07-Printers

Ink Jet Function

-A new generation of ink jet printers produce photo-quality printouts when used with photo-quality paper. -Photo-quality ink jet printers mix up to 16 drops of ink to form a single dot of color on the page. -Ink jet printers feed single cut sheets of paper, from a feed tray, by clamping them between rollers and advancing them one print line at a time, from top to bottom, and then placing the newly printed paper into a tray, other than the feed tray.

Print Server Properties

-Add ports and modify the port for any printer -Manage print drivers used on the system, including drivers required by network users -Configure printing notifications -Change the drive and directory used for all print queues (spooler location) on the system

Additional features [PCh]

-Additional paper sizes -Double-sided printing -Document or sheet feeders -Built-in scanners, copiers, or faxing capabilities -Automatic collation or stapling -Color printing -Built-in network support -Built-in hard drives or memory for storing and recalling printed documents

Print Quality [PT]

-Check ribbon, ink, and toner levels. -If the text appears garbled, make sure the proper printer driver is used. If necessary, upgrade to the latest version or reinstall the driver. -If the page only prints part way through (and the rest of the page is blank), you might need to upgrade the memory on the printer or check the print server settings. -Check the pickup rollers if paper is not being fed through the printer properly.

Printer Configuration

-Connect the print device. -Create a printer object. PnP USB printers may auto-configure. -Configure device-specific settings [color profiles, paper trays, stapling or double-sided] -Send a test print. -Ensure users have proper knowledge

Printer Characteristics [PCh]

-Connection Interface -Print Quality -Print Speed -Memory -Additional Features

Printer Device [PT]

-Ensure that there is paper in the feed tray and that the tray, feed, and rollers are all in their correct positions. Verify that the correct paper tray was selected when sending the print job. -Look for a paper jam. If a jam is found, clear it and then check any feed and roller mechanisms nearby and confirm that they are clean and operating correctly. -Check the ink and toner levels. -Perform a test print from the printer. *If successful, the problem is with the workstation or the connection. *If unsuccessful, the problem is with the printer itself.

Printer Paper [PT]

-Feed issues - buy higher quality -Inkjet - no slick, glossy, wax-coated not designed. -Laser- think paper or cardstock - weight 70-130 GSM -Laser - paper path for thick in straight rather than curling. -Laser - do not print over photocopied or laser printed images. Will smear. GSM = grams per square meter.

Printer Queue-Spooler [PT]

-Make sure that the printer is not paused. -Verify that the Print Spooler service is started. -Check the print queue. Sometimes a large document might be first in the queue and is stalled or otherwise preventing other documents from printing. Move the document down in the queue, or if necessary delete the document from the queue.

Printer Mechanical Issues [PT]

-Non-compliant parallel cables. [ensure 1284 compliant] -Incorrectly configured port settings in your BIOS. [use 1284 mode] -Too long of a USB cable. No longer than 3-4 ft - shorter better.

Printer Configuration [PC] [7.2]

-Print Device -Print Driver -Printer -Print Queue -Printer Port

Printer Properties [7.4]

-Print a test page -Share the printer -Change the driver used by the printer object -Add drivers for network users -Change the port used by the printer -Match the colors on the screen to the colors that are printed by loading color mgmt profiles -Assign permissions to control what users can do -Configure custom settings for the specific print device

Print Driver [PT]

-Verify that the latest version of the driver for the specific make and model of the printer has been installed. If the incorrect driver is installed, this can lead to post-script text, garbled text, and other irregular activity. -Incorrectly configured network printing often leads to end users installing the wrong driver on their machine. Configure network so users are not installing drivers. -On occasion, driver files may become corrupted.

Print Job Process 1-2

1. An output file is created that contains commands the printer understands and sent to a virtual printer where the print job may be configured. 2. A Device Driver Interface (DDI) is created at this point which allows the document to interface with a printer driver.

Configure Network Printer

1. Connect the print device 2. Configure the printer object. 3. Share the printer. [configure drivers to support client computers] 4. Create a network printer object using the share name of the shared printer. [\\computername\sharename]

Print Job Process 3-4

3. A local spooler sends the file (print job) to the print driver. 4. The spooler tracks the printer ports and printer configuration and assigns print queue priority to the print job.

