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printer issues

11 years ago

I am really frustrated with my printer which is newly installed. I am totally useless when it comes to solving these kinds of problems. My daughter installed and tested the printer several weeks ago and when I recently tried to print I couldn't read the very light body of the text but the colored sections are very visible. Since the text doesn't print out I am wondering if it is something other than a bad ink cartridge. Help--I have several important items than need to be printed. In addition my computer is turning itself off, freezing, etc and Im afraid Im going to lose these important items. Finished rambling. Thank you. Satine

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Comments (7)

monica_pa Grieves
11 years ago
Is it a Cannon?
alisande
11 years ago
Were you printing off the Internet? It could be that the text was grey or another color other than black. I would try printing a plain text document from your word processor, and see how that goes.

If you need to print something from a website and it's not going well, you could highlight the part you need, copy it (Ctrl + C) and paste it (Ctrl + V) into Word or whatever word processing program you use. From there you can change the text color to black if necessary and print.

Hope this helps.
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I would try recycling (starting and stopping) the print spooler and RPC services if I were you. Open Control Panel and then open Administrative Tools and then Services. The services are in alpha order so find Print Spooler, right click on it and select Stop,,,wait until it's stopped, then right click and select Start. Repeat the step with Remote Procedure Call (RPC). Try again to install the printer, by unplugging the USB from the computer side, restarting Windows and then plugging it back in. If the steps to clear the print spooler don't work, there are some more detailed instructions for doing this through the run line that I can provide if needed.
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some links for reference Sharing your printer wirelessly Share Files and Printers between Windows 7 and XP this is what got mine working properly, I found the info on the windows 7 forums (Jimbo45) after I did this it worked great. Just be sure to put the name of your actual machines and names in there rather than what he is using as an example. "to share Printers attached to XP computers with either X-64 or X-32 versions of Windows 7 is SIMPLE. These instructions are for the Printer attached to the XP machine (but works in reverse as well). ("Stand alone" Network printers can be done slightly similarly BTW). assume the computers are call XPMACHINE and W7MACHINE. 1) Ensure Printer on XP machine is shared - assume it's called SHAREDPRINTER. 2) On the Network Browsing on your Windows 7 machine ensure you can "See" the Printer share. Now on the Windows 7 machine do the following (doesn't matter if it's X-86 or x-64). 3) Control Panel==> add LOCAL (Yes LOCAL) printer. I know it's on a Network but hold your horses -- what we are actually doing is "Poodlefaking" the Windows 7 machine into thinking it's running the printer. 4) Create NEW port==>Local port 5) Portname is \\XPMACHINE\SHAREDPRINTER 6) Now Windows 7 will load a driver and you'll be able to print on the XP machine. Simple (For a "Network stand alone printer") at 4) chose TCPIP port and at 5) enter the IP address. If the printer is on the Windows 7 machine and you want to print on the XP machine then do the same instructions on the XP machine -- port name in this case will be \\W7MACHINE\SHAREDPRINTER Here is a link that might be useful: windows 7 forum
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Mine is in another room, in my Hoosier cabinet. I have a wireless network, and the printer is hooked up to another computer that is on all the time. I rarely actually print, most stuff is printed to Acrobat as a pdf file and saved on my computer. I share the printer and a lot of the folders on both computers so I can go back and forth between them and open, print and manipulate files on either computer. Here is a link that might be useful: Computer in kitchen
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satine_gw
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the responses. I have an HP printer. I am trying to print some confirmations I have received via email for a flight and a cruise. I need to have a hard copy of each of these. I am wondering if it could just be the ink cartridge and may try replacing it. Thanks again--I am just clueless. Satine
ps. took a while to respond because once again my computer (a notebook) wouldn't let me log in.
grandma_bonnie
11 years ago
Try taking out the ink cartridge, cover the bottom with a tissue and shake about 20 times. Is there ink on the tissue? replace and try again unless there is no ink as it sounds like it may be a problem with the cartridge.
alisande
11 years ago
Satine, is it a color inkjet or a laser? If it's the former, you might be low on black ink. If it's a monochrome laser, that wouldn't be the issue. You said it's newly installed, but is it new?

When a laser cartridge is low on toner, it will print erratically. The recommendation is to remove the cartridge and gently rock it back and forth to resettle the toner.
Elmer J Fudd
11 years ago
Print the documents at the library. Or at a friend's house. Or at a Fed Ex Print Center.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
11 years ago
When printing directly from an email you should use the print option directly in the email, not from the top file print option.
You might tell what email client you use some one can tell you where the option is in the email. Have you tried printing something else like a document on your computer.

It sounds like you need to run an updated scan with malwarebytes to check for malware causing your problems.
You do have the laptop on a solid hard surface right because it has to have lots of ventilation under it. Heat build up can cause similar problems.

If you don't have malwarebytes you can get it here, look where it says download now at bleeping computer. Install, update, run full scan allow to clean what it finds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Malwarebytes

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