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The printer does not print, what is the problem. Why doesn't the printer print?

Hello.

Those who often print something, whether at home or at work, sometimes encounter a similar problem: when you send a file for printing, the printer does not seem to respond (or it “buzzes” for several seconds and the result is also zero). Since I often have to resolve such issues, I will say right away: 90% of cases when the printer does not print are not associated with a breakdown of either the printer or the computer.

In this article I want to give the most common reasons why the printer refuses to print (such problems can be solved very quickly, for an experienced user it takes 5-10 minutes). By the way, an important note right away: the article does not deal with cases where the printer, for example, prints a sheet with stripes or prints blank white sheets, etc.

5 most common reasons why it won't print Printer

No matter how funny it may sound, very often the printer does not print because they forgot to turn it on (I especially often see this picture at work: the employee next to whom the printer is standing simply forgot to turn it on, and the rest spend 5-10 minutes sorting it out what's the matter...). Typically, when the printer is turned on, it makes a buzzing sound and several LEDs on its body light up.

By the way, sometimes the printer's power cable can be interrupted - for example, during repairs or when moving furniture (very often happens in offices). In any case, check that the printer is connected to the network, as is the computer to which it is connected.

Reason #1 - the wrong printer was selected for printing

The fact is that in Windows (at least 7, at least 8) there are several printers: some of them have nothing in common with a real printer. And many users, especially when they are in a hurry, simply forget to look at which printer they are sending the document to for printing. Therefore, first of all, I recommend once again carefully paying attention to this point when printing (see Fig. 1).

Rice. 1 - sending the file for printing. Samsung network printer.

Reason No. 2 - Windows crash, print queue freezes

One of the most common reasons! Quite often, a banal freeze in the print queue occurs; this error can especially often occur when the printer is connected to local network and it is used by several users at once.

This also often happens when printing some “damaged” file. To restore the printer, you need to cancel and clear the print queue.

To do this, go to the control panel, switch the view mode to “Small icons” and select the “devices and printers” tab (see Fig. 2).

Rice. 2 Control Panel - Devices and Printers.

Rice. 3 Devices and Printers - View the Print Queue

In the list of documents to print - cancel all documents that will be there (see Fig. 4).

Rice. 4 Cancels printing the document.

After this, in most cases, the printer starts working normally and you can resend the desired document for printing.

Reason #3 - missing or jammed paper

Typically, when paper is low or jammed, Windows will display a warning when printing (but sometimes there won't be one).

Paper jams are a fairly common occurrence, especially in organizations where they save paper: they use sheets that have already been used, for example, by printing information on the sheets on the reverse side. Such sheets are most often wrinkled and cannot be placed in an even stack in the receiving tray of the device - this causes the percentage of paper jams to be quite high.

Usually wrinkled the sheet is visible in the body device and it must be carefully removed: just pull the sheet towards you, without jerking.

Important! Some users jerk the jammed sheet out. Because of this, a small piece remains in the device body, which prevents further printing. Because of this piece, which you can no longer cling to, you have to disassemble the device down to the “cogs”...

If the jammed sheet is not visible- open the printer cover and remove the cartridge from it (see Fig. 5). In a typical design of a conventional laser printer, most often, behind the cartridge you can see several pairs of rollers through which a sheet of paper passes: if it is jammed, you should see it. It is important to remove it carefully so that there are no torn pieces left on the shaft or rollers. Be careful and careful.

Rice. 5 Typical printer design (for example HP): you need to open the cover and take out the cartridge to see the jammed sheet

Reason #4 - driver problem

Typically, driver problems begin after: changing Windows OS (or reinstalling); installing new equipment (which may conflict with the printer); software failure and viruses (which is much less common than the first two reasons).

First, I recommend going to the Windows control panel (switch the view to small icons) and open the device manager. In Device Manager, you need to open the Printers tab ( sometimes called a print queue) and see if there are any red or yellow exclamation marks (indicating driver problems).

And in general, the presence of exclamation marks in the device manager is undesirable - it indicates problems with the devices, which, by the way, can also affect the operation of the printer.