Print Job Process 5-7

5. The print job is concurrently stored on a disk file. 6. The printer driver creates the correct print document format. 7. The print job is then sent to the printer and is physically printed.

Dot matrix Printer [7.1]

A dot matrix printer is an impact printer that transfers characters by striking a pattern (from a matrix) through an inked ribbon and onto paper. -Dot matrix printers operate in either a font (letters, numbers and symbols) or dot-addressable (graphs and charts) mode. -Dot matrix printers can use either a friction feed or a tractor feed system to move paper through the printing assembly. -Because dot matrix printers strike the image onto paper, it is a good printer to use when carbon-copy documents are being printed. -The print head can become dangerously hot due to pin friction. -Dot matrix printers can be loud because printing takes place by pins physically striking the ink ribbon, paper, and the platen (a metal plate behind the paper).

Print queue Mmgt

A print queue is a location on the hard disk that holds print jobs that are waiting to be processed. Each printer object has its own print queue. -Double-click the printer to open the print queue. -By default, users can manage their own jobs in the print queue (pause/unpause or delete). Users who have the Manage documents permission can manage all documents in the queue (pause, resume, delete, or rearrange the order). Users can only pause individual documents (or all documents) in the queue; they cannot pause the printer.

Print Server

A print server is responsible for managing the flow of documents from the queue to the printer. When the printer is ready, the print server takes the next document out of the queue and sends it to be printed.

Thermal Printer

A thermal printer is a non-impact printer that uses heat to cause a reaction on specially treated paper. -Monochrome thermal paper is chemically treated to darken where heated (photosensitive). Many cash registers use this type of printer for creating receipts. -Color thermal paper is chemically treated to absorb color from a ribbon where heated. -Ink is applied via the ribbon in a similar manner to a solid ink printer. -The color system used by thermal printers is CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and black). -The paper must make one pass for each application of a different color. -Color thermal printers are very expensive, high quality, and operate quietly.

Printer [PC]

A virtual device (logical software entity) inside the print server that can be configured to send output to a printing device. The printer is made up of the print driver, the printing device, and the spooler.

PostScript

Adobe created a printer language called PostScript that easily handles scaling of certain fonts and images. Printers that understand PostScript are usually more expensive than other printers.

Internal Print Server

An internal print server is inside the printer itself. You use special management software to connect to the print server and manage print jobs.

Network Printing [7.3]

By making a printer accessible on the network, you allow multiple devices to share a single print device. Network printing uses the following three special processes and components: -Spooling -Print Queue -Print Server

Install the printer drivers

Each network host that wants to use the printer must have the corresponding printer driver installed. When you share a printer in Windows, the current printer driver is automatically delivered to clients that connect to the shared printer. If the client computers run a different version of Windows, you can add the necessary printer drivers to the printer object. -Edit the printer properties and use the Advanced tab. -Edit the print server properties and use the Sharing tab.

Print Quality Dot Matrix [PT]

For dot matrix printers, printer images become faint when the ribbon needs to be replaced. Most dot matrix print ribbons turn in a continuous loop, causing the ribbon to be used multiple times. Also, ensure that there is not too much gap between the printer head and the paper.

Print Quality Inkjet [PT]

For inkjet printers, if letters have missing lines, use the printer's automatic cleaning feature. If this doesn't work, replace the printer cartridge. For missing or incorrect colors, verify ink levels. If the problem persists, you should download and install the latest printer driver, then use the Properties tab of the printer driver to adjust the driver's color settings. Many times, installing the latest driver alone will fix color issues. If not, then you can manually adjust the color settings until they match the original.

Print Quality Laser [PT]

For laser printers with missing lines, try shaking the toner cartridge to distribute the toner evenly. If lines are still missing, or if extra characters appear, you might need to have the printer cleaned or some internal components replaced.

Print Quality - Calibrate [PT]

For newer laser and inkjet printers, calibrate the printer (perform a self test). Often the printer uses the self test to check the printed image and make minor adjustments automatically. Calibration fixes blurry text or incorrect colors.

