DRAFT

What kind of customer request are you likely to receive? Usually this is something like “it does not work”. And the analysis starts. What does the customer mean?

Is the sheet not coming out, is the print too light, poor quality or truncated? 

If the printout is too light, check the ink or toner levels. Replace cartridges that are low or empty. Always use original cartridges, those sold by the manufacturer. Sometimes a small saving on a cartridge order can lead to a big expense, if the printer has to be replaced.

If the print or scan is of poor quality, consider doing some maintenance checks. Do you need to clean the scanner glass, or to clean or align the print heads? Be careful if you are using a tank printer (printer with tanks that you must fill with ink yourself). If the printer is not used regularly, the ink may dry out. It may be necessary to empty the tanks and refill them. Note the validity date of the ink bottle so that you don't use ink that is too old. 

Sand, dust or dirt can accumulate inside your printer or scanner and affect quality. If this happens, use a soft, lint-free cloth to gently clean the outside and inside of the device.

If the printout is truncated, make sure that the right landscape or portrait format was chosen. If the printer has multiple trays with multiple paper sizes, make sure that the user has chosen the correct tray, or that the correct paper has been placed in the correct drawer.

Check for paper jams. If necessary, carefully remove paper jammed in the printer's paper path. Refer to your printer's manual for instructions on how to safely clear paper jams.

For all these basic maintenance tasks, take the opportunity to train users so that they can carry those tasks themselves afterwards.

If the print doesn't come out, ask what the history is. Has this printer ever worked on this computer, or is it a new installation? 

More often than not, the customer calls you because they can't get their printout back.

We will assume that the person has really sent their printout and to the right printer. Whether it's a network or local printer, a first step is to look at the print queue for error messages to inform the person remotely. Sometimes print jobs block the queue. This is especially the case when a person sends an extremely heavy print job. If so, try deleting that print job or clearing the print queue. 

If the situation requires it, go and see the device.

Start by checking the printer status. Is it up and ready to print? Or, on the contrary, is it switched off or with an error light indicating either a jam, a lack of paper or toner? Are the cables correctly inserted? Make sure you fix any error conditions on the printer.

But what could be the problems, if the printer is ready? Make sure that there is no printing quota system in case of a network printer. 

Start by printing a test page using the printer driver. If the test page comes out fine, ask the user to print again. If the print comes out and the printer is shared between multiple users, another user may have mistakenly taken their printout.

If the test page comes out, but the user's printout does not, take a look at the program used, the print settings chosen, etc. Sometimes print jobs are empty if no data is selected.

If the test page doesn't come out, start with the golden rule of any good IT specialist. Restart the device. A simple restart of the computer and printer resolves most minor issues. 

If that's not enough, check which communication port is selected in the driver. If the USB cable is properly inserted but the printer is a network printer, it won't help. Make sure the correct cable is connected. If you're using a Wi-Fi network printer, make sure it's properly connected to the correct Wi-Fi network.

If it's a network printer, make sure you can ping it. If no DHCP reservation has been made, the printer may have taken a different address or there may be an error on the network.

To eliminate any questions regarding the printer itself, you can try installing it on another computer. If it works, it's a pilot problem.

If the printer or scanner does not install or installs but cannot be used, even on another computer, there may be a problem with the device. In this case, if the device is under warranty, contact support for assistance. 

If the problem is specific to the computer, run the troubleshooting tools. 

In Windows, you can launch the printer troubleshooter by searching for Troubleshooting tools > Printer. For macOS, you can use the Printers & Scanners troubleshooter in System Preferences.

If the test page comes out in unreadable characters, it is obviously a driver error. The person may have tried to reinstall their printer before you arrived using the wrong driver. Sometimes, system updates require the printer to be reinstalled. This happens, especially under macOS.

It may be that the person has tried to set up their printer as best they could. You have inherited a messy situation to sort out. Start by clearing the decks. Uninstall any drivers or programs that the person may have installed in their trials. Go to the Control Panel - Uninstall programs. Sort by installation date to see what the user has installed. Don't repeat your user’s mistake. Instead of directly installing drivers, start by reading the installation manual. The manufacturer knows better than you how to install their device and often took the time to provide installation steps. For network printers, setup is sometimes not so intuitive and it is best to follow the specific step-by-step instructions.

Check for compatibility. Some old printers or scanners are no longer supported by newer systems. “See Knows how to set up printers and the types of drivers”.

Here are some training videos that might interest you

1. Multifunction Devices

2. Laser Printers

3. Laser Printer Maintenance

4. Inkjet Printers

5. Inkjet Printer Maintenance

6. Thermal Printers 

7. Thermal Printer Maintenance

8. Impact Printers

9. Impact Printer Maintenance

10. 3D Printers

11. Troubleshooting Printers