Computers are becoming commonplace in homes and offices around
the world. The problem is that most people know so very little
about their computers, that when something goes wrong, they do
not know how to begin the troubleshooting process.
The ugly truth is that we could opt to call the technical support
phone number that came with the computer, but you never really
know what you are going to get at the other end of the phone. You
could literally spend several hours just waiting to get to a
technician, and then once you have the human on the line, there
is just as good of a chance that they will not have a clue, as
there is that they will find your solution.
I know this because I used to work in a computer technical
support call center. You would be amazed who can pass as a
technician! For most new hires, the only pre-qualifying knowledge
that is necessary is being able to navigate the current Windows
Operating System.
Management feels that if you can navigate Windows, then you can
navigate the database to dig up a solution. The problem with this
kind of thinking is that the person at the call center is often
lost to find a solution that is not yet in the database.
Of course, all front line technicians have a help desk to call,
but in my own experience, help desk posts were assigned based on
politics and not technical knowledge. We ended up with some real
idiots at our help desk. Call those people once or twice, and you
will eventually decide that you stand a stronger chance to
succeed on your own, than you would be able to accomplish going
upstream in the support systems.
The Business of Printing Support
Fortunately, computer printers do not break that often. But when
they do, troubleshooting can be a painful process.
There are some basics that you can cover to streamline the
troubleshooting process.
Be forewarned that if you ever crack the case of your printer,
you should make darn sure to disconnect the power source before
you do so. Printers that are connected to a power supply can
actually charge you up with enough current to kill you. Don't
take chances with your life.
Long before you get to the point of trying to crack the case to
reach the internals, there are several troubleshooting steps you
can take.
* Always check your power supply to see that you have a good,
solid connection. I know that it seems the most logical step
to take, but you might be surprised how often a powerless
machine is discovered to be an unplugged machine.
* If the printer has power going to it, then turn off the
machine and then turn it back on. Each printer has an internal
brain in it. Removing power temporarily from the machine will
force the computer chip inside of the printer to reset. Often
times, this will solve any issues.
* Make sure that your printer cartridge is properly seated.
Make sure the cartridge is in the printer the way that the
manufacturer intended.
* Use the printer's "self-test" feature. The manufacturer has
included this to help you to eliminate common printing
problems.
These four steps will help you to overcome the problems most
commonly associated with printers.
For a complete breakdown of generic troubleshooting steps, the
following URL points to the most comprehensive and easy-to-follow
checklist I have seen:
http://www.5starsupport.com/info/printer.htm
Drivers Are the Software Applications That Power Printers
A driver is the software package that enables your printer to
communicate with your computer's operating system, and vise
versa.
The manufacturer of your printer sent out a software disc with
the printer. On this disk, you can find the default driver for
that printer.
As computing evolves, printer manufacturers upgrade their drivers
to either improve the printer's performance or to keep up with
changing Operating Systems.
Of course, you could go to a website that has been established to
give you a one-stop shop for finding hardware drivers online. A
couple of the most common sites of this type are:
* http://www.windrivers.com
* http://www.driverguide.com
While these global sites are good, they don't always deliver the
most up-to-date drivers that are available from the manufacturer.
Here is an assortment of the Support / Driver Download URL's for
most of the major manufacturers:
Brother - http://www.brother.com/E-ftp/info/index.html
Canon -
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=SiteMapAct&keycode=model&functionid=2&fcategoryid=205
Compaq -
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Product.jsp?taskId=110&prodTypeId=18972&prodCatId=236252
Dell -
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums?category.id=printers
Epson -
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/SupportIndex.jsp?expansion=1000000
Hewlett Packard -
http://h20180.www2.hp.com/apps/Nav?h_pagetype=s-001&h_product=236252
IBM -
http://www.printers.ibm.com/internet/wwsites.nsf/vwwebpublished/supportoverview_ww
Konica Minolta -
http://printer.konicaminolta.com/support/index.html
Lexmark -
http://support.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/selections.cgi?target=http://support.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/support.cgi
Okidata -
http://my.okidata.com/home.nsf/solutions%26support?openframeset
Panasonic -
http://www.panasonic.com/business/office/support/downl_drivers_printers.asp
Pitney Bowes -
http://www.pb.com/cgi-bin/pb.dll/jsp/GlobalNavigation.do?moduleName=CustomerSupport
Samsung - http://samsungdp.com/eng/
Sharp -
http://www.sharpusa.com/products/TypeWizard1/1,2230,18,00.html
Xerox / Tektronix -
http://www.support.xerox.com/go/prodselect.asp?Xcntry=USA&metrics=HDR
The Unseen Printing Industry
Printers are cheap to replace as a general rule. If you have a
printer whose transport motor failed, it might actually be
cheaper to throw the printer in the trash and replace it with a
new one. Sure, it might seem logical to buy a new motor and to
replace the dead motor, but do compare pricing options first.
What most people fail to realize is that the printer companies
are not making their money on manufacturing and selling printers.
Sure, they do still make a profit when you buy your printer, but
that is not the activity that keeps their stockholders happy.
When buying a printer, it really does make a lot of sense to
compare the prices of replacement cartridges before you buy the
printer. I bought a laser printer one time and was really excited
about my new tool that is until I priced a replacement cartridge
for it. $180 a pop for a remanufactured laser printer cartridge.
Egad! That was more than I paid for the printer. I even bought a
replacement printer for less money.
Sometimes, there is a challenge to find your printer toner
cartridge at your local shopping center. With so many varieties
of printers out there, most supply stores will not keep all of
the various replacements on hand.
While it might make sense to go to the manufacturer website to
buy replacement toner kits and cartridges, they generally charge
a premium for those replacements. The manufacturer premiums can
sometimes be as much as three times more expensive than what you
can buy from a good third-party provider --- even when that
third-party provider bought the replacement from a middleman. It
is just like the airline industry. It is often cheaper to buy
your plane tickets from a travel company than from the airline
itself.
With the printer currently sitting on my desk, I save $14-$17
on my color cartridge by buying my printer supplies from
Toner-R Printing Supplies. By using this third-party provider, I
save $14 against the manufacturer's website, and I can save $17
against Wal-Mart's prices. On the black toner cartridge, I still
save money buying from http://www.tonerr.com. I can save $5
against buying the replacement from the manufacturer, and I can
save $6 against buying from Wal-Mart. And, we have been trained
to believe that Wal-Mart always has the best prices. Imagine
that.
When it is time to buy a printer, never think that the
manufacturer has your best interests at heart. They are in
this business to make the most money they can, period.
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