Printer Control Language [PCL]

Hewlett-Packard has created several versions of a printer control language called PCL. Many modern printers understand PCL.

Ink jet (ink dispersion)

Ink jet printers are quiet non-impact printers with ink stored in a reservoir. Bubble jet printers are the most popular form of ink jet printers. -The ink reservoir is in a disposable cartridge that includes the printing mechanism. -Bubble jet printers print by heating the ink and squirting it through tiny nozzles in the print head and onto the paper. -The crispness of an ink jet printer's image is usually rated in terms of Dots Per Inch or DPI. -Ink jets range from 150 to over 1400 dpi. -Ink jet printers are an inexpensive way to produce color printouts.

Laser Printer

Laser printers use lasers and electrical charges to transfer images to paper. -Laser printers are classified as page printers because they print text and graphics simultaneously one complete page at a time. -Laser printers use a laser to charge a metal drum. The drum picks up plastic toner, and the toner is then fused on to the paper (using rollers and heat). -Of all the types of printers discussed in this course, laser printers have the highest print quality.

Connection interface [PCh]

Make sure that the printer you choose has an interface supported by your computer. The two most common interfaces in modern printers are USB and network interfaces.

USB, IEEE 1394

Many newer printers come with both parallel and USB connectors allowing for configurations that include scanners, external drives, or additional printers. The USB connections increase speed considerably over a standard serial port. Firewire connections provide the additional option of isochronous data transfer.

Infrared/Wireless

Many printers allow you to connect using a wireless connection. This also allows for special configurations and is especially useful with laptop computers. -Infrared connections are actually serial connections using light and air instead of wires to make the connection. -Bluetooth is a wireless technology for creating simple connections between two devices. -802.11a/b/g wireless standards use radio waves and are used to create wireless networks between multiple devices.

Parallel Max Cables

Maximum standard cable length is 15 feet (9 to 12 feet is optimum). Newer IEEE-1284 cables can go up to 30 feet and some specialty cables will allow a distance of 50 feet. As a rule, any distance over 10 feet should probably be accommodated by a network connection.

Serial Print Connector

Older printers used the serial port to connect to the computer. -The serial connection makes serial printers slower, but the connecting cables can be longer. -The same configuration information is required for serial printers as any serial device (start bits, stop bits, transmission rate, parity). -Serial printers are rare today.

Parallel Print Connector

Parallel printers used to be the standard method of connecting printers to a computer. Be aware of the following when using parallel connections: -Parallel communication is generally faster than serial communication. -A cable with a 25-pin DB male connector on one end and a Centronics-36 connector on the other end is used to connect the cable to the printer. -Some printers, particularly Hewlett Packard laser printers, use a Mini Centronics connector, which also has 36-pins, just closer together and in a smaller housing. -Parallel printers are increasingly rare today.

Print Quality [PCh]

Print quality is often measured in dots per inch (DPI). The higher the DPI, the higher quality the image.

Print speed [PCh]

Print speed is expressed as the number of pages that can be printed in a minute (PPM or pages per minute). Printers often rate both the black and white and color print speeds.

Memory [PCh]

Printers can improve performance by having built-in memory. Additional memory improves performance and reduces the processing load on computers. In some cases, you can add or upgrade the memory in a printer.

SCSI

SCSI printers are used mostly for high-end printers where performance is an issue. SCSI devices are connected in a chain to the computer.

Solid ink Printer

Solid ink printers melt ink onto the print head (which is as wide as the paper). The head jets the melted ink onto the paper as the paper passes by on the print drum (similar to the laser printing process). -Solid ink printers offer the following advantages: *Simple design *Excellent print quality *Easy set up and maintenance -The head takes as long as 15 minutes to heat prior to printing.

Network

Some printers also have their own network interface card, which allows them to connect directly to a network. Network printers can also be connected to a computer that is connected to the network. Another way to connect a non-network-ready printer to a network is with a network interface device. Network printers are useful for allowing multiple people to share the same printer. This is a common way to connect printers used in a business environment.

