2. Chapter Objectives In this chapter, you will learn:
About characteristics of printers
About various types of printers and how they work
How to install printers and share them over a local area network
How to maintain printers and troubleshoot printer problems
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

3. Printer Characteristics
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

4. Types of Printers
An impact printer forms characters and graphics on a printed page by using some mechanism that physically contacts the paper
A non-impact printer forms characters and graphics without using a mechanism that physically contacts the paper
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

5. Dot-Matrix Printers
A dot-matrix printer is an impact printer that moves across the width of the paper to print a matrix of dots on the page
The print head has 9 to 24 pins
Less expensive than other types of printers
Near letter quality printouts
Speed is measured in characters per second (cps)
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

6. Dot-Matrix Printers
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

7. Ink-jet Printers
An ink-jet printer is a non-impact printer that forms characters and graphics by spraying tiny drops of liquid ink onto the paper
Most ink-jet printers range from 300 to 2400 dpi
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

8. Ink-jet Printers
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

9. Laser Printers
A laser printer is a high-speed, high-quality, non-impact printer that operates in a manner similar to a copy machine, creating images using a laser beam and powdered ink
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

10. How a Laser Printer Works
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

11. Thermal Printers, Solid Ink Printers, and Photo Printers
A thermal printer uses wax-based ink that is heated by pins that melt the ink onto paper
A dye-sublimation printer uses solid dyes embedded on different transparent films
A solid ink printer uses ink stored in solid blocks
A photo printer is a color printer that can print photographs at a quality equal to photos developed at a photo lab
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

12. Thermal Printers, Solid Ink Printers, and Photo Printers
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

13. Multifunction Peripherals
A multifunction peripheral (MFP) is a single device that servers several functions, including printing
Scanner
Fax machine
Copier
Best practice is to purchase one machine for one purpose
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

14. How Windows Handles Print Jobs
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

15. Local and Network Printers
A local printer is connected directly to a computer by way of a wireless connection or by a cable that connects to a parallel, serial, USB, SCSI, or FireWire port
A network printer is a device that can be connected to a network and is accessible to a computer by way of a network
The default printer is the one Windows prints to unless another printer is selected
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

16. Installing a Local Printer Using a Cable
Physically attach the printer cable to the computer
Install the printer driver, either by having Windows install the driver or by using the printer manufacturer’s installation software
If your printer came with printer management software, install it
Print a test page to confirm that the driver is installed properly
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

17. Installing a Local Printer Using a Wireless Connection
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

18. Installing a Local Printer Using a Bluetooth Wireless Connection
Turn the printer off
Install the printer drivers using the manufacturer’s installation software
If you are using a wireless Bluetooth printing kit,
Plug the Bluetooth adapter into the USB port or insert it into the PC Card slot on the computer
Connect the printer adapter to the printer’s parallel port and, if needed, connect the power supply and plug it in.
Turn the printer on
Print a test page
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

19. Sharing a Network Printer
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

20. Connecting to a Shared Printer
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

21. Printer Maintenance
Ensure that the consumables (paper, ink, ribbons, color sticks, toner cartridges, and ink cartridges) are on hand
Research the printer documentation for specific maintenance procedures and how often you should perform them
Printer maintenance kit
Clean the printer with a damp cloth on the outside and a dry cloth on the inside
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

22. Printer Maintenance
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

23. General Printer Troubleshooting
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

24. Problems with the Printer Itself
To eliminate the printer as the problem, first check that the printer is on and then print a self-test page
If the self-test page doesn’t print or the information on the page is incorrect, you should troubleshoot the printer itself
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

25. Problems with the Printer Itself
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

26. Problems with the Printer Cable
If the printer self-test worked, try printing a test page from the printer Properties window
If the test page does not print:
Check the cable connections
Try the above step using a different printer cable
Try printing from a different PC with the cable in question
Enter CMOS setup and verify the printer port isn’t disabled
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

27. Problems with the Wireless Connection
Try printing a test page from the print adapter
Check for signal interference
Shorten the distance between the PC and the printer
Check that the printer adapter is connected to the printer securely
Check the power cable and connections
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

28. Problems with Laser Printers: Issues with Print Quality
If you suspect the printer is overheated, unplug it and allow it to cool
Remove the toner cartridge and gently rock it from side to side to redistribute the toner
Try replacing the toner cartridge
Extreme humidity may cause the toner to clump in the cartridge and give a low toner message
Consider a dehumidifier for the room where your printer is located
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

29. Problems with Laser Printers: Issues with Print Quality
Low-grade paper can result in poor print quality
You may need to clean the printer
Consider whether or not the printer requires routine maintenance
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

30. A Paper Jam Occurs or Paper Out Message Appears
Check for jammed paper from both the paper tray and the output bin
If there is no jammed paper, then remove the tray and check the metal plate at the bottom of the tray. If it cannot move up and down freely, replace the tray
When you insert the tray in the printer, check to see if the printer lifts the metal plate as the tray is inserted. If it does not, the lift mechanism might need repair
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

31. Printer Stays in Warm-Up Mode
Turn off the printer and disconnect the cable to the computer. Turn on the printer. If it now displays a Ready message, the problem is communication between the printer and computer
Verify that the cable is connected to the correct printer port, for example to a parallel port or USB port
Verify that data to the installed printer is being sent to the correct port
Replace the cable
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

32. Printing is Slow
Space is needed on the hard drive of the computer that queues and manages print jobs. Clean unneeded files from the drive or, if necessary, install a larger drive
Add more memory to the printer, following the directions in the printer manual
Lower the printer resolution and the print quality
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

33. A Portion of the Page Does Not Print
Printer may not have enough memory to hold the entire page
The solution is to install more memory in the printer
Print a self-test page to verify how much memory is installed and then check the printer guide to determine how much memory the printer can support and what kind of memory to buy
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

34. Problems with Ink-jet Printers
Check if the ink supply is low or if any of the cartridges have a partially clogged nozzle
In the printer’s Properties window, change the print quality to a higher dpi
Check that the print head is at the correct distance
Some printers have a little sponge near the carriage rest that can become clogged with ink. Remove and clean the sponge
If you are printing transparencies, try changing the fill pattern in your application
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

35. Troubleshooting Printing from Windows
The print spool might be stalled
Try to print a test page using the Printers window
Verify that the printer is online, or ready to accept print jobs
Verify that the printer cable or cable connections are tight and reboot the PC
Try removing and reinstalling the printer and printer drivers
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

36. Troubleshooting Printing from Application Software
Verify that the correct printer is selected in the Print Setup dialog box
Try printing a file from a different application
Delete any files in the print spool
Reboot the PC, and immediately try to print a Notepad document
Reopen the application giving the print error and attempt to print again
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

37. Troubleshooting Printing from Application Software
Try creating data in a new file and printing it
If you can print from other applications, consider reinstalling or upgrading the problem application
Close any applications that are not being used
Add more memory to the printer
Remove and reinstall the printer drivers
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

38. Troubleshooting Networked Printers
Be sure you are printing to the correct printer
Check to see if you can print to another network printer
Try printing a test page from the computer that has the printer attached to it locally
From the remote computer, delete the printer and reconnect it using My Network Places
Verify that you can access the computer to which the printer is attached
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

39. Chapter Summary In this chapter, you learned:
About characteristics of printers
About various types of printers and how they work
How to install printers and share them over a local area network
How to maintain printers and troubleshoot printer problems
Chapter 7: Supporting Printers

40. Chapter 7 Complete