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By Terry Lawrence, program director
MacWest Computer Society,
Vancouver. British Columbia
Physical connections, Ink & Toner supply, USB hubs, and Ethernet connections.
If your printer won’t print, the first thing to check is the physical connections. This may seem obvious, but it is remarkable how many times the solution to the printer’s refusal to print is just to plug in a cable that has been bumped loose, or was plugged into the wrong socket. If you are using a USB Hub, try changing the port the printer (or Scanner, for that matter) is plugged into. This is called USB VooDoo, and for no apparent reason, it often cures the problem. Make sure your Serial Printer is plugged into the Printer Port.
After checking to see if the cables and power supply are properly connected, check the ink or toner supply. An Epson printer, for example, won’t print if either of the ink cartridge lights is on. Even if you just want to print in black, and only the colored cartridge ‘out of ink’ light is on, it still won’t print.
Selecting the printer in the Chooser.
The next thing to check is that the printer is correctly selected in the Chooser. This is where you select, or ‘choose’, which printer (and / or other computer, if you are on a network) you want to print to. For most people, there is only one printer, usually an Inkjet, and usually connected directly through the Serial Port, (on an older Mac), or USB port. If you are using a Laser printer, it may be connected via Ethernet, USB, or an AppleTalk serial port, depending on the brand and age of the printer.
USB Printers
If you have a USB printer, open the Chooser from the Apple Menu, locate your particular printer Icon in the left window, and click on it once to select it. For example, a Hewlett Packard printer will have a little printer icon with a HP*** title, while an Epson Icon title will say SC***, etc. Selecting the printer should cause the right window, where it says “Select a Printer Port”, to read: USB Port. Note: Your printer must be connected to the USB port or hub, and powered on, before the “USB Port” confirmation will appear.
Serial Printers
Selecting a printer connected to the Serial Port on an older Mac or PowerMac is exactly the same procedure, except that when you select it, you will have a choice of connecting to the Printer Port or the Modem Port. You can use either, but unless there is some pressing reason to connect to the Modem Port (for example, the Printer Port doesn’t work), you should connect to and choose the Printer Port. Whichever port you choose, the printer must be plugged into the same port you select in the chooser, or the computer won’t see the printer, and you won’t be able to print. The Printer Port is the one with the printer Icon.
AppleTalk and Background Printing
While you are in the Chooser, make sure AppleTalk is Inactive *unless* you are on a network. Also, click the ON button to turn background printing on. This will allow you to continue working while the printer is busy doing it’s thing in the background. Leaving background printing off means that the printer takes control of the computer, and you will be unable to do any other work until the print job is completed.
Connecting through a network.
If you are connecting through a Network, whether AppleTalk Serial Cable or Ethernet, you must have AppleTalk *Active* in the Chooser. In the AppleTalk Control Panel, where it says “Connect via”, you must choose the correct connection port: Ethernet, Printer Port, or Modem Port. In the Chooser, click on the AppleShare Icon on the left side window of the Chooser. This should cause the right side window to read: “Select a File Server”, and a list of all connected computers and printers to appear in the right side window. Note: this will only work if File Sharing is turned on in the File Sharing Control Panel or File Sharing Control Strip Module. Click on your printer Icon to select it from the list.
This *&%#@*# Epson printer won’t let me replace the ink tank.
I’ve had to hold the phone a couple of feet from my eardrum more than once when talking to clients, and I’ve had a few choice words to say about Epson myself when trying to a change an ink tank that was out of ink, while the printer software insisted it was still partially full. Epson printers will not let you change an ink tank until one of the “Out of Ink” lights comes on. Despite the fact that the Epson print tools let you “check” the ink level, and purport to show how much ink remains, in reality, there is no sensor in the ink tank, and neither the printer nor the computer actually know how much ink remains in the tank. The Epson software guesses at how much ink remains by counting how many pages you have printed since you last changed the ink tank, using a guesstimated ink coverage per page. If you are printing something that uses more ink per page than average, such as photographs, you will run out of ink before the printer software thinks you should, and the printer will refuse to move the printhead into the refill position. The work around is to hold down the refill / clean button for the requisite three seconds, and when the printhead moves into the refill position during the cleaning operation, yank out the printer power cord (or switch off your powerbar) before it can retract under it’s cover. You can then change the ink tank, and plug the power back in. Next, hold down the cleaning button for three seconds, and let it run through it’s cleaning / recharge cycle. You’ll probably have to do that more than once before it recharges the printhead and prints properly. The reverse side of this problem is that the printer will think you are out of ink and refuse to print although you actually have lots of ink left. Hold the printer cleaning button down for three seconds, open the ink tank clamps when it moves into position, remove the ink tanks, and then reinstall them. It doesn’t hurt to top them up while you have them out anyway.
Loading the drivers - watch what you are installing.
When you are installing the software drivers that came with your printer, , use the “Custom Install” option to view what you are installing. Avoid installing older versions of Color Sync over a newer version.
Use the appropriate paper.
Using cheap paper can clog your printhead with pulp and fuzz. Use Inkjet paper for regular printing, and coated paper if you want high resolution prints. Inkjets spray liquid ink on the paper, and a soft, pulpy paper will let the ink wick down the fibers, giving a fuzzy print. Inkjet papers resist wicking, and coated paper doesn’t wick at all. Photo grade papers give a very high resolution print, just like a photograph.
Epson Printers, AppleWorks 5&6, & MS Word.
If you are using an Epson printer, download and install the Epson Printer Updater from the Epson website. This corrects a problem with the Epson printer drivers where the last letter or two on the right edge of text is clipped off when printing AppleWorks and Microsoft Word documents. |
