NetWare 4.1/9000 Print Services

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Setting Up and Servicing Printers
Troubleshooting Printers
application being used is properly configured for the printer as set up.
• Fuzzy laser output could mean you have a dirty corona wire or you are running
out of toner. Horizontal lines or splotches indicate possible damaged or dirty print
drums or rollers. Since some of these components are part of the cartridge, a
useful quick fix is simply to change the cartridge.
• If laser images seem disproportionately long or short, the drive motor may not be
moving the paper through at the correct speed.
• Failure of a laser printer to go on-line might be a communication interface
problem. It could also indicate a faulty control panel. Try powering up the printer
with the cable removed. If it now goes to “ONLINE” (or “READY”), suspect the
cable or its connector.
• If you are printing totally black pages, suspect a broken or fouled corona wire. If
that is not the case, replace the toner cartridge.
• If the print appears speckled, it is probably the fault of the primary corona grid
which is part of the toner cartridge. Replace the toner cartridge.
• If white streaks appear in your printing, shake the toner cartridge to insure an
equal distribution of powder. If that doesn't work, clean the transfer corona
assembly. Contamination on the assembly will prevent it from holding the
electrical charge needed to attract toner from the drum.
• A repetitive pattern of printing defects, such as an identical smudge every 2
inches may indicate a defective fusing roller. Try cleaning it according to your
hardware vendor's instructions. If that does not work, you may need to replace the
fusing roller assembly.
Troubleshooting Dot Matrix Printers
• If the printer self-tests OK but will not print jobs from the computer, check the
following:
• Dip switch settings
• Proper driver for your application software
• Bad or disconnected cable
• Some printers have both serial and parallel connections. If one doesn't work,
change cables and try the other. Be sure to change any dip switch settings needed
by the printer to acknowledge the change. If this works, you may have had a
physical problem with the output port on the computer or the input port of the