There are many reasons your office printer will stop working properly. None of them are welcome when you need copies for an important meeting or have to send documents that need an actual signature. Depending on its location, an office printer may handle high volumes, which can increase wear and tear over time. If you’re getting frustrated with your machine, we’re here to offer you a few troubleshooting tips to try first that’ll hopefully get it up and running without the need for a technician.

Common Office Printer Hardware Problems

The first place you’ll usually notice problems is with the physical components of the machine itself. Here are some common hardware issues and their possible causes:

Paper Jams

Sometimes, a sheet of paper gets caught inside a printer, wedged inside between the rollers. Your first course of action is usually to open the printer and remove the offending sheet. But if the problem occurs frequently, there could be some other factors to consider:

  • Dust: Over time, your printer can accumulate a lot of paper, toner, and regular dust. Be sure to clean the inside of your printer regularly.
  • The quality of paper: If your paper is sticking together due to humidity or its thickness (measured in millimeters), it may jam the printer. Paper that’s too thin or thick can cause speed problems.
  • Incorrect loading of the paper tray: Is the wrong size of paper being used? Is landscape paper in the tray designated for portrait paper? Be sure to check that the paper is sitting properly in the tray, and not overflowing.
  • Exceeding the duty cycle: Printers can only handle so many jobs a month before they encounter malfunctions and errors. A multifunction office printer should be able to handle up to 15,000 pages per month.

Misaligned Text

Letters misaligned on a printed page, even by a few pixels, can impact the professionalism of your output. This is usually the sign of a cartridge or toner drum malfunction, but it’s more common in inkjet printers. It’s probably time to replace some or all of your toner cartridges if this happens. You can also realign the head of your printer by running a routine maintenance program with the software that comes with it.

Smudges and Spots

Nobody wants to find ink marks on a page where they shouldn’t be. Dots and page smudges could have several causes. Here are some that you might be able to solve:

  • A dirty scan screen: If those spots are in the same place for every copy or scan, it could be that the glass of your scanner needs a good clean.
  • Too much ink: Printing too dark can sometimes cause paper to become wet or heavy and make it stick to parts of your printer. Your ink cartridges and drums may also be getting too clogged up with ink or toner. Give them a clean or replace them if you need to do so.
  • Parts malfunction: If there is an issue with your fuser, or the drum blades are malfunctioning. Whatever the reason, it’s better to call for a technician than attempt to fix it yourself.

Common Software Problems

With the growing capabilities and complexity of office printers, some problems you may encounter can be due to software issues with your machine or network. Here are some major ones:

Low-Quality Prints

While you may think the printer is to blame for this one, it’s more often on the software side. You need to ensure that all office PCs have the necessary drivers to communicate with your printer and that your color profiles are set to CMYK if printing in color. There’s also a chance your office computer displays need to be properly color-calibrated to match the printing output as closely as possible.

Slow Printing Times

It isn’t necessarily the printing speed of your printer that could be causing delays. Long print queues and slow processing times can also be a sign of outdated drivers and slow network speed. If you can, try updating the RAM of your printer so it can handle more tasks at once.

It’s also a good idea to check that your printer is getting enough power. Anything less than the recommended power supply could slow your printing down substantially.

The Queue Is Stuck

Too many jobs coming in at once may also overwhelm your printer, resulting in it not printing anything at all. If you aren’t able to clear your office printer’s queue directly from its interface, then you’ll probably need to give it a quick reboot and clear the RAM. A printer that’s been on too long may start to operate erratically, so turning it off to give it an occasional rest or refresh is a good idea.

Printer Won’t Connect

If your printer is giving you “offline” messages, or can’t be detected, after performing a restart, check your network. Check that all ethernet cables are plugged in and undamaged, and ensure that your Wi-Fi network is up to speed.

Also, check that your printer and office machine firmware is updated. Older firmware may cause issues with software compatibility. This is also true for drivers. Make sure they’re installed and up to date on every office machine.

The Slow March of Time

Many of the problems listed above can have different causes. One factor, however, can be the source of many of these problems: age. As your printer gets older, hardware and software will begin to function slower or more erratically. This can cost you in terms of productivity and increased maintenance. Printers aren’t made to last forever, and if yours has been malfunctioning a lot recently, it may be time to replace it. We have a wide range of printers to help you make the smoothest transition possible.

Fixing or Replacing Your Office Printer

If your printer is only running into an occasional problem, then you’re probably better off trying to troubleshoot it yourself, or calling a technician. If, however, these issues are creating unnecessary headaches and expenses, then it may be time to consider making a new investment.

No matter the problem, Copiers Etcetera is here to help you out. Why not make use of our knowledge and expertise? We’ve been proudly serving the Pacific Northwest for over 30 years, offering the best digital imaging solutions to enhance our clients’ productivity. Let us do the same for you.

Whether you’re in the Mill Creek area or beyond, contact us at any time and we’d be happy to lend you our professional advice.