Printers - Types, Install, Troubleshooting Flashcards
What main parts go with each type of printer?
laser printer and imaging drum, inkjet printer and print head, thermal printer and heating element, impact printer and ribbon, 3-D printer and filament
After clearing a paper jam out of your inkjet printer, you decide to do a full maintenance on the unit. What would be the appropriate next actions to complete on the printer?
Clean heads, perform calibration, and replace cartridges.
When your ink begins to run low, it’s a good idea to replace the cartridges. After this is done, the printer may clean the heads and perform calibration automatically. The heads are subject to clogs often, and may cause streakiness if not cleaned regularly. Calibration makes sure that the heads align properly with the paper, and that colors don’t overlap.
The two answer choices that include replace toner would be inappropriate for an inkjet machine as those machines don’t use toner. Similarly, an imaging drum is only associated with a laser printer. Replacing paper can be done by any equipment user, so it does not require specific knowledge and would not be considered a part of maintenance.
After clearing a paper jam out of your inkjet printer, you decide to do a full maintenance on the unit. What would be the appropriate next actions to complete on the printer?
Clean heads, perform calibration, and replace cartridges.
When your ink begins to run low, it’s a good idea to replace the cartridges. After this is done, the printer may clean the heads and perform calibration automatically. The heads are subject to clogs often, and may cause streakiness if not cleaned regularly. Calibration makes sure that the heads align properly with the paper, and that colors don’t overlap.
The two answer choices that include replace toner would be inappropriate for an inkjet machine as those machines don’t use toner. Similarly, an imaging drum is only associated with a laser printer. Replacing paper can be done by any equipment user, so it does not require specific knowledge and would not be considered a part of maintenance.
What would be the best choice printer for an industrial company that needs copies to be made simultaneously?
Impact printer.
While any printer is capable of making multiple copies of a document, an impact printer is the most viable option due to its ability to make multiple copies of a document simultaneously.
Abby wants to save paper by printing on both sides of the paper. Which setting will she need to enable?
Duplex mode.
Enabling duplex mode on a printer instructs the device to print on both sides of a sheet of paper.
What are PCL (printer control language) and PostScript?
Printer control language (PCL) and PostScript are two printer communication languages. PostScript is an older technology and is device independent, which allows for print jobs to result in the same output regardless of the printer used. PCL is a newer and more common printing language that is device dependent. This means that the printer itself is responsible for some of the printing data, which may result in slightly different outputs depending on the printer used.
What are the 3 printer connections?
- USB
- Ethernet - RJ45 connection
- Wireless (Bluetooth, 802.11, or direct ad hoc)
print server
sits on the network and handles printing requests from users. It can spool (temporarily store) requests for printers that are busy, allow prioritization of print jobs, and delete jobs after they’ve been sent. Print servers may be separate devices or integrated into the printer.
Describe the laser printer.
- Parts: Imaging drum, fuser assembly, transfer belt, transfer roller, pickup rollers, separation pads, duplexing assembly
- Imaging process: processing, charging, exposing, developing, transferring, fusing, and cleaning
- Maintenance: Replace toner, apply maintenance kit, calibrate, clean
Laser printers create high-quality printouts using a complex process. The component that actually “draws” the image is a laser. It works with other components to transfer that image to the paper.
Imaging Parts
Laser printers have the following specific imaging parts.
Imaging drum—The laser draws the page image onto the imaging drum.
Fuser assembly—The fuser assembly applies pressure and heat to bond the toner to the paper.
Transfer Belt—Used in color laser printers, the transfer belt transfers the page image from the imaging drum to the paper.
Transfer roller—Used in black-and-white laser printers, the transfer roller transfers the page image from the imaging drum to the paper.
Pickup rollers—Rubber pickup rollers feed paper from the paper tray through the printer.
Separation pads—To ensure that only one page is fed at a time, separation pads separate the page being fed from the pages underneath it.
Duplexing assembly—To print on both sides of the paper, the duplexing assembly will flip the paper over.
Imaging Process
The imaging process of a laser printer specifies the process the printer follows to produce an image.
Processing—Before any actual printing is done, the image of the full page is placed into memory.
