Printer issues? You’re not alone. Don’t throw your computer out the window just yet. As an IT company, we get clients calling in because their printer is not working properly quite often. Though it may seem daunting, this frustrating issue is sometimes easily fixed through a few simple steps. Though we love hearing from our clients, we hope this list below saves you some time and a phone call to your IT guys.
Step 1: Make sure all cables are plugged in correctly.
This may seem obvious, but it might also be the easy fix to your problem. A printer commonly has 2 cords that should be plugged in: the power cable and the data cable. Start by making sure both these cables are plugged in to both the printer and the computer.
Step 2: Check “Printers and Scanners” under your devices in your computer settings.
This is a good next step because it will tell you where the problem may be located. There are thousands of things that could be wrong with your printer. If you search and your printer is not coming up, this means it is not even connected.
Step 3: Close out of all tabs
Are you a multi-tasker or tab hoarder? This could also be the root of your problem. Try exiting out of all your open tabs and programs. The problem may just be that your computer is too busy processing other things to print.
Step 5: Restart the computer and/or restart the print.
The last thing you can try is the good old fashioned shut down. This will restart all your systems and may end whatever mishaps were preventing your printer from working right.
If these steps fail and you’re still not able to print it is time to call your IT professional. One of our technicians stated that although around half of these issues can be solved with the above steps there are still some more complicated, but “fun” methods that can be tried. Get yourself printing page after page in no time.