printers

Chris has bought 4 Epson printers, and the blue always stops printing after awhile. It keeps clogging, even though he prints a lot with it. Leo says that inkjet printers clog if you don't use them regularly. Leo says that if you're using official Epson ink, you shouldn't have a clog. But if you're buying your ink from Amazon, it's possible that you purchased counterfeit ink. So be sure you're buying your ink from an authorized Epson retailer. But it could also be a defect, so Leo advises contacting Epson directly. 

Don has an old Epson NX510 printer that he hasn't used in a long time. The ink cartridges are now really expensive. Is it worth trying to get new cartridges? Leo says that many models replace the print head when users get a new cartridge. So it's worth a try. But it's also worth running the unclogging utility and cleaning the print heads. Users really need to print once a week in order to keep the inkjet healthy. If users rarely print, a laser printer is better. 

Rob recently replaced his laser printer. But since he connected it, he gets a beep on his backup power supply. Didn't happen until he plugged in the printer, and when he turns it off, it stops beeping. Leo suspects that the battery may be wearing out and it's pulling too much of a load. As UPS wear, the capacity may go down, and a little extra in wattage can make the UPS choke. Plus, Rob may need to plug it into a different circuit, not a different plug. He might need the next model up. 

Matt wants to know if there's a Bluetooth wireless printer and what's the best one? Leo says that most of the ones that promise Bluetooth connectivity use the Cloud to print. So that's not going to work. It's possible that a sole Bluetooth connection may not be possible due to the bandwidth of transmitting data.  Brother makes a laser printer. The HP4650 is a portable Bluetooth printer. 

Jack has an Epson printer and is having issues scanning from the control panel. It says it can't find the computer, even though he can print wirelessly. Leo suspects that there may be a driver issue on the computer. He recommends removing the printer and scanner drivers, reboot and reinstall. He can also try scanning to another computer. If that works, then it isn't the driver at all, it's an issue with the computer.

William's inkjet printer clogged up to the point where he just can't use it anymore. What should he buy? Leo says the latest Epson models are better at preventing ink clogs, but it still can happen. The EcoTank line is the best option because it comes with all the ink you need for tens of thousands of prints.  But if you rarely print, then a laser printer is probably best, and Leo prefers Brother for that. If you're using it for printing photos, then Epson is the best in that category. The Epson EcoTank 4750 is really nice.

Morty wants to know how to quickly turn a printer off without jamming the paper since he had a print job run wild on him. Leo says he can go into the print software and cancel the print. But it may keep printing for a few pages. Or if it's a print image, it may not stop, and all he can do is unplug it. If he has a jam, don't yank the paper out, since he could strip the gears. There may be a gear release button too.

Steve bought an Epson Eco Tank 4750 printer, but it prints only about 10% of the time. Leo says that the printer spool queue driver is the issue. He should try updating or replacing the driver. He can Uninstall the driver, then reinstall the latest drivers.

(Disclaimer: Epson is a sponsor)

Steve's printer is suddenly printing out ads. What the heck? Leo says there's a good chance he got nailed by either a browser hijack, or malware that has replaced his printer driver. He recommends using Malware Bytes, by only get it from the original creator. The chatroom says that there is a printer exploitation tool kit out there on the web. It could be that there's malware in the HP firmware as well.

Chuck learned recently that when you register your printer with Epson, they will double your warranty period. So that's a good tip for those looking to buy a printer.

(Disclaimer: Epson is a sponsor)