Charging—A high negative charge is applied to the imaging drum.
Exposing—The laser draws the image of the page onto the imaging drum by exposing it to the laser light. The tightly focused laser light removes the negative charge from the imaging drum (neutralizing it), leaving the rest of the drum negatively charged.
Developing—The negatively charged toner is transferred to the imaging drum. Since the drum is also negatively charged, the toner will only stick to the areas that have been neutralized by the laser.
Transferring—The transfer roller or transfer belt transfers the toner from the drum to the paper.
Fusing—A fusing roller uses heat and pressure to bond the toner to the paper.
Cleaning—Any residual toner is cleaned off of the imaging drum.
Maintenance
Laser printers tend to be expensive, so regular maintenance must be done to keep them running well for a long time. Manufacturers make this fairly easy for common maintenance tasks like replacing toner. Other tasks require more knowledge and skill.
Replace toner—Toner is used for each print job, so it must periodically be replaced. Toner comes in a toner cartridge that is easily replaced by the user.
Maintenance kit—Printer manufacturers recommend replacing certain parts periodically. They provide these parts in maintenance kits. They may include the fuser assembly, transfer belt, transfer roller, pickup rollers, and/or separate pads.
Calibrate—Calibration is done to keep the page image sharp and accurate. This may be done on a periodic basis and when parts are replaced. Each printer will have its own calibration process.
Clean—Toner is a fine powder that will leave residue in the printer. Keeping the inside of the printer clean will keep it running well and prevent loose toner from showing up on printouts.
inkjet printers
Inkjet printers create high-quality printouts, though the resolution can be lessthan that of laser printers. They are also much less expensive. They create the page image by spraying ink dots onto precise points on the paper. Several components work together to transfer the page image to the paper.
Imaging Parts
Inkjet printers have the following specific imaging parts.
Ink cartridge—Ink is stored in ink cartridges that supply ink to the print heads. There may be a separate cartridge for each of the standard colors used—cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Some inkjet printers use a combined color cartridge with cyan, magenta, and yellow ink, plus a black ink cartridge.
Print head—The print head draws the ink from the cartridge and ejects it onto the paper. Some printers combine the ink cartridge and the print head into a single unit.
Roller—Paper is fed through the printer by the roller.
Feeder—Paper may be fed from either a simple paper tray or a feeder. Most feeders have adjustments to allow you to feed papers of varied sizes.
Duplexing assembly—The duplexing assembly flips the paper over so that you can print on both sides. It is not found in all inkjet printers.
Carriage belt—The carriage holds the print heads and gets moved into position so the print heads can eject the ink onto the proper spot on the paper. The belt moves the carriage into position so the print heads can eject the ink onto the proper spot on the paper.
Calibration
Calibration is done to keep the page image sharp and accurate. This may be done on a periodic basis and when parts are replaced. The printer should be calibrated whenever a print head or ink cartridge is replaced. Each printer will have its own calibration process.
Maintenance
Inkjet printers require minimal maintenance, which is easily done using features available through the printer’s menus or software. To determine if maintenance is needed, test pages specifically designed to point out flaws can be printed from the printer’s menus or software.
Clean heads—Printer heads can get clogged over time. Cleaning the heads can be done by selecting a menu option or through the printer’s software. When initiated, the printer will run through a head-cleaning process.
Replace cartridges—When the ink in a cartridge has been used up, the cartridge must be replaced. A calibration should be done after replacing a cartridge.
Calibrate—Calibration is done to keep the page image sharp and accurate. This may be done on a periodic basis and when parts are replaced. The printer should be calibrated whenever a print head or ink cartridge is replaced. Each printer will have its own calibration process.
Clear jams—Paper may get jammed in the printer as it is fed through. It may be cleared manually by simply pulling it out. Some printers provide a way to run just the feeder, either manually by turning a wheel or by running the feed motor.
thermal printers
Thermal printers use chemically treated thermal paper that changes color when heated. It is the heat, rather than ink, that transfers the image to the paper. Thermal printers are simple and inexpensive. Common uses are for receipts and shipping labels. The image printed is sensitive to light and heat, so it will fade over time.