Rice. 6 Checking the printer driver.

Remove the printer driver completely from Windows:
Download new drivers from the official website of the device manufacturer and install them:

Reason No. 5 - a problem with the cartridge, for example, the ink (toner) has run out

The last thing I wanted to dwell on in this article is the cartridge. When the ink or toner runs out, the printer either prints empty white sheets (by the way, this can also be observed simply when the ink is of poor quality or the head is broken), or simply does not print at all...

I recommend checking the amount of ink (toner) in the printer. This can be done in the Windows OS control panel, in the “Devices and Printers” section: by going to properties the necessary equipment(see Fig. 3 of this article).

In some cases, Windows will display incorrect information about the presence of paint, so you should not completely trust it.

When you run out of toner (when dealing with laser printers), one simple tip helps a lot: you need to take out the cartridge and shake it a little. The powder (toner) will be evenly redistributed throughout the cartridge and you will be able to print again (though not for long). Be careful during this operation - you may get dirty with toner.

I have everything on this issue. I hope that you will quickly resolve your issue with the printer. Good luck!

The problem when the printer does not print is probably familiar to everyone. Typically, such a breakdown occurs at the most inopportune moment, for example, when you urgently need to print an important document. What should I do to correct the situation? You will find the answer to this question in this article.

Before proceeding to repair the device, you need to find out why the printer does not print. There are three groups of problems that affect the operation of this unit. Among them:

Problems in the software that is responsible for printer settings in the Windows operating system;
Problems in the CISS (the system responsible for the continuous supply of ink) or cartridge failure;
Problems affecting the hardware of the printing device.

The first group of problems occurs most often. Software glitches are quite easy to identify and fix yourself. It is not always possible to fix problems from the second group at home. As a rule, this kind of breakdown is solved by purchasing a new cartridge. It is unlikely that you will be able to solve problems from the third group on your own. Therefore, to repair the printer, you will have to contact service center. The exception is typical problems such as cable damage, paper creases, etc. You can solve such problems yourself.

Software

To make sure that the root of the problem lies in the software, you need to try connecting the printer to another device. Try it different types connections: via USB port or wireless communication. If the printer works with the new device, then the problem is in the software.

Installing drivers

What should I do to fix the problem? First of all, you need to look at the “Device Manager”. To launch this dialog, click on the Win + R combination, which will launch system utility"Run." After that, enter devmgmt.msc in the window and click on “OK”. This will launch a new dialog that displays all the devices connected to the computer. However, we are interested in the “Printers” item. Find this tab among the list of devices.

What to do if the computer does not see the printer? If in the “Device Manager” there is no tab responsible for the printing device (or there is a yellow icon next to it), then to solve the problem it is enough to install the appropriate driver on the PC. To do this, you can use the system utility Windows Update. If this failed to solve the problem and the PC still does not see the network printer, then you will have to look for drivers on the manufacturer’s official website.

Starting the service

If the computer sees the device, but the printer does not print, you need to visit the “Services” menu. To do this, activate the services.msc command through “Run”. In the dialog that appears, find the “Print Manager” service. Make sure this process is running.

If the service is deactivated, then this must be corrected. Right-click on the process properties. In the window next to the “Startup type” parameter, set the option to “Automatic”. For the changes to take effect, click on “Run”.

Problems with CISS, cartridge, dye

Dyes tend to run out. And if the printer does not have ink, then it will physically not be able to print your document or image. However, the dye does not disappear overnight. This is usually indicated by a number of factors: pale colors, poor-quality printing of some fragments, stripes, etc. If you have observed similar problems, and now the printer has stopped working altogether, then you need to replace the ink. However, it also happens that the printing machine stops functioning even with normal ink levels. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon.

The first is blockage of the print head with an air lock or a dried drop of ink. A similar ailment often occurs during prolonged use of an inkjet printer. Fixing the problem is quite simple. You just need to clean the outlet holes (nozzles). For this, the printer has a special function, which can be activated using the proprietary software.

