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Chapter 20
Printers
MELJUN CORTESMELJUN CORTES
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
OverviewIn this chapter, you will learn to
Describe current printer technologies
Explain the laser printing process
Install a printer on a Windows PC
Recognize and fix basic printer problems
CompTIA A+Essentials
Essentials
Getting the Right Sound Card
Printer Technologies
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Impact Printers Impact printers leave an image on the
paperPhysically strike an inked ribbon against the
surface of the paper
Relatively slow and noisy
Used for multipart formsPoint of sale receiptsOffices
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Dot-Matrix Printers Dot-matrix printers
Use an array of pins known as printwires to strike an inked printer ribbon and produce images
The case that holds the print wires is called the printhead
Use either 9-pin (draft quality) or 24-pin (letter or near-letter quality)
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Inkjet Printers Inkjet printers
Simple devices that consist of the following:Printhead, support electronics, a transfer mechanism,
and a paper-feed component
Work by ejecting ink through tiny tubes Ink is heated by tiny resistors or electroconductive
plates at the end of each tubeThe resistors or plates boil the ink, which creates a tiny
air bubble that ejects a droplet of ink onto the paperSome inkjets use mechanical methods to eject ink
Most color printers are ink-jet and produce a high-quality image
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Inside an Inkjet Printer
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Inkjet Key Features• Print resolution
– Density of the ink– Dots per inch (dpi)
• Print speed– Pages per minute
(ppm)
• Can print to almost anything
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Dye-Sublimation PrintersDye-sublimation printers (or thermal dye
transfer printers) use sublimation
Sublimation causes something to change from a solid form into a vapor and then back into a solid
Used for fine detail and rich color
One pass for each color
Produces high-quality output
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Thermal PrintersThermal printers
Same as first generation of fax machines
Two types: direct thermal and thermal wax
Use a heated printhead to burn dots into the surface of special heat-sensitive paper
Still used for receipts at some businesses
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Laser Printers Laser printers use a mechanism called
electro-photographic imaging
Produce high-quality and high-speed output of both text and graphics
More expensive than inkjet or impact printers
Use lasers as a light source
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Laser Printer Parts Toner cartridge
Holds the tonerMany other parts that suffer the most wear
and tear contained in toner cartridge
Photosensitive drum Aluminum cylinder coated with particles of
photosensitive compounds
Erase lampExposes the entire surface
of the photosensitive drum to light
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Laser Printer PartsPrimary corona
Enables voltage to pass to the drum and charge the photosensitive particles on its surface
LaserActs as the writing mechanism of the printer
TonerFine powder made up of plastic particles bonded
to iron particles
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Laser Printer PartsTransfer corona
Applies a positive charge to the paper
FuserAttaches the toner
permanently to the paper using the pressure roller and heated roller
Fuser assembly Fuses the toner to the paper
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Laser Printer Components
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Laser Printer PartsPrimary power supply
Provides power to the motors that move the paper, system electronics, and transfer corona
High-voltage power supply Provides power to the primary coronaWhen inserting a new toner cartridge, always
turn the laser printer off before opening it
Turning gearsDiscrete units called gear packs or gearboxes
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Laser Printer PartsSystem board
Contains the main processor, ROM, and RAMROM can often be “flashed”Not enough RAM results in memory overflow error
Ozone filter Ozone (O3) can damage printer componentsFilter needs to be replaced periodically
Sensors and Switches Detects paper jams, empty paper trays, low toner
levels, and so on
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Solid Ink PrintersUse solid sticks of nontoxic “ink”
Produces vibrant color
Ink is melted and absorbed into the paper fibers
Only needs a single pass
More expensive than other printersBut ink sticks are significantly less expensive
than inkjet cartridges
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Printer Languages American Standard Code for Information
Interchange (ASCII) Basic alphanumeric characters and a variety of
control codes for transferring data and controlling printers
Limited in its capability
The PostScript page description language (PDL) developed by AdobeDevice-independent printer language capable of
high-resolutions and scalable fontsPrinters print faster because most of the image
processing is done by the printer and not the PCPostscript files are very portable
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Printer Languages Hewlett Packard developed the Printer control
language (PCL)Expanded set of printer commandsDependent on the printer hardwareDoes not support advanced graphical functionsDoes not define the page as a single raster image
Windows 2000/XP uses the Windows graphical device interface (GDI)The operating system handles print functionsIf the printer has a capable raster image
processor and enough RAM, you don’t need to worry about the printer language
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Printer ConnectivityMost printers connect to one of two ports on
the PCDB-25 parallel portUSB port
The parallel port was a lot faster than the existing serial ports at the timeSlow by today’s standards with a maximum data
