you would expect from the printer. The specifications also contain vital information, such as what types and weights of papers are safe to use with your printer. Basic Troubleshooting Regardless of the type of problem you have with your printer, you should start with several basic troubleshooting steps, which we’ve listed below. By checking these things first, you can save a lot of time as you try to solve your printer’s problem. Check cable connections. First, check to ensure that the power and data cables are firmly connected on both ends. If a cable is loose, data communication errors may occur when you try to print. Update drivers. Visit the manufacturer’s Web site and check the Support, Downloads, or similar section for the most recent drivers for your printer. If you find a newer driver version than the one that you have installed, download and install it. Often, a simple driver update resolves a problem. Check the paper tray.

This may sound obvious, but when your printer refuses to print, you should verify that there is paper in the tray and that no sheets of paper are jammed in the printer. Print a test page. Some printers include the option to print a test page. The test page is a document that prints directly from the printer and that does not require you to load a file from your computer. If you cannot print a specific document on your computer but you can print a test page, the problem most likely lies with the software you’re using, the printer driver, or some other software-based element that resides on your computer. If your printer will not print a test page, you know that the cause is more than just a problem with the program in which you opened the document you wanted to print. If a printer cannot even print a built-in test page, something is wrong with the computer itself. This could be something as serious a printer malfunction or as easily-remedied as a paper jam. If you don’t know if your printer can generate test pages, consult your users manual or the manufacturer’s Web site for more information. The procedure varies depending on your brand and model of printer, and some inkjet printers do not produce a test page at all. (Test pages are more common on laser printers than on inkjet printers.) Print a different document. Make sure that you have tried to print more than one document. This will help you to determine whether the source of the problem lies with a single, possibly corrupted document or if the problem is more widespread. Print from a different application. Whenever you have a problem printing, you should try to print a document from another application. This way, you can determine if the printing problem is system-wide or if it is just a single program that cannot send documents to the printer properly. Check the Page Setup and Print options. In most applications, you can access both Page Setup and Print through the File menu. Check the configurations in both of these dialog boxes. Often, the source of a problem is a simple misconfiguration. When Nothing Prints The first and probably most distressing type of problem is when you can’t get anything to print at all. There are several potential causes.

Problem: When I send a document to the printer, nothing happens. I don’t hear the printer charge the ink, attempt to pull paper through its rollers, or anything.
Solution: As you should with any troubleshooting venture, start by checking the simplest things. Start by verifying that the power cable is plugged into the printer and a wall outlet, power strip, or surge protector. Next, make sure the printer’s power button is turned on and that the printer’s data cable is connected to both the printer and your PC. Next, make sure there isn’t a sheet of paper stuck in the printer. If there was a paper jam earlier, your printer may not even attempt to print any more documents until you remove the paper that’s stuck.

Problem: My document won’t print, and there’s a light flashing on the body of the printer.
Solution: When a light flashes on the face of the printer, it usually means that the printer has encountered an error. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can usually learn more about the nature of the error by examining how many times the light blinks or by launching the printer utility that came with your printer. First, consult your users manual or the manufacturer’s Web site and look for “Blink codes,” “LED (light-emitting diode) status codes,” or similar guidelines to printer errors. You may learn, for instance, that a certain number of blinks indicates that the printer is out of paper and that a different number of blinks means that there’s a paper jam. If your printer doesn’t have LED codes, launch the printer utility that came with your printer. Often, this tool provides valuable information about the type of error your printer encountered. For example, the printer utility may tell you that one of your ink cartridges is empty, that your printer lost its connection to your PC, or that a necessary driver is missing. Something Prints, But It Looks Bad

Problem: There are tiny, blurry smudges across my print.

Solution: Usually, if you see small smudges across your prints, some type of lint or other debris has worked its way into your printer. As the ink heads deposit ink, some of it soaks the small bits of debris, which are then forced through the printer’s components along with the paper. As a result, you’ll see smudges of ink on the paper where the ink-soaked debris rubbed against the sheet of paper. The key to handling such ink smudges is first to ensure that you keep your printer clean and free of debris. Next, make sure that you only use papers which are safe to use in your printer. For example, if you want to use a cloth-based paper, such as a velvet or canvas, check your documentation or call the manufacturer to confirm that this type of paper will work with your printer. If your printer has already accumulated debris, the best way to clean things up is to clean the print head. The procedure for cleaning the print head is different for each printer, but usually you do this either by pressing a button on the face of the printer or by clicking a button such as Clean Print Head in the printer utility. You may need to clean the print head several times to remove debris if your printer is especially dirty. Cleaning the print head consumes some ink, so plan to use up a bit of the ink in your cartridges. If cleaning the print head does not clean the printer enough to remove smudges from prints, you will need to call an authorized repair center. Do not try to disassemble and clean the printer yourself.

Problem: There are small, white lines or gaps in my print.

