Printers

Troubleshooting Steps Include?

Identify the problem, establish a theory of probable causes, determine an exact cause, implement a solution, verify solution and full system functionality, and document findings.

5. Transferring

Paper which is a positive charge/attracts toner

7. Cleaning

Clean drum with electric charge or scraper

Step 2 Establish A Theory of Probable Causes?

Create a list of the most common reasons why the error would occur. • Loose cable connections • Errors on equipment display • Errors on computer screen • Equipment power • Out of paper • Printer queue • Paper jams • Low ink warning

Step 6 Document Findings, Actions, and Outcomes?

Discuss the solution with the customer: • Have the customer confirm that the problem has been solved Document the process: • Problem description • Solution • Components used • Amount of time spent in solving the problem

Preventive maintenance for printers ink?

Do not refill ink cartridges because the ink may leak

6. Fussing

It fuses the toner with the paper @ 400 degress

If the print test page comes out bad?

It's a bad driver.

1. Processing

Printer-driver-drum

4. Developing

The latent/image send out a charge @ (-100v) which attracts the latent image

Preventive maintenance for laser printers are?

• Fuser Assembly • Transfer Rollers • Separation Pads • Pickup Rollers

How to optimize your printer hardware?

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Preventive maintenance for printers paper?

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Hardware Print Servers

Hardware Print Servers Hardware print servers allow many users on a network to access a single printer. A hardware print server can manage network printing through either wired or wireless connections. An advantage of using a hardware print server is that the server accepts incoming print jobs from computers, thereby freeing the computers for other tasks. A hardware print server is always available to users, unlike a printer shared from a user's computer.

Impact Printer

Impact printers have print heads that strike an inked ribbon, causing characters to be imprinted on the paper.

Inkjet printer

Inkjet printers use ink cartridges that spray ink onto a page through tiny holes. The tiny holes are called nozzles and are located in the print head. The print head and ink cartridges are located on the carriage, which is attached to a belt and motor. As rollers pull paper in from the feeder, the belt moves the carriage back and forth along the paper as the ink is sprayed in a pattern on the page. If inkjet printer quality degrades, check the printer calibration by using the printer software.

Per Document Method

Letters, spreadsheets, and digital images are some of the document types that may require special printer settings. You can change the settings for an individual document by changing the document print settings.

Print Servers?

Many printers usually require a separate print server to allow network connectivity because these printers do not have built-in network interfaces. A hardware print server is a device that is not a computer, it is a device with a network card and memory. It connects to the network and printers to enable printers to be shared over the network. A computer can also be used as a print server. Most personal computer operating systems have built-in printer sharing capability. Print servers enable multiple computer users to access a single printer. A print server has three functions: • Provide client access to print resources. • Administrate print jobs by storing them in a queue until the print device is ready for them and then feeding or spooling the print information to the printer. • Provide feedback to users.

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Most manufacturers sell maintenance kits for their printers. For laser printers, the kit might contain replacement parts that often break or wear out: • Fuser assembly • Transfer rollers • Separation pads • Pickup rollers

Page Description Language (PDL)

Page Description Language (PDL) is a type of code that describes the appearance of a document in a language that a printer can understand. The PDL for a page includes the text, graphics, and formatting information.

Printer Command Language (PCL)

Page is rendered on local workstation / Faster prints jobs requires less printer memory / Output varies slight;y on different printers

Inkjet Nozzle Piezoelectric

Piezoelectric crystals are located in the ink reservoir at the back of each nozzle. A charge is applied to the crystal, causing it to vibrate. This vibration of the crystal controls the flow of ink onto the paper.

Print a Test Page

Print a test page to verify that the printer is operating properly. Pathway: [Windows 7] -Start > Devices and Printers>right-click the desired printer>Printer Properties > General Tab > Print Test Page [Windows Vista] Start > Control Panel > Printers to display the Printers and Faxes menu>right-click the desired printer>Properties > General Tab > Print Test Page [Windows XP] Start > Printers and Faxes to display the Printers and Faxes menu. In the Printers and Faxes menu, right-click the printer and select Properties > General Tab > Print Test Page

Step 1 Identify The Problem?

