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How To Clear Incomplete/Stuck Print Jobs From Your Print Queue

2007-12-26

When print jobs are initiated they are stored in a print job list, also called a print queue. If the printer does not complete the print job, due to a pause (the printer being off-line, or a failed print spooler,etc.), your print jobs will build up in the print queue causing it to become locked-up. Follow the steps below to clear your print queue of incomplete print jobs.

Open the Printer folder by following the steps below. (For Window 98, Me, and 2000):

- Click Start.

- Click Settings.

- Click Printers.

For Windows XP:

- Click Start.

- Click Control Panel.

- Click Printers and Other Hardware or Printers and Faxes.

(NOTE: If you have the Printers and Faxes option in this screen, skip to step five, if not, continue to the next step.)

- Click Printers and Faxes.

- Select View Installed Printers.

- Double-click the Printer to open the print queue.

- Click Printer in the menu.

- Select Pause Printing if it is not already selected. This will stop all printing to the printer.

- Click Printer again and select Purge Print Documents or Cancel All Documents, then click Yes to confirm the action.

If there are any documents left in the queue, un-pause the print queue by clicking Printer then Pause Printing to resume printing.

- Click Printer again, then Cancel All Documents or Purge Print Documents.

If there are still documents in the queue, restart the computer. Once the computer has restarted, check the print queue to insure that it is clear. In some instances the queue will still not be clear (most commonly this happens in Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP). If this is the case, stop, then restart the printer services by following the steps below.

For Windows XP:

- Click Start and then Control Panel.

- Select Performance and Maintenance.

- Select Administrative Tools.

- Select Services.

- Select Print Spooler to open the properties window.

- Click Stop to stop the service. Once the service is stopped click Start to restart the service.

- Click OK to close the Print Spooler Properties window.

How to print a Photo-Proof Sheet

Have you ever wanted to print picture thumbnails on one piece of paper? If you're using Windows XP, this is what I suggest:

1) Go to the folder where the photos are that you want to print (usually saved in My Pictures).
2) Double click on one of the photos. The Windows Picture and Fax Viewer will come up.
3) At the bottom, there's a group of icons. Double click on the printer icon (fourth from right side).
4) This opens up the Photo Printing Wizard. Click Next.
5) Here you can select which photos you want to print (Select All or just the ones you want to print). Click Next.
6) This brings you to Printing Options.
7) Select your printer and printing preferences. Click Next.
8) This brings you to the Layout Selection. One of the options is Contact Sheet Prints, where you can print 35 prints per page. Click Next and your thumbnail pictures will print.

Go ahead and play with it a bit. When you're happy with the layout, print it on good photo quality paper. Now you can take it with you to show family and friends.

What Happens When You Click "OK" to Print?

There is a sequence of events that take place, seemingly, in the blink of a eye:

1. The software application you are using sends the data to be printed to the printer driver.

2.The driver translates the data into a format that the printer can understand and checks to see that the printer is online and available to print.

3. The data is sent by the driver from the computer to the printer via the connection interface (parallel, USB, etc.).

4. The printer receives the data from the computer. It stores a certain amount of data in a buffer. The buffer can range from 512 kilobytes random access memory (RAM) to 16 megabytes RAM, depending on the model. Buffers are useful because they allow the computer to finish with the printing process quickly, instead of having to wait for the actual page to print. A large buffer can hold a complex document or several basic documents.

5. If the printer has been idle for a period of time, it will normally go through a short clean cycle to make sure that the printheads are clean. Once the clean cycle is complete, the printer is ready to begin printing.

6. The control circuitry activates the paper feed stepper motor. This engages the rollers, which feed a sheet of paper from the paper tray/feeder into the printer. A small trigger mechanism in the tray/feeder is depressed when there is paper in the tray or feeder. If the trigger is not depressed, the printer lights up the "Out of Paper" LED and sends an alert to the computer.

7. Once the paper is fed into the printer and positioned at the start of the page, the print head stepper motor uses the belt to move the print head assembly across the page. The motor pauses for the merest fraction of a second each time that the print head sprays dots of ink on the page and then moves a tiny bit before stopping again. This stepping happens so fast that it seems like a continuous motion.

