When you need to print something quickly and your printer refuses to comply (and won’t tell you why), there are few things that may make you more frustrated than that. It’s one thing to have faded writing or streaky lines across your photos, but it’s quite another to have a printer that refuses to recognize you. Knowing where to start when your printer refuses to print might help ease your irritation, whether you’re receiving an error message that doesn’t match reality or your printer is ignoring you.
Your printer model will determine the specific troubleshooting solutions you need, but once you know some typical problems, you may search for and find remedies tailored to your printer model with ease. Manufacturers provide online tools to help you solve the most difficult printer problems, and we’ve covered some fundamental advice right here!
Paper Jams and Ghost Jams
If your printer indicates that there is a paper jam, there are a few possible causes. First, check that the paper is positioned correctly in the paper tray. Your paper might easily become a jam if it is even slightly crooked. Usually, the issue can be resolved by taking the paper out of the machine and better aligning it with the feeding parts. Paper trays are made to accommodate a certain amount of paper. Some may be able to carry a full ream, while others may only have 100 pages. The recommended paper capacity is listed in your printer’s user manual; an overfilled paper tray can cause your device to immediately display a paper jam warning.
Additionally, confirm that the paper or media type selection on the printer menu corresponds to the print job you are now working on. Printers provide settings for a wide variety of paper types, including presentation paper, photo paper, and card stock. If the settings are incorrect, thicker paper may result in a paper jam; however, a simple switch to a different type of paper will immediately fix the issue.
The rollers that retrieve paper from the tray and feed it into the printer are known as pick-up rollers. After frequent use, these parts have also been known to jam, necessitating replacement.
The likelihood is that a mechanical issue is at play when your printer reports a paper jam when none exists. But don’t go out and destroy your printer right away! Neal Poole found that genuine paper jams frequently leave residue that affects printer performance even after the jam is removed while looking for a remedy for an HP® printer that had ghost-jammed.
Your printer may believe that there is anything stuck in the duplexer rather than the gear if there are tiny bits of shredded paper debris stuck between the gears that move your rear duplexer. Make sure the mechanical components around your ghost jam are in good working order. Certain models, particularly those with more intricate office units, offer you a more accurate sense of the jam’s location.
Go through the following steps to resolve the issue:
- Grab one of the four rollers after removing the rear duplexer. Do they have unrestricted mobility? If not, you should do the following.
- Use a paper clip to touch two of the brass contact points. You should keep this contact open throughout the last step since bridging it gives the impression that the duplexer is still in place.
- On the control panel, click OK.
- Examine the white plastic gears located on the left. Do they jam, stall, skip, or freeze, or do they move freely? You must remove the paper fragments from the gears if the second situation applies.
- Grasp the rubber roller that is the furthest away and spin. Look for paper fragments in the gear teeth.
- You can take out the paper clip and put it back together after the rollers and gears are free to spin.
- If, after cleaning, you continue to receive a paper jam notice, unplug your printer to reset the sensors.
Printer Driver Problems
It’s not always hardware’s fault. The intermediary between your computer and your printer is the printer driver. Drivers may become outdated or no longer work with your operating system following an update, much like other software. A driver update might immediately resolve the problem if your printer is crashing frequently or isn’t reacting to simple commands. It’s also possible that your computer has the incorrect driver installed for your printer. Your desktop and printer will frequently start communicating again if you remove the current driver and install a new one.
Enter your printer model number on the manufacturer’s help page to locate the most recent version of your printer driver. Then download the latest version by following the instructions on the website.
How to Add a Printer in Windows 10
You might be able to print immediately without downloading the printer software if you are attempting to connect to a new printer on Windows 10 and intend to print via Wi-Fi. Windows 10 is immediately compatible with the majority of new printers. Choose the printer you wish to add by going to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners> Add Printer. You can make this printer your default printer if you want to use it frequently. Before printing your document, you can also print a test page to check the print quality.
How to Print a Self-Test Page
Printing a test page or printer status report will assist you identify the issue if you are having problems figuring out what is wrong with your printer. If the test sheet prints correctly, the printer driver, printer software, or cable connection is probably the problem. If it doesn’t print correctly, there’s probably a problem with the printer and it could need to be repaired.
Windows 10
In Windows 10, select Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners to print a test page. Next, choose Manage>Print a Test Page after choosing your printer.
Windows 8
Press the Windows key on your keyboard, then look for “printer” on the start page to print a test page on Windows 8. Choose “Printer Properties” by right-clicking the printer icon, then “Print Test Page” after choosing Settings > View Devices and Printers.
Windows 7
In Windows 7, select “Start” > Control panel > Devices and Printers to print a test page. Next, choose “Print Test Page” from the “Printer Properties” menu that appears after right-clicking the printer icon.
Your queue should automatically disappear after your print job is complete. That doesn’t always go as intended, particularly when data connection problems cause some print jobs to be halted, delayed, or put on hold. Your driver may crawl to a standstill if your queue becomes completely backed up. You’ll frequently choose print multiple times when trying to print something, which will further clog your queue.
Your jobs may not always print because of your printer. Your queue may become logged as a result of a stuck print job, which stops jobs from reaching your printer. Additionally, most of the time, it remains after you click delete. What can you do, then, to get your printer to start printing again and clear your queue? To begin, follow these steps:
- Unplug your printer from the power source and turn it off entirely.
- Make sure the document you intend to print is saved in the format you desire. All print jobs that haven’t been saved will be deleted along with your queue when you clear it.
- Click the Window button on your keyboard or type “Services” into your search toolbar to launch Windows Services.
- The “Print Spooler” service is located halfway down your list of services.
- Examine your alternatives by doing a right-click on the Print Spooler option. Any stalled prints that are bogging down your queue will be stopped by selecting “STOP.”
You have a few more choices if your print queue becomes backed up and freezes once more. HP Print and Scan Doctor is a free program that is available for download. When you run this program, it will automatically identify and fix common printer problems. Update your printer driver and delete it if your queue jams are still an issue. Older drivers can occasionally be corrupt or incompatible, which will stop your prints from processing.