5. Printers and Scanners Problems And Troubleshooting

5.1 Laser printer problems

i. Print results too light, white/light columns

The possible cause for this is that toner may be low and defective transfer corona and the solution is to replace the toner cartridge

ii. Ghosting

Ghosting is called when light images of previously printed pages are displayed on the current page. The probable cause for this may be because drum is not fully discharged or erase lamp not functioning and the solution for this is to print couple of black pages or replace cartridge and erase lamp

iii. Prints black pages

This may be due to damaged primary corona and the solution is to replace primary corona.

iv. Memory Overflow error

This may be because the image to be printed is too large. So the solution is to reduce the print resolution and add more RAM to the printer.

v. Paper jams

Papers can get jammed inside printer due to reasons like paper feed rollers get worn and the solution to this is to replace the worn rollers and another cause may be related to the drive gear of the pickup roller, may be broken and the solution is to replace it as well

vi. Repetitive small marks or defects

This may be caused due to toner spillage inside printer or due to crack in the drum which can accumulate toner and the solution to this is to replace the offending roller

vii. Image Smudging

Image smudging is called when the image on the paper comes off when thumb is run across it , and the problem in this case is fuser. The fuser is not heating the toner and fusing it into the paper and the solution is to replace the fuser

5.2 Dot-Matrix printer problems

i. Print results are too light

The probable cause for this could be that ribbon cartridge is out of ink and the solution is to replace the ink ribbon.

ii. Printer does not print

The possible causes for this could be printer is offline or is out of paper, or is not connected. The solution is to turn printer online or add paper or check the cable connections.

iii. Characters are incomplete

This may happen due to pins which may be struck or broken and the solution is to replace the print head.

iv. Printout jams inside the printer

This happens when something prevents the paper from advancing through the printer. There are two reasons for this. One is obstructed paper path which requires disassembling the printer to find the substance that’s blocking the paper path and the second may be due to stripped drive gears.

v. Stepper motor problems

Stepper motors are used to move the printhead back and forth as well as to advance the paper and they can easily get damaged when they are forced in any direction while the power is on. While it is easy to detect a damaged stepper motor, the only solution to this is to replace the stepper motor.

5.3 Scanner problems and troubleshooting

Common problems with scanner are scanners won’t turn on, strange noises from scanner, Scanners won’t scan etc.

Tips to troubleshoot the basic scanner related problems are:

1. Ensure that the scanner software is properly installed and all the settings are properly configured
2. Make sure that the power light on the scanner is turned on.
3. If any software related problems are noticed in scanner then uninstall and reinstall the scanner software
4. Try to perform the basic tests that are provided by the manufacturer.
5. Make sure that the cables to the scanner are properly connected.
6. Overheating, dust and humid environment can cause permanent damage to the scanner.
7. Restarting your computer, unplugging cables and verifying any hardware conflicts in the device manager can diagnose and troubleshoot the possible errors.