Most laser printers, at one point or another, will display some sort of error.  Dell’s laser printers are no exception, Dell errors are some of the most confusing. Though user manuals may tell you exactly what the problem is and how to fix it, the truth is, people don’t hold on to those the entire life of their printer. And many don’t think to seek the help of the manual when a problem arises.  Below, however, are the most common Dell errors and a few home solutions to fix them before consulting outside help. Sometimes problems can be fixed quickly and efficiently.

Error code 004-332 is one of the most common errors.  This tells you that you need to restart the printer.

Error code: 009-360 happens often. This means that you need to replace toner.

Error code 016-370 means that you need to restart the printer as well.  Connect it with a USB cord, then press the cancel and hold buttons at the same time.  Start the printer again.  If a message like “ready for download mode” appears, update your firmware.

Print Head Error usually means that the printer head needs to be cleaned.

Printing Text in Red will happen when your text prints covered in a red color.  If your printer isn’t cleaned properly, then this will often occur. Clean your tube, and the problem should be fixed.

Paper Jam simply means that you have a printer jam.

Paper Jam Tray 1 and Tray 2 error codes tell you exactly which tray the paper jam is occurring in.

Replace Toner tells you that your toner is low and needs to be replaced.

Wrong Cartridge means that a tank that is not supported by the printer has been installed.

Close Front Cover simply tells users that the printer cover is open.

Load Tray tells you that incorrect sizes of paper have been loaded into the trays.

Though there are far more than these listed out there, these are the most common and the easiest to fix!

Have a strange error code flashing on the face of your Lexmark printer?  Even though you may not know what your printer is telling you, the important thing to know is that your printer is trying to tell you something.  That annoying blinking is sending you a message, however unclear it may be.  Though some of these errors can be fixed quickly, some of these errors are very complicated to fix. Though there are many error codes, below are the most common Lexmark errors.

Error 20 is a very common error.  This means that the input paper sensor was not triggered and that paper is probably jammed at the sensor. How should you fix this?  The best way is to replace cracked or worn rollers because they are not picking up the paper.

Error 24 is also common.  If this occurs, it means that the paper inserted into the tray is the incorrect size.  The paper is most likely too small for the print job being requested.  Like this error, Error 27 means that the paper or envelopes loaded are the wrong size.

Error 30 means that either the top cover is open or that a toner cartridge is missing.  This one is very easy to fix.  Simply close the top cover or put in a new Lexmark C522 toner cartridge.

Error code 32 means that the wrong printer toner cartridge was installed, or that the laser toner cartridge installed is not supported by the printer.

Error codes 37 and 38 deal with memory being to full on the unit. Clear the memory, and then try again.

Error 80 is usually an indication that the printer has reached a high of 20,000-30,000 prints. Usually the charge roll, fuser and transfer roller all need to be replaced.  Error code 84 means that the transfer drum needs replaced.

Error codes 230, 24X and 250 all generally mean that there is a paper jam that needs to be fixed.

This list is not exclusive—there is a multitude of errors, but these are most common.

Sometimes printers go berserk and give error codes with absolutely no explanation.  Just like any other brand, Canon toner printers have errors too. Though these errors are very frustrating, there is an explanation for each and every one.  In many cases, you can fix the error yourself.

Error 11- This is probably the simplest of all the errors—this simply means the printer is out of paper.  Just refill the input tray and make sure it has been placed in the machine correctly. Then, you should be able to print normally.

Error 12- This error can mean two different things.  The first is that the printer is open, and the second is that there is no cartridge in the printer. 

Error 13- This is probably the most common Canon error code.  In this case, it means that there is a paper jam. If you don’t know the proper way to correct a printer jam on your unit, the manual should give you the proper instructions.  Another code to look for is 6A80.

Error 16- The error means that the printer is low on toner. All you need to do in this case is replace your Canon MF4150 toner cartridge.

Error 21- This error means you have a print overrun.  It is basically telling you that the job you are requesting is too complex. One way to fix this is to change the font on the document you are trying to print.  Also, sometimes just changing the margins will work too.

Error 55- Error 55 is very complicated.  This means that the internal communication between the computer and printer are not fully processing. Sometimes it is because the printer isn’t receiving enough power from the power supply.  The best way to fix this is to change the power supply. 

Error 6C10- Usually this occurs when the operating system has been changed, but the printer does not support the new system.

Error UO43- This error means that your printer is unable to read the laser printer toner cartridges. In this case, reset the cartridges.

Many inkjet printers use multiple ink cartridges and with some of those, the ink tanks must be changed depending on what type of printing is taking place.  For instance, many HP inkjets have normal printer ink cartridges and photo cartridges.  When photo printing is happening, the tanks must be switched and then switched back when the photo printing is done.  While many switch back and forth every day, some may only switch to photo printing very rarely.  It’s important to know what to do with your ink cartridge when not in use so that it still works properly when it’s time to print again.  Ink cartridges can dry up if stored improperly, and no one wants to waste money.

There are two easy ways you can store these Epson ink cartridges.

