Troubleshooting Printers Flashcards
What is the first step you should take before beginning any troubleshooting on the printer?
Print a test page under the “print or scan a test page” which is built into windows. Or log into the console and run tests.
what could it mean if the page comes out with a line down the center?
if you are using an inkjet printer, that means its time for the printerhead to be replaced. If its a laser printer, it could be a scratched photosensitive drum.
what does it mean if the ink on the page is very faded or light?
low on ink or toner
what does it mean if the print comes out with a double or ghost image on it?
an error could be occuring in the cleaning process.
what does it mean if the printer puts out a garbled page, with a bunch of strange characters.
this means you are using a bad printer driver, or you specified the wrong model of printer in the configuration. For instance you could be printing on a PCL printer but sending it via PostScript or vice versa.
what does it mean with a laser printer, when you see that the toner is not sticking to the page?
it means the ink has not been properly melted and fused. This means the fuser needs to be replaced.
what can cause the print spooler to crash?
a corrupted print job.
where can you find information on what caused a print job to crash?
inside the windows event viewer. you will be looking for any events that are tagged “windows print service” option.
how can you avoid incorrect colour issues?
calibrate the screen, to be sure that the colours you’re seeing on the screen are correct, a third party calibration tool can help with that.
what should you do if you start hearing grinding noises on the printer?
there may be a problem with a mechanism in the device, or there could be paper jammed inside the paper path. Or possibly ink cartridges were not installed properly.
what does it mean if a printer prints in incorrect page orientation?
this may mean the print driver has a bug and needs to be updated. Or it means the printer is following directions of the print driver, and the wrong option is being selected during the printing process. Or the printer could have a default setting that means it always prints in either portrait or landscape.
