Sometimes electronics just choose not to work with us. Setting up and troubleshooting a printer can be incredibly frustrating—you’ll want to pull your hair out. But wait! Before you start plucking, read these five printer setup and troubleshooting tips. They’ll save you and your hair.
- You Need to Install a Driver
One of the things you must do to set up your computer is download drivers. This step is easy to do. You can go to the manufacturer’s website and find the driver, but the easiest way is through the “Printers” folder on your computer. Click the Start button on your Windows operating system, and open the “Control Panel.” Then select “Hardware and Sound.” Finally, open the “Printers” folder.
Next, right-click the icon for the appropriate printer. Select “Run as administrator,” and then open “Properties.” You may have to input a username and password. Type in this information and continue if prompted. Finally, open the “Advanced” tab and click “New Driver.” The “Add Printer Driver Wizard” will open and will guide you through installing or updating drivers for your printer. - Your Pages are Printing Too Light, Spotty, or with Horizontal Lines.
Several issues can cause ink to be too light on the page. First of all, be sure the font color is the correct one. For example, text may look black on your screen but is actually set to gray. Another issue could be that the printer is dirty. This issue is easy to fix. Most printers will allow you to clean your printer with a few button pushes. Sometimes ink clogs the cartridges and dirt may build up, causing ink to come out degraded or too light
Inkjets may have this issue if the printer’s text output has become degraded. This problem can cause light text, fading, or filled letters. One way to fix this problem is to clean the nozzles of the printer and make sure the printhead is aligned correctly.
Laser printers have this issue when the toner has settled. Settling can result in fading or streaking on the page. To fix, just remove the toner cartridges and shake them gently. Before long, you will have to replace the cartridges. - Your Printer is Printing Too Slowly
When it comes to printers outputting too slowly, the reason can be as obvious as what you’re printing. High-quality print jobs naturally print at a slower pace because it takes much more work for the machine to print a photo, for example, compared to an essay. If what you’re printing requires a lot of ink and high quality, the job will print much slower.
Another thing you need to know is that not all printers are created equally. Machines output at different speeds. In general, inkjet printers are slower than laser printers. Some inkjet printers print so slowly it feels like you could write the document faster.
A slow printer may be caused by a problem with the cartridges. To troubleshoot, print the test page (sample test page). How to print a test page differs between printer brands, but generally, you can find the “print test page” command under Printer Settings or even as an option on the printer itself. If your printer waits 10–15 seconds before printing the second page, a cartridge has failed. To determine which cartridge failed, remove one of the cartridges and try printing in reserve mode. If it prints at an average speed, you need to replace that cartridge. If not, repeat these steps until you’ve tested each ink cartridge and found the culprit. - The Printer Says the Ink is Empty When It’s Not
If you think your printer is lying about being out of ink, you may be right. These messages plague everyone who owns a printer. One of the best tips I can give anyone is that you can “reset” your printer cartridge. Most cartridges have a circuit board attached to the cartridge. Remove the cartridge from the printer and look for a small indentation above the circuit board. It should be large enough for the end of a paper clip. Softly insert the paperclip end into the indentation. It will reset the memory and allow you to use the rest of the ink.
If you purchased a brand new cartridge, and the printer is still telling you you’re out of ink, it may be a sensor. Many new printers are equipped with sensors that will tell you when you’re out of ink. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for this issue. The only way to fix it is to buy a whole new sensor, and sometimes the cost of a sensor can outweigh the cost of the printer. - Paper Jams Won’t Stop
Occasionally, paper jams happen. Thankfully, most models inform you when there is a paper jam so you can fix it right away. The alert comes in the form of a blinking light or a message on the display. To fix a paper jam, just remove the paper tray or open the back of the printer to reveal the loading mechanism. It will look like a rolling pin. Find the disruptive sheet of paper and gently pull until it's released.
If you experience this problem often, then there's something wrong with your printer. It's likely that your paper tray is misaligned. To fix it, remove all of the paper from the tray and make sure the tray is properly on track. If the issue is still not resolved, tap the stack of paper on a counter. Be sure to inspect for any damaged paper that is crumpled or folded. Replace the paper in the tray, making sure it's positioned correctly. Avoid adding too much paper to the tray as too much can also cause paper jams.