For the first and easiest way, you will need a zip-sealed sandwich bag and a sponge or towel.  Place the ink cartridge into the sandwich bag.  If you have multiple cartridges, then you need multiple bags and sponges.  Each cartridge must be kept separately.  Take the towel or sponge and wet it, then wring out the water so it is damp and not dripping.  Now, place the sponge into the sandwich bag with the ink cartridge. Seal the bag and then place it in a dark and cool place until it’s time to reuse it again.

The second way is a little more detailed than sticking the cartridge in a bag. For the most part, every step is the same, but instead of using a zip-tie bag, you should use a plastic food container with a lid. Here’s the difference—if storing a color cartridge, store it with metal contents facing down.  If storing black, store it with metal facing up. 

Make sure all cartridges are stored in a cool place, and check the moisture of the sponge or towel everyday—if it isn’t wet, remoisten it for best results.

If you have an inkjet printer, you may not know that cleaning it is an imperative way to keep your unit printing.  Many don’t realize that their printer has a problem or needs cleaning until it’s too late. But doing preventative maintenance and cleaning can actually prolong the life of your printer.

Every once in awhile, your HP inkjet printer needs to be checked and cleaned.  If you don’t give it occasional check-ups, your printer could eventually need professional repair or even replacement.

Also, if you have lines appearing on your prints, the nozzles could be clogged, and in that case, you need to do a cleaning.  On your printer there is a utility that will perform a nozzle check.  A test pattern is printed that shows whether or not there are gaps or faint lines printing.  Both of these indicate that the nozzles must be cleaned, and this will even indicate which ink cartridge is clogged. 

If a nozzle is clogged, you should clean the printheads by running a cleaning cycle.  This should remove nozzle blockage.  After that, run the nozzle check again, because sometimes the cleaning needs to be run more than once.  Although some Canon printers have multiple modes to clean printheads, the normal mode is usually a good bet that will waste the least amount of Canon ink.

If your printing tests indicate that the colors are printing in the wrong place or that there is banding, the Brother inkjet printheads need to be realigned.  Run the alignment procedure, and if that also doesn’t solve your problem, the printer needs repaired. The best thing to do in this situation is to call the manufacturer and figure out the cost of repair versus the cost of buying a new unit altogether.

Though cleaning your printhead and nozzles may take a little of your free time, it is well worth it. In the end, wasting a little bit of time is much better than wasting a lot of money on a brand new unit.

When printing, a multitude of different parts of the printer must work together to create the text or image filled documents.  One of the most important pieces of a laser printer is its fuser, which is the last place paper passes through when printing and accounts for about 90 percent of the power usage of a laser printer.  But most people have no idea what the fuser even is.  Knowing what a fuser is and what it does is essential to understanding the inner workings, for instance, of your Xerox printer and the Xerox toner you are using.

Put simply, the fuser is a pair of heated rollers.  One is a rubber tube used for pressure and the other is a hollow tube known as the “heat roller”.

When the printing process begins, a heat lamp suspends in the hollow tube and from the inside, heats both rollers.  When paper passes through the fuser, toner powder begins to melt and fuses with the paper’s fibers.  These rollers can get up to 200 degrees Celsius, and that heat bonds the Brother HL-4070 toner or Brother HL-5240 toner to the paper if using a Brother printer. Thus, heating up the paper as well before the fuser pushes the finished product out onto the output tray. 

How is it that these hot speeds don’t burn the paper? It could be one of two things. Due to the incredibly fast speeds of the paper, the paper usually doesn’t even have time to burn.  Also, there are little fans that move heat away from the interior parts of the printer, preventing damage of other parts of the unit as well as the document being printed.

It’s important to always give your laser printer time to cool down in between print jobs to keep it from overheating.  In order for the fuser to work properly, it must return to operating, or room temperature before it can begin printing once more.

Imagine you are trying to print an important work document at the last minute on your Brother printer and while trying to print you look down and see an error code staring back at you.  Not only might you become angry and frustrated, but now you’re even more behind perhaps causing you to be late to work.  Frantically searching through your printer’s manual, you find no help whatsoever in answering the question of what that little code means.  Could it be the Brother HL-3040 toner?  Have no fear, though, below is a list of the most common Brother error codes and how to fix them.

E50- The fuser unit damage error will display when the roller to your printer has been damaged. The only way to fix this is to completely replace your roller.

E51- This error means that the lid, beam or mirrors of your unit are not in the proper place. All you need to do to fix this is adjust each of these.

E05- Usually, this means that the parallel port’s data transmission has been affected. This problem can be corrected by resetting your laser toner printer.

Black pages-  The black pages error means that black pages are being printed from your laser printer, and not purposely from the black toner cartridge (for the 960 and 1260 models this is common). When this happens, diodes D30, D31, D32 and D33 need to be replaced.

Check paper path- This means the error is due to an error with the paper path. By taking out the paper hopper and cleaning out rollers, this can be fixed.

Cutter problems- A cutter problem error will display when the device isn’t cutting paper properly or when there is a paper jam.  Cleaning and lubricating the cutter are essential and should fix the problem completely.

