Printers Flashcards
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Testing the printer
- Print or scan a test page
– Built into Windows, not the application - Use diagnostic tools
– Web-based utilities built into the printer
– Vendor specific
– Generic utilities
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Bad output
- Lines down the printed page
– Inkjet: Clean print heads
– Laser: Check for scratched photosensitive drum - Faded prints, blank pages - Low toner or ink
- Double/echo images or speckling
– Laser printer optical drum not cleaned properly
– Ghost or “shadow” from previous drum rotation
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Garbled print
Bad printer driver / wrong model
– Incorrect page description language
(PCL or PostScript?)
* Verify the printer functionality
– Check with a test page
* Bad application
– Check the output
– Upgrade the application
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Toner not sticking to the paper
- Laser printer output smudges everywhere
– Toner sticks to everything - Toner not fused to the paper
– Toner should be permanently melted and pressed
– May not be hot - Fuser problem - Replace the fuser assembly
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Incorrect paper size
Print a letter size page
– Accidentally send it to a legal size paper tray
Printer stops and shows a message
– Gives you a chance to fix the issue
* Tray selection is provided during the printing process
– Try printing again
– Change the defaults in the printer configuration
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Paper jam
Careful when removing
– Don’t rip the paper
– Don’t damage internal components
* Paper not feeding or misfeeds multiple pages
– Check the tray
– Pickup rollers are part of a laser printer maintenance kit
* Creased paper
– Problems in the paper path
– Check the paper weight
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Multiple prints pending in queue
- Corrupted print jobs
– Print spooler will crash
– Most spooler configuration will automatically restart - Problems are logged
– Windows Event Viewer,Windows-PrintService - One job may be causing the issue
– Monitor the queue for details
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Incorrect color settings
- The output colors aren’t the same as the display
– Important for publishing and color printing - Calibrate the monitor
– A third-party calibration tool will help - Check the paper
– Bright white paper provides good color representation - Calibrate the printer
– The proper amount of ink and toner
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Grinding noises
- Never a good sound from your printer
– The ink is already manufactured - Something is not operating properly
– Paper jam - Carriage is stalled or jammed - Each printer has a different process
– Check the manuals for removing paper jams
– Some inkjet printers have a particular process - May require additional maintenance
– Or replace the printer
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Finishing issues
- Finishing happens after the ink or
toner has been applied
– Collate, binding, etc. - Staple jams
– Larger printers will collate and staple groups of papers
– Each printer manufacturer has a different removal
process - Incorrect hole punch location
– Verify with the printer driver
– May require a driver update
5.6 - Troubleshooting Printers – Incorrect page orientation
Print a portrait page - Get a landscape print
* Check the settings when printing
– Controlled by the print driver
– May require a driver update
* The printer also has a default setting
– Check the settings on the printer console
3.7 - Laser Printers
Laser printer
* Combine a laser, high voltage, charged ions,
powdered ink, heat, and paper
* Very high quality
* Fast printing speeds
* Very complex, many moving parts, requires on-printer
memory and messy on the inside
3.7 - Laser Printers – Imaging drum
Image is drawn onto a photosensitive drum
– “Painted” with a laser
* Picks up toner - Transfers toner to the paper
* Can be separate from the toner cartridge or combined
3.7 - Laser Printers – Fuser assembly
Heat and pressure - Melt plastic toner powder
– Permanently bond toner to paper
3.7 - Laser Printers – Transfer belt and roller
Color laser printers
– Cyan, yellow, magenta, black
* Four separate toner cartridges
* Image is transferred from all cartridges to the single belt
And then to a single transfer roller
3.7 - Laser Printers – Pickup rollers
- Pickup paper - Should be a single page at a time
– Problems if no paper is picked up
or multiple sheets are picked - Should be periodically cleaned or replaced
3.7 - Laser Printers – Separation pad
- Pull just the top sheet from the paper tray
– Not multiple sheets - Small and inexpensive - Easy to clean or replace
3.7 - Laser Printers – Duplexing assembly
- Printers usually print on a single side
– Not both sides simultaneously - Printing on both sides is a two step process
– Print side one, print side two - You need mechanisms to “flip” the page
– Automatically - Can be built-in to the printer
- Or available as an add-on
3.7 - Laser Printers – Steps
Step 1: Processing
* Build the entire page in memory
Step 2: Charging
* Prepare the drum with a
negative electrostatic charge
Step 3: Exposing
* Write the image with the laser
Step 4: Developing
* Add toner to the charged areas
of the imaging drum
Step 5: Transferring
* Move the toner from
the drum to the paper
Step 6: Fusing
* Heat and pressure
Step 7: Cleaning
* Remove excess toner
3.7 - Laser Printer Maintenance – Replacing the toner cartridge
- Look for the messages
– Low doesn’t mean empty - The toner can also contain the OPC drum
– Organic Photoconductor drum
– Sensitive to light; keep it in the bag - Power down the printer
– Safety first - Remove packing strips from the new drum
– Replace it with the old
3.7 - Laser Printer Maintenance – Laser printer maintenance kit
Laser printers wear out
– All those moving parts
– Heat and pressure
* Standard maintenance kits
– Replacement feed rollers, new fuser unit, etc.
