Printer Problems and Solutions

 Printer Problems and Solutions

Published by: Nathan Smith

Reviewed by: Keontae Towner


Printers are notorious for being buggy and having a multitude of different bugs and errors. If you are someone who relies on a printer for your day-to-day school or work tasks, these consistent errors can become quite frustrating. However, with some patience and effort, a lot of these problems can be easily fixed. 


Paper Jams:

Paper jams are among the most common problems a printer can have. A paper jam occurs when sheets of paper get stuck in the feeding mechanism of your printer, completely disabling it from being able to print. To fix this problem, first turn off your printer and unplug it. Second, open the cover on your printer to reveal the roller/feeding mechanism (Note: The location of this cover will vary by printer). Third, locate the jammed paper and hold it firmly using two hands. Next, slowly pull out the paper, keeping in mind to not tear it, as leaving small paper shards in the feeding mechanism can cause more damage. After ensuring all paper is removed, you are now able to close the feeding mechanism cover and reboot your printer!







Full/Stuck Queue:

Having a full/stuck queue is another common problem someone using a printer may face. This occurs when multiple documents are sent to the printer at the same time, causing the printer to lock up and not print. This can also occur as an effect of other problems. For example, if you have multiple documents queued and a paper jam occurs on the first one, the queue will be stuck. To fix this problem, first clear any print jobs that are in the queue. To do this (Windows solution), locate the Printer icon located at the bottom-right corner of the screen on the Windows taskbar (Note: the user may have to select the “^” icon to see hidden icons). Next, right-click the icon and select “Open All Active Printers.”





Next, select the printer you are using from the active printers list, this will pull up the job queue window for that printer. After this, click the “Document” tab at the top of the job queue window. Finally, choose “Cancel”, and confirm “Yes” when asked if you are sure you want to cancel the document. Complete the above steps for every job in the print queue until it is clear!





After clearing the queue, it is recommended that you also reboot the printer, ensuring the queue is cleared and the printer is ready to take new jobs (Fu, 2023).



Out-of-Date Printer Drivers:

A print driver is software that allows your computer to communicate with your printer. Having the correct AND up-to-date driver is crucial for your printer to work how it is intended. However, knowing when your driver is the cause of a problem is not always clear, as most of the time, it could look like a standard connectivity issue. To check for driver updates, navigate to the search bar located on the taskbar, and search “Device Manager.” Once in the Device Manager menu, scroll down until you find the “Printers” label. Click on it to expand it. After expanding, locate the printer you are using and right click it. After right-clicking it, select the option “Update driver,” and allow it to run. 







Hopefully the above printer issues and solutions aid you in diagnosing and solving your own printer problems.. Thanks for reading!






References


Fu, Arron. “How to Fix 10 Common Printer Problems.” UniPrint.Net, 24 Feb. 2023, www.uniprint.net/en/how-to-fix-10-common-printer-problems/. 


Byatt, Kieron. “Why won’t my printer print? 15 common printing problems.” PaperCut, 13 Feb. 2024, https://www.papercut.com/blog/print_tips/why-wont-my-printer-print-15-common-printing-problems/ 

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