When using the cleaning function, the pump, which is located inside the printing machine, drives ink through the nozzles under high pressure. Thanks to this, the air pocket or paint clot that has clogged the head comes out. Some very cheap printers are not equipped with a pump. Therefore, cleaning must be done manually.

Printing problems can also occur due to improper installation, dirty cartridges, or incorrect refilling technology. This is usually indicated by the fact that the printer prints in one color or that multi-colored blots appear on the sheet.

If the printer produces a blank print result White list, this indicates that the cartridge is not compatible with your printer model. Sometimes this problem can be solved by flashing it. If it was not possible to change the firmware, then you need to purchase new, suitable components for the printing device.

Hardware failures

Many people believe that due to a hardware failure, the printer completely stops functioning. But this is just a common misconception. The following problems may indicate a hardware failure:

The device prints in only one color. In this case, the cartridge is fully functional, there is also paint;
The document or images are printed in fragments;
Toner does not adhere to sheets;
The device, instead of one sheet, prints several;
The printer does not accept sheets of paper from the slot.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to fix a hardware failure at home without specialized knowledge and tools. All you can do is clean the printer from visible dirt and check that the cartridge is installed correctly. Therefore, most likely you will have to contact a service center or buy a new device.

Conclusion

In the article we talked about what to do if the printer does not work if it is connected. As you can see, there are a lot of factors that affect the correct operation of the printing machine. If your device fails and refuses to work, then first of all you need to determine the cause of the problem. After this, you need to try to fix the damage. As a rule, the reasons why a printer does not work are quite commonplace. In such situations, you can repair the unit yourself at home. If the printer has a serious hardware failure, then you need to take it to a service center or buy a new device.

People who frequently need to print text or graphic files, sometimes they encounter the following problem: the user sends information to print, but the printer does not respond to the request (at most it may buzz for a couple of seconds, but refuses to print the file). It is curious that if the printer does not print from a computer, in 90% of cases this is not due to a breakdown of either the first or the second device.

Why doesn't the printer work?

If the printer prints sheets with white stripes or blank white sheets of paper, as a rule, no questions arise - either ran out of paint(or toner, if the device is laser), or the cartridge itself is faulty. But the situation when the printer does not respond to user requests is very annoying - the thought immediately arises that either the printer, or the computer, or both are broken. However, the most common reasons for this printer behavior are usually not associated with any breakdowns.

Let's take a closer look at each of the likely problems.

The printer is not connected to the PC

No matter how funny it may sound, most often the cause of problems lies precisely in this. Therefore, first of all, you should check whether the device is connected correctly to system unit and whether it is connected at all. It's not just a matter of your attentiveness - sometimes the printer cable can be accidentally pulled out of its socket or damaged during repairs, rearranging furniture or connecting new equipment (most often this happens in offices).

If the device has really been disconnected, it is connected by inserting the cable into the appropriate socket, after which the printer will emit a characteristic buzzing sound, the LEDs on its body will light up and the problem will be solved by itself. If the problem is a damaged cable, the latter must be replaced.

Print queue hangs

If the device is connected to a local network and used by several users at once, it may simply pause printing due to freezing. Sometimes this happens when you try to print a damaged file. To restore normal operation of the printer, you must do the following:

Go to the Start menu and go to Control Panel and then to the Devices and Printers tab.
Right-click on the icon of the corresponding equipment and select “View print queue” from the drop-down menu.
Cancel printing of all documents that are in this list.

Usually, after this, the device resumes normal operation, and you can resend the desired document for printing.

By the way, pay attention to one more nuance: in Windows seventh and higher versions, several printers are displayed, some of them have nothing to do with real equipment. Many users in a hurry they simply forget to check whether the document is being sent to the right printer, so take a closer look at which device you are sending the information to.

Paper jam or missing paper

Usually the system warns the user about such a problem, but in some cases this does not happen. Look in the tray - if there is no paper there, put a new stack, but if a wrinkled sheet is visible in the device body, carefully remove it. Under no circumstances should you pull out the crumpled paper with jerks, otherwise there will be torn pieces inside the device, which will require you to completely disassemble it to remove it.

