Purchasing
a New Printer?
Recommended
Models
While
printers are available in most campus labs, you will probably
want your own. Before selecting a printer, think
about how it will be used. Most inkjet printers will
be suitable for school, but click here for
a list of suitable printers that IR recommends. Also, you
will need to purchase a cable (sold separately) to connect
the printer to your machine. You should check with the
sales representative as to what type of cable you will
need.
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Before
selecting a printer, think about how it will be used:
- Will
it be a shared printer within your small office?
- Will
it be a shared printer within your large office?
- Will
it be a heavily used printer?
- Is
it just a printer for one person that will not need to
be networked?
- Are
you using a Macintosh and need a printer?
- Would
you like a printer/scanner/fax?
Here
are some printers models that are recommended by Information
Resources
Please
note that the printer cables do not always come with
the printers; the cables must be ordered separately
in most cases.
HP
Laserjet 3120N Printer - approximately $480
HP
Laserjet 4250N Printer - approximately $1200
HP Color Laserjet 3600N Printer - approximately $700
HP Business Inkjet 1200DTN printer - approximately $270
Please
Note: If your multifunction machine will be
used primarily as a fax machine, please read the Fax
Line procedures on These steps must
be followed before a fax machine can be ordered.
To order a printer, contact one of the suggested
vendors.
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Printer
Maintenance
Loading
Paper
When
printers are out of paper, there will be a message on the
LCD panel (this is where you can see the status of the
printer) that says Paper Tray Empty. If you have more than
one paper tray in your printer, it will also tell you which
paper tray it is. Here are a few simple instructions when
loading paper in your printer.
When
you open your printer tray, there will be a metal tray
to put the paper on that is attached to a spring that allows
you to load a stack of paper. There will be a clip of some
sort that is stopping the metal tray from being pulled
out of the paper tray itself. This clip is important and
will be explained in further detail later.
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Resolving
Paper Jams
Printer
jams occur when paper gets stuck in the printer in various
spots and the printer can not feed anymore paper through
the printer. Usually this problem is an easy fix if you
know where to look.
Here
are some places to look in your printer if you get
a printer jam error:
The
top latch - Paper gets jammed here often. Removal is
easy. All you have to do is remove the toner, and pull
the paper out slowly. It might require some force,
so don't hesitate to use it.
Paper
trays - A common place for paper jams to occur. At
any time paper may get stuck while trying to get picked
up out of the paper trays. The best way to approach
getting the paper jam out is to remove all paper trays,
then inspect all areas around the paper tray region.
If you see paper stuck, remember you may have to use
force in removing the paper from the printer so don't
be scared of breaking anything. Many times the paper
is actually very easy to get at when it is jammed in
the paper tray area.
Back
of printer, Behind back latch - This is the last area
that the paper gets fed through before coming out of
the printer. The paper goes through these rollers,
then comes out of the printer. If the paper is bent
in any way, or creased, the paper can get jammed here.
The removal process is very easy since the paper will
be easy to get to. Just slowly pull the paper out with
some force until it is completely removed.
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Toner
Changing
a printer toner has been thought of as a difficult process,
but it is actually very simple. Here is an overview of
how to change your toner cartridge in your printer.
Open
the top latch on the printer and you will see the toner
sitting in a diagonal position inside the printer.
Taking
out the toner is very simple. Grab the toner's ribbed
handle (located in the middle of the toner), lift up,
then lift out. This will unlock the toner from the
printer. Then just pull the toner out of the printer.
When
you have removed the empty toner, inspect the toner
area (located where the toner sits) for any loose articles
that may be in there. For example, pieces of paper
that were left behind from the printer.
Before
putting your new toner into the printer, you will need
to take out the strip in the toner. This strip keeps
the toner ink from drying out. There will be a black
handle at the edge of the strip. Pull that strip until
it is removed from the toner. Now it is ready to go
into the printer.
The
toner will go into the printer in the direction of
the black arrow on the toner. The green arrow will
help you locate this arrow on the toner. When you insert
the toner into the printer, make sure that this arrow
is facing into the printer, in the upright position.
The label and this arrow should be on the same side
of the toner.
When
the toner taken out, first you lift up on the toner,
then you lift out on the toner. Now when inserting
the toner, you push in on the toner first, then push
down on the toner until you feel it lock in the printer.
Then you can close the latch on the printer and resume
printing.
Note:
If you spill toner on your clothes or anything else, do
not use water or any other liquid to remove the stain.
Use a dry paper towel to wipe the toner off.
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General
Printer Topics
Here
are some tips that will be useful in troubleshooting your
printer. There are some little things that deserve some
attention that are usually overlooked by many people. These
are just a few things that you can look for when you are
trying to fix a problem with your printer.
For
safety, whenever you need to get at something inside
the printer, you should always turn off your printer.
This will help to ensure that you don't get an electric
shock or burn your hand on any hot areas of the printer.
The power button is usually located on the front or on
the side of the printer.
When
you have to work on the inside of the printer, you will
see yellow warning signs posted. These represent extremely
hot areas of the printer. When you need to get out a
paper jam or change a toner, watch out for these areas.
If
your computer is hooked up to a network printer and you
are having trouble getting your print jobs to come out,
you should check the back of the printer where the network
cable goes into the printer. Sometimes this cable can
be knocked out easily. Make sure the cable is clicked
into position on the printer. You will hear a click when
you push the cable into the printer.
Don't
let paper pile up too high in the paper tray where the
paper finally comes out. This will cause a paper jam.
Be sure to clear paper tray area often when printing
large documents (roughly 50 pages or more).
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