Common Dell Printer Troubleshooting Steps

Dell printers do a pretty good job when it comes to printing. However, despite their reliability and best of the efforts that users put in, dell printers often malfunction. They of course are not exempted from the misfortune of malfunctioning at least at some point in time their lifecycle. Since things go wrong because they have to with the period of time, Dell rolls out updates, patches, tweaks, and enhancements for its Dell printers.

Besides these things what Dell printers need is a handy Dell printer support guide that can help users instantly and when needed, even during the odd times. So here I am discussing some points to help you fix common Dell printer problems.

Step1: If your Dell printer stops printing, check the paper tray first. There is a possibility that the paper tray might have become empty. In this case, you can reload the paper tray and then start printing. If the paper tray has some papers in it, check a few more things. Since a Dell printer pulls a paper only from one side and not from both the sides, the other side of it stays immobile. So if the other side of a paper is problematic, it might obstruct it from being pulled inside for printing.

Step2: To get rid of this problem, check that a paper is plain with no projected or fluffed edges. If the paper seems problematic, pull it out from the stack as it will obstruct the paper path and lead to the paper jam problem. Eventually the Dell printer will stop printing. Also never fan the paper stack. Some users often fan the paper stack to prevent papers from sticking to each other. This leads to the major paper feed and jam problem.

Step3: If the print quality of the printout is poor and there are lines running through the text, it indicates that the ink has dried up, clogging the printer nozzle. Clean up the printer. To do so, hit the Options button on your Dell printer> select Cartridges> hit the + button. When the Clean option appears, hit the Select button to start the cleaning. Wait for the process to finish. When done, print a test page.

Step4: If this method does not soften the ink and the print quality remains poor, remove the tone/ink cartridge. Take a soft cloth or cotton swab, dip it into alcohol or hot water, and rub it slowly and carefully against the print head. Also rub it carefully underside the printer nozzle. When done, place the cartridge back in and test a print page. The print quality should improve and the lines running through the text should disappear. Besides, check the cartridge. If it is empty or near-empty, either refill it or replace it.

Step5: Update printer drivers. Windows 7 or Vista users can let their operating system search for Dell printer drivers online. Windows 7/Vista, when instructed, can automatically search for right printer drivers and download and install them automatically to a computer. Users simply have to reboot their computers afterwards. 

Step6: If you are using Windows XP, you can update drivers the 7 or Vista way. You can also manually download and install drivers from the Dell website. To do so, open your web browser and visit the Dell website. Browse to the Drivers & Downloads section and look for the drivers for the Windows XP version. 

Step7: Download the printer driver file to the computer and exit the browser window. Click the Start menu> right click My Computer> select Manage. Select Device Manager> highlight the Hardware tab. Click the Update Driver button, browse for the driver file that was just downloaded, and select it. Wait for the drivers to be updated. When done, restart the computer.

Step8: If it’s a wired printer, check the physical connection of the USB cable. Verify that the cable is not loose from either end. Reseat the cable firmly into the dedicated ports of the computer and printer. When done, reboot your computer and Dell printer as well. Start printing again to check if the problem is fixed or not.

Step9: If it’s a wireless printer, verify that the Internet connection is active and working. If the Internet connection is facing a temporary network glitch, wait for it to be fixed by the ISP. If there is no network glitch and the wireless connection seems to be disconnected, check the settings on the computer and the router. Update drivers in the above mentioned manner.

Step10: Run a printer troubleshooter to troubleshoot and fix any common Dell computer problem. Microsoft has designed a Microsoft Fix it printer troubleshooter for all Dell printer models. Visit the Microsoft website and search for the MicrosoftFixit.Printing.Run.exe tool. Download it and save the file to computer. (See Also how to reset BIOS password in a Dell computer)

Step11: When done, close the browser window. Thereafter, look for the downloaded file and run it. Hit the Next button, accept the Microsoft user license agreement, and then install the tool. When finished, run a scan for the common Dell printer errors. Afterwards, prompt the tool to fix them. 

Feel free to get online technical support to fix your computer problems. Just Call on Toll-Free number(1-866-541-1792) & get 24*7 expert help for online diagnostic and troubleshooting.