The Most Common Printer Problems and Their Solutions
There are many benefits to having your own printer in your home or office. To print tickets, documents, or images, you don’t have to go to a printer shop. Printers, just like other electronic appliances, can fail if they’re not properly maintained. Most of us have encountered printer problems such as paper jamming and uneven or slow printing. We know how frustrating it can be to experience printer problems that persist if you use your printer often.
The Most Common Printer Problems & Solutions
1. The printer is operating very slowly
Laser Printer Issues
It all depends on the type of printer that you use. Photo printers, for example, print at slower speeds to produce high quality prints. Others print faster but have lower quality. If your printer is slowing down and you are using it regularly, you might need to adjust the settings to improve the quality of the prints.
2. The prints have faded colours
Inkjet Printer Cartridge
Print quality is not just dependent on the HP deskjet 2130 printer, but also the ink cartridge. Ink cartridges for inkjet printers are liquid-based, while laser cartridges use powdered ink. Depending on the printer you use, ink cartridges can be either dye-based or pigment based. If the colours have become faded on your printer’s ink cartridge, it could be that the ink has dried.
Did you know that paper type can also impact the quality of your print?
Printing papers without coatings are those that have a matte or gloss finish. Coated papers, on the other hand, are reflective. The toner may be the printer problems if the paper isn’t an issue. Take the toner out and shake it a few times before putting it back in the printer. It is best to avoid touching the toner roll as it can leave fingerprints. This will resolve the problems.
It’s not always the fault of the hardware. Between your computer and your printer, the printer driver serves as a translator. Drivers, like other software, can become outdated or incompatible with your operating system after an update. If your printer isn’t responding to basic commands or crashes frequently, a driver update may be able to resolve the problem straight away. It’s also possible that you have the incorrect printer driver installed on your PC. Uninstalling your current driver and replacing it with an up-to-date one can usually get your printer and computer talking again. Visit your printer manufacturer’s support page to locate an updated version of your printer driver.
Printing is not a common activity so it’s important to ‘activate’ the toner.
3. After every document is printed, a blank sheet of paper appears
Office Printers
An extra sheet of paper may be printed because your HP deskjet 2710 printer driver or print settings are corrupted or outdated. You can fix the printer problem by reinstalling your printer drivers or updating them. This setting is most useful in offices with high print volumes. It is also helpful if multiple people are using the same printer.
You can choose to insert separator pages before or after each stack when inserting separator pages. You can select the ‘Print directly to the printer’ option if you don’t need a blank sheet after each print job. Follow these steps:
How to Reinstall the Printer Drivers
Use the Windows Key + X to select the ‘Device Manager’ option.
Locate the printer driver and click on it to uninstall.
Check ‘Remove Driver software’ for your device if it is available and then click ‘Uninstall.
After uninstalling the printer driver, restart your computer and connect your printer to it. Windows will automatically install the default driver for you printer.
How to Update the Printer Driver
Visit the printer brand’s website to download the most recent drivers for your printer model. The manual for your printer can be consulted if you are unsure about its model. You can find the manual on how to update printer drivers for Windows PCs and macOS devices.
4. Only half of the page is printed, while the other half is left blank
This is a common issue with USB printers. There is a printer problems if only half of the page prints out. Turn off the computer and unplug the printer. Then, restart the computers. If the page doesn’t print correctly, it could be the toner, drum unit or roller. If the error message doesn’t explain what is happening, call a professional. Call a professional if the error message doesn’t explain what is wrong.
5. Prints are very light in colour
It is likely that the print head has become clogged. This is a common printer problems with inkjet printers and ink tank printers.
6. There are some colours missing from the prints
Printer Colour Shades
This is a common printer problems with printers. Most people think the ink has run out. This printer problems could be caused by many things. Before you replace the cartridge, make sure to check it first. It could be a blocked nozzle if the cartridges get full. The printers use a mixture of RGB (Red Green and Blue) and CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow and Key) colours.
The ink could also have dried out from lack of use. If you don’t use your ink regularly, they can quickly dry up. You could also try changing the ink.
7. Wi-Fi printing is very slow
Make sure your Wi-Fi router has the latest firmware and is functioning properly. For faster wireless operation, it should support 802.11b/g/n. To improve the performance of your device, you could add a wireless extender.
