9. Comptia A+ 1101: Supporting Print Devices

print bed

3-D print device component on which output is deposited.

filament, resin

3-D print device media type.

Poorly distributed toner or a damaged/worn transfer corona wire. If the secondary corona does not apply a charge evenly across the paper, less toner is attracted from the drum to the part of the sheet where charging failed. Note that if there are repetitive white or black marks (rather than stripes) that do not smudge, the issue is more likely to be dirt or grease on the drum.

A laser printer is producing white stripes on the paper. What could be causing this?

Open the printer and locate the label that came off the backing. Remove the label, and if there is any sticky residue, clean it with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) applied to a swab. Ensure the roll of labels is properly loaded and that there are no loose labels that might come loose again.

A thermal printer used to create labels for parts bins, kits, and boxes is jammed due to a label coming loose during printing. How should you resolve this problem?

Print out a test page to see if you can reproduce the problem the user reported. If you see the same problem as reported by the user, identify the print defect, based on the type of printer, to resolve the problem. Document the steps you took to resolve the problem.

A user reports that the printed output is not up to the usual standards for her printer. You will need to resolve this issue so she can print her report. What is the overall process for troubleshooting this issue?

fuser

Assembly in laser print device that fixes toner to media. This is typically a combination of a heat and pressure roller.

print server

Computer configured to share a connected printer with other hosts. The client hosts connect to the printer share rather than directly to the print device.

Automatic Document Feeder (ADF)

Device that feeds media automatically into a scanner or printer.

imaging drum

Drum or belt in a laser printer that supports a high electric charge that can be selectively removed using a laser or LED light source.

Server Message Block (SMB) or scan to folder

Feature of scanners and multifunction devices that directs output to a cloud storage account.

secured print

Feature that holds print jobs until the user authenticated directly with the print device using a PIN or smart badge.

Allow the print device to acclimate for a few hours after unboxing to avoid risks from condensation.

Following some past issues with faults arising in print devices because of improper setup procedures, you are updating the company's network instructions for printer installation. You have noted that technicians must refer to the product instructions, use safe lifting techniques, and ensure removal of packing strips. What additional guidance should you include.

Spooler

Generic term describing how a print output stream is passed from a client application and stored temporarily at a print server until the print monitor can route the job to the print device.

3-D printer

Hardware device capable of small-scale manufacturing. Most 3-D printers use either a variety of filament (typically plastic) or resin media with different properties.

Check the error message reported by the printer (this may be shown on the printer's console). It may indicate the location of the stuck pages. Otherwise, visually inspect the various feed and output mechanisms.

How would you track down the source of a paper jam?

Cycle the power on the printer.

If print jobs do not appear at the printer and the queue is clear, what could you try first to solve the problem?

print monitor

In Windows, the print monitor is a process that checks the print queue (%SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers\) for print jobs. When they arrive, they are processed, if necessary, then passed via a print port to the print device.

belt

Inkjet print device component that moves the print head over the paper.

duplex unit

Installable option that enables a print device or scanner to use both sides of a page automatically.

Page Description Language (PDL)

Instructions that the print device can use to create an image on the page (for most printers, this means a raster describing the placement of dots on the paper).

maintenance kit

On a laser printer, the fuser unit (the part that fuses toner onto the paper) needs replacing according to the maintenance kit schedule. A maintenance kit also includes new pickup, feed, and separation rollers. It may also include transfer components (roller or belt), or these may be replaced on a different schedule, depending on the printer model.

unbox

Operational procedure for ensuring that a new device is installed safely to an optimum environment.

Printer Control Language (PCL)

Page description and _____________ developed by HP to implement printer driver functionality.

PostScript

Page description language developed by Adobe that is capable of creating accurate, device-independent output (this means that two different printer models will produce exactly the same output from the same print file).

The paper might not be loaded squarely, there might be too much paper loaded into the tray, or the paper is creased or dirty.

Paper is repeatedly jamming in an inkjet printer. What could be causing this?

separation pad

Print device component that ensures only a single sheet at a time is fed into the paper path.

finisher unit

Print device component used to automate document production, such as hole punching or stapling print jobs.

pickup roller

Print device components that feed paper between the input tray, print engine, and output tray.

transfer roller/belt

Roller, corona wire, or belt assembly on a laser print device that applies a charge to the media (paper) so that it attracts toner from the photoconductor. A detac strip then removed the charge to prevent paper curl. On a color laser printer the transfer unit is usually a belt.

toner

Specially formulated compound to impart dye to paper through an electrographic process (used by laser printers and photocopiers). The key properties of _______ are the colorant (dye), ability to fuse (wax or plastic), and ability to hold a charge. There are three main types of ________, distinguished by the mechanism of applying the ______ to the developer roller: dual component (where the _______ is mixed with a separate magnetic developer), mono-component (where the ________ itself is magnetic), and non-magnetic mono-component (where the _______ is transferred using static properties).

