Troubleshooting A Printing Problem

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I am having a problem printing from my computer and I can't figure out why. Whenever I try and print out a page, the page comes out of the printer blank. I know it is not a problem with the printer because I have hooked up two different printers, used two different cables on each, used four different cartridges on each(color and black), and switched USB ports for the cable connection. I made sure the right printer was set as a default printer. Still I get nothing. The print order gets sent to the printer and it goes through the motion of printing it just doesn't deposit any ink on the page. Anybody know why this could happen. Thanks.

 

[Australis]

My name is Australis! Massssterrrr of the Bleedin' Obvious!!

(I'm saying that because you've probably already checked these )

Is your ink cartridge empty? Gummed up nozzle? If it's going through the motions of printing, then the signal must be going from the PC to the printer to print. Some printer support software, depending on the brand, has a commnad to clean the nozzle.

Another slightly left field one that caught me out one time was, on screen I was seeing the document, but it wasn't WYSIWYG, and the text was set to white, so white on white.

When I was stuck before with my old but pretty goods printer (HP Laserjet 6P), I did a search in Google for 'Laserjet troubleshooting' and found a good site that explain the codes for the lights which made my job a lot easier. Maybe there's something similar for yours.

And maybe if you tell us brand and model, others who have it can speak up.

 

[Jadzia]

know it is not a problem with the printer because I have hooked up two different printers

This doesn't make sense to me I'm afraid. You've eliminated what as a problem? The computer or the printer?


Assuming you've eliminated the printer as the problem:

What program are you printing from? If it's a program like Word, it may be something like the 'reverse print order' option, and your getting the blank page at the bottom of the document.

In the printer's configurations form, you might have some something incorrect there. such as a huge page indent or a 'don't print images' option. You could try reinstating the default options.

I don't know how the ink management systems work with modern printers, but could it be limiting you to a certain number of printouts? A counter stored on the computer rather than on the printer.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I'm using Hewlett-Packards. One is a 3745, the other is a 3845. I thought the first printer was broke so that is why I got the 3845, but when I hooked it up it was doing the same thing so I figured both printers must be working fine it has to be something to do with what the computer is sending to the printer. That's what's throwing me. It seems like it would be a problem with the printer or the ink since it is going through the motions of printing just not depositing any ink, but yeah I have troubleshooted all the obvious ones. I'll try and monkey around with the printer settings to see if I could find something.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

RTFM. See if there is a way to make the printer print a test page from buttons on the printer control panel. If so, attempt to print one. This will help you determine if the problem is in your printer, or in the computer.

 

[Australis]

Aha! That's interesting.

Question: can you Print Preview what you're trying to print? Can you se it clearly? RThere's a faint bell ringing - some years ago, I couldn't get something to print, and looked at the preview, which was blank, and figured it out from there. Shot if I can remember what the solution was, but it didn't take long after that, iirc.

Other thing might be a dodgy cable, but you said you tried different cables. Hmmmmm. what about a dodgy printer port? Is this the first time you printed from this PC, or has the problem suddenly appeared? And any chance you can try the printers/cables on a different PC? Or across a network? And tried printing from different programs (Word, Notepad, Excel, web page, etc)?

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Aha! That's interesting.

Question: can you Print Preview what you're trying to print? Can you se it clearly? RThere's a faint bell ringing - some years ago, I couldn't get something to print, and looked at the preview, which was blank, and figured it out from there. Shot if I can remember what the solution was, but it didn't take long after that, iirc.

Other thing might be a dodgy cable, but you said you tried different cables. Hmmmmm. what about a dodgy printer port? Is this the first time you printed from this PC, or has the problem suddenly appeared? And any chance you can try the printers/cables on a different PC? Or across a network? And tried printing from different programs (Word, Notepad, Excel, web page, etc)?

Yup checked the print preview every time. The text always showed up. I've had the computer for years. I thought maybe it was the USB port so I tried every other one on the computer. Still no luck. I'm going to bring the printer over to my girlfriend to see if she can print from her computer.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

...and did you try printing a test page from the controls on the printer and not the PC like I suggested? What happened if you did?

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

...and did you try printing a test page from the controls on the printer and not the PC like I suggested? What happened if you did?

I don't think there is a way to do that on this printer. Is there a standard way to do it? Does the alignment test page come from the printer or the computer?

 

[Alpha_Geek]

The manual should tell you. What model printer?

 

[Australis]

On my HP you press the print continue btn and it prints out a test page.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Thanks I managed to finally do that and I got nothing. So now I am thinking maybe it is the cartridges.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

Thanks I managed to finally do that and I got nothing. So now I am thinking maybe it is the cartridges.

Could be the cart, could be the contacts in the cart carrier.

Pull the cart(s), inspect the contacts for ink, or anyhing else that might impede electrical contact.

If you note any crap on the contacts in the carrier, use a cotton swab soaked in rubbing alchohol to clean them. Use very litle pressure, or you may damage the contacts.

If the cart is old, you *may* be able to unclog it by immersing the nozzle in rubbing alchohol for 10 minutes or so. Most inkjet pigments are alchohol soluable, and you should see ink dispersing into the alchohol. Again, use care, because the nozzles are pretty fragile, but you can also try wiping with a kleenex after their bath.

Some inkjet designs do not incorporate the ink nozzles into the ink cart. For these, the nozzle *may* be removed seperately and cleaned. I'm not the go-to guy in this procedure, as I merely know this design exists in some brands. I've not encountered the beast myself.

There is also the possibility that there is an electrical problem with the printer.

If ALL the carts are new and it's doing this, my money would be on the printer or if it has it, the nozzle/printhead assembly.

Good luck!

 

[Australis]

The Alpha_Geek is wise.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

The Alpha_Geek is wise.

Only because I've been doing this crap since you could buy a $250 dot matrix printer called the Gorilla Bananna and hook it to a TRS-80.

 

[Australis]

DJ, update please!

 

[Trekker4747]

Is the USB cable bi-directional?

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Right now I have two printers on my desk collecting dust. I am going to bring it over to my girlfriends to test everything out on her computer. That way I can be sure and narrow it down to what the problem is. Unfortunately I have to wait until the weekend.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

If you're creating a test page from the front panel of the printer and getting a blank page, then taking it to another location and expecting different results will merely waste your time.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

If you're creating a test page from the front panel of the printer and getting a blank page, then taking it to another location and expecting different results will merely waste your time.

So could it be a cartridge problem even though the printer says both cartridges are full? Remember I tried two different printers and neither of them printed.