Solution: When you see small gaps in your printouts, this, too, usually means that it’s time to clean the print head. See the previous problem and solution for more information about cleaning the print head. Rarely, gaps in printing occur because a print head is out of alignment. Again, your printer utility should have a tool for aligning the print head. If you’ve cleaned and realigned the print head but you’re still having problem with gaps in prints, you should either take your printer to an authorized repair center or buy a new printer. (Keep in mind that inkjet printers aren’t very expensive, so it may be cheaper to buy a new printer than to repair your current printer.)

Problem: My prints have a severe color cast. The overall tint seems to be more red, yellow, green, or blue than it should be.

Solution: You’re likely to see a color cast in your prints if you haven’t used your printer for several weeks or months. This is because the nozzles of the ink cartridges can dry out if they aren’t used periodically. If one or more of the ink heads is dry and clogged, your printer cannot deposit the proper proportions of colored ink on the paper. If you notice a color cast, the first thing to do is clean the print head, as we discussed earlier in this article. If the color cast continues after you clean the print head a few times, you should buy a new cartridge to replace the one that you suspect is dried out. To avoid such problems in the future, try to print something at least once every week or two. You don’t need to use a lot of ink to do this. You can print a test page from your printer or a very small document. You may even conserve ink by printing in draft mode. The important thing is that every so often, the ink cartridge dispenses some ink so that the ink heads don’t get clogged with dried ink. Besides dried-out ink cartridges, there are a couple of other things that can cause a color cast. First, an improperly calibrated monitor may display colors that are quite different than the colors that print. Calibration is a complicated topic that requires more space than what we have here. However, you can search the Smart Computing Tech Support Center (www.smartcomputing.com/techsup port) and the Web to find information about monitor calibration. Finally, some printer manufacturers have specially formulated inks that do not appear as the correct colors unless they are used with the manufacturer’s proprietary inkjet papers. For example, if you use Canon paper in an Epson printer, some of the colors may look funny. The best option in this case is to buy the paper that the manufacturer recommends.

Problem: There’s a slight difference between how my photos looked on my computer monitor and how they look when I print them. Specifically, it seems as if some colors are darker or lighter than they were on the screen.

Solution: Start by cleaning the print head and calibrating your monitor. Also, though, check your print settings. Make sure that you have selected the right type of paper, the desired print quality, and the correct color settings (if the option is available). If you have not selected the right type of paper in the Print Setup or Print Properties dialog boxes, your printer may deposit the wrong amount of ink on the page. For example, if the Print dialog box indicates that you’ll print on glossy photo paper but you insert standard inkjet paper, your printer will likely print much too heavily for the weight and finish of the standard inkjet paper. Likewise, if the Print Properties dialog box says that you will print on transparency paper, your printer will leave much less ink on the page than it would if it were printing on standard paper. Always make sure that you’ve selected the right type of paper before you begin printing. Paper Problems.

Problem: A sheet of paper is stuck in the printer.

Solution: Unfortunately, most of us have had a sheet of paper get stuck in the printer at some time. It can be a very common occurrence. To resolve a paper jam, you usually gently pull the sheet of paper back out of the printer and then reset the printer. However, to avoid damage to your printer, you should consult the users manual to first ensure that you remove the paper jam in a way that is safe for your printer.

Problem: The printer feeds more than one sheet through at a time.

Solution: If your printer pulls more than one sheet of paper through at a time, there are three likely causes. The first is that you’re using a paper type or thickness that your printer doesn’t support. (Check your documentation to determine if the paper is the problem.) The second possible cause is humidity. If your printer is in a humid room, the sheets of paper may become slightly moist and curl or stick together, causing them to feed through the printer improperly. You have a few options to fix this problem. First, you can run an air conditioner or a dehumidifier in the room. This will remove excess moisture from the air. Second, you can move your printer to a room where the air is drier. Third, you can store your paper in a dry location and retrieve paper only when you’re ready to use it. The third cause of a printer grabbing more than one sheet of paper at a time is a malfunction. It’s possible that the rollers that grasp the paper may need an adjustment. If you can find no other logical reason for the misfeeds, you should contact an authorized repair center to do this work for you.

Problem: I can hear the printer attempt to grab paper, but no sheets are actually entering the printer.

Solution: A printer that cannot grasp paper likely has one of the same problems that we just discussed (wrong paper type, high humidity, or malfunction). Read the previous solution for more guidance in resolving these problems.

Problem: My printer supports borderless photo printing, but there’s a gap around the edges of the pictures I print.

Solution: First, make sure that you’ve selected the proper paper size, such as Borderless 4x6, in the Page Setup and Print Properties dialog boxes. Then look for your printer’s Expansion setting. The name may be slightly different depending on the make and model of your printer. If you can’t find this setting, consult your users manual. Many printers that support borderless printing let you configure the degree to which your printer should expand your images to make sure that they print all the way to the edges of the paper you’re using. If the current expansion setting is too low, increase the expansion setting a little bit and try again. This should fix the problem.