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black (CMYK)

Subtractive color model used by print devices. _______ printing involves use of halftone screens. Four screens (or layers) of dots printed in each of the colors are overlaid. The size and density of the dots on each layer produce different shades of color and is viewed as a continuous tone image.

print device

Term used to describe the actual printer hardware that services a print job when submitted from an application.

Set duplex mode as the default under Printing Preferences.

To minimize paper costs, a department should use the duplex printing option on a shared printer by default. The print device is already configured with an automatic duplex finishing unit. What additional step should you take to try to ensure duplex printing?

F ---any print device can be shared via printer properties. The print device can be connected to the Windows print server over USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi. Other clients connect to the printer via the share, however, so the Windows PC must be kept on to facilitate printing.

True or false? To enable printer sharing via Windows, the print device must be connected to the Windows PC via Ethernet or Wi-Fi link.

scanner

Type of copier that can convert the image of a physical object into an electronic data file. The two main components of a _____ are the lamp, which illuminates the object,and the recording device, an array of charge coupled devices (CCDs).

thermal printer

Type of printer that uses a heated print head and specially treated paper to form the image. Most direct thermal printers are handheld devices used for printing labels or receipts.

Inkjet printers

Type of printer where colored ink is sprayed onto the paper using microscopic nozzles in the print head. There are two main types of ink dispersion system: thermal shock (heating the ink to form a bubble that bursts through the nozzles ) and piezoelectric (using a tiny element that changes shape to act a sa pump).

flatbed scanner

Type of scanner where the object is placed on a glass faceplate and the scan head moves underneath it.

impact printer

Typically a dot matrix printer, uses pressure to transfer ink from a ribbon onto paper in a particular pattern, similar to the mechanism of a typewriter.

Switch to a PostScript (PS) driver. This is likely to have better support for accurate color models. You might also suggest running a calibration utility.

Users in the marketing department complain that a recently installed printer is not producing accurate color output. What steps might resolve the problem?

The print device's IP address or host name. You might note that vendor utilities can search for a connected device on the loca network, so "None" could also be a correct answer.

What configuration information does a user need to use a print device connected to the same local network?

The 3-D print process is sensitive to movement and vibration, so the printer must be located on a firm and stable surface. The process can also be affected by dust and the ambient temperature and humidity (especially variations and drafts). Finally, some printer types are fully exposed, so there is some risk of burns from the high-heat elements. Ideally, the printer should not be accessible to untrained staff.

What considerations for locating a 3-D printer do you have to make?

It leaves black stripes on the paper. If the roller does not apply the correct charge evenly to the drum, toner is attracted to the place where the charging failed, creating a black stripe all the way down the page.

What effect does a dirty primary charge roller have on laser printing?

Remove the packing strips. Many printer brands place plastic tabs or cling-wrap over sensitive components during shipping. The old cartridge should be removed and placed into a sealed bag for recycling.

What must you do before installing a new toner cartridge into a printer?

Multi-part or continuous tractor-fed stationery and carbon copy paper.

What type of paper/stationery can dot matrix printers use that laser and inkjet printers cannot?

Try using the printer's built-in cleaning cycle and then replacing the ink cartridge. If these do not work, try using an aftermarket cleaning product. Try using the printer properties sheet to check for print head alignment, color settings, and other settings.

You have asked to perform basic maintenance on an inkjet printer. One of the users noticed that the colors are not printing correctly and the bottom of some letters are not printing. What would you do?

Using the steps in the printer documentation, replace the ribbon in the printer and clean the print head. If this does not fix the problem, replace the print head.

You have been asked to perform basic maintenance on a printer in the Research and Development are. The dot matrix printer used to create shipping documents seems to be printing lighter than normal, and one of the pins seems to not be connecting near the center of the print head as there are blank areas in some letters and images. What maintenance should you perform?

One. Applications rely on the operating system to mediate access to devices. They do not need their own drivers.

You use three Windows 10 applications that need to print to a Canon inkjet printer. How many printer drivers must you install?

Printer

is often used to mean "print device" but also refers to a term used to describe the software components of a printing solution. The __________ is the object that Windows sends output to. It consists of a spool directory, a printer driver, and configuration information.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

software that can identify the shapes of characters and digits to convert them from printed images to electronic data files that can be modified in a word-processing program.

The main component is a new fuser assembly. The kti will also usually contain transfer/secondary charge roller plus paper transport rollers for each tray (pickup rollers and anew separation pad).

which components are provided as part of a laser printer maintenance kit?