Easy Solutions To 4 Common Printing Problems!

Printers are a necessity for every modern-day office, but they don’t always perform as we’d like them to. Printing speeds can slow down after a few years of use, the manufacturer can cut driver support for a specific model, or your new machine just won’t give the quality of prints you’d hoped it would.

Whatever your case may be, you can rest in the knowledge that there’s always an easy fix for every problem, even if it might not seem like the most obvious solution at first.

Here are 4 most of the common printing problems business owners face, and quick fixes to solve each.

1.     The Printer Takes Too Long To Work

Problem

There’s nothing worse than facing an unexpected delay in your project simply because the printer just won’t seem to pick up speed. This is usually caused by outdated drivers, using a resolution that’s too high, or an internal memory issue with the printer itself.

Solutions

High-resolution images require a lot of resources on both your computer and your printer, often causing the device to slow down as it processes data.

If you’re not looking to produce high-quality brochures or images on a regular basis, make sure the printing quality it set to standard or normal for all official documents.  Whenever heavy-duty work is required, you can just switch the setting back to high-quality.

If your office does regularly require image processing capabilities, we’d recommend buying Xerox printers which have extra internal memory. You can also purchase a dedicated photo printer which deals with all image-related work leaving the standard machine free to complete everyday office tasks.

Another effective method is to switch from two-sided prints to simple one-sided printing. It’ll definitely use more paper, but the simple mode saves a considerable amount of time.

Finally, make sure all you’re using the right drivers and regularly check for updates. Driver options typically include PostScript, PCL, and the manufacturer’s offering. As a general rule, PostScript is recommended for more graphic-intensive applications, while PCL is better suited to standard office tasks.

2.     Paper Jams

Problem

At some point or the other in our lives, we’ve all had to deal with printers that can’t seem to do a simple task without jamming every two pages.

Solutions

The instruction manual or onboard control panel should walk you through this problem quite easily. Most Xerox printers even run a particular video on the touchpad that uses dedicated LED lights within the machine to show you what to do.

When clearing the jam, take care to not the page itself and always remove it in a clean, straight motion. In case the page does tear between the rollers, the manual will have instructions on how to proceed further.

If the printer continues to jam pages, the problem could be with your paper tray or storage. Remove both elements from their respective locks and realign the paper sheets in a straight line.

Also, make sure that sheets in the main storage tray are squared up properly and there’s no moisture accumulating within the device. If the paper is even remotely wet, it can make printing difficult.  

3.     Bad Quality Prints

Problem

The printer seems to be working perfectly fine, but there are smudges of colour all over the final page and images are faded, making the entire thing look like it was drawn by hand.

Solutions

There are several easy fixes for this problem as listed below. If the problem still persists afterwards, there could be an issue with the hardware itself, and you’ll need to contact the manufacturer.

• Run a few blank pages through the machine and the smudge marks will eventually fade away
• The toner cartridges, fuse box, or imaging unit could be damaged. Go through the manufacturer’s guide for further information and inspect each element accordingly.
• Double check the printing settings. Selecting the incorrect paper size or type can often lead to quality issues.
• Download the latest drivers if they aren’t updated automatically.

4.     Printer Stops Printing Altogether

Problem

Sometimes, our printers just seem to give up on us completely, even if several jobs are waiting in the queue.

Solution

This is a common problem amongst older devices which tend to get overwhelmed when there are too many jobs in the queue.

The simplest and most effective solution to this problem is to restart the device. It might seem like a primitive way of doing things, but sometimes printers need to start over to work properly.  

You should also ensure that there’s enough paper, and the right kind of it, in the main storage. Most printers will display a warning if there isn’t, but it doesn’t hurt to double check just in case.

Finally, recheck all the USB/internet connections at the printer’s end. There’s a possibility it received corrupted data because of connectivity issues.