CompTIA A+ Core Certification: The Basics of Hardware and Network Troubleshooting - Printer Troubleshooting

220-1101: Objective 5.6: Given a scenario, troubleshoot and resolve printer issues.
For the 220-1101 exam, be sure you understand how to resolve printer symptom issues and how to use the tools listed in the following sections. You might want to review the section “Multifunction Devices/Printers and Settings” to brush up on the deployment and handling of printers.

Lines Down the Printed Pages
Smudges and lines that streak down the printed pages can have many causes, depending on the type of printer in use.

Laser Printer
Randomized streaks in printed output, such as uneven printing or blank spots, are usually caused by low toner. As a temporary workaround, remove the toner cartridge and gently shake it to redistribute the toner. Install a new toner cartridge as quickly as possible.
Long vertical streaks that repeat on each page are usually caused by damage to the imaging drum. Replace the drum or toner cartridge if it includes the drum.

Inkjet Printer
Smudged print output from an inkjet printer can be caused by dirty printheads or paper rollers, incorrect head gap settings, and incorrect resolution and media settings.
- If you see smudges only when printing on heavy paper stock, card stock, labels, or envelopes, check the head gap setting. Use the default setting for paper up to 24-pound rating, and use the wider gap for labels, card stock, and envelopes.
- Clean the printhead. If the cleaning process doesn’t result in acceptable results, remove the printhead (if possible) and clean it. If the printhead is built into the printer, or if the paper-feed rollers or the platen have ink smudges, use a cleaning sheet to clean the paper-feed rollers, the platen, and the printhead.
- Check the Printer Properties setting in the operating system to ensure that the correct resolution and paper options are set for the paper in use. Horizontal streaks in inkjet output are usually caused by trying to print on glossy photo paper using the plain paper setting.
- Unlike laser output—which can be handled as soon as the page is ejected—inkjet output often requires time to dry. For best results, use paper specially designed for inkjet printers. Paper should be stored in a cool, dry environment; damp paper also will result in smudged printing.

Thermal Printers
Streaky output in thermal transfer printers can have several causes, including media and print head problems.
If the coating on the media is poor quality, replace the media. If preprinted ink on the media is sticking to the printhead, replace the media with media printed using heat-resistant ink.
If the heating element is dirty, clean the heating element.
Smeared output (primarily when printing bar codes) can be caused by incorrect print head energy settings, a print speed that is too high, and a 90-degree or 270-degree orientation.
With direct thermal printers, check for improperly stored paper or an incorrect setting in the printer driver. If the printer can be used in either direct or thermal transfer modes, an incorrect driver setting can cause print quality problems of various types.

Impact Printers
Streaky output in dot-matrix impact printers is usually caused by a dried-out ribbon. If the ribbon has an auxiliary ink reservoir, activate it; otherwise, replace the ribbon.

Faded Prints
Faded prints also have many possible causes, depending on the printer.

Laser Printers
If the printing is even, the printer might be set for an economy mode or a similar mode that uses less toner. Adjust the printer properties to use normal print modes for final drafts.
For a color laser printer, also check the toner levels or the operation of the toner belt.

Inkjet Printers
The print nozzles might be clogged, or some colors could be out of ink. This is a common problem for inkjet printers that have not been used in a few weeks. It is a good idea to print something using all the inks every week or so. Clean the nozzles and use the nozzle check utility to verify proper operation. Replace any cartridges that are out of ink.

Thermal Printers
A faded image can result from installing a thermal transfer ribbon backward. Remove the ribbon, verify proper loading, and reinstall.
If the ribbon is installed correctly but there is still a problem, the ribbon might not be compatible with the media. Check the media settings in the printer configuration to verify.

Impact Printers
If the print is evenly faded, the ribbon is dried out. Replace the ribbon, to achieve better print quality and protect the printhead. If the print appears more faded on the top of each line than on the bottom, the head gap is set too wide for the paper type in use. Adjust the head gap to the correct width, to improve printing and protect the printhead from damage.

Double/Echo Images on the Print
Laser printers that display double or echo images of part or all of the previous page on a new printout might have problems with the toner cartridge, imaging drum wiper blade, or fusing unit. To determine the cause of the ghosting, measure the distance between the top of the page and the ghost image, and consult the service manual for the printer. Clean or replace the defective component.

Toner Not Fusing to the Paper
The fuser in a laser printer is supposed to heat the paper to fuse the toner to the paper. Fuser failure results in toner that is not fused to the paper. If the printed output from a laser printer can be wiped or blown off the paper after the printout emerges from the laser printer, the fuser needs to be repaired or replaced.

Incorrect Paper Size
Incorrect paper size in the paper tray can cause creases in the paper. This is usually caused by an incorrect adjustment of the paper guides for feeding pages. If the paper guide is not set to the actual paper width, the paper might move horizontally during the feed process and become creased. Adjust the paper guides to the correct width for the paper or media in use.

