Despite the huge advances made in computing, we are still a long way from a "paperless" environment and printers still remain a basic device both at home and in any office. The printer is one of those devices that does not require particular configurations, once purchased, just attach it to the PC with the cable or even with Wifi connection to be able to print anything.
Sometimes you need to install software that is on the CD included in the printer package and that you just need to run automatically.
As with all simple things, however, even with the printer, when problems that prevent the normal printing of a sheet occur, you do not really know where to go to look.
It may be that the problem is with the initial configuration or that it occurs suddenly, for no apparent reason.
In this guide article we see, in a very concise and practical way, how to solve the most frequent problems with a printer on a Windows PC .
1) Basic solutions
There would not even be talk about it, but even the most experienced, sometimes, fall into the most trivial mistakes.
First of all then check that the printer is turned on and that it is connected to the computer.
If you are talking about a wifi printer, refer to the guide to connect the Wifi printer and solve wireless connection problems .
2) Check the card
To work, a printer needs paper so it is always better to check, if not immediately visible, if there are sheets in the feeder.
Even if there is paper, it is also important to check that the paper is aligned and that the printer has not jammed.
Usually this is indicated by a noise, clearly not normal, which is the printer's attempt to expel the residue of torn paper that has remained inside.
You must therefore open the printer door gently, identify the paper that has become stuck and, forcefully, pull it all away without leaving even a piece.
In some printers it may be necessary, to reach the jammed paper with your hands, to also remove the drum and the cartridges.
3) Check the ink or toner
Of course, the printer also needs ink to work (or toner if it's a laser printer).
Unfortunately, depending on the brand, some printers refuse to print in black and white if the color cartridge is missing which is therefore to be replaced.
In others, however, only the black and white cartridge is enough, which is much more convenient.
To check the ink levels of the printer on a Windows PC, you can open the management program or open the Devices and Printers window from the Control Panel .
Select the connected printer and view the ink levels in the lower part of the window, or right click on it, select "Properties" and look for the ink or toner levels.
Not all printers show ink information from this Windows screen.
4) Check the print queues
Print queues are the main reason a printer does not print.
The problem arises when someone presses the Print button too many times thinking that the command is not being received and, after printing the sheet that was needed, he switches off the computer or the printer itself.
All print commands sent therefore remain in the queue, preventing new prints if this queue has errors.
To solve the problem, open the Devices and Printers window from the Control Panel, right-click on the printer in use and then on " View printing in progress " and check the situation by deleting all the queues of old documents.
To do it quickly, in the window that lists things, press on Printer and then on " Delete all documents ".
In another article there is a guide to manage and eliminate print queues quickly and without waste .
On the " Printer " menu, also check that the "Use offline printer" option is not enabled (if it was, disable it).
5) Install, update or reinstall the printer driver
If a printer does not work, you may need to install, update or reinstall the printer drivers.
For most printers the driver is automatically installed by Windows itself, but this does not always work.
You must therefore go to the printer manufacturer's website, download the correct driver for the model and install it.
For example, for an HP printer, search on Google HP driver and select the first result of the site //support.hp.com/it-it/drivers/ (be careful not to go to sites that are not the official one).
Support is usually the section of official websites with drivers.
6) Use the printer diagnostic and maintenance utility
There is always a management program on the CD included in the package and also in the driver installation package that can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website.
This program, in addition to managing the prints, also contains the tools to fix a printer that has problems.
There are therefore the functions of cleaning the heads or the nozzles, the realignment of the cartridges and the calibration of the printer .
These options can be called differently on each printer and are buttons of the configuration and management program.
Sometimes they are also found by opening the Devices and Printers window from the Control Panel, clicking on the printer in use with the right button, going to " Properties ".
These maintenance operations can help solve even poor print quality problems.
7) Vertical and horizontal printing, poor quality, in color or in black and white.
If, after performing the configuration and maintenance of the printer management program, you still have problems with the quality of the printed sheets, you must define your printing preferences.
To do this, always go to Control Panel> Devices and Printers, select your printer, press the right button and then go to Printing Preferences.
Then select one of the print modes and select the preferred print quality, the orientation and then, in the Functions window, if you want to use those or only in black and white (in grayscale).
8) Set the default printer
This, together with the full print queue, is one of the most common reasons why a printer doesn't work.
For some reason, it may be that our printer is not the default.
To check the default printer, go to the usual Control Panel> Devices and Printers section, select the right one, recognizable by the name that should be the same written on the printer label, right-click on it and make it default.
The default printer icon always has a green recognition mark and is the one used to print from that computer.
Note that in Windows 10 (after the November 2015 update), every time you print to a printer, it is automatically made default by Windows.
To disable this automation, go to Start menu -> Settings> Devices> Printers and scanners and disable the " Default printer management " option.
Obviously, as with all things on a computer, there may also be other types of errors that compromise the functioning of a printer, especially if it is rather old.
The only way to get around it is to search the internet for the code or error message that comes up when you try to print a document.
READ ALSO: How to print digital photos with your home printer