transfer rate of 150 KBpsIEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers) 1284 standard addressed standardizing parallel ports
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
IEEE 1284 Standard The IEEE 1284 standard requires
Support for five modes of operationCompatibility mode, nibble mode, byte mode, EPP, ECP
Standard methods of negotiation for determining which modes are supported
A standard physical interface
A standard electrical interface
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Parallel Connections, Cabling, and Electricity
A standard printer cable A male DB-25 connector on one end and a 36-
pin Centronics connector on the other
Acceptable for transferring data at 150 KBps at distances of less than
six feet
IEEE 1284-compliantcableCan be up to 32 feet
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
USB and FireWire PrintersMost new printers now use USB
connectionsMost use USB type A on one end and USB
type B on the other end
FireWireWorks as easily as USB
USB B
USB A
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Network and Other PrintersPrinters can be connected on a network
Needs NIC and connection (typically RJ-45)Needs IP address (either manually assigned
or automatically assigned from DHCP)Can be connected to print serverSome also have wireless and Bluetooth
capabilities
Other printersRare, but may see serial or SCSI printers
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
IT TechnicianCompTIA A+Technician
The Laser Printing Process
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Physical Side of the ProcessCalifornia Cows Won’t Dance The Fandango
CleanChargeWriteDevelopTransferFuse
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Clean the Drum Printing process begins by physically and electrically
cleaning the photosensitive drum
• Physically by scraping the surface of the drum with a rubber cleaning blade
• Electrically with an erase lamp to completely discharge any particles
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Charge the Drum Next the drum is charged by applying a negative
charge to the entire surface
• Charged by primary corona wire
• Between ~600 and ~1000 volts
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Write and Develop the Image A laser is used to write and develop an image
on the surface of the drum
• Every particle hit by the laser will release most of its negative charge into the drum
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Transfer the Image Using the transfer corona, the paper is
charged positively
• The negatively charged toner particles leap from the drum to the paper
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Fuse the Image Image fused to the paper
• The heat roller made of a nonstick material and the pressure roller are used to fuse the image onto the paper
• Toner particles melted into the page
• Static charge eliminatorremoves charge from paper
• Stops paper from stickingto drum
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
The Electronic Printing ProcessRaster image
Laser printers generate a raster image of the page
A raster image is a pattern of dots
Raster image processor (RIP) chip translates the raster image into commands for the laser
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
The Electronic Printing ProcessRIP needs RAM in order to store this data
Mem Overflow error indicates insufficient RAM- Add RAM, reduce the resolution, or print smaller graphics
HP LaserJet 21 error means the data is too complex - Reduce complexity by using fewer fonts and less formatting, reducing graphics resolution, and so on
Resolution enhancement technology (RET) Enables the printer to insert smaller dots among the
characters to smooth out jagged curves
Disabling RET helpsMEM OVERFLOW errors
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
The Electronic Printing ProcessResolution
A laser printer can print at different resolutions
Resolution is expressed in dots per inch (dpi) such as 600 x 600 or 1200 x 1200 dpi
The first number is the horizontal resolution—how fine a focus can be achieved by the laser
The second number is the vertical resolution—the smallest increment by which the drum can be turned
Installing a Printer in Windows
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Printing in Windows 2000/XPWindows 2000/XP
The physical printer is called a print deviceThe printer is a program that controls one or
more print devicesOne printer can support more than one print
devicePrint driversPrint spooler
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Setting Up Printers PnP devices usually works after plugging them
inIf necessary, can use applets to install
Open the Printers appletWindows XP: Start Printers and FaxesWindows 2000: Start Settings PrintersOr find applet in Control Panel
Click the Add Printer icon to start the Add Printer Wizard
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Setting Up PrintersAdd Printer wizard
Select local or network printerSelect a printer port
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Setting Up PrintersAdd Printer Wizard
Add the driverWindows Update easiest to use (if driver
installed)Or can download driver from manufacturer or
use CD accompanying printer and use Have DiskCheckmark indicates default printer
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Optimizing Print Performance
Printout may not match screen colorsMonitors use RGBPrinters use CMYKBoth don’t always match exactly
CalibrationManually calibrate monitor
Print a test image and adjust monitor to match printoutAutomatically calibrate printer
Use an International Color Consortium (ICC) color profileInstructs the printer to print colors a certain way
Troubleshooting Printers
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
General Troubleshooting IssuesTools of the trade
Multimeter
Cleaning solutions such as denatured alcohol
Extension magnet for retrieving loose screws
CD or USB drive with test patterns
Phillips-head or flat-head screwdriver
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
General Troubleshooting IssuesJob never prints
Is the printer on? Connected? Does it have paper?
