A+ 901-1.15-(1)- Given a scenario, perform appropriate printer maintenance.
Manufacturers of high-end printers provide Printer Maintenance Kits, which include specific printer components, step-by-step instructions for performing maintenance
how often maintenance should be done, and any special tools or equipment you need to do maintenance.
When a computer has shared a local or network printer with others on the network, follow these steps to solve problems with these shared printers:
-- Check that you can print a test page from the computer that has the printer attached to it locally or is sharing a network printer. If you cannot print from the host computer, solve the problem there before attempting to print from other computers on the network. -- Is enough hard drive space available on the client or host computer? -- Did you get an "Access denied" message when you tried to print from the remote computer? If so, you might not have access to the host computer. On the remote computer, go to File Explorer or Windows Explorer and attempt to drill down into resources on the printer's computer. Perhaps you have not entered a correct user account and password to access this computer; if so, you will be unable to use the computer's resources. Make sure you have a matching Windows user account and password on each computer. -- On the host computer, open the printer's Properties box and click the Security tab. Select Everyone and make sure Permissions for Everyone includes permission to print (refer back to Figure 19-17). -- Using Windows on the remote computer, delete the printer, and then install the printer again. Watch for and address any error messages that might appear.
When the printer self-test page does not print, check the following: -- Does the printer have paper? Is the paper installed correctly? Are the printer cover and rear access doors properly closed and locked? Is there a paper jam? -- If paper is jammed inside the printer, follow the directions in the printer documentation to remove the paper. Don't jerk the paper from the printer mechanism, but pull evenly on the paper, with care. You don't want to leave pieces of paper behind. Check for jammed paper from both the input tray and the output bin. Check both sides. An inkjet printer is likely to have a door in the back that you can open to gently remove the jammed paper -- Is the paper not feeding? Remove the paper tray and check the metal plate at the bottom of the tray. Can it move up and down freely? If not, replace the tray. When you insert the tray in the printer, does the printer lift the plate as the tray is inserted? If not, the lift mechanism might need repair.
-- Damp paper can cause paper jams or the printer to refuse to feed the paper or to wrinkle or crease the paper. Be sure to only use dry paper in a printer. Paper that is too thin can also crease or wrinkle in the printer. -- Look for an error message or error code in the control panel on the front of the printer. You might need to search the printer documentation or website to find out the meaning of a code. For example, error codes in the 79.xx range for HP printers can indicate a variety of problems from a print job with characters it does not understand to a failed memory module in the printer. -- For some error codes, the problem might be with a print job the printer cannot process. Cancel all print jobs and disconnect the printer from the network. If the control panel reports "Ready" or "Online," then you can assume the problem is with the network, computers, or print jobs, and not with the printer If the error code is still displayed, the problem is with the printer. Follow the directions on the printer manufacturer's website to address the error code. -- Try resetting the printer (for some printers, press the Reset button on the printer). Try powering down or unplugging the printer and starting it again. Check that power is getting to the printer. Try another power source. -- For an inkjet printer, check if nozzles are clogged. Sometimes, leaving the printer on for a while will heat up the ink nozzles and unclog them. -- For an impact printer, if the print head moves back and forth but nothing prints, check the ribbon. Is it installed correctly between the plate and print head? Is it jammed? If the ribbon is dried out, it needs to be replaced. -- Check the service documentation and printer page count to find out if routine maintenance is due or if the printer has a history of similar problems. Check the user guide for the printer and the printer manu- facturer's website for other troubleshooting suggestions.
Here are a few safety tips when working with printers: -- Hot to touch. Some laser printer parts can get hot enough to burn you while in operation. Before you work inside a laser printer, turn it off, unplug it, and wait about 30 minutes for it to cool down.
