How to Find Tech Support for Your Computer Printers
by Alec Boyer
Published on this site: January 31st, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
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:
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/..=model&functionid=2&fcategoryid=205
Compaq -
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/../Product.jsp?..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/../Nav?h_pagetype=s-001&h_product=236252
IBM -
http://www.printers.ibm.com/../vwwebpublished/supportoverview_ww
Konica Minolta -
http://printer.konicaminolta.com/support/index.html
Lexmark -
http://support.lexmark.com/...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/../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/.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.
Alec Boyer is a writer for the Your Domain URL Random
Page Generator tool:
http://www.yourdomainurl.com
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