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Printers

Symptom: My printer refuses to print.

Minor: You know the usual stuff. Check power and data cables, make sure the printer is turned on, and confirm that no paper is jammed inside the unit. Then open the Printers and Faxes window to see whether the printer you're using is set as the default. If it isn't, applications will blithely send print jobs off to another target, whether or not it's installed on your PC. Finally, print a test page using your printer's driver software, to rule out the existence of a problem with the specific application you're using.

Moderate: Most printers sold over the past three years use the Universal Serial Bus to connect to PCs--but USB can be pretty flaky. If you notice intermittent printer outages, unplug the USB cable from the printer and then plug it back in after about 30 seconds. If your print job resumes, you may have a faulty connection or an overloaded USB bus. If the problem recurs, unplug a few noncritical USB devices and see if that solves the problem.

Dire: Check the print queue. Jobs that are reported as complete when nothing comes out at the other end indicate an issue with the printer itself. You might try cycling the printer on and off. Of course, frequent paper jams, misaligned prints, and mangled output paper are all indicators of a mechanical problem.

Symptom: Printouts are light, have the wrong colors, or smear. Photos look grainy lack detail.

Minor: Check ink levels first. Printing photos and graphics can consume ink at a prodigious clip. Also, make sure that you're using the proper paper for the job (superior photo output requires top-notch photo paper) and that it matches the specifications in the printer properties dialog box. If these variables check out, calibrate the printer using its driver software.

Moderate: Printers sometimes suffer from trapped air or dried ink in the printhead. Your printer software may recommend a cartridge-cleaning routine for flushing out obstructions to ensure proper flow of ink. Another possible culprit is the printer's driver software, particularly if the problems arose shortly after you used a newly installed application or operating system. Visit the vendor's Web site and download the most recent driver. If you're having trouble printing photos, consider using a fine photo-printing application called Qimage Pro to output your photos. This software's special sampling techniques produce superior output that can boost the quality of older printers.

Dire: Are you using reconditioned cartridges? Such cartridges can spring leaks or gum up. Pull the cartridge and check it for excess ink or blockage--dab a wet paper towel on the head and examine it for evenly distributed color or black ink. If the distribution is uneven, you can try soaking the head in water for a few hours, dabbing it dry, and reinstalling it in the printer. Worst-case scenario, your printer just doesn't have what it takes to produce acceptable photo output. Our Top 5 Photo Printers chart has capable photo printers for around $200.