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Pro Tips on How to Troubleshoot Your Printer

Whether for school projects or reports, a printer plays a very essential role in our life. You may neglect its importance until such time you need to print in a snap, and your printer does not want to cooperate. Regardless if you are fetching an error message that doesn’t sync up, a paper jam, or a no connection. Your printer is feeding you all the silent treatment that it might need. And you, without knowing where to begin, when your printer won’t print can give you frustration.

Calling a technician is one of the best options, but it wouldn’t be nice to know the basics of how to troubleshoot a printer?

Know the Importance of Learning on How to Troubleshoot a Printer

Learning how to troubleshoot can be also a lifesaver whether you are running a business, an employee or a student. Printer problems are the reality of life that happens around the office and in-home whether or not if you have tech support, troubleshooting can help you get that paper out smoothly.

Some specific troubleshooting solutions will differ according to your printer model, but once you learn some common issues, you can search and find specific solutions to your printer unit. Manufacturers provide online resources that might help you decipher your printer’s issue. We’ve got some basic tips to run down here!

It’s not as hard as what you think

Wi-fi Connection

Your Wi-fi connection is something that you can’t see; however, it is a double-edged blade. You can connect your printer to any devices within your home. If your printer drops its wireless connection, you won’t be able to tell unless you work on or troubleshoot the connectivity. Unplug and reconnect it to your modem if your printer’s modem is down, powering down electronic devices has some wonders on fixing some bugs. For instance, if your device is not connecting to your printers, check and verify if Bluetooth and Wi-fi are operational and available.

A not too strong or almost non-existent connection between your computer and printer will avoid you from getting all the documents that you need. Now, the issues remain in the two. Often it’s tough to make a diagnosis. If your printer is connecting wirelessly to your printer and then suddenly stops operating, try to restart your printer and computer to see if they will connect again. If not, here are some common questions that you should consider when you suspect your Wi-Fi connection has the problem.

  • Did you make some changes recently? Like updating your security software, browser, operating system and firewall that can lead to connection issues with your printer. It may require you to; reconfigure your protection settings to incorporate your printer, you can also install an updated driver, and reconnect your computer to the network per the nature of your newly installed updates. If you updated your software, think about restoring your system to its original version or setting and see if it will reconnect.
  • Did you recently move the router or modem? Chances are you will need to configure your printer and computer again to reconnect with the network. Double-check to see if your new router has a new assigned of a different ISP address, which will require a reconfiguration.

Receiving a “Not Genuine” Cartridge Notification

There will be instances that your printer will directly call your attention for using a third-party ink cartridge. Commonly it occurs with HP printers, this kind of notification message will come up on your screen, stating that you are using refilled, counterfeit, or used cartridges. Usually, it won’t do anything else beyond continuously sending the same message. Third-party cartridges have chips installed that evade this message, but when pop-ups you can disperse it by clicking “okay.” If not, remove your cartridge and make sure that the chip is clean, then install and try it again.

Always make sure to only purchase from a store that provides premium quality of inks and toner cartridges that are compatible with your unit. For a full list of the printer, you need to visit https://www.inktonerstore.com/ and find the best deals. 

Ghost Jams

If your printer says there’s a paper jam, but technically there is nothing out there, there is a high chance that there is a mechanical error stirring. Still, looking for ghost jammed fixes? According to Neal Poole, there is a high possibility that real paper jams could leave some residue behind causing it to obstruct your printer operation even if there’s no actual paper jam afoot.

Tiny pieces of shredded paper blocked between the gears that move your rear duplexer may give your printer a wrong signal (that there is a paper jamming in the duplexer, not the gear). Scrutinize the details of the mechanical parts that surround your ghost jam and ensure they operate cleanly.

If all fails, what’s next?

Now that if you have followed each of these options and still your printer is not working, do not smash or throw it in the window. There is one more to consider: your printer might be on its last legs. Like all other devices and machines, printers also have their wear and tear down with time. This point, you are to consider for repairs or to replace your unit with a new one.

If you go for the replacement and think that it is your best option, there are bounties of resources available out there to help you decide on the best new model that will fit your needs. A new printer might give you an abrupt expenditure. But in the long run, you can save more money and it will become a practical choice replacing your old printer unit with one that modifies for your printing behavior-whether for business, for office or school.

Remember, before you find yourself heading at a store or purchasing online, try shut off your computer and printer and turn them back on. It’s absurd it solved how many invincible problems this way.

 

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