8. Multiple dots are made at each stop. It sprays the CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) colors in exact amounts to make any other color imaginable.

9. At the end of each complete pass, the paper feed stepper motor advances the paper a fraction of an inch. Depending on the ink-jet model, the print head is reset to the beginning side of the page, or, in most cases, simply reverses direction and begins to move back across the page as it prints.

10. This process continues until the page is printed. The time it takes to print a page can vary widely from printer to printer. It will also vary based on the complexity of the page and size of any images on the page. For example, a printer may be able to print 16 pages per minute (PPM) of black text but take a couple of minutes to print one, full colour, page-sized image.

11. Once the printing is complete, the print head is parked. The paper feed stepper motor spins the rollers to finish pushing the completed page into the output tray. Most printers today use inks that are very fast-drying, so that you can immediately pick up the sheet without smudging it.

So, now you know! Printers are truly a wonderful technology!

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Printing Tips & Trick to Exploit Your Printer to its Full (Part I)

2007-12-20

It is often that we are not able to exploit our printer to its full extent and get along with all useless contents being printed from a document where we only need that last 2 pages or in between 2 para or just some text from a webpage. So to get out of this mess here are some printing tips that will help you along your due course of printing experience. Printing Tips & Trick

Expand Your Printer's Allowable Printing Area

Most printers have an "unprintable" border area for each page printed. Check your printer's manual for its minimum settings and make sure they match the settings listed in Windows under "Unprintable Area."

Click Start > Settings > Printers  to open the printer's dialog box. Select your printer, choose File/Properties, then click the Paper tab. If the settings are too high, lower them to increase the printable area. ** Don't lower them past what your printer manual calls for. Experiment to get the printable area you want.

How To Print Only the Part You Need

Here's a tip to help you save on ink and paper...

Want a printed copy of only part of the information on a web page and don't want to copy the entire page or multiple pages? There are a couple of options:

1) Highlight the part of message desired, then copy and paste to a blank email and print it without sending the message. Cancel the email and you have a copy of the desired information.

2) If you are using Internet Explorer: From the web page you are on, highlight the text you want to print. Click on File/Print. In the print dialog window, under "Print range" click on "Selection" and then click the "OK" button at the bottom. Only the text you have highlighted will print.

Print Preview: Add it to your browser's tool bar.

Printouts don't always come out looking like you'd expect, especially when printing from the Web. For instance, when printing directions from Google Maps, I usually get a page at the end of the print out with nothing but a header and footer containing the site's url, date, time, etc.(what a watse of paper!). When this happens it pays to use your browser's Print Preview function to make sure what you see is what you'll get.

You can always go to the File section of your browser's tool bar and select Print Preview to determine what going to be printed from the Web, but adding the Print Preview button to your browser's toolbar will make it even easier to use. Here's how:

In Internet Explorer select View -> Toolbars -> Customize. In the "Available toolbar buttons" box, select the "Print Preview" line, click on "Add", then "Close."

How To Clear PC Memory Space For Printing

Are you getting a "Not Enough Disk Space to Print" message on your PC screen? Memory, or lack of it, could be the problem. Here are some steps you can take to clear up space:

-Click the desktop Start button.
-Select Find and then Files or Folders.
-Type "*.TMP" in the Named box.
-Type "C:\" in the Look In box.
-Make sure that the Include Subfolders box is checked.
-Click the Find Now button.
-Highlight any temporary files returned in the Search Results list by choosing Edit and then Select All.
-Click File and then Delete to delete the files. *If any of the files are necessary to Windows, then Windows will not allow them to be deleted.
-Double-click the Recycle Bin to open it.
-Click on File and then Empty Recycle Bin to remove the files from your system.
-Click the X in the upper right corner of the Recycle Bin to close it.

Note: Before printing large, graphics-intensive documents, close other programs to free up virtual memory space and don't mess with your computer during large print jobs. ;)

Watermarks... Add some class to your Word documents!

