Chapter 39. Troubleshooting Printing and Faxing
Troubleshooting Printing
Because no two printers are exactly alike, printing is more a matter of knowing your printer rather than knowing your computer or Windows. The best I can do here is to provide some general pointers that apply to most printers. But for specifics on your printer, the manual that came with the printer, or the main Web page for the product, will be your best bet.
First aid for printing problems
Before you start digging around the computer for solutions to a printing problem, check the most common physical problems:
Make sure that the printer is plugged in and turned on.
If the printer has an Online/Offline switch, make sure that it's online.
Make sure that the printer cable is connected snugly at both the printer and computer ends.
Make sure that the printer has paper.
Make sure that the printer has ink or toner.
Check for, and clear, a paper jam.
If none of the preceding help, take a look at the Help topics for printing, as described next.
Document appears to print, but nothing comes out of the printer
You may have selected a printer that produces files (like the Microsoft XPS Document Writer). After you choose File
Problem with a network printer
If your computer is a member of a network and your printing problems start right after installing or upgrading ...
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