If you can't see the jammed sheet, open the product cover and remove the print cartridge. Behind it there are rollers through which the paper passes - a crumpled piece of paper may be located there. It should be carefully removed so that no pieces remain on the shaft and rollers.

Driver problems

reinstalling the operating system;
connecting new equipment that conflicts with the printer;
software failure;
viruses.

First of all, you need to go to the Control Panel and go to Device Manager. Here you should pay attention to the red or yellow exclamation marks next to the devices - their presence indicates that the drivers not everything is fine. By the way, problems with any drivers can affect the normal operation of the equipment.

In such a situation, there is only one thing you can do - update the drivers. The easiest way to do this is by special programs(in particular, Driver Pack Solution) - the utility itself will scan the system and offer to install the missing drivers. The only drawback of the mentioned program is that it is too intrusive when using the online installer, so if possible, download the full-size version.

Cartridge problems

If the cartridge runs out of ink or toner, the device most often begins to print sheets with a white stripe or just blank ones, but sometimes it may simply refuse to work. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and check the amount of paint. This can be done through the Control Panel by going to the “Devices and Printers” section and going to the properties of the corresponding equipment. Please be aware that in some cases the system may display incorrect information.

If you are dealing with a laser printer that is running out of toner, you can use one simple tip: remove the cartridge from the device and shake it a little. The ink will be redistributed throughout the cartridge, and you will be able to print documents for some time (however, try to refill the cartridge as fast as possible). Be careful - it is easy to get dirty during this operation.

Canon printer does not print after refilling

Canon printers have one distinctive feature - they often stop printing documents after refilling the cartridge. There may be several reasons for this:

Ink incompatibility with the device. In some cases, universal paint is not suitable for Canon cartridge. Please clarify this nuance in advance in the documentation for specific model printer.
The cartridge has dried out due to prolonged inactivity. If for a long time do not use the device, the module may simply dry out. You can try to solve this problem yourself by washing the cartridge with warm distilled water, alcohol or a special solution.
Incorrect cartridge installation. Make sure that the consumable is installed correctly and there are no foreign particles between the contacts.
The device chip blocks printing because the ink consumption limit has been reached or the block does not match the original. In this case, you cannot do without the help of specialists, since flashing the chip is required.
Air bubbles have entered the chamber. Air does not allow ink to pass through the print head nozzles, so all slam-shut holes must be tightly closed.
The cartridge is disposable and is not designed for refilling. This information can be clarified by the labeling of the element.

To avoid such troubles, before refueling the device, carefully read the information about the company, study reviews and warranties. This will protect you from scammers.

As a rule, the above actions help restore the operation of the equipment, but it also happens that no manipulations help. In this case, it is better to seek the help of specialists.

24.02.2017

Using a printer, you can output digital information onto paper, but quite often it does not work correctly. A problem of this kind can arise with any printer, regardless of the brand and type of printing, so all the methods for solving the problem described in the article are relevant for almost any printer model, regardless of what OS the computer to which the device is connected is running.

In most cases, problems that prevent the computer from detecting the printer are not serious and can be easily resolved even by an inexperienced PC user. But if none of the methods helps, then this means that the breakdown is serious, or the printer has its own individual operating characteristics (such models are extremely rare).

Hardware check

A common cause of printer failure is the USB cable coming out of the port. In this case, the computer recognizes the device as not connected. To fix this, you just need to reconnect the printer to your computer. Check the cord for damage. Sometimes it can break. More often this happens somewhere at the ends of the cable. In this case, the problem can be solved by fixing the broken areas (for example, with electrical tape). If this does not help, then you will have to replace the cable.

Sometimes the printer refuses to print due to improper handling. For example, you have placed too many sheets in the output slot and/or have wrinkled them too much. For these cases, many models are equipped with special indicators on the body. Try to correctly transfer the sheets into the receiver, and the problem will solve itself.