Paper Not Feeding
The causes of paper not feeding can vary by printer type:
- With an inkjet, laser, or impact printer running single-sheet paper, check the paper’s positioning in the paper tray. Remove the paper, fan it, and replace it. If the problem continues, check for paper jams. If there are no paper jams, the pickup rollers might be worn out.
- With a printer that uses continuous-feed paper (impact or thermal), check the tension of the feeder rollers or the position and operation of the tractor-feed mechanism.

Paper Jams
A paper jam can have a variety of causes, depending on the printer type. Use the following sections to solve paper jams.

Paper Path Issues
The more turns the paper must pass through during the printing process, the greater the chance of paper jams. Curved paper paths are typical of some inkjet printers and many laser printers, as well as dot-matrix printers that use push tractors: The paper is pulled from the front of the printer, pulled through and around a series of rollers inside the printer during the print process, and then ejected through the front or top of the printer onto a paper tray. Because the cross-section of this paper path resembles a C, this is sometimes referred to as a C-shape paper path.

Some printers, especially those with bottom-mounted paper trays, have more complex paper paths that resemble an S.
A straight-through paper path is a typical option on laser printers with a curved paper path. Printers with this feature have a rear paper output tray that can be lowered for use to override the normal top paper output tray. Some printers also have a front paper tray. Use both front and rear trays for a true straight-through path; this is recommended for printing on envelopes, labels, or card stock. Inkjet printers with input paper trays at the rear of the printer and an output tray at the front also use this method, or a variation in which the paper path resembles a flattened V.
Paper Loading, Paper Type, and Media Thickness Issues
Paper jams can be caused by incorrect paper-loading procedures, an overloaded input tray, or use of paper or card stock that is thicker than the recommended type for the printer. If the printer jams, open the exit cover or front cover and remove the paper tray(s) as needed to clear the jam.

Media Caught Inside the Printer
If paper, labels, envelopes, or transparencies come apart or tear inside a printer, you must remove all the debris, to avoid additional paper jams. Do not try to use creased media because it increases the likelihood of a paper jam. However, if paper jams continue to happen, check the paper feed or paper tray operation.
Avoid using paper with damaged edges or damp paper, which can cause paper jams and lead to poor-quality printing.
Tip: When you insert a stack of sheet paper into any type of printer, be sure to fan the pages before you insert the paper into the tray, to prevent sticking.

Multipage Misfeed
When a printer grabs more than one page at a time to feed into the printer, the fix could be as simple as removing the paper and reloading it. While doing so, check that the paper width guides are correct and are not causing the paper to stack too tightly.
If the printer has had a lot of use, the print rollers might have worn smooth and are not engaging the paper correctly. If this is the case, replacing the rollers is the solution.

Garbled Print
Garbled print on paper (that is, gibberish printing) can occur for several reasons. First check the printer driver: If the printer driver files are corrupted or the incorrect printer driver has been selected for a printer, gibberish printing is a likely result.
If you can use a printer in an emulation mode or change it to use a different printer language with a personality module or DIMM (for example, a special Postscript DIMM can be used in some PCL-language laser printers), be sure that you have correctly configured the printer and the printer driver or installed a new printer driver.
A parallel printer cable that fails can also cause this type of problem.

Vertical Lines on Page
Vertical lines on pages printed with a laser printer can be caused by debris stuck to the imaging drum, surface damage to the imaging drum, or dirty components in the printer (fuser, paper rollers, charging rollers, and so on). To determine which component is the cause, compare the distance between marks on the paper with the circumference of each component. The printer’s manual provides this information. Replace the imaging drum (which is part of the toner cartridge on many printer models) if the drum is at fault. Clean other components if they are at fault, and retest.
Vertical lines on a page printed with an inkjet printer are usually caused by ink on a feed roller. Clean the feed rollers; if the problem persists, you might have a problem with a leaky ink cartridge.
Vertical lines in thermal printer output can be caused by a dirty heating element or by the failure of part of the heating element. Angled streaks can be caused by a creased ribbon. To solve this problem, adjust the ribbon feed mechanism.
Vertical lines on impact printer output usually indicate dirt on the paper. Replace the paper.

Multiple Prints Pending in a Queue
The Windows print spooler manages and maintains print jobs. It switches to offline mode if the printer goes offline, is turned off, or has stopped for some other reason (such as a paper jam or loss of connection to the network). Print jobs are sent to the print queue, but a backed-up print queue fills up until the print jobs are dealt with. After the printer goes online, you can release the print jobs. You can also kill all print jobs or kill only selected print jobs.
To access the print queue, open the Printer icon in the notification area, or go to Printers or Devices and Printers and open the printer icon.

Releasing a Print Queue
To release print jobs stored in the queue in offline mode after the printer is available, use one of these methods:
Step 1. Open the print queue.
Step 2. Open the Printer menu.
Step 3. Click the Use Printer Offline toggle. The print jobs then go to the printer.