Spooling

The client application generates the print job on the local system. This process is known as spooling.

Printer Languages

The following are three printer languages that printers commonly understand: -Escape Codes -Printer Control Language [PCL] -PostScript

Printer Troubleshooting [PT]

The majority of printing problems are caused by seemingly obvious problems such as the printer not being turned on or a cable being disconnected. For this reason it is always best to check the most basic printing functions first before trying to diagnose more technical issues. -Check to make sure that the printer is turned on and is online. -Verify that the cable is connected on both ends and that it is the correct cable for that printer.

Printer Port [PC]

The means by which a print device connects to a print server (parallel port, serial port, or to the printer's NIC). Traditional parallel ports are quickly being replaced by USB ports for printing devices. In this respect, many printers can be configured in the same way that most plug and play devices are. All parallel connections must adhere to the IEEE standard 1284. You should look at your printer configuration to see which mode your printer requires. The five modes addressed in the IEEE standard are: -Nibble -Compatibility -BYTE -EPP -ECP

Dot Matrix Pin Number

The most common number of pins on a dot matrix printer is 9, 18, or 24, with more pins providing a higher resolution. 24-pins create a near-letter quality print and anything with less than 24-pins provides a draft quality print. The overall print quality of a dot matrix printer is quite poor when compared to that of other types of printers.

Print Device [PC]

The physical device connected to the print server where print output occurs.

Print Queue [PC]

The portion of the hard drive where print jobs are stored before going to the print device.

Print Queue

The print job is sent to a print queue. The queue is a location for storing waiting print jobs.

Print server Mgmt

The print server is a software process that takes print jobs from the queue and sends them to the print device. -A single print server services all print queues and print devices. -To edit the print server properties, in the Printers folder, choose the File menu then Server Properties....

Use a print server

The print server manages the flow of documents sent to the printer. Using a print server lets you customize when and how documents print. The print server can be any one of the following devices: You can configure a computer (either a server or a workstation) to perform print server functions. The computer can fill other roles on the network in addition to being the print server. Most operating systems include print server software.

Connect the printer to the network

The printer must have a connection to the network (either wired or wireless). This can be done in one the following ways: -Install a network interface card in the printer. -Connect the printer to a workstation or server that is connected to the network. The printer is shared to make it available to other computers. -Connect the printer to a special print server that has a network connection. If the printer itself does not have a network connection, you use the parallel or USB port to connect the printer to another device.

Print Driver [PC]

The software that allows the printer to communicate with the print device. Printer drivers provide the following support functions: -Translate data into a recognizable form for the given printer. -Manage graphics via graphics drivers, converting graphics into the appropriate printer commands. -Allow management of the print job by displaying print and printer properties in the operating system.

Dot Matrix Speed

The speed of dot matrix printers is measured in characters per second (CPS). Common speeds for a dot matrix printer are 32 to 72 CPS.

Connect Network Attached Printer

To connect to a network attached printer or one using an external print server, create a printer using a TCP/IP port. Use the IP address and port name information to connect to the printer.

Escape Codes

Used to control dot matrix printers. Escape codes are primitive compared to today's standards.

Printer Properties Mgmt

Users with the Print permission can print using the printer; users with the Manage printers permission can edit the printer properties and pause the printer, but cannot manage any documents waiting to be printed.

Print Spooling service Mgmt

Windows printing is dependent upon the Print Spooling service. The Print Spooling service is a software process that captures print jobs from applications, places them in the print queue, and then sends each print job to the print device. -Use the Services snap-in to manage the Print Spooling service. -By default, the Print Spooling service is configured to start automatically each time the system starts. -Pausing or stopping the service prevents printing to any printer on the system.

External Print Server

You can purchase an external print server. This device is only used as a print server, although many print servers can manage multiple printers.

Dye sublimation Printer

[dye diffusion thermal photo] A dye sublimation printer is a non-impact printer that uses film-embedded dye. -The print head heats and passes over the film, causing the dye to vaporize and soak into the film paper. -Dye sublimation printing prints in transitioning colors rather than pixels. -Produces photographic quality images.