Watermarks, images barely visible behind text, add a touch of class to your Microsoft Word documents. Inserting a watermark once took some effort, leading many users to buy paper with preprinted watermarks. But Word 2002 makes it very simple to print pages with your own custom background images and text. Here's how:

1. Choose Page Layout from the View menu.
2. Go to the Format menu, click Background and choose Printed Watermark. * For picture watermarks, click Picture Watermark and Select Picture. Find the image you want to use on your hard drive and click Insert. * For text watermarks, choose Text Watermark and type the text you'd like to use.
3. Tweak your options and press Apply.

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Don't Let the Cartridge Dry Out.

2007-12-18

The number one refilling problem is waiting too long to refill your cartridge. If you run out of ink, leave your cartridge in the printer. Don't let your cartridge dry out.   Inside just about all inkjet cartridges with a built-in print head, there is a foam sponge. When the cartridge runs out of ink, the sponge may dry up and go hard, especially when the cartridge is removed from the printer. Once the sponge has hardened the cartridge is "done for". Even if you refill the cartridge before the sponge becomes useless, dried ink can clog the microscopic holes (jets) in the print head.   It's always better to refill the cartridge before it runs dry. Topping off the cartridge every 200-300 sheets ensures that the cartridge always has ink in it to stop the sponge from drying out, and preventing you from running out of ink in the middle of a job.   The print head of an ink jet cartridge can reach temperatures of 500 degrees centigrade and the ink itself serves as a coolant, so allowing the cartridge to run dry can destroy the print head.

If you are out of refill ink supplies and want to preserve, your cartridge for future refilling, wrap your cartridge in a slightly moist paper towel or cloth and seal it in tightly a plastic baggie. Remember to get as much air out of the baggie as possible. This will buy you time to get resupplied.

Note:   If you've refilled a cartridge and find that it's clogged up and won't print, there is something you can try before discarding it.   Place the print head of the cartridge (just the nozzles where the ink comes out) in a small bowl containing roughly a half cup of very hot water and hold it there for five minutes.   In some cases this will dissolve the dried ink that's obstructing the nozzles, and, if it works, you should see a little ink bleeding from the print head into the water. This procedure can be repeated two or three times if you wish.   Once it looks as though the nozzles have been unclogged, you should gently wipe off the entire cartridge, especially the copper electrical contacts, with alcohol on a soft, lint-free cloth, insert the cartridge into your printer, and run it's print head cleaning cycle (consult your printer's manual if necessary) before you try printing.   If this doesn't fix it, you should discard the cartridge but you may wish to recover the ink from it first.

All Printers Require Good Preventive Maintenance.
The number one complaint about poor print quality, specifically streaking print, white lines through the print, or no print at all, can be avoided by frequent use of your printer.   These print problems are caused by ink drying up in the print head or nozzles, clogging them and preventing ink from reaching the paper. If you don't use your printer regularly you can help keep it in working order by printing a test page or running a print head cleaning cycle once a week.   Consult your printer's manual for additional, or more specific preventative maintenance tips.

Power Down Properly.
Always use your printer's power switch rather than the switch on a surge protector to shut the unit down. Most ink jet printers have a print head parking function that's triggered by the printer's own power switch. This ensures that your cartridges are 'sealed' properly and not exposed to the drying effects of ambient air.

Keep The Print Head Clean.
Care needs to be taken to ensure that the print head is kept clean in order to stop ink clogging in the print head. Some printers (Hewlett Packard for example) don't do a very thorough job of cleaning the print head when you run their normal cleaning cycle. Deposits of ink can build up on the print head, causing the cartridge to function poorly. You can help circumvent this problem by occasionally cleaning the print head with a soft cotton cloth or Q-tip (don't use tissues and be gentle) dipped in water. Snap the cartridge in and out a couple times to get a good connection after cleaning. Keeping the print head clean will result in a maximum number of successful refills. You can also purchase Inkjet Printer Cleaning Kits to aid you in this.

