50 percent of help desk calls are printer-related.
These calls are usually from agitated employees trying to print a vital document. They feel the printer is out to get them as it always misbehaves when they need it the most. The printer problems cause them to waste time and lead to low productivity.
As a business owner or manager, you should look for ways to resolve these problems.
To help you out, here are ten common printer problems and how to solve them.
1. The Printer Won’t Turn On
Check if the printer is plugged in. Although this sounds like a no-brainer, you won’t believe how often it happens. Employees are usually in a rush to print a document and don’t understand why the printer won’t turn on.
Instead of checking whether the printer is plugged in properly, most employees call the help desk. Others plug in the printer and forget to turn on the socket outlet switch. So, before you call the help desk, confirm the printer is properly plugged in and the socket switch is on.
You can even try plugging in the printer in another socket outlet if it’s not turning on.
However, if none of the above things work, don’t try to open up the printer yourself. You’ll most likely cause more damage to the printer as you’ve no idea the right way to fix it. Your best bet is to reach out to a professional printer maintenance and repair company.
This company will give you professional insights on why your printer won’t turn on. Also, this company has skilled technicians who’ll fix this problem quickly.
2. Constant Paper Jams
Paper jams are almost inevitable, and most offices are used to them. However, it’s prudent to watch out for constant paper jams. These are paper jams that frequently occur, disrupting operations.
Your goal is to find out what causes constant paper jams and how to prevent this problem.
Here are some of the most common causes of paper jams:
• Paper not inserted correctly
• Damaged rollers
• Using low-quality printing papers
• Using low-quality cartridges
So, to avoid paper jams invest in premium toner cartridges. Shop for these printer accessories online by visiting websites such as Premiumtoners.com. Your goal is to get a quality toner cartridge from the top online shop at an affordable price.
Also, to prevent damaged rollers, seek regular printer maintenance services.
Despite doing all the above things, paper jams may still happen, so you need to learn to fix them.
Here’s how to fix paper jams.
• Turn off the printer and unplug it to avoid problems with electricity, heat, and moving parts
• Open all the panels leading to the paper path to find the stuck paper
• Carefully pull out the stuck paper
• Close the panels and turn on the printer (the printer should automatically reset itself)
• Print a test paper to ensure everything is running smoothly
If you accidentally break a printer component when pulling out the stuck bad, don’t go any further. Stop immediately and call a professional printer service to prevent more damage.
3. Printer Wi-Fi Problems
Almost every printer user has encountered one of these four wireless connectivity issues:
1. The printer won’t connect to Wi-Fi
2. The printer is connected to Wi-Fi, but it doesn’t show up on your computer
3. The printer is showing on your computer but doesn’t print
4. The printer is connected to Wi-Fi, and it’s showing on your computer, but it’s taking forever to print
Unfortunately, most people have no idea how to fix these printer Wi-Fi issues. They feel these issues are too technical for them, yet there are not.
Here are things anyone can do to fix these printer connectivity issues:
• Move the printer closer to the Wi-Fi router
• Unplug or reboot the printer
• Use LAN cable to connect the printer to the router
• Update the printer’s firmware and drivers
• Remove the printer from your computer and read it afresh
If none of the above things works, reach out to a professional printing solutions company. This company will guide you to know more about the likely causes of printer Wi-Fi issues. It’ll also offer a timely and reliable solution for these problems.
4. Printer Documents Faded
Most employees will print another copy when the first one is faded or botched. Some will even print a third copy without investigating what’s causing the problem. These employees waste a lot of paper and do nothing to fix this problem.
And that’s why 17% of the 27 pages employees print every day end up in the trash the same day.
You need to guide your employees on how to handle this problem to cut printing costs.
Here are some of the ways they can fix this problem:
• If you have a laser printer, remove the toner cartridge and shake it to redistribute the toner power
• Replace the toner cartridge
• Change the ink/toner density settings
• Move the printer away from areas with high or low humidity
• Clean the printhead to improve ink efficiency
In many cases, the leading cause of faded text on printed documents is a dried-up cartridge. So, remember to replace the toner cartridge regularly to prevent this problem.
Also, instruct your employees not to print another copy of the first one that is faded until the problem is fixed. Your goal is to cut paper waste and reduce printing costs.
Also, guide your employees on different ways to recycle paper, such as printing on both sides. You want your business to embrace green printing practices.
5. Slow Printer Speed
When handling a bulk printing project, you’ll notice after producing several copies, your printer slows down. It does this to prevent the print mechanism from overheating and getting damaged. When this happens, shut down the printer and unplug it.