Printer Information: Manufacturer, model, OS, network environment, connection type Open-Ended Questions: • What problems are you experiencing with your printer? • What software or hardware has been changed recently on your computer? • What were you doing when the problem was identified? • What error messages have you received? Closed-Ended Questions: • Is the printer under warranty? • Can you print a test page? • Is this a new printer? • Is the printer powered on?

Page Per Minute (PPM)

Printer capabilities and speed are factors to consider when selecting a printer. The speed of a printer is measured in pages per minute (ppm). Printer speed varies between makes and models.

Installing and configuring printers

Printer drivers are software programs that make it possible for computers and printers to communicate with each other. Configuration software provides an interface that enables users to set and change printer options. Every printer model has its own type of driver and configuration software.

Thermal Printer

Thermal paper is chemically treated and has a waxy quality. Thermal paper becomes black when heated. After a roll of thermal paper is loaded, the feed assembly moves the paper through the printer. Electrical current is sent to the heating element in the print head to generate heat. The heated areas of the print head make the pattern on the paper. Ex: Cash registers use them

Preventive maintenance for printers?

• Always follow the manufacturer's guidelines when cleaning printers. • CAUTION: Unplug printers before cleaning to prevent danger from high voltage. • Use the utility supplied by the manufacturer to clean the ink jet print heads. • When cleaning a laser printer, use a specially designed vacuum cleaner to pick up toner particles. • To extend the life of the thermal printer, clean the heating element regularly with isopropyl alcohol.

Inkjet Advantages

• Initial lost cost • High Resolution • Quick to warm up

Thermal Printers Advantages

• Longer life because there are few moving parts • Quiet operation • No cost for ink or toner

Impact Printers Disadvantages

• Noisy • Low-resolution graphics • Limited color capability

Inkjet Disadvantages

• Nozzles are prone to clogging • Ink cartridges are expensive • Ink is wet after print

PostScript?

• Page is rendered by the printer • Better quality output • Handles more complex print jobs • Output is identical on different printers

Thermal Printers Disadvantages

• Paper is expensive • Paper has a short shelf life • Images are poor quality • Paper must be stored at room temperature • Color printing is not available

How to optimize your printer through settings?

• Print spool settings - Cancel or pause current print jobs in the printer queue. • Color calibration - Adjust settings to match the colors on the screen to the colors on the printed sheet. • Paper orientation - Select landscape or portrait image layout. Printers are calibrated using the print driver software. Calibration makes sure that the print heads are aligned and that they can print on different kinds of media, such as cardstock, photographic paper, and optical discs. Some inkjet print heads are fitted to the ink cartridge, so you might have to recalibrate the printer each time you change a cartridge.