-- Dangerous electricity. A printer might still keep power even when the printer on/off switch is turned off. To ensure that the printer has no power, unplug it. Even when a laser printer is unplugged, internal components might still hold a dangerous electrical charge for some time. -- Laser beam. For your protection, laser printers use a laser beam that is always enclosed inside a protective case inside the printer. Therefore, when servicing a laser printer, you should never have to look at the laser beam, which can damage your eyes. -- Static electricity. To protect memory modules and hard drives inside printers, be sure to use an ESD strap to protect these sensitive components when installing them. You don't need to wear an ESD strap when exchanging consumables such as toner cartridges, fuser assembles, or image drums. -- When no one is around. Here's one more tip to stay safe, but I don't want it to frighten you: When you work inside high-voltage equipment such as a laser printer, don't do it when no one else is around. If you have an emergency, someone needs to be close by to help
Follow these general guidelines to fix poor print quality with laser printers: -- If you suspect the printer is overheated, unplug it and allow it to cool for 30 minutes. -- The toner cartridge might be low on toner or might not be installed correctly. Remove the toner cartridge and gently rock it from side to side to redistribute the toner. Replace the cartridge. To avoid flying toner, don't shake the cartridge too hard. -- If this doesn't solve the problem, try replacing the toner cartridge immediately. -- Econo Mode (a mode that uses less toner) might be on; turn it off. -- The paper quality might not be high enough. Try a different brand of paper. Only use paper recom- mended for use with a laser printer. Also, some types of paper can receive print only on one side. -- The printer might need cleaning. Clean the inside of the printer with a dry, lint-free cloth. Don't touch the transfer roller, which is the soft, spongy black roller. -- If the transfer roller is dirty, the problem will probably correct itself after several sheets print. If not, take the printer to an authorized service center.
-- Does the printer require routine maintenance? Check the website of the printer's manufacturer for how often to perform the maintenance and to purchase the required printer maintenance kit. -- Streaking is usually caused by a dirty developer unit or corona wire. The developer unit is contained in the toner cartridge. Replace the cartridge or check the printer documentation for directions on how to remove and clean the developer unit. Allow the corona wire to cool and clean it with a lint-free swab. -- Speckled printouts can be caused by the laser drum. If cleaning the printer and replacing the toner cartridge don't solve the problem, replace the laser drum. -- Distorted images can be caused by foreign material inside the printer that might be interfering with the mechanical components. Check for debris that might be interfering with the printer operation. -- If the page has a gray background or gray print, the image drum is worn out and needs to be replaced. -- A ghosted image appears a few inches below the actual darker image on the page. Ghosted images are usually caused by a problem with the image drum or toner cartridge. The drum is not fully cleaned in the cleaning stage, and toner left on it causes the ghost image. If the printer utility installed with the printer offers the option to clean the drum, try that first. The next solution is to replace the less expensive toner cartridge. If the problem is still not solved, replace the image drum.
The printer manufacturer's website is an important resource when supporting printers. Here are some things to look for: -- Online documentation. Expect the printer manufacturer's website to include documentation on installing, configuring, troubleshooting, using, upgrading, and maintaining the printer. Also look for information on printer parts and warranty, compatibility information, specifications and features of your printer, and how to recycle or dispose of a printer. -- A knowledge base of common problems and what to do about them. Some websites offer a forum where you can communicate with others responsible for supporting a particular printer. Also look for an online chat link or email address for technical support.
-- Updated device drivers. Sometimes you can solve printer problems by downloading and installing the latest drivers. Also, a manufacturer makes new features and options available through these drivers. Be sure you download files for the correct printer and OS. -- Replacement parts. When a printer part breaks, buy only parts made by or approved by the printer manufacturer. Manufacturers also sell consumable supplies such as toner and ink cartridges. -- Printer maintenance kits. The best practice is to buy everything you need for routine maintenance either from the printer manufacturer or an approved vendor. If you buy from a nonapproved vendor, you risk damaging the printer, voiding its warranty, or shortening its life span. -- Firmware updates. Some high-end printers have firmware that can be flashed to solve problems and add features. Be careful to download the correct update for your printer.
