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Brandy redux -> Basic Printer Troubleshooting (12/25/2009 12:37:28 AM)
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NOTE: Since most printer manufacturers provide very good Technical Support for printer problems, if the information below does not help to solve your problem, it might be a very good idea to call your printer's Technical Support to ask for assistance.
Problem
Basic Printer Troubleshooting
Solution
Printing problems typically occur when the communication between the program and the printer breaks down. On older systems, this can be caused by using a bad printer cable or using of a print switcher. Most often, problems are caused by low resources, outdated or corrupt printer drivers, or memory conflicts. To attempt to resolve these issues, try the following steps:
Before you begin with the recommended solutions listed below, you will definitely want to make sure that your ink cartridges are not running low. And, if you are seeing streaking in the printout, you will definitely want to clean the print heads.
1. Restart the computer to purge all information in RAM.
2. Change the Printer's Spool settings and Graphic settings.
WinXP/2000/WinVista/Windows 7
* Go to Control Panel, then select the appropriate 'Printers' option for your Operating System
('Printers and Faxes' for WinXP/2000, 'Printers' for WinVista or 'Devices and Printers' for Windows 7).
* For WinXP/2000, right-click on your Printer, then select 'Properties' in the menu that drops down.
For WinVista & Windows 7, right-click on your Printer, then select 'Printer Properties' in the menu that drops down.
* When the 'Properties' window opens, click on the 'Advanced' tab.
* Click on the 'Print Processor...' button at the bottom of the window.
* Change the 'Default Data Type' to RAW (it may already be on this setting). Click on 'OK'.
* Click in the circle next to 'Print directly to the printer' option located in the center of the window. * Click on 'OK'.
* Close the 'Properties' window by clicking on 'OK'.
3. Set the printer as the Default Printer, then set the desired Printing Preferences.
* Go to Control Panel, then select the appropriate 'Printers' option for your Operating System
('Printers and Faxes' for WinXP, 'Printers' for WinVista or 'Devices and Printers' for Windows 7).
* Right-click on the Printer icon, then select 'Set as Default Printer' in the menu that drops down - to place a check mark in front of this printer.
* Right-click on the Printer icon, then select 'Printing Preferences' in the menu that drops down. Select the Printing Preferences that you would like to have applied to most print jobs.
* Click on 'Apply', then click on 'OK'.
4. Close any programs running in the background.
5. Perform a Disk Cleanup, as described below:
Go to 'My Computer' ('Computer' for Vista & Windows 7), right click on the C:\ drive, then select 'Properties' in the menu that drops down. When the Properties window opens, click on the 'Disk Cleanup' button, then follow through with the Disk Cleanup process.
NOTE: When the Disk Cleanup window opens (with the list of items to be deleted), make sure that there are checkmarks next to 'Temporary Internet Files', 'Recycle Bin' and 'Temporary Files' before you click on OK.
6. Print from the program.
7. If these options do not correct this problem, try printing from MS Paint (Start | Programs | Accessories).
MS Paint prints in graphics (raster) mode. Many of other programs will only use text (vector) mode. If errors occur when printing in MS Paint, contact the printer's manufacturer for help configuring the printer properly for graphics mode.
8. Many printer problems can be resolved by visiting the printer manufacturer's web site to download and install the correct and most current version of the printer driver for your Operating System.
NOTE: The printer driver which is installed on your computer should be the most current driver for both your Operating System and the version of that Operating System - either 32-bit or 64-bit. If you do not know which Operating System you are using, or which version you are using, go to Control Panel, select System, then look for the name of the Operating System (i.e. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, etc.). Then, look for something which says either '32-bit Operating System' or '64-bit Operating System'. If you don't find any mention of either 32-bit or 64-bit, that would indicate that your Operating System is a 32-bit Operating System.
And, it is very important to keep in mind that the printer driver that is on the CD which is bundled with the printer is not always the most current printer driver. So, it's always a good idea to visit the printer manufacturer's web site on a regular basis to check for newer drivers.
9. If none of these steps helps to resolve the print errors, the printer driver may have become corrupt. Uninstall and reinstall the printer driver.
* Go to Control Panel, then select the appropriate 'Printers' option for your Operating System
('Printers and Faxes' for WinXP, 'Printers' for WinVista or 'Devices and Printers' for Windows 7).
* Right click on the Printer icon, then select 'Delete' in the menu that drops down.
Note: Some printers can only be uninstalled using their uninstaller utility. The uninstaller should be located in the Printer Manufacturer’s Folder located in the Programs Menu.
* Reinstall the printer, using the driver that was downloaded from the printer manufacturer's web site.
* Try printing from the program.
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