Common Printer Problems

• Printer Will Not Print Check the basics. Ensure that it is plugged in, turned on, and properly connected. Some printers have an online/offline selection, and when it is offline, Windows treats it as though it is turned off. Setting it back to online allows everything to work normally. • No Connectivity—Local Printer The computer might give an error indicating the printer can't be contacted. Ensure that the data cables are connected. Sometimes reseating the cables by disconnecting and reconnecting them will resolve the problem. • No Connectivity—Network Printer If all users are having the same problem, ensure that the printer is on, connected, and configured. If only one user is having the problem, ensure that the user is sending the print job to the correct printer. You might need to reinstall the printer for that user's computer. • Paper Not Feeding Check the rollers or tractor feed to ensure that they are working. In some cases, rollers can become dirty and work inconsistently. Cleaning them resolves the problem. • Creased Paper Printers often crease the paper as it is fed through the paper path, but it should not be noticeable unless you're using a heavier bond paper. A solution is to send the paper through the feeder rather than through the paper tray. • Paper Jam The first solution is to clear the jam, but you should also check the paper path to ensure that it is free of debris. Repeating paper jams can be due to using low- quality paper or paper that has been exposed to high humidity. It's also possible that the pickup and separator rollers are worn and more than one sheet of paper is being picked up. Some printers report a paper jam when the rollers are unable to pick up the paper. Replacing the rollers with a maintenance kit might resolve the problem. • Garbled Characters On Paper The most likely reason for this is using the wrong print driver. Double-check to ensure that the correct driver is installed, and if necessary, update the driver. This might also be due to a cable issue. For example, the maximum distance of a USB 2.0 cable is 5 meters (about 16 feet), and using a longer cable can result in a garbled output. Reseating the cable will ensure that you don't have a loose connection. • Backed-up Print Queue If the printer or the print spooler service has been paused, print jobs won't print. Instead, they stay in the queue. Resume the print spooler service. In some cases, the print spooler service just locks up, and the only way to resolve the problem is to restart it. • Access Denied By default, the Everyone group is assigned Allow Print permission so that anyone can print. However, administrators can modify this. If you're seeing this error, it indicates that the user isn't authorized to use the printer. • Unable to Install Printer In Windows XP, a user needs to be in the Power Users or Administrators group to install a printer, and if not, they will be unable to install a printer. Regular users can install printers on Windows 7. • Blank Pages If you see this on a laser printer, it could indicate that the toner is empty, although users would normally complain as the toner gets low. You can also see this after replacing a toner cartridge without removing the sealing tape. Last, it's possible that the charging process isn't occurring due to a problem with the high-voltage power supply, the primary charge roller, or the corona wire. • Faded Print This indicates that you're low on toner or ink. Replacing the toner, ink cartridge, or ink ribbon should eliminate this problem. On impact printers, this problem occurs if the ink ribbon stops moving. • Streaks on a Laser Printer Streaks on a laser printer are most likely the result of scratches on the imaging drum, especially if they are occurring in the same location on the printed page. The only solution is to replace the drum. • Streaks on an Inkjet Printer On inkjet printers, this can be caused by dirty or misaligned print heads. Use the software tools to clean and align them. • Ghost Images due to Image Problem Ghosting can occur on laser printers after printing a dark image. Try printing a blank page between images. Also, you can reduce the resolution or darkness of the first page to eliminate the problem. • Ghost images due to Hardware Problem If the drum isn't adequately cleaned or adequately charged, it can cause ghosting. You might need to replace the cleaning scraper or the primary charge roller. • Vertical lines on page You can see this on laser printers if the toner gets clogged. The solution is to remove the cartridge and shake it or to replace the cartridge. It can also occur if the drum is scratched or dirty. On inkjet printers, this can occur if the print heads are dirty or misaligned. Clean and align them. • Color Prints in wrong Print Color If the ink cartridges or color toner cartridges are inserted in the wrong location, you'll see some psychedelic results. The solution is to put them into the correct locations, but it might take time for the colors to return to normal. Some inkjet printers recycle the ink, so you'll still have a mixture of the wrong ink. • Low Memory Errors When the RIP creates the raster image, it stores it in memory. If the image is larger than the available memory, you'll receive a memory error. The best solution is to add memory to the printer if it supports additional memory. An alternative is to simplify the image by using a lower resolution or fewer graphics. • Error Codes. Many printers give error codes. They can be cryptic numbers you need to look up in a printer manual, or they can be plain words, such as "Out of paper." Many inkjet printers have a color LCD panel that displays the error, and if you touch it for information, it shows graphics demonstrating how to resolve the problem. • Toner not fused to the paper The fuser assembly fuses the toner to the paper. Replace the fuser to resolve the problem.

Step 4 Establish A Plan of Action To Resolve The Problem and Implement The Solution?

• Sometimes quick procedures can determine the exact cause of the problem or even correct the problem. • If a quick procedure does not correct the problem, you might need to research the problem further to establish the exact cause. • Divide larger problems into smaller problems that can be analyzed and solved individually.