Preventing "Color Mixing" When Refilling.
When refilling a three color (or more) cartridge, there is a chance that you can have the cartridge turned the wrong way and get the colors on the ends backwards. In other words, you might put the magenta ink in the cyan chamber. To avoid this from happening and ruining your cartridge: use three tooth picks and insert one of them into each fill hole, deep enough to pick up some ink. Mark the cartridge with a marker or piece of tape to help you remember which chamber is which color.


Warning when refilling color cartridges be sure to follow the instructions provided with your refill kit very carefully.

Do Not Run Back-to-Back Cleaning Cycles.
Give the cartridge a chance to let some ink flow in between cleaning cycles. This will purge air bubbles or foamy ink that a cleaning cycle may have created.   Print a test page or a color balanced image. If the printing quality hasn't improved, run another cleaning cycle and test it again. Repeat the process as often as needed.

Purge the Cartridge.
Purging the cartridge regularly is one of the most important steps in ensuring a long cartridge life. The purging cycle is not the same as the cleaning cycle. If you don't know how to do this, read your printer manual, It's all in there. The purge cycle consists of a process that heats all the jets in the cartridge and then cleans them from the inside out. All purge cycles produce a grid which consists of vertical and horizontal lines which represent all the jets in the cartridge.

Prevent Printhead Burnout.
One of the most common causes of printer cartridge failure is print head burnout.   When the   command is given for an inkjet nozzle to "print" many things happen; ink has been brought to the "firing chamber" by a combination of gravity, capillary action, and vacuum caused by the last firing. The circuitry applies current to the heating resistor which rapidly heats the ink in the chamber, causing it to expand. This quick expansion forces ink to shoot through the print head nozzle onto the paper.   There are over 200 of these microscopic expansion chambers on the end of a typical printer cartridge.   The ink which flows through them also serves to cool them off. The resistor which heats the ink achieves very high temperatures and without the cooling action of the ink, the print head very rapidly begins to deteriorate. Printing even part of a page with no ink in the cartridge can permanently damage the print head. Most printers will warn you of a low cartridge before it completely runs out of ink.   At the first sign of low ink, refill your cartridge to ensure a long refillable life.

Late model printers may offer an "ink level gauge".   Be aware that these software "gauges" are not accurate measures of the ink level in the cartridge and should not be trusted.   For this reason we suggest that you top off your cartridges on a regular basis. If you know that you use a cartridge every 2 months, refill every month. Place a sticky note on your printer to remind you when to next refill. If you rely on your printer ink level gauge, be sure to refill before the 'out of ink indicator' pops up.   Note:   if you have ink left over don't worry, it'll keep.

Pressure Equalization.
When some cartridges are refilled the cartridge may require time to reestablish internal equilibrium.   Some may require you to re-pressurize them with a plastic squeeze bottle while others require only time to stabilize before being inserted into the printer. This superior refilling method greatly reduces the amount of foaming (bubbles) within the tank.

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HP Photosmart C7280 All-In-One

2007-12-09

Most ink-jet-based all-in-ones (AIOs) emphasize either photo-related or office-centric features. The former are best suited for a home, while the latter work well for a small office or home office. The HP Photosmart C7280 All-In-One is strong in both departments. It offers photo-friendly features and high-quality photo prints, and also sports an automatic document feeder (ADF), standalone and fax, network connector, and Wi-Fi capability, all features that any office would welcome. All these capabilities make it a great choice for the dual role of home and home-office AIO.

On the photo-centric side, the C7280 can print from memory cards, PictBridge cameras, and USB keys. You can review photos on its 2.5-inch color LCD. Most important, you can print high-quality photos. It uses six ink colors with a separate cartridge for each color-cyan, yellow, magenta, black, light cyan, and light magenta-a common choice for photo printers.

As for its office features, it can print, scan, scan to e-mail (launching your e-mail program and adding the scanned file as an attachment), fax from your computer, and work as a standalone fax machine and copier. It makes quick work of scanning, faxing, or e-mailing multipage documents, thanks to a 50-page automatic document feeder (ADF). It can even scan legal-size pages using the ADF.

