ELM Bulletin - September 30, 2008
Solving Printing Problems
It's happened to all of us; the printer won't print. Just for us. Everyone else can print just like always, but we can't. What's the problem? We'll tell you, and how to fix it.
Printers rely on printer drivers to interact with the operating systems of the computers that they're connected to. A printer driver is simply software that runs on your computer, and tells your computer's operating system how to format your print jobs so that the printer can understand them. Different operating systems require different printer drivers, enabling your printer to understand your Windows computer as well as it understands your neighbour's Apple computer or your nephew's Linux system.
Because a printer driver is software, it can sometimes become corrupted by changes made to the operating system following its installation. This can result in your printer no longer being able to process any print jobs sent to it from your computer yet being able to handle print jobs sent to it from any other computer.
The fist thing to do when this happens is to download the most recent printer driver from the manufacturer's website and install it. Quite often this will solve the problem and we can get back to work. Occasionally, however, re-installation does not work. In these cases we have found the following to be successful over 90% of the time.
Please note that these instructions are for printers connected directly to your computer. Contact an IT specialist (such as ELM) to resolve problems printing to a printer on your network.
1 - Access the Printers Dialogue through the "Printers" item in the Start Menu, or through the "Printer" icon in the Control Panel
2 - In the Printers Dialogue highlight the printer that you are having problems with
3 - Right-Click the problem printer and select "Delete" from the pop-up menu
4 - Provide the appropriate responses to any question relating to deleting the printer; these will vary by the printer in question
5 - Deleting may take some time while Windows removes any print jobs that have accumulated for that printer, you may need to wait several minutes for the printer to be deleted
6 - OPTIONAL: Once the printer has been deleted, delete any other printers that you no longer use (be careful here, especially if you are on a network, since some printers may not appear by recognizable names; call an IT specialist if there is any question)
7 - Restart your computer
8 - Download the most recent printer driver for the problem printer from the manufacturer's website and install as per the manufacturer's instructions
9 - Print a test page to confirm whether or not the connection to your printer has been repaired
10 - If you are still unable to print, you will need to contact an IT specialist such as ELM Computers to set matters straight
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this or any other issue.
Past issues of the ELM Bulletin are available from our website, feel free to forward them to anyone you wish.
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Peter Rhebergen Telephone |
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