Impact Printer Advantages

• Uses less expensive ink than inkjet or laser printers • Uses continuous feed paper • Has carbon-copy printing ability

Computer-shared Printer Server

A computer that has a printer attached can share that printer with other users on the network, as shown in the figure. For example, in a home network, users can print documents from wherever they are in the house by using a wireless laptop. In a small office network, sharing a printer means one printer can serve many users. Sharing a printer from a computer also has disadvantages. The computer sharing the printer uses its own resources to manage the print jobs coming to the printer. If the computer user on the desktop is working at the same time as a user on the network is printing, the desktop computer user might notice a performance slowdown. In addition, the printer is not available to others if the user reboots or powers off the computer with a shared printer.

Impact Printer Daisy Wheel

A daisy wheel printer uses a wheel that contains letters, numbers, and special characters. The wheel rotates until the required character is in place, and then an electromechanical hammer pushes the character into the ink ribbon. The character then strikes the paper, imprinting the character on the paper.

Dedicated PC Print Servers

A dedicated PC print server handles client print jobs in the most efficient manner and can manage more than one printer at a time. A print server must have the following resources to meet the requests of print clients: • Powerful processor - Because the PC print server uses its processor to manage and route printing information, it must be fast enough to handle all incoming requests. • Adequate hard disk space - A PC print server captures print jobs from clients, places them in a print queue, and sends them to the printer in a timely way. This process requires the computer to have enough storage space to hold these jobs until completed. • Adequate memory - The server processor and RAM handle sending print jobs to a printer. If server memory is not large enough to handle an entire print job, the hard drive must send the job, which is much slower.

Impact Printer Dot Matrix

A dot matrix printer is similar to a daisy wheel printer, except that it has a print head containing pins that are surrounded by electromagnets instead of a wheel. When energized, the pins push forward onto the ink ribbon, creating a character on the paper. The number of pins on a print head, 9 or 24, indicates the quality of the print. The highest quality of print that is produced by the dot matrix printer is referred to as near letter quality (NLQ). Most dot matrix printers use continuous-feed paper, also known as tractor feed. The paper has perforations between each sheet, and perforated strips on the side are used to feed the paper and to prevent skewing or shifting. Sheet feeders that print one page at a time are available for some higher quality printers. A large roller, called the platen, applies pressure to keep the paper from slipping. If a multiple-copy paper is used, you can adjust the platen gap to the thickness of the paper.

Laser Printer

A laser printer is a high-quality, fast printer that uses a laser beam to create an image. The central part of the laser printer is its imaging drum. The drum is a metal cylinder that is coated with a light-sensitive insulating material. When a beam of laser light strikes the drum, it becomes a conductor at the point where the light hits it. As the drum rotates, the laser beam draws an electrostatic image upon the drum. The undeveloped or latent image is passed by a supply of dry ink or toner that is attracted to it. While the image is being exposed on the drum, an individual sheet of paper has been pressed between a separation pad and pickup roller and is fed toward the drum. The drum turns and brings the exposed image in contact with the paper, which attracts the ink from the drum. The paper is then passed through a fuser assembly that is made up of hot rollers, which melts the toner into the paper.

Inkjet Nozzle Thermal

A pulse of electrical current is applied to heating chambers around the nozzles. The heat creates a bubble of steam in the chamber. The steam forces ink out through the nozzle and onto the paper.

