Here at North West Digital, we’re incredibly proud of our top notch after sales and customer support, which works hard to make sure your devices are doing what they are supposed to do, every single time.
Nevertheless, regardless of how good we are, there are the odd occasions when those pesky little gremlins get into your printing equipment and cause small issues – but big headaches for your office! Fortunately though, when this does happen, it’s usually something you can fix yourself, so that you can get your devices back up and running as quickly as possible with as little disruption to your day.
Hence, to give you a little helping hand (don’t we always?!) here are some of the most common printer problems you may encounter, along with some useful tips on how you can quickly and confidently fix them.
Supply, Power and Connection
The KISS principle is the best place to start with any printer issue; Keep It Simple Silly! It may seem obvious, but the first step is always to check that your printer is actually plugged in, properly connected via wi-fi or through its cable, and has enough paper in the right trays. You can also change the ink and toner with a lot more ease nowadays, so just follow the onscreen instructions, being sure to shake your new ink cartridges slightly before putting them in for the best ink performance.
Paper Jams
By far the most frustrating and common problem for printers is the seemingly unavoidable paper jams, which always seems to occur at the worst possible moment! However, there are actually ways that you can help to reduce your chances of getting paper jams.
First up, simply by not overfilling the paper trays you can reduce the likelihood of paper jams. Also, try running your thumb over the edges of a paper ream stack before placing fresh paper into the trays, as this motion will help to ‘unstick’ the pages from each other and lessen the chance of paper jamming.
Nevertheless, if your printer is jamming frequently, try the following to either reduce or solve the issue;
- Check for any loose objects that might have fallen into the printer, such as paper clips, staples, coins, rubber bands etc.
- Check that you’ve loaded the paper in properly and that the trays aren’t overfilled.
- See if the rollers are damaged or dirty.
- Remove any wrinkled, ripped or wet paper that might be in the tray, especially after a previous paper jam.
- Look for any open or ajar doors, checking all sides and underneath. All trays and doors must be closed securely for the printer to operate properly.
- Don’t add any extra paper to the existing stack of paper in the try once printing has started.
- Keep paper in trays uniform and one size only.
- Use the information screens to check for any paper or torn scraps that may be stuck deeply within the printer, causing blocks.
- Turn the printer off and on again to reset.
- Keep the printer on a flat surface.
- Wipe the rollers and keep the paper supply clean and neat.
- Keep service appointments and let us know if you have any issues straight away.
Job Queues
Sometimes, especially with a shared networked printer, job queues can cause printing issues; particularly if the print job is stuck in the Windows print queue and can’t be cancelled or deleted, it can stop further print jobs from printing.
There are a variety of reasons why this might happen (including power cuts) because of the ‘spooling’ process on the computer’s side of things, but these can usually be resolved through the Windows help application on your computer.
Weird and Wonderful Error Messages
Sometimes the gremlins just like to mess with us and there’s no good reason as to why your printer is going haywire, so when this happens, just try the good old fashioned, ‘off and on again’ reset. Switch off the printer and give it a minute before turning it on again.
If the error message is still showing when it’s back on, it’s time to give us a call.
Networked Support
Some printer types may include a wizard tool that can be run on the computer when a printer experiences an issue. These types of tool can run an automated check and diagnosis, searching for the networked printer problem. Simple to use, one of these quick scans may help you find the solution to your printing problem effortlessly.
Gremlin Wranglers
Sometimes though, no matter how good you are at solving problems, those cursed gremlins just won’t play nice! That’s when it’s time to call in the experts. We’re only ever a quick phone call away for top-class advice and help. Otherwise, we’re available on a free call out to your office, to get in and get out – and letting you get on with your day, and since we’re Greater Manchester locals, we’re never more than an hour away.
So, in the unlikely event that you experience any serious technical difficulties with your devices, we’ll be on the spot as quickly as possible and get you sorted. That’s our no stress customer service guarantee.
Get In Touch
If you’d like to find out more, then please get in touch with us today for a friendly chat and a free, no obligation assessment of your individual business needs. You can contact us by emailing info@, by phoning 0161 477 8950 or simply by completing the contact form on the website for one of our friendly team to get back to you.