Printer Troubleshooting Tips

If you have any type of printer problems then you can try below methods to solve your problems instead of directly calling tech support guys , just follow below methods to solve your printer problems

Clearing out Stuck Print Jobs - Method 1

If your printer is not printing, check the print job status, also known as the print spooler. Usually the little printer icon will be stuck down by your clock on the bottom right side of your desktop. Double Click the printer icon, and check the status of your print job. See if your job is printing or if there is an error.

You can highlight the stuck document, Right Click, and click on Cancel. This will usually stop the print job.

If you have several documents in the list that are stuck, you can click on PRINTER on the top Menu and then choose CANCEL ALL DOCUMENTS.

Clearing out Stuck Print Jobs - Method 2

If you do not have the printer icon by your clock on the desktop, Go to CONTROL PANEL>Printers and Double Click the printer you are having problems with. Follow the directions above to kill the print jobs.

Clearing out Stuck Print Jobs - Method 3

Click on START>RUN

Type in CMD and you will get a Windows Command window

Type in NET STOP SPOOLER

Go to My Computer and double Click on the C:\ drive

Then go to C:\WINDOWS\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete the files inside that folder.

Restart the print spooler by typing NET START SPOOLER at the command prompt.

If your printer is still not printing properly, try powering off the printer, and rebooting the computer. This will usually reset things. If that does not work, deleting your printer and reinstalling may fix things.

If all of these things do not not help, then it's time to talk to Paul!

How to install a new printer in windows

If you have a new printer and don’t know how to install the new printer in windows then just follow the below steps to install the new printer in windows ,

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
2. 2. Double-click Add Printer, and then click Next.
3. 3. Click Local Printer or Network Printer as appropriate, and then click Next.
4. If you click Network Printer, you are prompted for the network path for the printer. If you do not know the correct path, click Browse. Click either Yes or No in the “Do you print from MS-DOS-based programs?” area, and then click Next.
5. 4. Click the appropriate manufacturer and model for your printer, and then click Next.
6. 5.If you chose to install a local printer, click the correct port and then click Next.
7. 6. Type a name for the printer (or accept the default name), and then click either Yes or No in the “Do you want your Windows-based programs to use this printer as the default printer?” area. Click Next.
8. 7. To print a test page, click Yes. Click Finish.

If you have still problem in installing printer then look for some printer troubleshooting

Printing to Public Computers from a MAC Computer

Mac users can see only those printers located on their particulur subnet. They must manually add any printer that is not. To add a remote printer, the printer should be configured as an LPR printer (printing directly to the printer rather than going through a print queue). The printer domain name and printer model informataion are required for setting up a Mac for printing to a public printer.

The public printers are found in the public computing labs as well as a small other public’s areas. Users with a Mac operating system computer can set it up to print to any of the public printers from a position of work. A list of public printers for Mac users can be found in the link belowe. Also below are instructions for setting up a Mac OS 9 and OS X computer to print to a public printer.

• Printer display menu says "paper tray empty" or "low toner."
• If it is a public printer, one of the HelpLine staff can be dispatched to replenish the paper or toner if non is available at the lab site.
• If it is a departmental printer, the secretary who manages the printer must be contacted.

See Also
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Check the printer's status via the Web

New printers have their own websites you can check that website for all information related to printers for example printing status, display messages, paper tray sizes, and printer capabilities.

To find this information for one of the newer printers via the web:
• Find the printer's IP address or name by following instructions in section FIND PRINTER DOMAIN NAME/IP ADDRESS AND PRINTER MODEL. Note: If there is more than one printer at the public lab location, the printers are connected in a printer queue and given one name, such as cha3hp.kenyon.edu. However, each printer also has an individual name (such as: cha3hp, cha4hp, cha5hp). When checking a specific printer on the web, you must enter the individual name of the printer you are checking.
• Enter the printer's IP address or name in the address field on your web browser screen, as in: cha3hp.kenyon.edu or 138.28.164.41
• A screen may appear, asking to install a Hewlett-Packard utility program for viewing the printer information. Click Yes to accept.
• Then a screen will appear with the above status information.

See Also
problems with printer
Common Printer Problems
Troubleshoot Ten common printer problems
How To Troubleshoot inkjet printer problems
printer is not working after replacing ink cartridges