When a printer is working, it can be extremely useful. However, when your printer is on the fritz, it can be extremely frustrating. There is no one solution for fixing all printer problems.
However, there are some strategies that you can try that can fix most printer problems. If you would like to learn more then keep on reading, we will take you through the top things that you should do when your printer breaks.
Basic Troubleshooting
There are a lot of different reasons why you’re printer won’t print. To start, look at your printer’s screen and indicators. Are there any warning lights flashing or error messages showing up?
You should also make sure that the paper is in the tray and properly aligned. Check that the toner or ink cartridges are not empty and that the USB cable is plugged in. Also, make sure that your printer is connected to your home’s WiFi.
If you’re using a wireless or network printer then try to use a USB cable instead. WiFi connections are not the most stable when it comes to printers.
And as with most electronic devices, you should definitely try to turn the printer off and then turn it back on again.
Connecting Your Computer to Your Tablet or Phone
In order to print from an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad, your printer is going to need to have WiFi. It will also have to support AirPrint.
While there are many printers that utilize AirPrint, there are still a lot of computers that don’t use it. If you have a Mac and have a printer connected to it, you can use HandyPrint to turn it into AirPrint.
There are several iOS apps that allow you to print to many wireless printers or even a wired one that’s attached to a computer.
Some Samsung printers, tablets, and phones are built to work together. This makes printing fairly easy.
Samsung also has its own app for printing to its printers. You can even use an iPhone with these apps. To print from any Android tablet or phone to a printer that’s PC-connected, you can use Google Cloud Print.
To do this, you need to install Cloud Print on the mobile device from the Google Play store. You then want to use Google Chrome on your computer.
Go to the settings menu and then to Advanced Settings. Click on Manage. You can then add the printer that is attached to your computer.
Make sure that your printer and computer are on and connected and then you shouldn’t have any trouble printing from your Android phone or tablet.
Replace the Cartridges
Before your printer runs out of ink, it will tell you that it is running low. If you only print every so often then the remaining ink might last for several weeks or months.
You should order a new cartridge as soon as the message starts to come up. However, it’s probably even better to just have some spare ink on hand already. You don’t want to install new ink cartridges until the colours fade or the machine stops printing.
If you have a laser printer then you can take out the cartridge that is running low and lightly shake it from side to side. This is going to help get the rest of the toner out.
In other instances, a counter is used. After a certain number of pages have been printed, the cartridge will no longer work.
Printing Web Pages
A web page can be any size. They are not limited to the height or width of the paper that is in your printer. They aren’t typically made to be printed which is why there are a lot of problems that happen.
You should always pick the Print Preview option before you print so you know what the document is going to look like.
For example, you might not need all of the pages. If there are a lot of ads or comments, then you can select the pages that you want to print so that you only print what you actually care about.
If it is a wide page then print in landscape mode. Otherwise, you should be okay with printing in portrait mode.
A lot of the time, the “shrink to fit” option in the printer’s settings will help you when a photo or page is just a little too big to print properly.
Poor Print Quality
It is possible that the nozzles on your inkjet printer heads can become blocked up. This can lead to horizontal streaks on printed pages. You also might end up with the wrong colors.
To fix this issue, you should clean the print heads. Your printer’s manual should tell you how to do this.
You can also look for the best printing services in your area to help you get better prints.
The Importance of Knowing What to Do When Your Printer Breaks
Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now have a better idea of what to do when your printer breaks. As we can see, there are several steps that you can take in order to make sure that your printer gets back up and running.
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