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Ink Cartridges and Troubleshooting
My printer won't print
Make sure that your printer is switched on at the power point and that all cables
are pushed in firmly. Use the driver functions to check that the computer is
communicating with the printer. Try printing a test page using the driver softaware
and the operating system software. If everything is working OK, try printing
a test page from a simple word processing program like Notepad. If this is OK
try printing a small web image, and if that worked OK it may be that the file
you were trying to print was too large and taking too long to process.
There is a long delay before it prints
Large photos, images and graphics can take longer to process, be patient, go
and have a coffee and see if it works after a time. If it is taking a long time
to print then this may mean you need more memory, or that you are running low
on disk space on your computer. Trying to do other tasks at the same time as
trying to print will slow down your computer alot.
The image looks very grainy and blocky, curves have a stepped appearance
This is generally because the image is low resolution. Web images may look fine
on screen which displays at 72dpi but print poorly (usually at 600dpi or more).
To get a good printout you would need a bitmap file several several megabytes
in size, compressed images are usually smaller but do print well (eg jpeg).
Edges are jagged
This is where the individual pixels of the image become visible, because the
image is too low resolution, this effect is more obvious in curved parts of
text that have been enlarged a lot.
The image printed too dark
This is because the original image is too dark. What you see on screen is not
the same as what will print. You may need to adjust the brightness and contrast
settings on your monitor to match the output of your printer. You can then change
the image to print out better. You can also calibrate your monitor, usually
several printer to monitor profiles are shipped with your monitor driver (or
graphics card) or you can use generic ones which come with your operating system.
If scanning, use the white and black point controls to set the range of light
and dark for the image.
The image printed too light
This is because the original image is too light. What you see on screen is not
the same as what will print. You may need to adjust the brightness and contrast
settings on your monitor to match the output of your printer. You can then change
the image to print out better. You can also calibrate your monitor, usually
several printer to monitor profiles are shipped with your monitor driver (or
graphics card) or you can use generic ones which come with your operating system.
If scanning, use the white and black point controls to set the range of light
and dark for the image.
The paper didn't load
Check that the printer settings are not set to manual loading. Check the condition
of the paper - it should not be creased, torn or curled, it should also be at
least the minimum size reccommended for the printer. Check where the paper enters
the printer, there may be an obstruction, a torn piece of paper or something
foreign may have dropped in. Check that the paper is the right way up, that
there is not too much paper in the tray and that you are using suitable paper
(not too thick or thin). Try feeding the paper manually, one sheet at a time
or use a different media tray. Check that the paper is not curled.
The printer loads more than one sheet at a time
Only load a few sheets at a time, and make sure you fan them out or seperate
them by hand before loading the printer. If this fails then try loading them
by hand one by one.
The paper dries really slowly
There are several reasons why prints dry too slowly. If the image is very dense
there will be more ink put on the page. Refill inks are lower quality and contain
more water so take longer to dry. Refill inks are the wrong formulation for
the printer manufacturers own brand of paper so dry slowly. Don't use refill
inks or poor quality compatible cartridges. Use the photo paper and best quality
settings on the printer driver to slow printing down. After printing, leave
your prints indoors in a warm dry area with air circulation.
Pages stick together after printing
As soon as the page prints take it out of the output tray. Avoid sheets landing
on top of each other.
The photo is the wrong colour
There can be several causes for this. Make sure the original image is correct
(see points above). If not, adjust in an imaging program and do several test
prints to get it right. try different settings on the printer driver, and try
a few different types of paper. Make sure you remeber the steps you take so
you can repeat them if necessary. Make sure you are using the manufacturers
inks. Compatibles, generics, refills etc are usually the wrong colour and can
give unsatisfactory results. A colour may be empty or missing (see below).
The
photo gets a metallic sheen in dark areas
The ink is not being properly applied to the paper which causes bronzing. Sometimes
this is due to an oversaturation of black, so use your imaging program to reduce
black areas..
The shadow areas are grainy (other parts of the photo
are OK)
This is an effect known as "coalescence", and is related to the way in which
the ink is absorbed into the paper. It is reduced by using the best (highest
resolution) printer settings on the driver, using high gloss paper, and using
quality inks.
I get stripes
or missing lines
This is very common. This is caused by blocked print nozzles. The nozzles are
blocked by dry ink, ink particles found in cheaper inks, or paper fibres. Try
a print head clean or two - if this doesn'rt solve your problem you can try
removing the print cartridge (if it has a printhead built in) and soaking the
nozzles in a saucer of warm water for a few minutes, drying all electrical contacts
thoroughly and re-inserting it into the printer. Do another head clean. If that
doesn't work you need a new print cartridge or printhead.
You can minimise this problem
by:
- Using high quality coated
paper - Using genuine brand name
inks for your printer, avoiding refills or generics - Using your printer on at
least a weekly basis. - If your printer uses ink
tanks only, not leaving the cartridge carriage empty without an ink cartridge
installed for more than a few minutes - Running a print head clean
when you install new cartridges.
I
am getting wacky colours
Missing one of more colours...
If there is a print head blockage, partial or complete loss of one or more colours
can happen. Photos and files print out completely differently.
Run a nozzle check using the
printer driver (if available) to see if there is a blockage and then follow
the steps above.
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