How To Troubleshoot Common Problems With Your Printer?

Are you having trouble printing your document? If stress problems crop up during an emergency, the situation can get worse. If your printing device stops responding or displays an error message, check for errors and start over.

Printing errors or paper jams are the biggest problems during printing. Faded text or striped patterns on your images can cost you time, effort, and money. So, resolve the printer issues to get the correct results. However, troubleshooting varies depending on the printer model. Many printers experience common problems. Once you know the solution, you can easily fix the error in a few minutes.  

The manufacturer also provides a help manual with the printer, but online resources are also available for troubleshooting common problems. 

Steps to solve printer problems

From paper jams to crowded queues, you may encounter many printer problems in your daily work. However, when you need to print something urgently, running into difficulties can only frustrate you. Whether you're a beginner or a professional printer, you've got it all. Check out simple tips to get back to printing in no time.  

Jams and ghost jams

Correctly align the print paper in the tray to ensure smooth printing. If it is misaligned or slightly tilted, a paper jam may occur. If a paper jam occurs, your printer may experience various problems. To resolve this issue, all you need to do is empty the paper tray and carefully remove the jammed paper from the device.

However, overfilling the paper tray or having paper that is too thick is one of the causes of paper jams. Printer trays can hold a certain amount of paper. Paper capacity varies by printer. Some hold 100 sheets of paper, while others can hold an entire pack of paper. So, check the paper capacity in the printer manual to avoid future errors. In addition, a table appears in the printer settings with the type of paper to print on, for example: cardboard, photo paper, copy paper or presentation paper.

It is more important to adapt the device settings to the paper type to ensure a correct print job. The pickup roller can also cause paper jams. Rollers transport paper from the paper tray to the device for printing. If not replaced after a while, it can cause problems.  

Text is misaligned or looks weird

It's more common with inkjet printers to have text that's misaligned or looks weird. Modern inkjet printers require a new set of ink cartridges every time they are used. Likewise, you often need to replace the printhead before printing. Therefore, before you begin, calibrate the printhead nozzles with new accessories.

Visit the printer utilities section for printhead alignment options. Some printers are set up to perform such functions automatically, but some can also be operated manually. You will be shown a chart where you can select text alignment features. Make sure to set the print settings before installing the ink cartridges. Otherwise, misalignment will occur and strange text will be printed.  

Streaky, damp or unsightly prints

If your printer is experiencing ink bleeding, printing faded text, or streaky images, find out what the problem is. Check that you are using the original ink cartridges that came with the printer and not a third-party printhead.   Second, learn about your printing options before printing. If the problem persists, the problem may be with the paper. Low-quality paper may cause streaks or dampness in printouts. Using the correct type of paper can avoid such problems.

Make sure you select the correct print mode for the type of paper you are using. For example, the printer thinks you are using photo paper, but there is regular copy paper in the tray. This can cause the printer to inject the wrong amount of ink, causing confusion. So, match the paper type with the print settings to get perfect output.  

WiFi printing is slow

Despite advances in technology, slow Wi-Fi printing is still common. This can be annoying when a project has a tight deadline. Before you can fix the problem, you need to determine the cause. When multiple users' devices are connected to an Internet connection, the connection speed can slow down. Therefore, when printing documents, make sure there is a WiFi signal for faster printing. Additionally, placing the wireless router close to the printer driver ensures smooth printing. Therefore, keep updating your computer and printer drivers to improve overall performance. And disconnect your devices from the network so they don't take up a lot of bandwidth and interrupt your connection.  

Printer driver issues

If your printer is unresponsive, it's not necessarily a hardware issue. Printer drivers handle the main functions of printing. It can convert between PC and printer. This also applies to printer drivers as the software needs to be updated. So it is necessary to update the system to make it compatible with the operating system. Update outdated drivers to prevent system crashes. Apart from this, when you download the printer driver to your computer, it should meet the printer's requirements. If not, uninstall the printer driver to replace it with the latest version. Check your printer manufacturer's support page to see which drivers are available for your printer model.  

Queue loaded

Once the print job is complete, you will need to clear the queue. But stopping a print run due to a data connection error may cause the driver to stop. This blocks the queue. Sometimes the queue seems to be overloaded due to multiple print attempts. Therefore, please turn off or unplug the printer to clear the queue. Delete existing files and close the monitor. Then turn on the computer and printer to continue printing. Even after clearing the queue, if a paper jam occurs, you should update the printer or obtain a driver that is compatible with your device.  

Conclusion

This article provides simple but effective steps to solve printer problems. Follow the steps to see the results. Even if the problem persists, adjust printer settings, replace ink cartridges, or replace printing paper. Otherwise, contact the printer manufacturer immediately to resolve the problem.