Clearing Select Print Jobs or All Print Jobs in a Queue
You might need to clear a print queue for a variety of reasons:
- The wrong options are selected for the installed paper.
- Gibberish printing occurs because of a problem with the printer driver, cable, or port.
- You decide not to print the queued documents.

You can clear selected print jobs or all print jobs in a queue. To discard a print job in the print queue, follow these steps:
Step 1. Open the print queue.
Step 2. Right-click the print job you want to discard.
Step 3. Select Cancel Print. The print job is discarded.

To discard all print jobs in the queue, follow these steps:
Step 1. Open the print queue.
Step 2. Right-click Printer.
Step 3. Click Cancel All Documents (or a similar option, depending on the Windows version) to discard all print jobs.

Speckling on Printed Pages
When printed pages have dots, spots, or speckles on them, some dirt or other residue likely is sticking to the drum and collecting toner dust in error. To see if this is the case, try cleaning the dust from the drum by running a dozen blank copies. If the last few copies are, literally, spotless, the problem might be solved. If the output is better but not completely clean, try another few sheets to see if it improves.
Another possibility is a problem in the cartridge. If a pattern of spots is repeated every inch or two on the page, the bar in the cartridge might need cleaning. You might be able to do this, but the process requires a specialized toner vacuum for the fine particles of toner, along with gloves, a mask, and isopropyl alcohol. Check the manufacturer’s support page to see if the cartridge can be returned for replacement or for instructions on how to clean. Do not try to clean the cartridge with a regular vacuum or with regular rubbing alcohol because these approaches will not work safely.
 

Incorrect Chroma Display
Chroma refers to the amount and intensity of color in prints. A clogged printhead can impact chroma quality in print jobs on a color inkjet printer. On a color laser, check for low color toner or an empty color toner cartridge.
Inkjet manufacturers such as Epson and Cannon have a Windows interface for managing many printer functions. For Epson inkjet printers on Windows systems, use the Maintenance tab of the printing preferences sheet (see Figure 5-18) to check ink levels, clean and align print heads, and check nozzles for clogs.


Using the Nozzle Check Option on an Epson Inkjet Printer

For Canon inkjet printers on Windows systems, use the Maintenance tab of the printing preferences sheet (see Figure) to clean and align print heads, check nozzles for clogs, clean the bottom plate and rollers, and configure ink usage.


The Maintenance Tab for a Canon Inkjet Printer Driver

If the print colors are close but not exactly what is wanted on a color photograph or a document with colored graphics or text, you need to set up color management on the printer and the display(s) used to edit the document.

Grinding Noise
Printers vary in their complexity and the number of moving parts. The reasons for grinding noises can vary greatly, from physical issues to firmware problems. The more likely culprit is something changes after an event, such as paper loading or a cartridge change, and that during that process, something loosens or otherwise comes out of adjustment.
If the grinding noise is accompanied by error codes, the troubleshooting should be easier. Paper jams and ink or toner cartridge problems usually have codes to point directly to the problem. Each printer brand has its own codes, so access to documentation is necessary; this is generally available online.

Finishing Issues
More expensive printers in larger offices have collating, stapling, and hole-punching capabilities. These features increase the complexity in both the mechanics and the drivers of the printer. However, the most common problems in stapling and hole punching in advanced printers are about the same as the problems that arise when doing these tasks by hand—namely, staple jams and incomplete hole punches.
Stapling issues can occur if there are problems earlier in the printing process, such as creased paper or curled ends of paper that can cause staples to jam. The whole process stops until the staples are taken out, reloaded, and replaced. Making sure that an ample staple supply is in the cartridges is important as well.
Hole punching requires manual upkeep too. The main reason for poor hole punching is that the trays for the punched holes overfill and restrict the punches from completing the job. Constant maintenance for these added features is necessary.

Incorrect Page Orientation
When print output is turned sideways from what is expected, it is likely because the wrong orientation was selected in the software. The common choices are portrait (vertically taller) and landscape (horizontally wider), with the taller option common for printed pages and the wider option used for spreadsheets.
If the orientation is wrong, find the print settings menu for the job and change it. Each application’s settings vary somewhat, but the setting is in the Print menu where the printer is selected. Figure below depicts the orientation selection in the Word Print menu.


The Orientation Setting in a Word Print Menu

Print Logs
Print jobs on a network can be tracked by enabling print logs in Windows 10. With this feature enabled, a print job on a network can be tracked in the Print Services section of the Event Viewer.
To enable the logging service, search for the Event Viewer and open it. In the left pane, expand Application and Services Logs Microsoft Windows PrintService. To enable print logs, right-click Operational and, from the context menu, select Properties. Then check the Enable Logging box. Figure below depicts the process.


Enabling Printer Logs in Windows 10

When they are operational, the logs can be used to evaluate errors. Figure below shows an example of an error in a print log. The highlighted error indicates a problem with the print spooler.


Print Log Error

Third-party print server software usually has a print logging feature that can assist with troubleshooting. Check with the developers’ instructions for the best way to track jobs in the application.