Printers are great when they work, but when they don't it can exist extremely frustrating. Here's how to solve some of the well-nigh common problems, including non press at all through to blocked nozzles and other bug.

Printers can run reliably for many years and thousands of prints, only they can likewise malfunction or stop working entirely.

Sometimes the reason is as simple as over- or under apply. Many people don't use their inkjet printers oft plenty and this can lead to bug with stale-up ink blocking the nozzles. Overuse is less mutual than misuse: paper clips, hair bands and even food can fall into printers and cause paper jams (and worse).

If your printer can't be fixed with these tips, cheque out our listing of the all-time printers to buy, and the all-time printer deals right now.

My printer won't print

In that location are many reasons why your printer won't print, so start with the nuts such as checking to see whether there is an error message or warning lite on the printer. Make certain there is paper in the tray(south), cheque the ink or toner cartridges aren't empty, the USB cable is plugged in or the printer is connected to Wi-Fi.

And if it is a network or wireless printer, try using a USB cable instead. In our feel, some Wi-Fi printers are unreliable in terms of their connection. So information technology's worth unplugging your printer and whatever powerline network adapters it'southward connected to, and then turning everything back on again.

Select the right printer!

Sometimes the reason a printer won't print is because yous've installed some software which has a 'virtual' printer and this has set itself equally the default. When you hit Impress, a file will be saved by this virtual printer instead of the document being sent to your physical printer.

To check this, open the Control Console from the Start menu. Then go to Devices and Printers, right-click the correct printer to use and set information technology as the default. (While yous're there, you can likewise ensure the printer's status is set up to Set up. If non, this could be the source of the problem.)

Next, make sure that the correct printer is selected in the plan you are press from - you should see an choice to choose from a list as in the image beneath.

Solve common printing problems: default printer

Microsoft has a press troubleshooter that can assistance to place problems. Click the Fix it button, download and run the program, then follow the steps in the magician.

You lot can also open the Control Console, Devices and Printers, right click the printer icon and select Troubleshoot. It doesn't always help, but it's worth trying.

How to fix printer problems HP

HP has a Print and Scan Doctor to identify bug, and Catechism has lots of dandy videos on its website – click your printer model and so click the Troubleshooting videos link.

Why can't I impress from my phone or tablet?

Solve common printing problems: Cloud Print

To print from an iPad, iPhone or iPod Bear upon, the printer must take Wi-Fi and likewise support AirPrint. The listing of AirPrint printers is growing, but there are still a lot of printers, particularly older models, that don't back up it.

If you lot accept a Mac with a printer attached, you can plow information technology into an AirPrint printer using HandyPrint. Printer Pro is an app for iOS devices that enables them to print to many wireless printers or a wired 1 attached to a PC or Mac.

Some Samsung phones, tablets and printers are designed to piece of work together and printing is straightforward. Samsung likewise has its ain app for printing to its printers, including from iPhones.

To print from whatsoever Android phone or tablet to whatever PC-continued printer you tin employ Google Cloud Impress.

Install Cloud Print on the mobile device from the Google Play store. Next, using Google Chrome on your PC, go to the menu, Settings, Advanced Settings and click Manage. Y'all tin can and then add the printer fastened to the PC. Provided the PC and printer are switched on, you can print from the Android device.

Do I need to supercede the cartridges?

Printers warn that the ink is running out earlier it actually does. If you lot print only occasionally the remaining ink or tonermight concluding another couple of weeks, if not months.

Order new cartridges as soon as the bulletin appears, only don't install them until it either stops printing or the colours fade. A fox with laser printers is to remove the cartridge that'south running depression and shake it gently from side to side. This sometimes allows the rest of the toner to exist used. In other cases a counter is used and once a certain number of pages has been printed, the cartridge will be deemed as empty.

HP has an interesting scheme with many of its printers where you pay per month and cartridges automatically arrive at the right fourth dimension.

If your colour ink has run out, but yous must keep printing, you might be able to prepare your printer to print in blackness and white merely. This is a setting yous'll find in printer backdrop in the Command Panel - or click the option when you go to print via an awarding you want to print from.

