Printer Troubleshooting Flashcards
Streaks in a Laser Printer
Malfunctioning fuser. Replace the Fuser
Streaks in an Ink Jet Printer
Caused by a malfunctioning ink cartridge or dirty print head. Replace the cartridge, or clean the print head
Streaks in a Dot Matrix Printer
Caused by a dirty print head. Clean the print head
Faded print
Caused when a toner cartridge, ink cartridge, or ribbon is close to empty. You should replace the cartridge or ribbon with a new unit.
Ghost Images
Caused by the erasure lamp or cleaning blade. The cleaning blade is part of the toner cartridge and is easier to replace than the erasure lamp. Try replacing it first. If it does not fix the problem, you will need to replace the erasure lamp.
Toner not fused to the paper
Caused by a malfunctioning fuser. Replace the fuser.
Creased paper
Caused by a paper jam. Check the printer internally to ensure that no paper jams or small scraps of paper are obscuring the paper path. Creased paper can also be caused by worn pickup rollers. Replace the pickup rollers. Pickup rollers are part of printer maintenance kits.
Paper not feeding
Caused by worn pickup rollers. Replace the pickup rollers. Pickup rollers are part of printer maintenance kits.
Paper jam
Use paper that is approved for the printer. High humidity can cause the paper to stick together. Caused by worn rollers or broken drive gears. If the paper jams after reaching the corona assembly, the problem could be caused by the static eliminator strip.
No connectivity
Check cable and see if you can ping the printer; if ping is successful, you probably have an incorrect setting or driver.
Garbled characters on paper
Caused by an incorrect printer driver
Vertical black lines on page of a Laser Printer
Caused by scratches on the drum or dirty corona wire. Try cleaning it first, then replace the toner cartridge if problem persist
Vertical black lines on page of a Inkjet Printer
Try cleaning the print head or replacing the ink cartridge
Vertical white lines on a Laser Printer
Caused by a dirty transfer corona wire. Clean the corona wires. The corona wire is part of the toner cartridge and can be cleaned using a brush. Replace toner cartridge if problem persist.
Vertical white lines on a Inkjet Printer
Clean the print head. Replace ink cartridge if problem persist.
Backed up print queue
Delete the print job from the print queue that you suspect is causing the problem. If this does not fix the problem, you will need to stop and restart the print queue.
Low memory errors
Turn the printer off and back on will fix this problem. If the problem persists, you could print the page at a lower resolution or change the print page so that it is less complex. If this does not fix the problem, you may try installing a different driver for the printer. You could also add more memory to the printer.
Access denied
Caused by the access control list (ACL) for the printer. Make sure that the user has been granted print permission.
Printer will not print
Check printer has power and paper. If the test page is unsuccessful, you probably have a connection issue. Replace the cabling if it is a local printer or troubleshoot networking problem.
Color prints in wrong print color
Dirty print head. Clean the print head first. If the problem persists, replace the toner cartridge or ink cartridge. Calibrating the cartridge may also help.
Unable to install printer
The account used to install the printer probably does not have permissions to install the printer. Use an administrative-level account to install the printer.
Error codes
Consult the manufacturer’s documentation or website to get details on the error
Printing blank pages
Printer is out of ink or toner. It can also be caused by clogged print nozzles in an inkjet printer. For a laser printer, the toner cartridge has sealant tape over the toner dispenser. If this tape is not removed, pages will be blank.
No image on printer display
Caused because the printer is unplugged or in standby mode.