* When to perform maintenance?
– Check the printer’s page counter
* Power down and replace the components
– Fuser units are HOT
* Reset the page counter when you’re done!
3.7 - Laser Printer Maintenance – Replacing the toner cartridge
- Look for the messages
– Low doesn’t mean empty - The toner can also contain the OPC drum
– Organic Photoconductor drum
– Sensitive to light; keep it in the bag - Power down the printer - Safety first
- Remove packing strips from the new drum
– Replace it with the old
3.7 - Laser Printer Maintenance – Laser printer calibration
- Different toner cartridges print with different densities
– Some dark, some light - Laser printer calibration can adjust the density
– Makes it looks perfect - Can be automated or a manual process
– Every printer is different
– Check the printer manual
3.7 - Laser Printer Maintenance – Laser printer cleaning
- Laser printers are dirty
– All that toner and paper dust - Check the manufacturer’s recommendations
– Water, isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
– Don’t use harsh chemicals! - Outside - Damp cloth
- Inside - Wipe dust away
– Don’t use a normal vacuum cleaner or
compressed air
– Wash off skin with cold water
– Clean rollers with IPA
3.7 - Inkjet Printers
Inkjet (ink-dispersion) printer
* Relatively inexpensive technology
* Quiet
* High-resolution
* Expensive ink
– Proprietary
* Eventually fades
* Clogs easily
3.7 - Inkjet Printers – Ink cartridge
Place drops of ink onto a page
– Pulled from a set of cartridges
* CMYK - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (black)
3.7 - Inkjet Printers – Print head
- Some consumer printers integrate the print head
into the ink cartridge
– Change the cartridge, get a new print head - Others separate the ink cartridge from the print head
3.7 - Inkjet Printers – Feed rollers
- Pick up and feed paper through the printer
– Must be clean and not worn - Duplexing
– Print on both sides of the paper
– Included with some printers
3.7 - Inkjet Printers – Carriage and belt
- Ink cartridges are moved over the paper
– Carriage may include its own print head - Belt moves the carriage back and forth
– Another moving part
3.7 - Inkjet Printers – Inkjet printer calibration
- Align nozzles to the paper
– Lines should be crisp
– Colors should align - Printer includes a calibration option
– May need to make minor adjustments
3.7 - Inkjet Printer Maintenance – Cleaning print heads
- Small droplets of ink - And small holes in a print head
- Clogged heads is a big issue
– Many printers automatically clean every day
– Output has streaks or sections of missing color - Cleaning process can be started manually
– Only takes a few minutes - Some print heads/cartridges can be removed
– Manually cleaning may help
3.7 - Inkjet Printer Maintenance – Replacing inkjet cartridges
- Usually separate colors
– Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (CMYK)
– Some cartridges will combine these - Takes seconds to replace
– Takes a few minutes to calibrate and
prepare the cartridge - Recycle the empty cartridge - All plastic
3.7 - Inkjet Printer Maintenance – Inkjet printer calibration
- Align nozzles to the paper
– Lines should be crisp
– Colors should not overlap - Printer includes a calibration option
– May need to make minor adjustments
3.7 - Inkjet Printer Maintenance – Clearing jams
- Lots of turns and twists
– A jam is inevitable - Remove tray paper
– Any loose paper - Remove paper from the path
– Firm pressure, don’t rip - Check for any scraps of paper
- Remove all loose paper
3.7 - Thermal Printers
- White paper
– Turns black when heated
– No ink! - VERY quiet
– Almost silent - Paper is sensitive to light and heat
– And clear tape
3.7 - Thermal Printers – Feed assembly
Pull paper through the printer
– Relatively small paper path
3.7 - Thermal Printers – Heating element
- Full-length heating element
– No moving print head
3.7 - Thermal Printers – Thermal paper
- Paper covered with a chemical
– Changes color when heated - Cash registers, credit card terminals
– And quiet areas - Looks like normal paper
– Feels a bit different
3.7 - Thermal Printer Maintenance – Thermal paper replacement
- Relatively inexpensive
– But impossible to substitute - Different sizes
– Not like laser printer paper - Keep a list - Actual replacement process is easy
– Simple paper feed
– Small device
3.7 - Thermal Printer Maintenance – Cleaning the heating element
Liquid cleaner
– Isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
– Get a cleaning pen
– Check manufacturer’s recommendations
* Swab gently - Usually small areas
* Use a cleaning card
– Cleans the head and paper pathways
3.7 - Thermal Printer Maintenance – Removing debris
Relatively small amount
– Paper bits and dust
– No toner!