If a self-test page works and you have already stepped through checking the printer connectivity, but you still cannot print a test page from Windows, try the following: -- The print spool might be stalled. Try deleting all print jobs in the printer's queue. In the Devices and Printers window, double-click the printer and click document(s) in queue. To cancel one document, right-click it and click Cancel in the shortcut menu (see Figure 19-43). To cancel all documents, click Printer and click Cancel All Documents. If the printer is still hung, try using buttons on the front of the printer to cancel print jobs. You can also power cycle the printer (turn it off and back on). Some printers have a Reset button for this purpose. -- Verify that the correct printer is used. -- Verify that the printer is online. See the printer documentation for information on how to determine the status from the control panel of the printer. For many printers, "Ready" appears in this control panel. -- Verify that the printer cable or cable connections are solid. -- Stop and restart the Windows Print Spooler service. Windows uses the Services console to stop, start, and manage background services used by Windows and applications. Do the following:
1. To stop the service, enter services.msc in the Windows 8 Run box or the Windows 7 Search box. In the Services console, select Print Spooler (see Figure 19-44). Click Stop to stop the service. 2. To delete any print jobs left in the queue, open File Explorer or Windows Explorer and delete all files in the C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS folder. 3. Start the print spooler back up. To start up the print spooler, return to the Services console. With Print Spooler selected, click Start. Close the Services console window. -- If you still cannot print, reboot the computer. Try deleting the printer and then reinstalling it. -- Check the printer manufacturer's website for an updated printer driver. Download and install the correct driver. -- Try disabling printer spooling, which you learned to do earlier in the chapter, so that print jobs are not cached, but are sent directly to the printer. -- If you have trouble printing from an application, try to print to a file. For example, you can print to an XPS document by selecting Microsoft XPS Document Writer in the list of installed printers. Then you can double-click the .xps file, which opens in the XPS Viewer window, and you can print from this window. -- Verify that enough hard drive space is available for the OS to create temporary print files. -- Boot Windows into Safe Mode and attempt to print. If this step works, there might be a conflict between the printer driver and another driver or application.
Follow these steps to replace the cartridge and image drum. In these steps, we are using the yellow drum and cartridge: 1. Turn off and unplug the printer. Wait about 30 minutes after you have turned off the printer for it to cool down. Then open the printer cover. The toner cartridge is inserted into the image drum. Lift the drum together with the toner cartridge out of the printer (see Figure 19-32). Be sure to dispose of the drum and cartridge according to local regulations.
2. Unpack the new image drum. Peel the tape off the drum and remove the plastic film around it. As you work, be careful to keep the drum upright so as not to spill the toner. Because the drum is sensitive to light, don't allow the drum to be exposed to bright light or direct sunlight. Don't expose it to normal room lighting for longer than five minutes. 3. Place the drum in the printer. Install the new toner cartridge in the printer. Close the printer cover
For a printer that is printing the wrong colors, do the following: 1. Some paper is designed to print on only one side. You might need to flip the paper in the printer. 2. Try adjusting the quality of print. How to do so varies by printer. For one color laser printer, open the Printing Preferences box and click the Quality tab (see the left side of Figure 19-46). You can try different selections on this box. To manually adjust the color, check Manual Color Settings and then click Color Settings. T
3. For an inkjet printer, try cleaning the ink cartridges and calibrating the printer. One step in doing that prints a self-test page. If the self-test page shows missing or wrong colors, the problem is with the ink cartridges. Try cleaning the ink nozzles. If that doesn't work, replace the ink cartridges. 4. For a laser printer, try calibrating the printer
A toner cartridge for this printer generally lasts for about 1,500 pages. Here are the steps to replace a color toner cartridge: 1. Turn off and unplug the printer. Press the cover release button on the upper-left corner of the printer and open the printer cover (see Figure 19-27). 2. Figure 19-28 shows the cover up. Notice the four erase lamps on the inside of the cover. Look inside the printer for the four toner cartridges and the fuser assembly labeled in Figure 19-29. Pull the blue toner cartridge release button forward to release the cartridge from the image drum below it and to which it is connected (see Figure 19-30).
3. Lift the cartridge out of the printer, lifting up on the right side first and then removing the left side (see Figure 19-31). Be careful not to spill loose toner. 4. Unpack the new cartridge. Gently shake it from side to side to loosen the toner. Remove the tape from underneath the cartridge, and place the cartridge in the printer by inserting the left side first and then the right side. Push the cartridge lever back into position to lock the cartridge in place. Close the printer cover.
