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Printer Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting a Printing Issue (Windows®)

Many issues can occur when printing with any application. The causes of these issues vary. The following procedures will help resolve general printing issues that may occur.

The most common cause of printing issues involves conflicts between the program and printer driver, which acts as a translator between the printer and the application. Verify that the driver for your printer is up to date. Contact the printer manufacturer for the latest driver for the printer in use. Most manufacturers offer these updated drivers as a free download from their web site.

Below are some additional suggestions for troubleshooting printer issues.

Print a Bitmap Image Using Microsoft® Paint™

This procedure will verify that the printer is functioning properly using a program other than the one used when the printing issue is experienced.

1. Close any open programs or windows and return to the desktop.
2. Click Start, select Programs (or All Programs), choose Accessories and click Paint. This will launch Microsoft® Paint™.
3. Click File in the menu bar and then click Open.
4. Locate and double-click on any Bitmap (*.bmp) file. The bitmap image you selected should now be open in Microsoft® Paint™.
5. Click the File menu and select Print.
6. Click OK to begin printing.
7. If the printout appears faded, the ink cartridge may be low and may need replaced. If the printout appears clear, verify that the latest print driver for the printer is installed. Contact the printer manufacturer for update information and procedures.

Printer Emulation

If the printed output form a particular program is incorrect, or if nothing prints at all, there may be a conflict between the program and the printer. This is a common issue, especially when printing to newer printers from software that is a few years old. Printer conflicts are typically resolved by loading a different printer driver to emulate the printer being used and selecting that printer emulation when printing from the affected program. Contact the printer manufacturer to identify what driver or drivers will emulate the particular printer in use. The steps below describe changing the printer driver.

Changing the Printer Driver

1. Close any open programs or windows and return to the desktop.
2. Double-click the My Computer icon.
3. Double-click the Printers icon.

NOTE: For Windows® XP users, perform the following procedure and then skip to Step 5.

1. In the Other Places panel on the left side of the window, click Control Panel.
2. Click the Printers and Other Hardware button.
3. Click the Printers and Faxes button.
4. In the Printer Tools panel on the left side of the window, click Add A Printer. The Add Printer Wizard dialog should now open.

4. Double-click the Add Printer icon. The Add Printer Wizard dialog should now open.
5. Click Next.
6. If the printer is connected to the computer directly, select Local. If the printer is accessed through a network, select Network.
7. Click Next. The window that appears displays a list of printer manufacturers on the left side and the corresponding models on the right side.

NOTE: For Windows® XP users, remove the checkmark from the option to automatically detect Plug And Play printers.

8. Select the appropriate manufacturer and model for the emulation printer obtained from the printer manufacturer (see Printer Emulation).

NOTE: If the manufacturer or model is not in the list, refer to the printer documentation or contact the printer manufacturer to determine another emulation driver for the printer.

9. In the screen that opens, configure the port the printer is attached to. (Most of the time, a local printer will be attached to LPT1.) If a different LPT port or alternate connection is used such as USB, select the appropriate option and click Next.
10. Name the printer or use the default printer name. The opportunity to select this printer as the default printer is also presented. If Yes for the default option is selected, all Windows® applications will use this printer automatically. Select No if a default printer in Windows® is already selected and you want to have this printer driver available for printing when using a particular program.

NOTE: Some programs (typically older programs) only print using the default printer and will not allow a different printer to be chosen when printing. If the program you are having issues printing from does not allow a different printer to be chosen when printing, set the emulation printer you are installing as the default for now. After troubleshooting, the default printer can be changed back to the correct printer by repeating Steps 1-3 to open the printers window. Then right-click the correct printer icon and left-click Set As Default from the menu that appears.

11. Select Yes for the option to print a test page and then click Finish. If prompted to insert the Windows® CD, please do so.
12. If the test page prints correctly, the new driver that was loaded is a valid emulation for the printer. With the installation complete, the printer should appear in the Printers window.
13. Close any open windows and return to the desktop.
14. Launch the program and try printing using the newly installed emulation printer.

Change Spool Data Format: Windows®95/98/Me

If an error occurs when printing or the output from a particular program is incorrect (or nothing prints at all), changing the Spool Data Format may resolve the issue.

NOTE: Not all printers support the EMF format. Contact the printer manufacturer for more information.

To change the Spool Data Format, complete the steps that follow.

1. Close any open programs or windows and return to the desktop.
2. Double-click the My Computer icon.
3. Double-click the Printers icon.
4. In the window that appears, right-click the printer being used and choose Properties.
5. In the Properties window that opens, select the Details tab.
6. Click the Spool Settings button. The Spool Settings window will appear.
7. Locate the Spool Data Format: setting. Record the current setting.

* If EMF is currently selected, click the drop-down menu and choose RAW.
* If RAW is currently selected, click the drop-down menu and choose EMF.

8. Click Apply and close any open windows.
9. Launch the program and try to print again.

NOTE: If needed, repeat the above procedure to return the system to its original spool setting when other programs are used.

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