Still another feature that helps the C7280 fill a dual role is its network connector and Wi-Fi support, which make it easy to share on a home network. Setting up on a network is straightforward. The AIO measures 9.8 by 17.7 by 17.5 inches (HWD). Simply find a spot for it, remove the packing materials, plug it in, turn it on, and load the ink cartridges and paper. Then plug in the network cable, run the automated installation program, and wait while the software installs.

While you're waiting you might contemplate the paper handling, which is a mixed blessing. The C7280 includes two welcome touches: a duplexer for automatically printing on both sides of a page, and a 20-sheet, 4-by-6 photo tray so that you can switch between printing on standard paper and on 4-by-6 photo paper without having to swap paper. Unfortunately, the primary tray holds only 100 sheets. Refilling it could quickly get annoying if you print, fax, and copy more than about 20 sheets per day, making the C7280 suitable only for those offices that have the lightest of printing needs.

As for output quality, the C7280 is a little weak on text, but strong on graphics and photos. The text quality is typical for an ink jet, though on the low side of the range. I would call the text good enough for schoolwork or most business use, but not suitable for, say, legal contracts with small fonts or anything approaching desktop publishing, such as a client newsletter.

Graphics are easily good enough for any internal business use, including projects like PowerPoint handouts. Thin lines tend to disappear, which is a common issue with printers. Otherwise, the graphics are good enough to give to an important client or customer you need to impress with your professionalism. If you print full-page graphics, you may want to spend a little extra on better-quality paper. With the plain paper we use in our tests, full-page graphics tended to make the paper curl slightly.

Color-photo quality is terrific, close to what you expect to see from a more expensive photo printer or a professional photo lab. The one flaw worth mentioning was a color-balance problem in a monochrome photo.

And the photos should last. HP claims a 200-year lifetime for photos kept in dark storage, as in an album, 40 years for photos behind glass, and 30 or more years for photos exposed to the air.

HP competitor Dell also offers a 968 all-in-one wireless printer with a Dell Internal Wireless Adapter for the wireless technology , 802.11b/g Wi-Fi  and Optional Bluetooth adapter

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5 Simple Tips To Save Money On Printing

2007-12-02

Printing can be expensive because of the need to replace the ink cartridges. However there are still ways of saving money on printing . Below are five simple tips to help you to do so.

Tip No1 - Always proof read before printing

Most modern word processor program has spelling and grammar check functions. So use them to check on the completed work before printing. This way any mistakes you may make can be corrected. If not, a lot of ink can be wasted printing pages only to discover there are mistakes in them and the need to correct and reprint.

Tip No 2 - Print only the pages you need

Print preview function is available in word processor programs and Internet browsers. Make use of this function to see how a document look likes before printing. When used, look over the document for the pages you wanted to print and take note of it. Then when you select the print function, enter the desire page range for printing. Further notes on printing pages from the web, beside print preview, switch off printing images or advertisements and just print the text. You may also look for the "printable version" link of the web document if available. By practicing these steps you save paper and ink.

Tip No 3 - Use draft mode

Always print the document in draft mode for proof reading. When printing in this mode, the printing will be in black and white and uses minimum ink. This will save ink and extend the usage time of the ink cartridges. Setting up draft mode can be done by going to the printer driver of your PC, then select the printing preferences and from there select draft mode. Draft mode is also known by other terms like gray scale or low print quality. Another plus point of printing in draft mode is that the printing will be faster, hence saving time too.

Tip No 4 - Use compatible or remanufactured ink cartridges

Using both types of cartridges will save considerable money as they cost less than O.E.M (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges. Remanufactured cartridges are used printer cartridges and are specially refurbished. During the refurbish process, the cartridges are cleaned, worn parts replaced and recharged with new ink. Using remanufactured cartridges can save 50 percent or more off the price of new O.E.M cartridges. On the other hand compatible ink cartridges are new cartridges manufactured to O.E.M specification. They too cost less than new O.E.M cartridges.

Tip No 5 - Buy in bulk

If you are doing a lot of printing, you can save a lot by buying your ink cartridges in bulk. Sellers normally give extra discount and even provide free delivery when buyers buy in bulk. More savings can be realized if you buy remanufactured or compatible ink cartridges in bulk.

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