The fuser should last for about 45,000 pages. To replace the fuser, follow these steps: 1. Turn off and unplug the printer. Allow the printer to cool and open the cover. 2. Pull the two blue fuser levers forward to unlock the fuser (see Figure 19-33).
3. Lift the fuser out of the printer using the handle on the fuser, as shown in Figure 19-34. Figure 19-34 Remove the fuser 4. Unpack the new fuser and place it in the printer. Push the two blue levers toward the back of the printer to lock the fuser in plac
To prevent the inkjet nozzles from drying out, don't leave the ink cartridges out of their cradle for longer than 30 minutes. Here are some general directions: 1. Following the manufacturer's directions, remove the inkjet cartridges from the printer and lay them on their sides on a paper towel. 2. Dip a cotton swab in distilled water (not tap water) and squeeze out any excess water. 3. Hold an ink cartridge so that the nozzle plate faces up and use the swab to wipe clean the area around the nozzle plate, as shown in Figure 19-24. Do not clean the plate itself.
4. Hold the cartridge up to the light and make sure that no dust, dirt, ink, or cotton fibers are left around the face of the nozzle plate. Make sure the area is clean. 5. Clean all the ink cartridges the same way and replace the cartridges in the printer. 6. Print a test page. If print quality is still poor, try calibrating the printer again. 7. If you still have problems, you need to replace the ink cartridge
If scrambled or garbled characters print on all or part of a page, the problem can be caused by the document being printed, the application, connectivity between the computer and the printer, or the printer. Follow these steps to zero in on the problem: 1. First, cancel all print jobs in the print queue. Then try printing a different document from the same application. If the second document prints correctly, the problem is with the original document. 2. Try printing using a different application. If the problem is resolved, try repairing or reinstalling the application. 3. For a USB printer, the problem might be with a USB hub, port, or cable. Is the USB cable securely connected at both ends? If you are using a USB hub, remove the hub, connecting the printer directly to the computer. Try a different USB cable or USB port.
4. Recycle the printer by powering it down and back up or pressing a Reset button. 5. Update the printer drivers. To do that, go to the website of the printer manufacturer to find the latest drivers and follow their directions to install the drivers. 6. If the problem is still not solved, the printer might need servicing. Does the printer need maintenance? Search the website of the printer manufacturer for other solutions.
To troubleshoot poor print quality for an inkjet printer, check the following: 1. Is the correct paper for inkjet printers being used? The quality of paper determines the final print quality, especially with inkjet printers. In general, the better the quality of the paper used with an inkjet printer, the better the print quality. Don't use less than 20-pound paper in any type of printer, unless the printer documentation specifically says that a lower weight is satisfactory. 2. Is the ink supply low, or is there a partially clogged nozzle? 3. Remove and reinstall the cartridge(s). 4. Follow the printer's documentation to clean each nozzle. Is the print head too close to or too far from the paper?
5. There is a little sponge in some printers near the carriage rest that can become clogged with ink. It should be removed and cleaned. 6. If you are printing transparencies, try changing the fill pattern in your application. 7. Missing lines or dots on the printed page can be caused by the ink nozzles drying out, especially when the printer sits unused for a long time. Follow the directions given earlier in the chapter for cleaning inkjet nozzles. 8. Streaks or lines down the page can be caused by dust or dirt in the print head assemblage. Follow the manufacturer's directions to clean the inkjet nozzles.
To eliminate the printer as the problem, first check that the printer is on, and then print a printer self-test page by using controls at the printer. For directions to print a self-test page, see the printer's user guide. For example, you might need to hold down a button or buttons on the printer's front panel. If this test page prints correctly, then the printer is working.
A printer self-test page generally prints some text, some graphics, and some information about the printer, such as the printer resolution and how much memory is installed. Verify that the information on the test page is correct. For example, if you know that the printer should have 2 MB of onboard printer memory, but the test only reports 1 MB, then there is a problem with memory. If the information reported is not correct and the printer allows you to upgrade firmware on the printer, try doing that next.
