My colour laser printer had been acting up for a while, with plain black text coming out unevenly, some bits being very dark and slightly smudgy-looking, and other parts (on the same line) being much paler. I assumed it was the toner running low, and replaced the cartridges.That didn't do much... and then, after having replaced all four toner cartridges, the paper feed went wrong. The paper wouldn't load. I explored the machine a bit (being blonde and not very technically-minded meant that it was a fairly superficial exploration) and concluded that the paper tray was supposed to make something click into place so that the end was raised, and the paper could be picked up by the roller... only it wasn't happening.
I couldn't fix it, and the machine was out of warranty, and I decided it might be easier to buy a new printer, especially in view of the uneven printing.
So, today I went to get a new printer. However, when I got home, I thought I'd have another little look at the paper tray of the old printer.
*sigh*
Three guesses what happened next. If you paid any attention to the title of the blog post, you'll only need one of them...
Yes, that's right... The wretched machine started to work.
However, the problem with uneven print was still in evidence.
And, since I'm not entirely sure how I fixed the paper feed problem, I decided to keep the new printer. I just have to figure out what to do with the old one...
no offence, but that sounds like someone with more money than sense! Printer obviously(!) merely needs a cleaning!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the Drum Unit to me - not that I'm the Oracle or anything like it of course!
ReplyDeleteYou poor thing Mac! Always the way! However it does give you an opportunity to SIN this Lent- Give to a Seminary In Need.
ReplyDeleteFr. Emeritus... it may be obvious to you, but no-one I asked had any idea why the print was uneven. As for cleaning it, I couldn't see anything inside to clean.
ReplyDeleteMike4b... drum unit?
If that is all the problem is, then someone will be very happy with a second-hand printer. I need to print stuff out on a regular basis both for work and for personal use, and I don't have the time (or energy) to cope with a temperamental machine which might or might not work when I'm in a hurry to get my worksheets ready...
Samuel - do you know if the printer would be of any use to a seminary - I assume you mean the one in Surrey (bearing in mind that it needs a USB cable, and is temperamental, as outlined above)?
ReplyDeleteBecause, if so, a certain visiting professor might be persuaded to bring it over... let me know asap!
;-)
Dear Mac. I always leave this sort of thing to Cook.
ReplyDeleteDear Mac. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I would have done exactly the same as you. You, obviously, should keep the OLD one until the NEW one goes wrong. Then, swap them over. And get another one.
ReplyDeleteDon't feel bad. Printers are finicky, foul-tempered machines, even for the technically-minded.
ReplyDeleteYou can always take it out to the desert, blindfold it, and shoot it. That's what I do for dying printers. It's a mercy killing.
ReplyDelete[uh, yeah, the drum thing sounds most likely to me as the thing to check...usually the more expensive printers give you messages...something on the order of "hey, dumb bell, change the printer drum, will ya? Or do you LIKE ghost printing between the lines and dark splotches on the right hand side of the page.
I thought my printer had had it the other week, as the paper feed wouldn't work at all. On closer inspection after getting very frustrated, i discovered that my Grandson had dropped a lipstick inside it! LoL :)
ReplyDeleteMac: I have had identical problems with my HP printer, with the addition that the red toner cartridge exploded too. In the end, a new printer cost only three times the cost of a new toner cartridge which new cartridge might very well not have corrected the problem.
ReplyDeleteI have thought of taking the old printer for a service by someone who knows what he or she is doing and keeping it in reserve.
I quite agree that one needs a printer that will actually work.