Table 9-13 Tools for Fixing Printer Problems

93

Tool	How Used

Maintenance kit	Replacement fuser, air filters, transfer rollers, and other components for
	laser printers; extends printer’s useful life.

Toner vacuum	Removes toner particles from laser printer. Toner particles are so small
	they can’t be captured by conventional vacuum cleaners.

Compressed air	Blows dust, dirt, and toner particles out of printers and all-in-one units.

Printer spooler	Windows feature that captures print jobs and sends them to the printer
	when the printer is ready.

Use Table 9-14 to look up typical printer symptoms, problems, and their solutions.

		Chapter 9: Troubleshooting 201

Table 9-14 Printer Symptoms, Problems, and Solutions

Symptom	Possible Cause	Items to Check	Typical Solution

Streaks or	Laser: Low toner	Toner cartridge.	Shake toner cartridge. If
smearing			problem recurs, replace
			toner cartridge.

	Inkjet: Dirty print	Print heads or roll-	Use damp cleaning
	heads or rollers	ers.	sheet to clean these
			components.

	Inkjet: Head gap too	Head gap.	Adjust the head gap.
	narrow when printing
	on heavy paper or
	card stock

	Inkjet: Wrong paper	Paper type setting in	Select the correct paper
	type setting for paper	printer driver.	type setting for paper or
	or media in use (see		media in use.
	Figure 9-10)

	Thermal: Poor quality	Check the coating	Replace the media.
	media	on the media.

	Thermal: dirty heat-	Heating element.	Clean the heating ele-
	ing element		ment.

	Thermal: Print head	Check the printer	Adjust the print head
	energy set incorrectly	driver setting.	energy settings per ven-
			dor recommendations
			for bar code media.

	Thermal: Print speed	Check the print	Reduce the print speed
	too high	speed setting.	for the bar code media.

	Thermal: Using	Check the orienta-	Change to a different
	a 90-degree or	tion.	orientation for the bar
	270-degree orienta-		code printing.
	tion

	Impact: Dried-out	Check the ribbon.	If the ribbon has an
	ribbon		auxiliary ink reservoir,
			activate it.

Replace the ribbon when dried out.

202 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference

Table 9-14 Continued

Symptom	Possible Cause	Items to Check	Typical Solution

Faded prints	Laser: Toner saving	Check the print	Use Normal print
	setting	quality setting in the	modes.
		printer driver.

	Color laser: Toner	Check toner levels.	Replace toner levels if
	levels low or toner	Check the toner belt.	low.
	belt problems
		Clean or replace the

			toner belt.

	Inkjet: Some print	Print nozzle check.	Clean the print head.
	nozzles clogged

	Inkjet: One or more	Check ink levels.	Replace ink as needed.
	colors out of ink

	Thermal: Ribbon	Check the ribbon	Reinstall ribbon cor-
	installed backward	installation.	rectly.

	Thermal: Ribbon	Check ribbon	Replace the ribbon with
	incompatible with	compatibility with	the correct ribbon for
	media	media.	the media.

	Impact: Ribbon dried	Check the ribbon.	If the ribbon is dried
	out		out, replace.

	Impact: Heat gap	Check the head gap.	If print is more faded
	wrong		on top, the head gap is
			incorrect.
			Reset the head gap.

Ghost images	Laser: Toner car-	Examine the printed	Distance between top of
	tridge, imaging drum	page.	page and ghost image
	wiper blade, or fuser		indicates problem area;
	problems		see printer’s service
			manual.

Toner not	Laser: Fuser problems	Check the fusing	Repair or replace.
fused to the		unit.
paper

Creased paper Incorrect alignment of Compare the paper

paper guides guide width to the

actual paper width.

Adjust the paper guide to match the actual paper width.

Chapter 9: Troubleshooting 203

Symptom	Possible Cause	Items to Check	Typical Solution

Paper not	Single-sheet printers:	Check number of	Reduce the number of
feeding	Paper pickup prob-	sheets in paper feed.	sheets in the paper feed
	lems	Paper positioning in	tray.

		feed tray.	Remove, fan, and rein-
		Paper jams.	sert the paper.

			If the problem persists,
			replace the pickup roll-
			ers.

