With the kids back in school this week, my inbox has been flooded with printer questions. These are some of the more commonly asked:
Six people e-mailed me with similar questions: “Why is my ink jet printer only printing part of a line?” Sometimes this is caused by a clogged print head. Inkjet printers have a grid or array of tiny holes which the ink is sprayed through. Some manufacturers include the print head directly on the inkjet cartridge and others integrate the head into the printer.
No matter the brand of printer, you should clean it periodically with common household supplies. For my own printer, I use cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol. Simply moisten the swab with alcohol and rub the print head firmly. The goal is to soften up old, dried ink to let it spray freely. Sometimes it may take two or three applications, but eventually it will loosen the ink. If all else fails you may need to replace the cartridge or printer depending on your model.
Another common question came from Dianne: “What would cause my printer to stop being recognized by the computer?” There are several factors which can cause this. One of the more common is either the incorrect driver or corrupted drivers. Drivers are pieces of software which interpret a type of instruction between the computer and printer. An easy method to rule out driver issues is to re-install. If you have misplaced the CD which came with the printer, drivers can be obtained for free from the printer manufacturer’s website.
USB cable failure will cause the printer and computer to stop communicating. I don’t know what causes USB cables to fail; however, I see a higher instance of USB cable failures than any other. Replacing a USB cable is easy and inexpensive. USB cables can be purchased at just about any store and range in price from $1.00 to $25.00.
I have been asked by Don: “What is the difference between inkjet and laser printers?” Both inkjet and laser printer technologies have been around for years. Inkjet printers utilize small pressurized vials of liquid ink which is forced through tiny nozzles to form letters and shapes. Laser printers use an electric charge to adhere solid toner directly onto the paper surface. Although laser printers are more permanent, inkjet printers tend to be much more flexible and less expensive to purchase.
Tech-tip of the week: We had a woman come into the shop this week who told me her computer had been shutting down periodically. After a three hour diagnostic of letting the machine run we determined the problem was at her house. Due to the cooler weather she plugged a space heater into the same outlet as the computer. The combination of computer, space heater, monitor and other items limited the power to the computer causing it to shut off. If you must have a space heater plugged in make sure it’s connected to a different circuit than your computer to prevent electrical issues. The computer, monitor and related components should be plugged into a dedicated surge suppressor.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can e-mail him at Jeromy@LocalComputerWiz.com.)