Poor copy quality- When this message happens, it is most important to make sure that the glass and mirrors are clean, as well as the Brother MFC-7340 toner cartridge.  Also try turning off your printer for an entire night. If it is clean and turning it off doesn’t work, the problem most likely lies in your camera.

Though these common Brother errors are frustrating, they can easily be fixed so you can keep on printing—error after error.

How does inkjet printing work? In order to figure this out, first you have to understand what an inkjet printer is. Inkjet printers are printers that exert incredibly small droplets of ink toner onto paper in order to create the printed image.  These dots are tinier than the diameter of human hair, and thousands all mesh together to make a single, finished product.

How do they get those microscopic images from the printer to the paper?  It’s more complex than you may think.

Inside of your inkjet printer, you will see the printhead, which contains a series of nozzles—these are the nozzles that spray the ink droplets.  These usually attach directly to the inkjet cartridges, although sometimes ink cartridges come with a printhead already attached. The printhead is moved back and forth over the paper by a stepper motor—a belt attaches the printhead and stepper motor together. A stabilizer bar ensures controlled movement of the printhead, and a set of rollers advance paper when the printheads are ready for another pass through.  While these things control where the ink is dispersed, the paper tray, or feeder, controls the paper’s movement. When these parts work together, with the help of the rest of the printer’s parts, an image can be created.

Inkjet printers have two different technologies for dispersing ink—heat and vibration. Thermal inkjet printers, or thermal bubbles, like HP models, use tiny resistors to create heat and vaporize HP ink into a bubble. The bubble expands and pushes ink from the nozzle to the paper.

The other type is a piezoelectric inkjet unit.  These printers use piezo crystals that are on the back of the ink reservoir of every nozzle. A tiny electric charge is sent to the crystal, which causes the crystal to vibrate forcing ink out of the nozzle.

Inkjet printers are some of the most popular and simplest units on the market—it’s hard to believe so much goes into one print!

When printing a photo directly from your printer, it’s easy to just place one type of photo paper into the printer and go.  But did you know that there are different types of photo paper out there to fit your specific needs?  Most HP inkjet cartridges will work with various types of paper.

First, you should know a few general things about your paper, like how transparent do you want it to be? How bright do you want it? What weight should it be? And what sort of finish do you want?  Most of these questions can be answered from information right on the package.  For instance, brightness is expressed on a scale of 1 to 100—the higher, the brighter. Glossy finishes have a thick coating that gives your prints that real-photograph feel, while matte is a thick photo paper that isn’t as shiny, and doesn’t have that  glossy touch.  Your printer will have specific needs when it comes to weight that is provided right on your printer’s box or the manufacturers website.  Unlike Brother MFC-7340 toner, the ink will adhere to more varieties of paper.

On the grand scale of all photo paper, there are really two main distinct types—premium-grade photo papers and non-porous or ‘swellable’ paper.  The premium papers are usually made out of materials that will make your prints look and feel like a real photograph, which is exactly what most people are looking for.  These papers are made with porous coatings, and when Xerox ink hits these papers, it fills these little pores and dyes the paper.

The other type, non-porous media, actually swells up to twice or three times the size of the original coating of the paper.  When it dries, though, it goes back to the original size leaving you with a normal-sized photo. 

Many printer manufacturers make and sell their own paper specifically for their products—Epson, Cannon and Brother inkjet all do this.  However, most stores carry a plethora of papers to fit your individual printing needs.

When selling a printer, manufacturers tend to focus on many features and aspects of the unit.  One that is almost always discussed as a selling point is its resolution—which is measured by dpi.  Most buyers know they want a high resolution, and the average buyer may know that “the higher the resolution, the better the quality”.  But do most understand dpi and know what it means? Probably not.

So what is dpi? And what does this mystery abbreviation have to do with your current or soon-to-be printer? 

First, let’s understand what dpi stands for.  Dpi is the abbreviated version of dots per inch. This means, for every inch of the image, that’s how many dots of ink toner will hit the page. It’s important to know that all images created by a printer are made by thousands of tiny dots being exerted from the inkjet nozzles or laser printer toner.  Essentially every printed image is the makeup of droplets upon droplets of ink or toner.  Unless you are dealing with Xerox printers that have Phaser solid ink.

Now that we know what a dpi is, let’s figure out how to measure it.  Basically, the measurement dpi defines how finely spaced the ink dots are on the printed page, in regards to one inch. Dpi is the physical density of the dots when printed on paper. If your printer has a high dpi, generally speaking, it exerts at a higher quality than a printer with a lower dpi.  Often times, units with a lower resolution print images that appear grainy.

  Let’s say your printer has a resolution of 1200 dpi.  This means there are 1200 dots of Brother ink or Canon toner per every inch of your image!  Often times, a resolution will look like this—1200×1200 dpi.  That means there are 1200 by 1200 dots per inch in your one image. If you have a 3×5 inch photo, that’s a lot of dots on one page and somehow, they all come together perfectly to make the high-quality image look professionally made.

When buying a printer, dpi isn’t everything, but it is pretty important in regards to high quality or professional looking documents.