Chapter 8

Troubleshooting Printers and Scanners

Prepared by:

Khurram N. Shamsi

What is a Printer?

A printer is an output device. It generates the images / text displayed on

the monitor, on to a paper. The output of printers is termed as hard copy.

Types of Printers

Line or Page Printer? A line printer prints one line at a time. Examples include Inkjet and Dot Matrix printer. A page printer lays down the entire page on the paper in

one swoop. Examples include Laser and LED printers.

Impact or Non-Impact? An impact printer prints by striking an inked fabric ribbon

next to the paper. A non-impact printer prints by laying down the color on

the paper in some nonviolent way.

Types of Printers (based on manufacturing

technique) Laser printer

Inkjet printer Also known as DeskJet printer

Dot Matrix printer

Thermal printer

Types of Printers (based on manufacturing

technique) Daisy wheel printer

Drum printer

Chain printer

Plotter

Types of Printers (based on connection

type) Local printer. Printer port (parallel port). USB port. Serial port. SCSI port. Infrared or Bluetooth Ports.

Network printer (LAN printer): RJ45 connecter.

Printer Interfaces

USB Ports Parallel Ports Serial Ports Infrared or Bluetooth Ports

Printer Interfaces

Parallel Port It is a 25-pin connector built into the PC. It was devised as a high-speed, low-cost alternative to a serial

port.

Limitations It’s not hot-pluggable. Cable length is limited to about 15 feet. It’s not as seamlessly Plug and Play (PnP) as USB.

USB Port USB supports PnP installation. Most of the printers support USB 1.1, although many of the

newer ones support USB 2.0

Possible Printing Problems

You cannot install a local printer. Your photo printout quality is poor. Your document does not prints at all. Some of your printer’s features do not work. Printed text or graphics is incomplete. Fonts are missing or do not look the same as they do on

the screen. Printing is usually slow. You cannot print from a Windows based program. You receive some kind of error messages.

Troubleshooting printer problems

Following steps may help to find the printing problems: Check whether the printer is online, is plugged in, and has paper. Turn the printer off and then on again. Reboot the computer, and try

it again. If it’s a network printer, check the network configuration. Use the printer self-test to see whether the test page prints

correctly. Check that the software is configured for the printer and that the

correct drivers are loaded for it in Windows. Swap the printer cable to make sure your cable is not faulty. If it’s a network printer, try printing from another computer. Swap the printer with a different one of the same model.

Steps to initiate Windows’ Printing Troubleshooter

The easiest way to troubleshoot most of the printing problems is to use the windows troubleshooter.

To start the printing troubleshooter, follow these steps: Click start, and then click printers and faxes. On the Help menu, click Help and Support Center. In the Help and support center, click Fixing a printing

Problem. In the right pane, click Printing Troubleshooter. The

troubleshooter will open up. Select the relevant option, click Next and follow the steps to

solve the problem.

What is a scanner?

A scanner is an input device. It is a device that optically scans images,

printed text, hand writing, or an object, and converts it to a digital image.

Types of scanners

Flatbed scanner.

Handheld scanner.

Barcode scanner.

Types of scanners

Optical Mark Reader (OMR).

Optical Character Reader (OCR).

Magnetic Ink Character Reader (MICR).

Steps to connect a scanner

Connect the scanner to the PC using the appropriate port (USB, Parallel, or SCSI).

Plug the scanner into an AC outlet. Turn your computer on. Turn on your scanner. Install the software for the scanner.

Steps to scan a document or image

Click the start button, Click all programs, and then click windows fax and scan.

Click scan in the button of the left pane. On the toolbar, click new scan. In the new scan dialog box, click the profile list, and

then choose Document or Photo. The default settings are displayed.

To see how the document (or photo) will appear, click Preview.

Click scan.

Suggested Websites

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/printers-scanners-channel.htm

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Troubleshoot-printer-problems

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Troubleshoot-network-printer-

problems

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000248.htm

http://www.pcworld.com/article/

185111/10_biggest_printer_problems_and_how_to_fix_them.html

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000443.htm

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Troubleshoot-scanning-problems

http://www.networktutorials.info/pages/how-to-troubleshoot-scanner.html