Check the spooler status Can bypass spooler if desired
Strange sizesPoints to setup errorCheck the Page Setup
option in the application
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
General Troubleshooting IssuesMisaligned or garbage prints
A corrupted or incorrect driver—reinstall
You may have asked the printer to do something it can’t do, such as printing Postscript with a PCL driver
ConsumablesPrinter components should be properly disposed
of to avoid environmental hazards
Some companies buy used toner cartridges
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Other IssuesSharing multiple
printers
A mechanical switch box may be used to share multiple printers
Laser printers should only be used with electronic switch boxes
Crashes on power up
Printers require a lot of power on start up
HP recommends that you turn on the laser printer first and then the PC
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Dot Matrix Printers Dot-matrix printers require regular maintenance
The printhead and the platen should be cleaned with denatured alcohol
Prevents problems such as white bars on text, dots and smudges on paper, and so on
Gears and pulleys should be lubricated according to the manufacturer’s specifications
Bad-looking textDirty or damaged printheadClean with denatured alcohol or replace
Bad-looking pageClean the platen with denatured alcoholReplace the ribbon
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Inkjet PrintersUse the maintenance software that came with
the printer setup programAlign and clean the print heads
Ink will dry out in a short time if an inkjet printer is not used—the ink in the tiny nozzles of the printhead dries out
Multisheet grabFan the paperLet the printer rest if you’ve been printing a lotHumidity can be an issue
Clean the small tank where the printhead rests or parks with a paper towel
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Laser PrintersPrint a diagnostic print page as a first-step in
troubleshootingHold down the On Line button as the printer is started as
a first step in troubleshooting
Blank paperOut of tonerPrint a diagnostic page, remove the toner cartridge, and
look at the imaging drum—if an image is there, the transfer corona or high-voltage power supply is bad
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Laser Printer MaintenanceKeep printer clean
Excess toner and paper dust commonly cause the printer to get dirty
Clean with a special low-static vacuum designed for electrical components or a can of compressed air
The rubber guide rollers will pick up dirt and paper dust over time, which causes paper jams
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Laser Printer MaintenanceCertain components should be replaced
regularly
Follow manufacturers recommendations
Most manufacturers sell maintenance kits for most of their printers
Clean or replace ozone filters regularly
Check and clean fuser assembly and heat roller
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Laser PrintersBlank Paper
May be out of tonerCheck the imaging drum to see if image is on
drum but just not transferred to paperCould be transfer corona or high-voltage
supply
Dirty printoutsLight dusting of toner on the paper (front or
back) indicates dirty printerClean the printer
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Laser Printers
Ghosting
Can be light ghosting or dark ghostingLight ghosting explored on next slide
Dark ghosting can be from a damaged drum—replace the toner cartridge
Low temperature or low humidity can aggravate ghosting problems
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Laser PrintersLight ghosting
Caused by printing an extremely dark or complex image
Referred to as developer starvationLower the resolutionUse different patternAvoid 50% grayscale and dot-on/dot-off patternsChange the layout so grayscale patterns do not follow
black areasMake dark patterns lighter and light patterns darkerPrint in landscapeAdjust print density and RET settingsPrint a completely blank page before the next one
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Laser PrintersVertical white lines
Clogged tonerTry shaking the toner cartridge or replacing it
Blotchy printUneven dispersion of tonerTry shaking the toner cartridge from side to sideMake sure the printer is levelMake sure the paper is not wet in spotsCheck the fusing rollers and photosensitive drum
for foreign objects
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Laser PrintersSpotty print
Try wiping off the fuser rollersCheck the drum for damage
Embossed effectLike putting a penny under a piece of paper
and rubbing it with a lead pencilA foreign object on a rollerA foreign object on the photosensitive drumReplace the toner cartridge
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Laser PrintersIncomplete characters
These may occur on transparenciesTry adjusting the print density
Creased pagesCotton bond paper is more susceptibleTry using a different paper type
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Laser PrintersPaper jams
Do not pull on the paper to remove itCan damage the printer by pulling jammed paper outCheck manufacturer's jam removal procedure
If there is no jammed paper, sensors may be bad
Pulling multiple sheetsTry using a different ream of paper—if that works,
the issue is humidityCheck the separation pad—a small piece of
rubber or cork that separates the sheets as they are pulled from the paper tray
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Troubleshooting Laser PrintersWarped, overprinted, or poorly formed characters
Paper that is too rough or too smoothDon’t open a ream of paper until it is loaded into the
printerAlways fan the paper before loading it in the printerDo a printer self-test to determine if it is the printer or
the computerReplace the toner cartridge, check the cabling,
replace the data cableTurn off advanced functions and high-speed settings
to see if they may not be supported by your software configuration
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Beyond A+—DOT4Also called IEEE 1284.4 standard
Created for multifunction peripherals (MFP)Devices that combine printer, fax, and
scanner in one piece of equipment
Allows simultaneous sending and receiving across a single physical channel
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved