Troubleshooting Laser Printers

Most work, and some home, environments today use laser printers for daily business. We take them for granted, and should they develop a problem -- we know how to solve it. It's really quite easy: pick up the phone and call your local laser expert! Tell them what the display text is spelling out for you and presto, they sweep in, wave a magic wand, and you are back in business. Sound familiar?

Sometimes though, we haven't got time to wait -- the project we were printing is due -- and the printer must be fixed NOW. Don't panic. Before you pick up the phone to 911 that repair person, try to solve the problem on your own. You may surprise yourself!

Where To Begin?

For every effect there is a cause, right? So, put on your logic hat, and try to diagnose the cause of the problem. The best way to do that is to determine your printer's symptoms. Here are a few common ones:

If Nothing Happens When You Hit Print...

Hardware Possibilities

Is your printer plugged in? This may seem obvious, but if you have kids, pets, co-workers, or other people around -- anyone could have accidentally pulled the plug.  Check the cables connecting your printer to the computer. Sometimes these come loose, and sometimes they need to be replaced.  Is your printer one of several peripherals sharing a connection? For example, if it's on a parallel port pass-through, make sure the other devices are actually on and functioning.

Printer Driver Issues

Your printer driver could be corrupt. Try reinstalling it.  If it's a new setup, you may have the wrong printer driver. In general, most laser printer drivers are fairly standardized. You could use a Lexmark driver with a HP Laserjet, or an Apple LaserWriter with a Lexmark. Standardization is due to common printer languages, usually PS (Postscript) or PCL (Printer Control Language).  However, even with the standardization, there are some differences. If for example, you've asked the printer driver to print to "tray 16" and the actual printer only has 3 trays, you will get an error. This type of situation is more common if you are sharing a network of computers that may not all have the same driver installed.

Wrong default setting?

Some programs (like MS Word) automatically print to the default printer. If your printer is not set up as the default, your document will not print. Under the "Start" menu, choose "Settings" then "Printers". Select your printer if it is not already selected.

Trying to print a PDF (Portable Document Format)?

If you are working in Adobe Acrobat, there may be a problem with the setup of the file. It's possible you're feeding PS level II code to a PS level I printer. Simply go to the print dialog settings in the program and choose "PS level I only".

File too complicated?

If your file is too complex for your printer, you may get an "out of memory" error. In this case, try reducing the number of fonts and graphics you are using, getting rid of all non-printing objects and ungrouping grouped objects.

Only Part of the Page Is Printing

Again, this may be a memory problem. You'll have to simplify your layout to get your pages to print.

Color Background Isn't Uniform

If you've chosen a color for the background, and it is coming out in several different shades, your paper and print drum are probably not moving at the same speed. If one is slower than the other, your image will smear. Reasons for differing speeds include your paper tray being overloaded or your printing paper may be too thin, stiff or glossy.

Image Isn't Square with the Edges of the Paper

This may happen if the paper isn't merging at and exact head-on angle, or is moving at a different speed than the print drum.

In both of these situations, try flipping the paper over (there is a smooth side and a rough side to every sheet,) feeding it from a different tray and checking the paper path for debris that may be clogging up the process.

Paper Is Jammed in Printer

Again, the paper may be too thin, stiff or shiny for the printer to handle. Lexmark laser printers can deal with just about anything -- they are a very safe bet!

Shading Is Weird or Printout Is Faded

Your printer is probably running out of toner. You should first try swapping the cartridge with a new one to see if this makes a difference. When you do this, it is essentially like getting a new printer -- the whole printing process is in the print cartridge!

Your Fonts Won't Print

You could be printing Postscript to a non-Postscript printer. In this case, you will need to install Adobe Type Manager (ATM).  You're printing to a Postscript printer, but it doesn't have the fonts you are using in memory. If you are not using a font that came installed on the printer, you will need to download it to the printer.  If you are printing in PCL, the printer will most likely look for a replacement if it doesn't have the font you've requested. PCL printers (Lexmark uses PCL) will consult an internal "font substitution list" and continue to print in most instances.  Installing a new version of a software application sometimes changes the way fonts are handled.  The font may have become corrupted. In this case, all you can do is delete one font, then print, and repeat the process until you find the culprit. Then reinstall the fonts.

Printing from the Web

Resolution on the screen is much lower than resolution used on laser printers. If you print directly from the Internet, your results may end up looking blocky. Most sites have a "printer friendly" option (like Lexmark HPC) that allows you to print in PDF format.

If all else fails, you may just want to call that expert. But definitely solicit free help from friends and colleagues first!