Imaging Parts
Thermal printers have the following specific imaging parts.
Feed assembly—The feed assembly feeds the thermal paper through the printer.
Heating element—The heating element heats specific areas of the thermal paper as it scrolls by. The heated areas darken to create the image.
Special Paper and Heat Sensitivity
Thermal paper is chemically treated paper that changes color when heated. This makes the print out vulnerable to damage or degradation when exposed to heat.
Maintenance
Maintaining thermal printers is simpler than other types of printers. There are fewer moving parts and no ink.
Replace paper—Thermal paper comes in rolls of various sizes. Replacing the paper is a simple matter of removing the empty roll and inserting the new roll. There is a button or wheel that can be used to feed the paper into the printer after the new roll is inserted.
Clean heating element—The heating element should be cleaned periodically to ensure proper heat transfer to the paper. Isopropyl alcohol is typically used as the cleaning agent. Some printers come with a pen or pad to make it easier to access the heating element for cleaning.
Remove debris—Paper fragments and dust will accumulate in the printer over time. This debris should be removed as needed. A commonly used method is to blow out the debris with compressed air.
impact printers
use a matrix of pins to strike an ink ribbon to transfer ink to the paper. The most common type is the dot-matrix printers. A unique feature of impact printers, as compared to other printers, is that they can print multiple copies simultaneously using carbonless or no carbon required (NCR) paper.
Imaging Parts
Impact printers have the following specific imaging parts.
Print head—The print head is a row or rectangular matrix of metal pins. The pins that strike the ink ribbon form the character to be printed.
Ribbon—The ribbon holds the ink that is transferred to the paper by the print head during printing.
Tractor feed—The tractor feed feeds the paper through the printer.
Impact Paper
Impact paper is simply paper made for impact printers. It may come on a roll or as fanfold paper in single-ply, duplicate, or triplicate. Duplicate and triplicate paper transfers the image through to all copies simultaneously.
Maintenance
There is little maintenance required on impact printers. In most printers, these items can all be replaced by the user.
Replace ribbon—Ribbon replacement is usually a simple task. The new ribbon should be taut, leaving no slack.
Replace print head—The pins in a print head can get bent or broken, so the print head will eventually need to be replaced. The print head does get hot due to the friction of rapidly moving parts, so care must be taken to ensure it cools down before touching it. It is held in by a lever that must be released to remove the old print head.
Replace paper—Paper replacement requires a bit more effort than in other types of printers. The paper has holes along the side that are placed into the tractor feed. These must be aligned so that the paper feeds properly. Also, since the paper is continuous, as opposed to separate sheets, the top of the page must be lined up properly.
3d printer
fabrication machine through a process called additive manufacturing. A three-dimensional object is created by adding layers of filament or liquid resin on top of one another to produce a specified output.
Filament
Filament is a plastic substance used by 3D printers to create an object. A 3D filament printer’s components include the frame, the printing plate or print bed, the extruder, the cooling fan, the printed circuit board (PCB), and the filament. Filament comes on a spool. The main three things to consider when choosing a filament type are the size, type, and color.
Resin
Resin is a liquid substance contained in a reservoir used to build a specified object. The resin is hardened by a UV light layer by layer to create the object. 3D resin printers are also referred to as stereolithography/digital light processing printers (SLA/DLP).
Print Bed
The print bed is the plate on which the object will be printed. In a filament printer, the print bed is located at the bottom of the printer with the printer creating the object from the bottom up. The print bed on a resin printer is often located at the top of the printer with the printer creating the object from the top down, appearing to rise from the printer.
Problem - Lines down the printed pages
Cause and solution?
usually caused by ink residue. Follow the printer’s cleaning procedure. This may include physically cleaning the internal parts of a printer, or a cleaning process that can be triggered by the printer’s software. Try printing a test page—are there streaks too? Sometimes streaks may be caused by the scanning part of a copier, and therefore they aren’t a printing problem.
Problem - garbled print
Cause and solution?
may mean a software or connection issue. Are correct drivers installed? Is the printer connected firmly with a good cable? Is there enough RAM free on the printer?
