Having trouble printing with your laser printer. Here’s a little help for you.

The first thing you should remember is that printers are not magic machines. There is always a definite cause to the problem. You just need to figure out what that cause is.

Most printers now have display panels on them. If you don’t have a display panel you will have a set of lights with symbols next to them. The display panel, and the lights, relay information about your printer’s status. When you are having troubles, this is the first place  you should check. The display panel will have a text prompt to tell you what is wrong, or it will give you a code number. If lights, they will blink, stay solid, or turn off. In either case you should always have your printer’s user manual handy to help you find out what the lights, codes, or text messages mean. If you don’t have your manual you can probably find it online at the manufacturer’s web site.

Paper jams are the most common laser printer problem. There are various places paper can jam as it feeds through the printer, so you are going to have to open as many doors on the printer as it takes to find the jam (most printers have 2-3 doors on them). You will also have to check the paper tray too. If paper is repeatedly jamming in the same area you will need to check on the printer’s hardware in that area. It may need to be replaced.

Printer parts are only made to last a certain number of pages. Just be aware that these parts will wear down. Hopefully not for a long time, but if you are a heavy volume printer your printer will need to be replaced sooner rather than later.

If your print quality is poor you are going to want to check the hardware as well. This type of problem can be caused by the toner cartridge (make sure you check your cartridge first), fuser, or transfer roller. I recommend you check your toner cartridge first because history has shown it to be the culprit more times than not. It’s also the easiest component to replace.

Hope  you don’t come across any of these issues to often, but if you do you will know what to do.

HP is putting a lot of time and money in their new line of eStation printers. Rightly so. I think they’ve found a way to evolve the use of printers in the home, to get the printer away from the computer.

But, with new technology comes bugs that need to be worked out. Here’s what you need to be aware of.

Price — The eStation C510 is priced at $399. That’s an expensive printer for the casual home user.

Connection Process — There is no wired Ethernet connection on the printer so sharing the printer among several computers can be difficult to set up. You must have a wireless connection set up in your home. If you don’t  you won’t be able to use this printer.

The “Zeen” Tablet — It’s very sensitive to the touch and lacks a lot of features we have become used to with our phones and tablet computers. The Zeen must able be connected (independently) to your wireless network. While the Zeen is capable of running Apps, users cannot access the App store because all of the Apps require hardware and features that the Zeen does not have. It does come with some Apps and you can download from a small selection at the HP store.

If you end up with this printer, make sure you come back and let us all know what you think of it. Thanks!

What’s good: The ePrint feature enables wireless printing by e-mail with an online job monitor. The printer features a detachable “Zeen” tablet.

What’s bad: The onscreen menu lacks print progress tools. The “Zeen” is still problematic and is prone to touch-screen mistakes. The system still has quite a few hang-ups and browser process errors. The printer lacks proper set up instructions.

What we think: This is a really cool printer with some really cool features (like ePrint and the “Zeen”). It is definitely the future of printing. But, I’d hold off on buying one until HP lowers the price (currently $399) and makes the machine a little more user friendly. The user interface bugs and network errors make it more frustrating than useful right now.
This printer does NOT have a Ethernet port, so you have to have a wireless network set up. If you don’t, it is completely useless.

(Source: CNET.com)

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