Printer Tests

Troubleshoot and run printer tests on your printer as the pros do.

When your inkjet or laser printer starts acting a little unusual, there’s one very simple thing you can try before placing a call for on-site service or technical support. It’s called a printer self-test, and nearly every printer has one built in.

Know the Printer Self-Test Drill for Your Printers

Now, the trick is that each printer model has a slightly different way of activating the self-test mode. So dig out the booklet that came with the printer and find out how your printer does its self-test. Or you probably can find this information on the printer manufacturer’s technical support Web site.

On many inkjet printers, you can generate a self-test page if you hold down a button while you turn the printer on. On many laser printers, you find the self-test mode by scrolling through some of the functions on the LCD menu.

Printer Tests... 

Ruling Out Variables: Methodical Troubleshooting

Regardless of how you reach the built in diagnostics, the internal printer self-test runs independently of your PC. In fact, you should unplug the parallel printer, serial or network cable while running an internal self-test.

The self-test should generate one or more status pages that tell you all the vital stats you’d ever want to know about your printer.

A printer self-test also will help you rule out variables and concentrate your troubleshooting on the most relevant areas. For example, if the self-test reveals you have some kind of very fundamental mechanical failure with the printer, don’t bother trying to troubleshoot your printing from Microsoft Word or a similar software program.

 

Printer Tests Action Items

Do you know how to generate a self-test page from your inkjet printers and laser printers?

Have you generated and retained a self-test page of how the printer status page looks when healthy, so that you have a reference point for comparison when something goes wrong with the printer?

Do you understand the difference between a low-level, hardware-based self-test and a higher-level, Microsoft Windows Print Test Page procedure?

 

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