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Always follow the manufacturer's guidelines when cleaning printers. Information on the manufacturer's website or documentation explains the proper cleaning methods. CAUTION: Unplug printers before cleaning to prevent danger from high voltage. Printer Maintenance Make sure that you turn off and unplug any printer before performing maintenance. Use a damp cloth to wipe off dirt, paper dust, and spilled ink on the exterior of the device. On some printers, print heads in an inkjet printer are replaced when the cartridges are replaced. However, sometimes print heads become clogged and require cleaning. Use the utility supplied by the manufacturer to clean the print heads. After you clean them, test them. Repeat this process until the test shows a clean and uniform print. Printers have many moving parts. Over time, the parts collect dust, dirt, and other debris. If not cleaned regularly, the printer may not work well or could stop working completely. When working with dot-matrix printers, clean the roller surfaces with a damp cloth. On inkjet printers, clean the paper-handling machinery with a damp cloth. Some printer parts must be lubricated with special grease. Check the documentation to determine if your printer needs this grease and the locations to use it. CAUTION: Do not touch the drum of a laser printer while cleaning because you can damage the drum surface. Laser printers do not usually require much maintenance unless they are in a dusty area or are very old. When cleaning a laser printer, use a specially designed vacuum cleaner to pick up toner particles. A standard vacuum cleaner cannot hold the tiny particles of toner and may scatter them about. Use only a vacuum cleaner with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtration. HEPA filtration catches microscopic particles within the filters. Thermal printers use heat to create an image on special paper. To extend the life of the printer, clean the heating element of the thermal printer regularly with isopropyl alcohol. Choosing the correct paper type for a printer helps the printer last longer and print more efficiently. Several types of paper are available. Each type of paper is labeled with the type of printer for which it is intended. The manufacturer of the printer may also recommend the best type of paper.

How does a wireless printer print

Bluetooth For wireless printers to use Bluetooth, both the printer and the host device must have Bluetooth capabilities and be paired. If necessary, you can add a Bluetooth adapter to the computer, usually in a USB port. Wireless Bluetooth printers allow for easy printing from mobile devices. 802.11x Wireless printers designed for 802.11 standards are equipped with installed wireless NICs and connect directly to a wireless router or access point. Setup is completed by connecting the printer to the computer with the supplied software or using the printer display panel to connect to the wireless router Infrared (IR) IR printing, the earliest form of wireless printing, requires transmitters and receivers on both devices. Both devices must have a clear line of sight between the transmitter and receiver, with a maximum distance of 12 ft (3.7 m).

Common Maintenance Tools

Compressed Air You can use compressed air in a can or compressed air from a compressor. It's best to take the printer outside before blowing out the paper dust. This is the same type of compressed air discussed in Chapter 1, "Introduction to Computers." Computer Vacuum When you're working inside a building, it's not always a good idea to blow the dirt and dust out of a printer into the workspaces. Instead, you can use a vacuum. Regular vacuum cleaners can cause electrostatic discharge (ESD) dam- age, so only ESD-safe vacuums should be used. Isopropyl Alcohol Many of the rollers within a printer will get dirty, and isopropyl alcohol is an ideal choice to clean them. For example, Figure 7-2 shows the pickup roller in a laser printer used to pick up paper from a paper tray. When the pickup roller gets dirty, it can have problems picking up the paper. A benefit of isopropyl alcohol is that it evaporates quickly and doesn't leave any residue. You apply it to a cotton swab or lint-free cloth and then clean the roller.

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Printers, like all other electrical devices, are affected by temperature, humidity, and electrical interference. Laser printers produce heat and should be operated in well-ventilated areas to prevent overheating. Keep paper and toner cartridges in their original wrappers. These supplies should also be stored a cool, dry, dust-free environment. High humidity causes paper to absorb moisture from the air. This can cause the paper to wave, which causes pieces of paper to stick together or jam during the printing process. High humidity can also make it difficult for the toner to attach to the paper correctly. If the paper and printer are dusty, you can use compressed air to blow away the dust.

Step 3 Test The Theory To Determine Cause?

Test your theories of probable causes one at a time, starting with the quickest and easiest. • Restart the printer • Disconnect and reconnect the cables • Restart the computer • Check printer for paper jams • Reseat paper in paper trays • Open and close printer trays • Ensure printer doors are closed • Install a new link or toner cartridge If the exact cause of the problem has not been determined after you have tested all your theories, establish a new theory of probable causes and test it.

