Why Isn't My Computer Printing?

No matter how many times you have used your printer without a problem in the world, it is a safe bet that the time when you need it most is the precise moment that the silly machine will start acting up. As you are frantically striking keys and clicking buttons, it just sits over there next to the computer in silent oblivion. But, before you take a baseball bat to the contraption, here are a few ideas to consider that may help you out of your printing jam.

All computer hardware needs software to tell it how to operate and what to do. This software is called a driver. If your system has crashed or has suffered from a power surge, it is possible that your driver is no longer installed. If you have recently installed a new printer, you will have to install a driver in order for it to work as well.

Sometimes, the printer just plain runs out of ink. You can generally find this out by clicking on the properties icon of your printer. If the printer is out of ink, you will need to replace it with the same ink cartridge as is in the printer. It is a good idea to take the old cartridge with you to the store when buying the ink because there are a lot to choose from and it is easy to pick up the wrong one.

Sometimes you will find that paper gets jammed up inside of the printer and this will cause it not to work. You must carefully remove the paper and then hit the paper feed button to get it going again.

Check your paper. Did it get jammed in the printer the last time you tried to print? Did you pull it out in frustration? This may have left small particles of paper in the printer that you need to remove carefully. You can hit the paper feed button once you have removed all paper debris.

During the course of the day, it is not uncommon for things to get hectic. It is an easy thing to disconnect the connection between the printer and your computer. Without this connection, your computer is no longer telling the printer what to do.

Remember that when you deal with changing the physcial connections on your computer and printer that you should shut down your computer before doing so. This is important because some computer operating systems go haywire or don't work properly if you fiddle with the connections while the computer is on. Restarting your computer after shutdown will help aleviate many computer problems.

Before you plug them back together make sure to turn your computer off. Many systems require you to do this. Make the connection and then restart your computer. This is a safe plan of attack for many computer software and hardware situations.

Printing malfunctions can be the cause of migraine headaches because you can bet that they will occur when you can least afford them. By just remaining calm and going through the techniques listed above, you can isolate the problem and fix it in no time unless the darn thing has simply had it!

Article Source: http://www.christiannotepad.com

About the author: Conchita Reid writes exclusively for Reid Printing, it's one of the webs most up to date Printing sites, while you're there sign up for the free newsletter. If you want to read more Printing articles go to: www.reidprinting.com/articles
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