* Blow out the printer
– Take it outside
* Wipe it out
– Damp cloth
* Avoid using a vacuum
– Unless it’s designed for computers
– Resists static buildup/discharge
3.7 - Impact Printers
Dot-matrix (impact) printers
* Print head with a small matrix of pins
– Presses against a ribbon to make a mark on paper
* Good for carbon/multiple copies
* Low cost per page
* NOISY
* Poor graphics
* Relatively niche use cases
3.7 - Impact Printers – Dot-matrix printer head
- Moves back and forth
– Pins hit ribbon and paper - One matrix - Must move across the page to print
3.7 - Impact Printers – Printer ribbon
- Fabric
– One long ribbon - Never ending circle - Easy to replace - Once single unit
- Proprietary size - Specific to printer model
3.7 - Impact Printers – Tractor feed
Paper pulled through with holes on the side of the paper
– Instead of using friction
* Continuous paper feed
– Perforations between pages
* Holes have to line up perfectly
– Tractor paper can be perforated to remove holes
3.7 - Impact Printer Maintenance – Printer ribbon replacement
Single ribbon - Self-contained - One long circle
* Replace when ink becomes too light
– Ink is eventually consumed
* Designed to be modular - Replace in less than a minute
3.7 - Impact Printer Maintenance – Print head replacement
- Takes a lot of abuse - Directly hits the ribbon and paper
- Gets hot - Watch your fingers
– Another modular part - Look for a release lever or bar - Replace with the ribbon for the best effect
– The output should look perfect
3.7 - Impact Printer Maintenance – Printer ribbon replacement
- Single ribbon
– Self-contained - One long circle - Replace when ink becomes too light
– Ink is eventually consumed - Designed to be modular - Replace in less than a minute
3.7 - Impact Printer Maintenance – Print head replacement
Takes a lot of abuse
– Directly hits the ribbon and paper
* Gets hot - Watch your fingers
– Another modular part
– Look for a release lever or bar
* Replace with the ribbon for the best effect
– The output should look perfect
3.7 - Impact Printer Maintenance – Replacing paper
- Not as easy as a laser printer
– Paper must feed perfectly into holes
– Tractor feed - Forms must be positioned correctly
– Text needs to fit a predefined space - Paper must feed without constraint
- Make sure nothing is in the way
3.7 - 3D Printers
3D printers
* “Print” in three dimensions
– Create a 3D item based on an electronic model
* Additive manufacturing
– Build in layers to create the object
– No machining process required
* Rapid prototyping
– Design and create relatively quickly and inexpensively
* Deploy designs anywhere in the world
– Or into space
3.7 - 3D Printers – Filament printing
- Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
– Melt filament to print 3D objects
– This is probably the printing type you’ve seen - Print a layer, move up,print another layer
– Watch the printer create the object - Good all-around printer
– Larger print bed than resin printers
– Easy to manage filament
– Minimum of mess
– Fewer disposal issues
3.7 - 3D Printers – Resin printing
Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printing
– Smooth and finely detailed 3D prints
* Resin is hardened using a light source
– Ultraviolet light or a laser
– Layers are added to the bottom
– Entire print hangs from the build platform
* Resin must be handled properly
– Wear protective gear
– Take unused resin to your local
hazardous materials disposal
3.7 - 3D Printers – The print bed
- A flat adhesive surface
– The foundation of a 3D print
– Everything builds on that first layer - Needs to be level and clean
– Prints “stick” to the bed - Filament printing
– The print bed is the printing surface
– Many different print bed options - Resin printing
– The “bed” is the location where the resin is
hardened by the UV light