Also, do not forget that the printer may run out of ink. If this is the case, then a special indicator on the case will light up, and when you try to print something, an error window will appear or the device will work “idle”.

If the proposed options do not help, then there are two algorithms for the development of events:

serious damage to the printer, i.e., it will have to be repaired or replaced with another device. Fortunately, this is rare.
problem with the software component. As a rule, these are outdated or deleted drivers.

Method 1: Settings

Sometimes the printer refuses to work due to incorrect software settings. To check that the settings are correct, do the following:

Then try printing something again. If all else fails, try restarting your computer. Most often this is not required, but some Windows versions and the printer software itself may not see the changes until you restart them. You can also try turning the printer on and off.
If these manipulations did not help, then the problem may be due to incorrectly working drivers.

Method 2: Reinstalling drivers

In modern Windows versions, Linux and Mac, all the necessary software for the printer to work is installed either in the background or from the electronic media that comes with the device. If the device does not work the first time you use it, download the drivers from the manufacturer’s official website.

Sometimes already installed drivers may become outdated or not work correctly due to problems in the system. In this case you will also need to download current version drivers from the manufacturer's official website and install. Then restart the computer.

If the printer does not work, then the problem may lie in a conflict between new and old drivers. The latter must be removed, but it is not so easy, so it is recommended to follow the instructions so as not to disrupt the operation of the OS:

Now you can connect the printer and install the latest drivers from the manufacturer’s official website.

Conclusion

The above manipulations help in most cases to get rid of problems with the inability to print. If they did not help, then this may indicate serious problems or incompatibility of the device with your computer; in these cases, only professional repair or replacement of the printer will help.

Any of us who have ever encountered a non-working printer probably knows how difficult it can be to determine the cause of the breakdown. Sometimes you have to sit for hours on ancient forums in the hope of finding a solution to a problem that may lie on the surface.

In this article, we will look at the most common reasons why the printer does not print from a computer. We will understand it using the example of an operating room. Windows systems 10.

Problem #1: No connection to the network or computer

Printer, how complicated technical device, must be powered from the mains and connected to the system unit for correct operation. Therefore, if you are sure that there is ink in the printer, but it does not respond to your actions, do the following in order:

check the power cable to see if it is firmly inserted;

make sure the switch is in the “on” position;

check that the cable connecting to the computer is inserted;
If your printer has a screen, make sure it is functioning and displaying information.

If the printer is connected but does not respond, then the problem is something else, either in the driver or in the print service.

Problem #2: Drivers are not installed

For the printer to work correctly, you need to install a driver on it that will allow you to correctly determine the device model and “turn on” all the functions necessary for printing, configuration and problem prevention. How to determine that there is no driver? Go to "Options"

Type “Device Manager” into the search bar and open it.

As you can see, the system was unable to install the printer on its own and marked it with a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark.

It is advisable that the driver be installed from the disk that usually comes with the device. If there is no disk, the Internet will help us out. Let's look at an example Canon MFP i-sensys MF4450, how to install the driver correctly:

open search engine(for example, Google or Yandex) and write “download driver from the official website for (model)” in the search bar. Instead of an ellipsis, indicate the desired model; it can be found on the front panel of the device. For example, Epson L 1300 or Samsung SL-M2070;
download the driver version you need from the official website, it is better to choose the latest one;
Important! Drivers come in two types: x-32 (x-86) and x-64, for operating systems of different bits. Install only those drivers that suit your OS! Right-click the “This PC” icon and click “Properties.” Pay attention to the “System type” item. As you can see, x-64 is written here, which means the driver you need will be called “driver for Canon i-sensys MF4450 x-64";

Problem #3: Printer is not selected as primary

A common problem - the printer does not print Word documents. It is most likely that in this situation it is chosen wrong device and print jobs go “into the void.” Open Microsoft Word and click on the round options window (or “File”, depending on Microsoft versions Office).

To avoid the problem of making the wrong choice in the future, go to “Devices and Printers” and right-click on the icon. Select "Set as default". Now all print jobs will be sent to this address.

