What Are Some Common Printer Failures?

What Are Some Common Printer Failures?
6 min read

Your printer is broken, and you are hesitating between having it repaired and buying a new one? Before sending your printer to the recycling center, try to see if you can have it repaired instead.

Except for some models of professional printers, the price of printers for office use is generally not very high. 

When a breakdown appears, most users think twice before having it repaired, given its almost symbolic price. For ecological reasons, of course, the best choice to make is to have your printer repaired, whatever the price at which you acquired it.

For professional or out-of-warranty printers, it is better to resort to repair.

Given the price of this type of printer, the best solution in the event of a breakdown is to call on a printer repair service!

Common Printer Failures

Depending on your type of printer, some types of failures can occur suddenly without warning.

Indeed, some failures are specific to the printer model you have.

Laser Printer: Print Too Light

Your laser printer prints, but the colors are too light. First of all, ensure that the image to be printed has sufficient resolution because if it is subjected to high magnification, it may appear blurry or too light. Then try to repair the problem using the printer's automatic maintenance interface.

If the problem is caused by a fault in the settings, once the settings are set, the print quality should improve in a few moments. In most cases, we have found that the toner cartridge usually causes this type of problem.

Try replacing it first and see if that works.

If you have a color printer and want to test your cartridges or toners, here is a tip taken from a printer repair forum on the net. Open an Excel sheet and fill in 5 cells with black, 5 with lemon yellow, 5 with bright red, and 5 with light blue. Then print and visually check whether or not the toner is causing the problem. In this case, it will be enough to replace the toner.

If the problem recurs after replacing the toner, it is necessary to check if the laser is clean. If the laser seems clean, then a technician should be contacted! Book an appointment with one of our printer repair technicians by contacting us online.

Printer No Longer Prints, Blank Sheet Problem

  • Problem with white sheets?
  • Your printer no longer prints and comes out with white sheets even though you have changed the ink.

Suppose the problem occurs on an inkjet printer, and it has not been used for some time. In that case, cleaning of the printer printhead may be required (putting the make and model on the Web, you will find the correct procedure).

There are a few simple handling tips that can correct the problem. For example, for an Epson printer, the button with the ink drop should be pressed for 5-6 seconds. It is sometimes possible for other brands of printers to do this directly from the print program.

Try printing with different file types (PDF, Word, Excel); some may be unreadable for MFPs as they are incompatible. The file should be converted to a more common format, such as the classic PDF.

If you have a laser printer, try printing with another type of file (mail, Word, PDF) and make sure that the driver can convert the data correctly. If the problem persists, reinstall the drivers on the printer or try updating the firmware.

If the sheet comes out with black and/or colored spots or dots, the problem could be the fuser or the imaging unit, also called the laser printer's drum.

In this case, it is strongly recommended to contact the manufacturer's after-sales service if your printer is still under warranty or to call a printer repair service. For photocopies, the problem may come from the scanner or from the card that manages the data of your photocopier. In this case, again, it is advisable to contact a technician.

Paper Jam:

Suppose the paper jam problem occurs when a small piece of paper gets stuck in the printer's gears. First, it is necessary to remove all the sheets and the paper carriage.

It is also necessary to inspect the inside of the machine using a small lamp. Many printer models also have an access panel to examine and clean the paper feed mechanism. If you want to remove the piece of paper stuck, it is strongly recommended to use small pliers to extract it more easily.

Also, pay attention to the type of paper you use. It may have absorbed moisture if it is very old or has been stored for a long time.

In this case, the printer is likely to feed two sheets together so that paper may get stuck in the machine, causing printing to suddenly stall. In any case, using special types of paper without first consulting your printer's user manual is not recommended.

Varitek is a leading printer repair service company specializing in all kinds of printer repair for all major brands. We also repair plotters, scanners, photocopiers, projectors, computers, and fax machines. Visit our website to find out more. 

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