HP Printer Troubleshooting: Ten problems, Ten self-help solutions

You know you could identify with many when they tell you how paper gets all tangled up in their HP laser printers or when the printer appears to have decided to keep you from getting your printing jobs completed. Printing nightmares are pretty disturbing so if you want to wake up from it, you might want to read on.

Following would be the top ten printing disturbances you could and would probably experience and a couple of tips or solutions that would come handy.

1. Jams - These occurrences aren't at all as sweet as those that you put on your sandwiches nor are they as enjoyable as music sessions. Paper jams are the most common problems that you would encounter while doing printing jobs. There are three possible reasons why this happens. It may be that your printer needs to be cleaned, or you are using the wrong type of paper, or your printer rollers are already worn down.

When you've got paper all stuck in your printer, make sure that you pull it in the right direction - that is, with reference to the paper path. When you fail to do this, you might just get your printer all damaged.

Some HP Printers, especially those that hold paper vertically and pull it down, are more susceptible to paper jams. Thus, it is always good to find out more about printer units, and just about any IT equipment, before you actually purchase them. If, on the other hand, you have already purchased one without examining it properly, it is important that you get yourself familiar with the flaws of your unit.

2. Ghosting - This term is what we use to refer to the phenomenon where your print out contains the image you wanted to print out, it appears to come in clearly but then you have a lighter copy or what may look like a watermark version of the image, printed elsewhere. This usually happens when there is insufficient power supply or when consumable printer parts are nearing their end. In this case you would either need to check your power source or have your printer checked by computer experts. There may also be instances that the performance of your computer is affecting your printer's printing processes. In this case, you would need to have your entire system checked by an IT equipment solutions provider.

HP Printer Troubleshooting: Ten problems, Ten self-help solutions (Part 2)

3. Faded print-outs - Your initial reaction to this would be to replace your cartridge, which is, most of the time, the most appropriate thing to do. However, you also would have to know the three reasons why this happens. One, your printer is low on toner. In which case you would have to take your cartridge off the HP printer and shake it so the toner in it would be redistributed. Two, your printer density may have been set too low or three, your printer has been set to economode. To be able to detect this, you may conduct a printer self test and change the current setting through the applications installed on your computer.

4. Printer driver incompatibility - Some computer operating systems do not support specific printer drivers. When confronted with this kind of predicament, printer manuals are a lot of help. However, when you feel like you could no longer read through the jargon of computer equipment, you can always contact the nearest computer and audio visual solutions provider for help.

5. Words and images come off the paper easily - Printed material should stay on paper even if you run your hand across them. When they don't, then your printer isn't performing very well. For one, its fuser assembly may be damaged and so it would have to be replaced. It is also important to note that attempting to fix the fuser assembly is a futile attempt as this is one of the many consumable parts of your printer. This printing defect may also be caused by cartridge that is already letting out too much toner, thus the cartridge would have to be replaced. It may also be possible that toner is spilled and so your printer would have to get all cleaned up. When you need to get your printer fixed and you still have to get some printing jobs done, you may contact a rental company that could provide you with printers that you could use while your waiting for your own printer to be back in shape again.

HP Printer Troubleshooting: Ten problems, Ten self-help solutions (Part 3)

6. Computer system is displaying a 50.4 error message - This may appear due to insufficient power supply. If your computer is connected to a UPS or a power strip, you would have to unplug it and directly connect it to a wall outlet.

It has to be taken note of that a UPS can actually get damaged when it is subjected to sudden surges of power that a printer would need to get printing jobs done. To avoid getting your own UPS to becoming dysfunctional, you would need to see to it that all the parts of your printer are in their proper places.

7. Computer system is displaying a 70 error message - If you happen to see this message flashed on your computer screens, it is most probable that the network print server that services your HP printer isn't doing too well. In order to check whether you have this kind of error, you may open your print folder through the start menu and make sure that there are no pending jobs.

On the other hand, this message could also indicate that a printer add-on component is no longer functioning properly. In this case, add-ons must be uninstalled and then added back to the printer in order to determine which module is actually dysfunctional. Numbered errors, such as what is discussed in this number and the previous entry, are apparently very technical problems. If ever you feel quite uncomfortable in dealing with them yourself, there are always a number of computer technicians and experts that you could call to help you get through this concern.