You want to give it a minute to cool down before you resume printing.
If this doesn’t work, consider changing the printer preferences. Your printer might be slow because of having the “best” quality preference. To increase speed, change this preference to normal.
The other option for fixing a slow printer is turning off the quiet mode. The reason is that some types of printers will print slowly to minimize noise. So, you might have to tolerate a little bit of noise to increase printing speed.
Also, remember to update your printer driver to maintain a favorable printing speed. The reason is that outdated printer drivers are one of the causes of slow printing speed.
If none of these solutions works, consider your printer might be too old, and it’s time to get a new one. The reason is that it may be too costly to keep repairing this old printer. After all, it’s time to get a modern printer with amazing printing features for your office.
6. Printer Not Scanning
Many offices have to make do with modern printers that no longer scan documents. They claim it’s too much trouble to try and fix this problem. After all, the printer is doing its main task, printing, so other functions don’t matter.
Right?
Wrong!
Your business invested significant money in buying the printer, so you should enjoy all its functions. The good news is fixing the scanning problem is relatively easy. All you need is to reinstall the printer software package in many instances.
If this doesn’t work, visit the printer’s manufacturer’s website and check the FAQ section. The idea is to get the manufacturer’s guidance on the likely causes of this problem and how to fix it.
If you don’t find any resources online on how to fix the printer scanning problem, seek professional help. Your goal is to ensure your employees enjoy all your office printer’s functionalities.
7. Printer Not Connecting to Mobile Devices
Although mobile printing has been around for a couple of years now, some people are yet to learn how it works. Most employees don’t know how to connect mobile devices with printers. These employees waste a lot of time trying mobile printing, and they’re too shy to ask for help.
Others mess up the printer settings when connecting it to their mobile devices.
As a business owner or manager, it’s your duty to train employees on the right way to use the office printer. Take time to guide them on the mobile apps to use when printing from their phones. You want to direct them to a user-friendly app that simplifies mobile printing.
Finally, encourage them always to come forward whenever they face printer problems. Your goal is to ensure efficient printer usage to prevent damage and prolong printer lifespan.
8. Printer Security
With the alarming rise of cyber-attacks, businesses worry that any device they use can compromise cybersecurity. So, you’re right to wonder whether printers can be hacked. Unfortunately, hackers can gain access to any device connected to the internet.
Hackers will target your office printer as it stores sensitive business data, which they’ll sell to third parties. Also, some hackers will infect your printer with malware causing it to malfunction. Finally, hackers can target your printer to gain access to your entire business’s network.
You should consider getting newer model printers to counter these cybersecurity threats. The reason is that most old model printers are highly unsecure. Also, conduct regular cybersecurity audits to identify vulnerabilities in your network.
9. Printing Documents With Streaks
Employees have a hard time reading printed documents with dirty streaks or blank spaces across the page. The problem is that most of them don’t know how to fix this issue. So, they hope it’s a temporary printer issue that will fix itself with time.
Unfortunately, this printer problem won’t go away if you do nothing. The good news is that there’s a simple solution to this problem. All you need is to run the clean printer program, and the printer will clean itself.
After running this program, the printer will print a nozzle check. If you notice dirty streaks on the nozzle, check and run the clean printer program two or three more times. If this doesn’t work, consider a manual printer cleaning.
However, if you’re doubtful about your capability to clean the office printer manually, don’t risk it. Without the right skillsets, there’s a high chance you’ll damage vital printer parts, which are costly to repair or replace. Choose to hire experts to manually clean your office printer to mitigate these risks.
So, seek recommendations from other business owners to find the top company near you that offers these services.
10. Weird Looking or Misaligned Text
The alignment problem is the other common printer issue many businesses face. The misalignment causes the printer to print images and text at an angle. Most of the documents are unusable and end in the trash.
Here are some of the things that cause printer misalignment:
• A stuck piece of paper
• Clogged printer cartridges
• Improperly installed cartridges
• Using low-quality cartridges
So, to correct a misaligned printer, learn how to fix the above issues. Your goal is to ensure your printer is producing high-quality and readable documents.
Solve Common Printer Problems to Reduce Paper Waste
Your business should prevent the above printer problems to reduce printing costs. You want to reduce paper waste by ensuring high-quality printed problems. So, learn what causes paper jams and how to avoid this problem.
Also, invest in regular printer maintenance to streamline office operations. Your goal is to ensure your employees have access to a functional printer. Finally, educate your employees on how to use the office printer.
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