Why won't web pages, Excel documents and photos impress properly?

Web pages

Web pages can be whatever size and they aren't limited by the width or height of the newspaper in your printer. They aren't commonly designed to be printed, which is why bug tin occur.

Ever choose the Print Preview option so you can meet what y'all'll get. You might not demand all the pages, for example, if there are lots of comments or adverts, then use the selection when printing to select the pages to print, such as 2-4 to print pages 2 to four. Cull landscape style if the web page is very broad.

Much of the time you will find a shrink-to-fit option in the printer settings that helps when your document or photo is just a bit besides large to fit on the page. Some web pages, such as those with printable coupons, accept a print button within the web page. Apply that and not the print menu in the browser.

Part documents

If you're trying to print an Excel sheet, be certain to select only the cells yous demand to print before clicking Print. Then you lot tin choose 'Print selection' and change the other options to make sure it fits well on an A4 sheet. You can do other things, such every bit reducing the size of the margins, and switching from landscape to portrait orientation.

Fix printing problems - Excel

Similarly, when press a Give-and-take certificate or any other, y'all tin usually specify which pages to print and so you don't have to print them all.

Photos and pictures

For photos or images you want to print, information technology's usually best to right-click on them in Windows Explorer and click Print. This way you will get to choose how big to impress each photograph.

If you lot select multiple photos in a binder, and so right-click and cull Print you volition be able to impress them all at one time, with more than than i per sheet of paper (and you can choose the paper size here too). It'southward similar to the 'n-up' choice that you'll find in Printing backdrop which allows you lot to print multiple pages of a document on a single sail of A4.

Fix printing problems - Photos

Westwardhy does my printer say "Error"?

There are a few possible reasons, but the most mutual is to do with newspaper. The beginning thing to cheque is whether the input tray is empty, just information technology'due south also worth checking for paper jams. If you lot find ane, try to work out why it's happening rather than simply pulling out a crumpled slice of newspaper from the paper tray and assuming yous've fixed it.

Have the paper out of the tray, open all the flaps and expect inside. You might demand a torch to see the paper and long tweezers to achieve it, especially if it's just a very minor piece which has been ripped off and left inside.

Await underneath the printer because in that location may be an access panel that can exist removed to examine and clean the paper feed mechanism.

Sometime paper can absorb moisture, which makes it stick so it is pulled through two or more sheets at a time. Continue it in a pocketbook until it is needed. Check out Canon'due south troubleshooting videos to see how to remove pieces of newspaper stuck in printers.

Also, effort using thinner paper: near dwelling house printers will only handle photograph paper at a maximum. They can't usually impress on card every bit it'southward too stiff to exist fed effectually corners.

Why is the print quality poor?

The nozzles on inkjet printer heads tin become blocked causing horizontal streaks on prints and poor or wrong colours. Cleaning the impress heads can solve the problem. The procedure varies from printer to printer and there may be an choice on the printer command panel or in the printer software on the computer.

You might need to look this upwards in the transmission. In your printer'southward properties (either in an app or in the Windows Command Panel) you might find a maintenance department.

Solve common printing problems: maintenance

Click it and you can clean the print heads or align them. Head cleaning kits are available for around £x from Amazon although you should compare information technology to the cost of a new cartridge - there's no guarantee a cleaning kit will fix the trouble.

The type of paper affects the print quality and photocopier paper might be letting y'all downward.

It can be besides absorbent and inkjet ink soaks into it like blotting paper. Buy good quality paper for the best prints, and this is usually from the printer manufacturer itself, peculiarly for press photos.

Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation printers are less dependent on newspaper, and smudges or spots in the aforementioned place on each folio usually mean in that location's dirt somewhere in the printer, typically on the 'drum'.

Be very careful when cleaning the imaging drum, using only isopropyl booze and a soft lint-gratis cloth.

Read the manufacturer'south guidance on how to remove and make clean the drum, which is often chosen an OPC.

We've likewise written a guide on how to match the colours on your screen to your printer.