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Inkjet printer companies offer tips to help you troubleshoot problems and get the most out of your printer.
By DAVE GUSSOW
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 20, 2002
Many problems with printers occur right out of the box, but they're not hardware or software glitches. Printer manufacturers who monitor tech support calls delicately refer to it as human error.
"The No. 1 call, period, is they just have to install it," says John Lamb, product manager of imaging for Canon. "They opened the printer and didn't read a single piece of material."
Even after the printer is set up, the seemingly simple task of clicking on the printer icon on the PC screen can be far more complex, particularly as users go from printing basic letters to more demanding tasks such as photos.
Yet it's not always the customer's fault, the companies acknowledge. "Like any product that has software with it, there are always quirks and bugs that come up," says Michel Maupoux, Hewlett-Packard's technology support manager.
The software can become inexplicably corrupted and stop working. The printer can flash "paper tray empty" when it's full. Even basic phone support for a balky printer might come with fees attached once the warranty expires, though many machines are covered for up to a year. If a part on your printer breaks after the warranty, the only solution often is to throw away the printer and buy a new one.
And no matter how simple the blurbs on the box say it is to use a printer, they aren't really "plug and play" devices.
Companies such as Canon, Epson and Hewlett-Packard say users need to do some studying and take some time to get the quality prints they want.
"Instead of just clicking on Print, the customer needs to learn to click on Properties and adjust settings," such as media type and resolution, says Steve Semos, Epson's product manager for office inkjets and driver solutions.
Other common printer problems handled by tech support include people who don't understand the driver software (which controls devices) and how to use it for correct settings; who don't know where to find updated drivers; who struggle with getting the right resolution; and who run into the maddening situation where the printer just won't work.
And the top cause of paper jams? Mixing regular paper with other types in the feed tray, according to HP.
Based on observations HP does in labs and in the field, Maupoux says, users can be broken down into three categories: "experts," who ignore documentation and simply plug in the printers; novices, who tend to read the instructions and have more success; and a bunch in between, who take a "real men don't ask for instructions" approach.
In addition to efforts to make instructions easier, the companies also hope new software that will automatically adjust some settings will help ease their customers' woes.
Here are some of the problems Tech Times presented to the companies, and their recommended fixes:
My prints don't look anything like what's on the screen.
The experts say not to compare what you see on a monitor with an image on paper. They're different media, so what looks fine on a monitor's resolution may not be as crisp when printed. However, there are some things to check if it looks too out of whack.
Epson's Semos suggests recalibrating the monitor using tools available with the operating system or with software such as Adobe Photoshop. Light reflecting on the monitor, even from the clothes you're wearing, can change your perception of the image.
Checking the hue setting in the driver could help, as can making sure the settings are correct for the type of paper you're using.
"All papers absorb ink and control the ink in a different manner," Canon's Lamb says. "Because of that, the printer will not know what kind of paper you put in. There are about 1,000 different kinds of paper you can choose. You have to give it some guidance."
If you use the same paper all the time, Lamb says, you can make it the default setting so you don't have to repeat the steps every time.
When I print one page, why does an extra blank page come through?
Blame it mostly on word processing programs, where blank lines can spill over to a second page. The recommendation: Check Print Preview to see what the page will look like and adjust the document if needed, usually by removing extra paragraph returns. And if it's happening consistently, use the Print function under the File menu and click "Print page 1 to 1" or "current page."
Why does only a portion of a photo print on a page?
The image looks small enough on the screen to fit on a page. But when you click print, you get only a section of the image because it's too big for the page. You have to make adjustments in a couple of places.
The first may be the printer driver (click Properties in the print dialog box you get when you print from the File menu or in your printer's menu under Control Panel), but you also have to make sure your photo editing software is set to the correct size. If they conflict, "you'll get something fat and big," says Corlene Ankrum, human factors engineer at HP. Some newer drivers have a box that says "Scale to fit," which automatically sizes the image to fit on a page.