	Continuous-feed	Check tractor-feed	Adjust so that the
	printers: Tractor-feed	tension.	paper moves freely and
	tension may be off		doesn’t tear loose from
			the tractor-feed pins.

Paper jam	Paper path has too	Check for alternative	Use straight-through
	many turns for thick	paper paths.	paper path for envelopes
	media		and card stock when
			available.

	Paper feed tray over-	Check recommended	Don’t overfill the paper
	loaded	number of sheets in	feed tray.
		the paper feed.

	Creased paper	Check the paper	Don’t use creased or
		guide settings.	torn paper or media.

	Damaged or damp	Check how paper is	Don’t use damaged or
	paper	stored.	damp paper.

No connec-	Network printer: Loss	Check the network.	Check printer and com-
tivity	of connection to net-	connection	puter connections to the
	work		network.

	Local printer or	Check the cable.	Check both ends of
	shared printer: Loss		printer cable.
	of connection to com-		Check hub if hub used
	puter
		between printer and

			computer.

204 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference

Table 9-14 Continued

Symptom	Possible Cause	Items to Check	Typical Solution

Garbled	Incorrect or damaged	Check the printer	Install the correct print-
characters on	printer driver	driver.	er driver.
paper
Cable damage	Check the cable to	Replace the cable if

		printer.	defective.

	Port defect	Check for other suit-	Connect the printer to
		able port on host PC.	another port and retry.

	Printer failure	Try self-test.	If the printer fails self-
			test, replace printer.

Vertical lines	Laser: Toner car-	Check the toner	Clean or replace com-
on page	tridge/drum problems	cartridge, drum, or	ponents as needed.
	or dirty rollers	rollers.	Check the printer manu-

			al for help in determin-
			ing most likely cause
			based on marks.

	Inkjet: Ink on feed	Check the feed roll-	Clean the feed rollers.
	rollers	ers.

	Thermal: heating ele-	Check the heating	Clean or replace the
	ment problems	element.	heating element.

Angled	Thermal: Creased	Check the ribbon-	Adjust as needed to
streaks on	ribbon	feed mechanism.	remove creases in the
page			ribbon.

Backed-up	Printer in offline	Check the print	After printer is online,
print queue	mode (turned off,	queue.	release the print jobs.
	paper jam, set offline,
	connection problem)

Low memory	Laser: Too much	Check the printer	Reduce the graphics
errors	data on page to fit in	memory size and	resolution of the print
	printer memory	compression set-	job.
		tings.	Add memory to the

			printer.

Access denied	Account not pro-	Check user account	Add printer access to
	vided access to shared	settings.	the user account.
	printer

Chapter 9: Troubleshooting 205

Symptom	Possible Cause	Items to Check	Typical Solution

Printer will	Laser: Toner prob-	Check the toner car-	New cartridge: Make
not print	lems	tridge.	sure that tape was
			removed from the toner.
			Cartridge already in
			use: Replace.

	Printer has restric-	Check printer prop-	Print jobs go to printer
	tions on hours of use	erties Advanced tab.	when released.

	Printer offline	Check the printer	Put printer online and
		status.	release print jobs from
			spooler.

	Wrong port specified	Check the printer	Select the correct printer
	for printer	port.	port.

Color prints	Color laser: Low or	Check the toner car-	Replace empty toner
in wrong print	empty color toner	tridges.	cartridges.
color
Inkjet: Clogged print	Run the nozzle	If the print head or

	head	check utility.	nozzles clogged, clean
			print head.

Unable to	Install program needs	Check the access	Rerun the installation
install printer	to run with elevated	level needed.	program in elevated
	(administrator) access		mode.
			Provide the administra-
			tor password or click
			through in Vista/7 as
			prompted.

Error codes	Indicates problem	Look up the error	Selected error codes for
	with printer	code.	HP LaserJet:
			13 or 13.xx Paper jam
			20 Insufficient memory
			49.xx Firmware error
			53.xy.zz DIMM mem-
			ory error in specified
			module
			59.x Main motor prob-
			lems
			66.xx.yy External paper
			handling device error

206 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference

Figure 9-10 Selecting the correct paper type.

Index

A

93