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There
is possibly nothing more frustrating than preparing
to print a document and when you click the print
button nothing happens or you are faced with error
messages. Here are some tips for troubleshooting
your inkjet printer problem and in many cases fix
your printer:
Most inkjet printers have a built-in diagnostics
program to help you troubleshoot. Typically,
running a test page involves pressing a button or
two as you turn on the printer. Many inkjet
printers also use a combination of indicator lights
to help you pinpoint the problem.
Turn
your inkjet printer on and off if there seems to be
a problem. Just like rebooting a computer, very
often when you turn the printer on and off it
resets itself and gets things working more
efficiently.
Manually
cancel a print job. By selecting Printers from
the Windows Control Panel, double-click your
printer's icon. You will see a list of current
print jobs. Right-click the job you want to cancel
and then select Cancel Printing.
Prints
are lighter than expected; prints contain white
spots or horizontal lines. These signs point to
a clogged print head - especially if you
haven’t used your inkjet printer for some
time. Clean the head by running the head cleaning
tool in the printer’s utility
section.
Vertical
lines are jagged. This is usually a sign that
the print head is out of alignment. There’s
not much you can do to avoid this problem - all
print heads become misaligned over time. You can
usually recalibrate the heads using the alignment
tool that comes in your printer’s utility
section. This involves printing a pattern of lines
on normal paper and choosing which pattern looks
best.
Colours
are missing; prints lack shadows and contrast.
Colours may print inconsistently even before
your printer instructs you to replace a cartridge.
If the ink cartridges are low on ink when the
problem occurs, try replacing them; this may
improve colour quality.
If
there’s enough ink but your print seems to be
missing a particular colour, you probably have a
clogged nozzle, so you’ll need to clean your
print head. Colour quality can also suffer if ink
cartridges have been in the printer for more than
six months. Try swapping in a new
cartridge.
Keep
the inside of the printer clean. Use
tweezers and/or compressed air to clear out the
dust and paper snips from inside your inkjet
printer.
Check
for the latest printer driver. If you're
experiencing problems visit your inkjet printer
manufacturer's web site and download the most
current printer driver. Once you have reinstalled
your printer software you will need to reboot your
computer and then try printing again.
Some common causes of receiving poor print
quality after a new cartridge has been installed
are:
1.
Letting a printer set without a ink cartridge
installed. To avoid this never remove the old
cartridge until you are ready to install the new
one.
2.
Extended use of the printer without cleaning the
printer heads. It is recommended to regularly clean
the heads particularly if the printer is used a
lot.
3.
Letting the printer set for long periods of time
without being used. Printers are like any other
piece of machinery if they aren’t used they
"dry up" and need to be used regularly to avoid
this.
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