"Some applications are better suited for printing and sizing," showing a thumbnail view and automatically resizing the image to fit the page, Canon's Lamb says. "Even Windows XP has a printing wizard."
If a part like a sheet feeder breaks, should I replace the part or do I need to replace the printer?
If the printer is under warranty, which typically lasts a year, it should not be a problem. Companies such as HP don't sell individual replacement parts. Because printer prices start at about $50, it's probably cheaper to replace the printer.
My printer was working, then stopped. What happened?
Good question, not such an easy answer. It could be a loose cable or plug, but it also could be a software problem, such as it being set to work offline.
"Over the years with the variety of models I've run into this kind of stuff," HP's Maupoux says. "And every time, technically it's a different reason. I tell my wife, 'Close the application and reboot' and it's likely to work again."
On the other hand, human error also can be at play. Many times, the printer cable isn't connected or the machine's not plugged in, Canon's Lamb says.
Another thing to consider, especially if you have a new printer, according to Maupoux: "Just like the new operating systems, new printers have more features and require more memory and power from the PC to make the best use of it. Sometimes people buy a brand new printer and put it on an old PC that does not have the system requirements in speed, CPU or memory."
If that's the case, he suggests some system maintenance, including removing little-used programs.
Is there a magic trick to printing envelopes and labels?
Maybe not magic, but a few pointers and maybe a software program designed for such tasks might help.
The first bit of advice is common sense: People need to check the user's manual about how to load the envelopes or labels.
"Make sure the labels are designed for inkjet printers so they don't peel off as they go through," Epson's Semos says. "Also, use fresh labels. After time, labels can become brittle."
With envelopes, make sure you don't print on the flap side. "You don't want that rubbing against the print head. You want the flap laying flat on the bottom side, so it can't hang up," Semos says.
HP's Maupoux suggests testing on plain paper to ensure the address or label is the way you want it.
When I print photos, the image has streaks in it.
Time for a little printer maintenance. "Most likely a piece of paper or dust is blocking one of the nozzles on the print head," Epson's Semos says. "A cleaning should take care of that." Most printers have self-cleaning mechanisms. In addition, HP's Maupoux says, it could be a sign that a cartridge is getting old, the nozzle is drying out or it's running low on ink.
The resolution numbers for printers are confusing.
The general rule of thumb has been the higher the number of dots per inch, or DPI, the better. But even the printer companies downplay the importance of a printer's resolution.
"DPI is kind of a relic of the past," HP's Maupoux says. "There is a spec war. People like to see numbers. They like to see numbers in speed. They like to see numbers in resolution. What really matters is how it looks to people's eyes."
Manufacturers say other factors play critical roles in how a print looks: the size of the dots, accuracy in placing dots on the page, printer speed, media, ink, absorption rate.
For example, in its May issue, PC World magazine ranked the Canon S750 Color Bubble Jet and the Epson Stylus C80 as Best Buys. The Canon (which sells for about $170) has a top resolution of 2400 by 1200, while the Epson's (at about $140) is 2880 by 720.
"If a product can produce nice skin tones without showing the dots, you probably have a very good printer," Canon's Lamb says. Companies sometimes use photos of "bread or wood or a tiger" as samples of a printer's quality, he said. But that can hide the dots easily, so a buyer should look at more samples before deciding.
The main thing people working with digital photos should remember is that they need to go into their software to set the resolution and size of the photo they want.
"It's like wine," Maupoux says. "There are lots of different ones. In the end, pick the one that tastes good to you."
Where do I find print drivers?
This goes back to an early and often-repeated phrase from each of the companies: They're on the installation CD that came with the printer, and updated versions are available at the manufacturer's tech support site on the Web. Most companies don't mail out updated drivers any more. Tech Times Solutions columnist John Torro, who receives numerous printing-related questions, thinks the companies need to do more to get updated drivers to customers faster to avoid some of the problems that occur. You may even need to update drivers for recent models.
- Dave Gussow can be reached at gussow@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4228.