Though we have a print-reduction program in place and have provided ample technology to greatly reduce the need to print such as cloud-based document collaboration tools (i.e. O365, Google Workspace - Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc.) some printing is still necessary. But printing can sometimes be problematic. 

The following steps will help you do some quick troubleshooting to eliminate the basic issues that can be solved by you, usually without the need to contact IT staff. This article assumes the printer has already been installed to your laptop, and at one point was working but has now stopped. 

The first and most basic thing to do is to restart the printer. This will typically clear out any corrupted print jobs clogging the print queue, and will also force the printer to refresh its IP address (if needed). You may also want to reboot your laptop to restart your print spooler service, if it has stopped.

If neither of those work, please proceed to the following 3 simple troubleshooting steps.

1. Why is the printer unresponsive?  
   • Like any electronic device, printers need power to work. Believe it or not, sometimes we get printer requests where the resolution is simply to power on the printer.
     • Ensure that the printer is plugged into an outlet and has power.
     • If the printer is plugged into a power strip, ensure that the power strip has not been accidentally powered off.
   • Is the printer plugged into the network? All VCS printers are connected to the network and won't be accessible if the network cable has been unplugged from the back of the printer. Please check to ensure that the network cable is plugged into the printer. You will see some lights at the network port of the printer. There should be one solid green light and one flashing amber light to denote data traffic. *Note* we do not support WiFi printing.
   • If the printer has been recently moved to another location (please do not do this) and the network cable is plugged in, you may not see lights at the data port on the back of the printer. This typically means the port is not lit (activated). IT will need to activate it. Submit a ticket with the room location and we'll take it from there.
   • If the printer was moved to a different floor or building, IT will need to reprogram the printer. Submit a ticket with the room location and we'll take it from there.
2. Why are there amber, orange, or red warning lights flashing on the printer control panel?
   • These indicator lights let you know something is wrong. Typically, they will flash when the printer is out of paper, low on toner, or when there is a paper jam.
     • All consumables (paper, toner, etc.) are provided by your campus office.
     • Paper jams can be cleared rather easily by opening the access panel and gently (and carefully) removing the paper jam with two hands. Try not to pull too hard as to rip the paper. You'll want to pull the paper out in one piece if possible.  
   • USE ONLY GENUINE HP toner cartridges. After-market toner will often cause problems and the cost savings does not warrant the risk to equipment.
     • Companies such as HP have started programming their equipment to not recognize non-genuine toner and when detected will cause the printer to stop working.
     • Even those after market toner cartridges that do work for a time, will often leak, or cause other problems to the print heads. They don't hold as much toner as genuine HP toner cartridges and unfortunately there is nothing IT can do to resolve the issue once damage has occurred. In the end, it's just not worth it. 
       
       
3. I used to be able to print to this printer, but now nothing comes out. How come?  
   • The single biggest cause of this problem is a clogged print queue. This is not typical for classroom printers, but can happen in some shared classrooms. It is seen more often when using one of our large, shared copiers, to which many people send print jobs. Sometimes they send massive files that get corrupted in transit.
     • As previously mentioned, the best way to correct this is to power down the printer for 10 seconds, and then restart the printer. 
   • Ensure that you are actually sending the print job to the printer or copier you intend. Sometimes Windows will remember the last printer you used and other times it will not (this is a setting that can be changed).
     • There have been times when folks will repeatedly send a print job to the faculty workroom printer thinking they're sending it to their  classroom printer. So take a moment and look at the print dialogue box to ensure the destination printer is the right one. 

If, after taking a moment to eliminate the basic issues your printer still won't print, it's time to open up a helpdesk ticket so one of our techs can take a look. Please let us know what you've tried and the result. This will expedite resolution.