When a printer does not print, the problem can be caused by the printer, the computer hard- ware or Windows, the application using the printer, the printer cable, or the network. Follow the steps in Figure 19-39 to isolate the problem.
As you can see in the figure, the problem can be isolated to one of the following areas: -- The printer itself -- Connectivity between the computer and its local printer -- Connectivity between the computer and a network printer -- The OS and printer drivers -- The application attempting to use the printer
If the self-test page prints but the Windows test page does not print and the printer is a network printer or shared printer, the problem might be with connectivity between the computer and the network printer or with the host computer that is sharing the printer
Follow these steps to solve problems with network printers: -- Is the printer online? -- Turn the printer off and back on. Try rebooting the computer. -- Verify that the correct default printer is selected. -- Consider the IP address of the printer might have changed, which can happen if the printer is receiving a dynamic IP address. Using Windows, delete the printer, and then install the printer again. If this solves the problem, assign a static IP address to the printer to keep the problem from reoccurring. -- Can you print to another network printer? If so, there might be a problem with the printer. Look at the printer's configuration. -- Try pinging the printer. To do that, open a command prompt window and enter ping 192.168.1.100 (substitute the IP address of your printer). If the printer replies (see Figure 19-41), the problem is not network connectivity. -- If pinging doesn't work, try using another network cable for the printer. Check status indicator lights on the printer network port and on the switch or router to which the printer connects. -- Use the printer's browser-based utility and check for status reports and error messages. Run diagnostic software that might be available on the utility menu. -- Try flashing the network printer's firmware.
Some printer manufacturers also suggest you use an Extension Magnet Brush. The long-handled brush is made of nylon fibers that are charged with static electricity and easily attract the toner like a magnet.
For a laser printer, wipe the rollers from side to side with a dry cloth to remove loose dirt and toner. Don't touch the soft black roller (the transfer roller), or you might affect the print quality.
A printer gets dirty inside and outside as stray toner, ink, dust, and bits of paper accumulate. As part of routine printer maintenance, you need to regularly clean the printer.
How often depends on how much the printer is used and the work environment. Some manufacturers suggest a heavily used printer be cleaned weekly, and others suggest you clean it whenever you exchange the toner, ink cartridges, or ribbon.
An inkjet printer might require Calibration to align and/or clean the inkjet nozzles, which can solve a problem when colors appear streaked or out of alignment. To calibrate the printer, you might use the menu on the control panel of the printer or use software that came bundled with the printer.
How to access these tools differs from one printer to another. See the printer manual to learn how to perform the calibration. For some printers, a Services tab is added to the printer Properties window. Other printer installations might put utility programs in the Start menu.
For some printers, an error occurs if the printer does not have enough memory to hold the entire page. For other printers, only a part of the page prints. Some might signal this problem by flashing a light or displaying an error message on their display panels, such as "20 Mem Overflow," "Out of memory," or "Low Memory."
The solution is to install more memory or to print only simple pages with few graphics. Print a self-test page to verify how much memory is installed. Some printers give you the option to install a hard drive in the printer to give additional printer storage space.
Most high-quality printers offer a utility embedded in the firmware that you can use to manage print jobs, view the status of the printer, see a job history, and check counters, such as the number of pages printed.
These utilities are accessed through a browser. For one Canon printer, when you enter the IP address of the printer in a browser window and log on to the firmware utility,
To find out how many pages a printer has printed so that you know if you need to do the maintenance, you need to have the printer give you the page count since the last maintenance.
You can tell the printer to display the information or print a status report by using buttons on the front of the printer (see Figure 19-25) or you can use utility software from a computer connected to the printer.
Clean the outside of the printer with a damp cloth. Don't use ammonia-based cleaners. Clean the inside of the printer with a dry cloth and remove dust, bits of paper, and stray toner. Picking up stray toner can be a problem. Don't try to blow it out with compressed air because you don't want the toner in the air. Also, don't use an antistatic vacuum cleaner.
You can, however, use a vacuum cleaner designed to pick up toner, called a Toner Vacuum. This type of vacuum does not allow the toner that it picks up to touch any conductive surface.
