This is one of the most frustrating problems with an inkjet printer, mostly because you usually have no idea what is causing it. For years, if you computer wasn’t giving you an error messages, then you were just left to guess why lights were blinking on your printer and why it was non-responsive. Luckily these days more printers have LCDs that can actually tell you what the problem is. They can also better communicate with your computer to let you know what’s going on. But what do you do when you know what the error is but you don’t know what to do about it?

First things first: do the most obvious thing and check your manual. Don’t call up the manufacturer if you haven’t at least taken the first step. Usually, the manual is useless, but it’s worth checking out anyways.

If you can’t find anything in the manual about the specific problem you are having, then the second thing you can try is to completely reset your printer. This is usually the first thing that the printer manufacturers will suggest when you call them up with a problem, so you might as well try it before you go calling anyone. Resetting your printer can fix minor errors and can really save you a lot of time if it works.

If you are getting a specific error message, the third thing you can try is to Google that message and see if anyone else has a solution to that problem. There are so many different error messages between all the different printers out there, so it helps to do a specific search to find any solutions. Sometimes certain error messages can be cleared by entering a specific code in your printer. Sometimes, you will just get an error like “change cartridge” that is pretty generic and that likely has no magic solution that you haven’t tried.

Your last option is calling your printer manufacturer directly. This can be a daunting task and can be a huge inconvenience, so that’s why it’s a last option. Hopefully if you have a major problem with your printer, it is still under warranty and you can get a replacement. Otherwise, you may have to do some dealing with the person on the phone to get a real solution. If you get the right person and you make a fuss, they will send you a replacement machine. Printer manufacturers only make their money on ink, and if you don’t have one of their printers anymore then they lose that money. They would rather take a small hit by sending you a new printer if it means years of buying printer ink from them. (Hopefully you know better than that and are buying remanufactured and compatible ink cartridges.)

Finally, one thing you shouldn’t do is take your printer somewhere to have it repaired. Unless this is covered by your warranty, it is just not worth it. A lot of technicians will charge you something like $50-$75 an hour to even look at the machine. So you might get charged $50 for someone to look at the machine for five minutes and then tell you that you need to replace something which will cost you even more. Best case scenario is that they fix something in an hour and you are out only like $50. Well, these days you can get a new printer for $50, so fixing your old one suddenly isn’t really worth it. The exception to this would be if you have an out-of-warranty printer that you paid a few hundred dollars that the manufacturer won’t do anything about. Then maybe taking it to a repair shop might be worth considering. Otherwise, just bite the bullet and buy a new printer. It may seem like a waste, but you will save in the long run.