Fixing common printer issues

Try a reboot of the printer and computer: If you can’t print at all, like with many other computer and tech issues, first try a reboot: use the power button to turn the printer completely off and then back on or simply unplug the power cord for a couple seconds. If that don’t get things working, restart your computer as well. Sometimes the communication between the computer or device and the printer gets stopped and restarting one or both devices may revive the connection.

Be aware of the print queue: If you’ve tried to print a couple times and the printer isn’t working, keep in mind that the documents (even if duplicates) maybe saved in the print queue and all start printing when the issue is fixed. So, be sure to know where the cancel button is on the printer so you can spot printer jobs. Or to get rid of many print jobs, bring up the print queue via the Control Panel or Settings app and you can delete duplicate or old print jobs hopefully before they start printing.

Use a USB cable connection: If your printer has not wanted to print multiple different times from a computer, see if there’s a USB cable between your printer and computer. If not, it likely means your printer was setup on Wi-Fi so the computer can wirelessly print. However, sometimes the Wi-Fi connection is unreliable. So, if your printer and computer are within close distance, try connecting a USB cable between the two for a more reliable connection. Most printers don’t come with this cable, so you may have to purchase one.

You can try this yourself, but keep in mind that the computer usually treats the two different connections methods (Wi-Fi and USB) as two different printers, so after you connect the USB cable you want to be sure to use that printer in Windows, and not keep printing over the Wi-Fi printer option. If you need help, I suggest contacting a computer tech.

Don’t let the ink dry: This is a compliant I hear often and is so frustrating: someone that rarely prints goes to print and nothing is on the paper. The ink can dry up, so I suggest printing several times at least monthly, and ideally weekly. If you do think the ink has dried up, you can go into the printer settings on the printer itself or sometimes via the printer app on the computer. Look for printhead cleaning. When the ink is really clogged, you may have to run the print cleaning process more than five times to get the ink flowing good.

Look at getting a laser printer: Most households buy the ink-jet printers, which cost less in the beginning and have liquid ink cartridges. Laser printers though cost more in the beginning but typically are more reliable, faster, and cost less to operate in the long-run. Laser printers use toner cartridges instead of liquid ink. Toner is a powder type of ink that doesn’t dry up, so laser printers are also great for those that don’t print often in addition to those that print a lot.