Problem #4: Can't virtually print a PDF file

Sometimes you need to quickly translate Word documents from doc format or docx in PDF files. Windows 10 comes with a virtual printer already installed, making this very easy. Under Printer, select Microsoft Print to PDF and click Print.

If this item is missing, then the FoxitReader program will help. It is completely free, you can download it from the official website https://www.foxitsoftware.com/ru/. After installation, it will automatically add a virtual printer, which will definitely not cause any problems.

Problem #5: Print service stopped

Stopping this service can lead to several errors at once: the printer has stopped printing or a print error window appears. In order to fix this, go to “Settings” and type “View local services”.

The one we need is called “Print Manager”. On the right side there must be an inscription “In progress”. If it is missing, right-click on the service and select Start. Now restart your computer and all errors should disappear.

If a message is displayed that the printer is paused, you need to go to “Settings” - “Devices” - “Printers and scanners” - “Management”.

Select Troubleshoot. The “Disabled” status is removed here, using the same method. Windows 10 is smart enough to fix such problems on its own.

Problem #6: Laser Printers Have Black Problems

The printer may not work correctly with all paper, but only with the one it supports. If you have laser printer and it started printing black sheets, check if you accidentally inserted fax paper. Due to heat, it turns black and becomes unsuitable for printing. It looks like plain paper.

If the paper is correct, open the printer and look inside. The sheet can wrap around the image drum and the machine will output black sheets. Carefully pull out the sheet and everything will be fine.

If you recently sent the printer for repair or refilling, then perhaps inexperienced specialists could expose the photoconductor to light. Wait a few hours and try printing again. The photosensitive layer should be restored. If this does not happen, then the photodrum needs to be changed.

Reason #7: The printer prints without color

Very known issue inkjet printers, especially those equipped with CISS (continuous ink supply system). If the printer prints white sheets, then the nozzles through which the ink passes are clogged. In the printer settings, you need to select “Cleaning nozzles” and the color will appear. Sometimes this operation must be repeated several times, if the nozzles are very clogged.

If you have a CISS and the printer still produces blank sheets when printing, do the following:

disconnect the CISS from the printer;
check the serviceability of all hoses; they should not have holes or kinks;
check that the bottom plugs of the cartridges allow ink to exit;
if there is air in the hoses, remove it using a syringe;
Fill the CISS with ink, close the filling holes, then open the air plugs to create the required pressure.

It is better to do all work with gloves, because ink is very difficult to wash off your hands.

Reason No. 8: The cartridge is out

When a cartridge runs out of ink or toner, instead of buying a new one, it is much more profitable to take it to a refill. If the printer does not print after refilling the cartridge, there are several possible reasons:

The printer did not work for a long time after refilling and the nozzles were clogged with dried ink. In this case, simply run “Nozzle Cleaning” several times. Another option is to purchase a special cleaning fluid. Place the printer in a container with a cloth soaked in cleaning agent at the bottom. Leave the cartridge to soak overnight (at least 8 hours). After this, gently wipe the print head with a clean cloth;
If you have a laser printer, make sure that the device does not display error messages. It usually appears as a pop-up window or a flashing red light on the printer itself. If there is an error, check that the cartridge is inserted correctly until you hear a characteristic click;
The most unlikely reason is refilling with the wrong type of ink. If you refilled yourself, make sure that the ink type matches the markings on the cartridge itself. IN otherwise, it’s easier to throw away the cartridge than to try to restore it. I assure you, the wasted nerves and time are not worth it.

Reason No. 9: paper is not detected

A fairly rare case, it is usually associated with incorrect setting documents Microsoft Office or incorrectly set print parameters. If the printer does not see the paper when printing from Word, click “Print”, then “Properties”.

Make sure that the output format specified in the settings matches what you need (for example, A4). Sometimes the document contains damaged elements, try creating a new one and printing it. If printing is successful, then it is better to type the damaged file again without using copying, since it is not known which part of the document is damaged.

12.05.2020

Computer

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