Printers
Printers are perhaps one of the most common peripherals a computer has attached, they come in many varieties and offer many different ways of printing to media. These days they can produce amazing print quality and even the amateur can make the best reproductions with very little ease.
Two very common types of printer are the laser and the inkjet. The laser printer prints much faster than the inkjet, and is often used in the corporate environment, although you can purchase them for home use relatively cheaply these days. The inkjet’s are earlier technology and have evolved into very complex yet inexpensive machines capable of producing very high quality prints.
They are marvellous things to have married to your computer, and if you’re like me and your scribblings are a disaster, then why not have your little printing joy do all the transcribing for you. This sounds great and works a treat when it does the job, but what can we do when it decides to throw a major dummy spit. !!
Two very common types of printer are the laser and the inkjet. The laser printer prints much faster than the inkjet, and is often used in the corporate environment, although you can purchase them for home use relatively cheaply these days. The inkjet’s are earlier technology and have evolved into very complex yet inexpensive machines capable of producing very high quality prints.
They are marvellous things to have married to your computer, and if you’re like me and your scribblings are a disaster, then why not have your little printing joy do all the transcribing for you. This sounds great and works a treat when it does the job, but what can we do when it decides to throw a major dummy spit. !!
Printers being mechanical devices will at some point refuse to work no matter how much button pressing you do. The first thing you should check is what we call the print spool, in simple English the print spool is a cue for printing jobs. Some printers that are overloaded with print jobs, will have jammed up cues and no matter how much clicking on the print button you keep doing, it will only make the cue longer.
A longer cue means longer processing time that results in user frustration. There are many other aspects to printing problems, but here I will show you the easiest ways to resolve basic ones first.
A longer cue means longer processing time that results in user frustration. There are many other aspects to printing problems, but here I will show you the easiest ways to resolve basic ones first.
Much like our frustration in long queues, we would all prefer the shortest path, the funny thing about this is, that your computer and its printing processor (let’s call it a program) also loathees long queues. The best thing you can do to alleviate its frustration is simply shorten the cue easing its workload.
There are a few ways of doing this, but generally speaking the easiest is via the Windows task Bar. You will often find when you send a print job to your computer, a small printer icon will appear in the lower right-hand side of the task bar at the bottom of your screen.
Double-click the icon and a new window will appear, now click the print job you have sent the printer. This will highlight the print job in the cue, if its only one print job in the cue then you will only see the one job.
If you have multiple print jobs cued, you can cancel them all, or just highlight the one you wish to cancel.
Once you have selected the print job you want cancelled, click `Document’ in the menu bar at the top and then in the drop down menu click `Cancel.’
The above describes an easy way of cancelling print jobs that may clear the print cue. This is the basic software approach to fixing printer problems. There are many other aspects to printers and the common problems they have that can stop them from printing.
The above describes an easy way of cancelling print jobs that may clear the print cue. This is the basic software approach to fixing printer problems. There are many other aspects to printers and the common problems they have that can stop them from printing.
Some of these problems may stem for hardware, in this case I am talking about things like, printer cartridges, ribbons, toners, cables, connectors etc.
Some hardware items to check first:
· Check cables and connectors
· Check printer is on along with power cable and connected
· Check ink levels
· Check cartridge does not have protective tape sill in place
· Check paper level
· Check for paper jams
· Check printer is on along with power cable and connected
· Check ink levels
· Check cartridge does not have protective tape sill in place
· Check paper level
· Check for paper jams
Another way of diagnosing printers and configuration, is via the Control Panel, here you will find the Printer and Faxes icon. To Find it, click Start, Control Panel, Printers and Faxes.
There are many configuration and troubleshooting elements located here that will enable you to change printer settings. In most cases if you `right-click' the printer icon, you will be presented with a drop-down menu that is useful for configuration.
To fully understand printers and their associated problems is a massive subject in itself. The above is only intended as a rough guide to help you sort through some very basic troubleshooting steps. You will find that many printer manufacturers provide you with a help section in their program regarding their particular product. You can also visit their website for extended help and support.