Providing onsite computer care for metro-west "495" area of Massachusetts

Are you looking for someone you can trust to come into your home or business?
Please consider the services of PC Doctor Ed Sterling

Help! My printer doesn't work!

Is it plugged in, is it turned on, and do you see a light on the printer?
Do you have paper in it? You may not realize the paper is out especially if it has a closed tray.
Is the cable firmly attached between the printer and the computer? Crawl under the table and check!
Does Windows "see" the printer (in the Control Panel's Printers section?) It has to in order to work OK!

If it's YES to all of the above, then let's check a few more things.

Is it an ink-jet printer with little ink cartridges? If it's a laser, skip down to the laser section.

Has it been a month or more since you used it? The ink cartridges are probably dried out by now. You could remove the cartridges and gently clean them with a soft tissue. You should see some black ink from the black cartridge, and colored ink (yellow/red/blue) from the color cartridge.  Then reinstall them and keep your fingers crossed. Many printers have a "cleaning" or "priming"  service that you can start from the printer software installed in Windows, so try doing that.

Has it been in storage more than 3 months with ink cartridges installed in it? The cartridges should be thrown out and replaced. The longer it has been sitting unused, the less likely this printer will come back to life, because the ink may have dried and the print head may be caked with ink.

Do you hear grinding noises when you start the printer? Assuming you installed a good 1/4 thick pile of white paper in the feeder, and the cartridges are installed properly (double check that they are installed snugly and properly), you probably need professional help. The problem today is that the cost of repairs almost immediately exceeds the cost of a new printer. Try as much self help as you can before considering paying someone to look at your printer. The less you paid for it originally, the less sense it makes to repair it. A new printer will probably provide better quality and more features than you have today.

Is it a Lexmark or Dell printer that was working fine for a few months, and now it gives you a "communication error" message and will not print. This is a very common problem reported widely on the Internet. Users report this happening after the third or fourth replacement of the cartridges, as if the printer has become tired. Removing the printer from the Windows list of printers, restarting the computer, and then reinstalling the printer as if it was brand new is usually the best advice. I have seen instances where Windows simply will not work with that printer ever again, yet the printer can be installed on another computer and work fine again. Unbelievable! I usually recommend that customers avoid Lexmark and Dell printers, because they have a higher than normal frequency of problems.

 

Is it a laser printer that prints quickly, usually just black ink, and the pages come out warm?

Has it been a year or two since the last laser toner cartridge was installed? You could be out of toner and it is time for a new cartridge. They cost between $70 and $100 usually, but they will last a year or two under normal use.

Have you tried removing the toner cartridge, and gently shaking it back and forth while keeping it level to redistribute the fine toner powder inside it? You might get another few weeks of printing out of it, but replacement is due very soon.

Are you getting an error message with a specific code? Sometimes there is a panel on the laser printer that will display a message such as "Heater element faulty" or "Error SU1892". Check your user manual for more details, or consider calling a repair shop. You may get a few minutes of free advice but inevitably it will mean a trip to a qualified repair shop if you want to keep the printer. DO YOU KNOW A NEW SMALL BLACK INK LASER CAN BE PURCHASED FOR LESS THAN $100 ???? Consider that when weighing the cost of diagnosis ($50 just to find out that it is broken) and the repair itself (at least another $50 to $100).

Some of my customers have been pleased with the printer repair services of Appleseed Business Machines located at 67 Bemis Street in Fitchburg. They apparently offer skilled HP printer repair services at reasonable prices. Call 978-342-8696. Ask if they can service your type of printer.

Call Ed Sterling at 978-779-6058 from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. 
Or Email: ed@EdSterling.com
(There is no charge for a brief assessment of your computer problem)

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