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black)

The CMYK color model is a subtractive color model used in color printing. CMYK is the acronym for a color system composed by four colors, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (represented by Key, as a base color).

2. Charging

The drum produces a negative charge (-600v) through a Corona wire

Global Method

The global method refers to printer options that are set to affect all documents. Each time a document is printed, the global options are used, unless they are overridden by per document selections. Pathways: [Windows 7] Start > Control Panel > Devices and Printers > right-click the printer To designate a default printer, right-click the printer and select Set as default printer, as shown in the figure. To change the orientation of the page to landscape in Windows 7, right-click the printer and select Printing Preferences. In the Layout tab, select landscape in the Orientation drop-down menu. Click OK. [Windows Vista & Windows XP] Start > Control Panel > Printers and Faxes > right-click the printer To designate a default printer, right-click the printer and select Set as default printer. NOTE: Depending on the driver installed, the Set as default printer option might not be available. In this case, double-click the printer to open the Document Status window, and then choose Printer > Set as default printer.

Dots Per Inch (DPI)

The quality of printing is measured in dots per inch (dpi). The larger the dpi number, the better the image resolution. When the resolution is higher, text and images are clearer. To produce the best high-resolution images, use high-quality ink or toner and high-quality paper.

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The type and quality of paper and ink used can affect the life of the printer. Many types of printer paper are available, including inkjet and laser. The printer manufacturer might recommend which type of paper to use for best results. Some papers, especially photo paper, transparencies, and multilayered carbon paper, have a right and wrong side. Load the paper according to the manufacturer's instructions. The manufacturer recommends the brand and type of ink to use. If the wrong type of ink is installed, the printer might not work or the print quality might deteriorate. Avoid refilling ink cartridges because the ink can leak. When an inkjet printer produces blank pages, the ink cartridges might be empty. Some inkjet printers may refuse to print any pages if one of the ink cartridges is empty. Laser printers do not produce blank pages. Instead, they begin to print poor quality prints. Most inkjet printers have a utility that shows ink levels in each cartridge, as shown in the figure. Some printers have LCD message screens or LED lights that warn users when ink supplies are low. A method for checking ink levels is to look at the page counter inside the printer or the printer software to determine how many pages have been printed. Then look at the cartridge label information. The label should show how many pages the cartridge can print. You can then easily estimate how many more pages you can print. To help keep track of usage, each time you replace the cartridge, reset the counter. In addition, some printouts use more ink than others do. For example, a letter uses less ink than a photograph. You can set the printer software to toner save or draft quality to reduce the amount of ink or toner that the printer uses. These settings also reduce the print quality of laser and inkjet products, as well as the time it takes to print a document on an inkjet printer. An impact printer is similar to a typewriter because the print head strikes an inked ribbon to transfer ink to the printout. When the impact printer produces faded or light characters, the ribbon is worn out and needs to be replaced. If a consistent flaw is produced in all characters, the print head is stuck or broken and needs to be replaced.

3. Exposing

To write the image, to the drum a laser beam. Every portion of the drum that is scanned with the light has the surface charge reduced to about -100 volts DC. This electrical charge has a lower negative charge than the remainder of the drum. As the drum turns, an invisible latent image is created on the drum.

Step 5 Verify Full System Functionality and Implement Preventative Measures?

Verify full system functionality and implement any preventive measures if needed. Ensures that you have not created another problem while repairing the computer. • Reboot the computer • Reboot the printer • Print a test page from the printer control panel • Print a document from an application • Reprint the customer's problem document. • Have the customer verify the solution and system functionality.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

When buying a printer, there is more than just the initial cost of the printer to consider. The total cost of ownership (TCO) includes a number of factors: • Initial purchase price • Cost of supplies, such as paper and ink • Pages per month • Price per page • Maintenance costs • Warranty costs

Manual Duplex/Double Sided Printing

You have to manually flip the page. A Duplex does two-sided printing automatically.