Looking For The Right Printer? This Flowchart Will Help
Which printer should you buy—inkjet or laser printer? How do you select the most suitable printer for your home or office?
With so many different brands, functions and types of printers out there, this seemingly easy task can suddenly seem astronomical by proportion!
Do you need your printer to have wireless connectivity? Do you only need the print function or an all-in-one multifunction printer? Which printer can handle all your printing needs?
To save you the headache, we have put together a useful flowchart to help you figure out which is the best printer for you.
Follow your desired attributes path and find your best matched printer!
Frustrated With The Never Ending Printer Problems? Here Are Some Solutions
Are you struggling with your home or office printers? Wonder why your wifi printer does not work properly? Frustrated with printing errors from your duplex printer?
These problems can be a huge headache to those who simply want their printing work done.
Help is here! In this article, we have put together a list of the most common printer problems and their solutions.
Slow Printing with Wifi Printers
Home / Office Printer Not Printing
Duplex Printer Printing Error
Extra Printed Blank Sheet of Paper
Paper Jams
Unclear Printed Texts
Poor Quality Inkjet Printed Photos
Poor Black and White Print Quality
Thick Ink on Inkjet Prints
Unreliable Error Messages
Take a deep breath, calm yourself down, and try these solutions before you call your printer repair man!
1. Slow Printing with Wifi Printers
In today’s fast-paced world, a slow printer can be exasperating when you have a sizable number of pages to print.
The common reasons for slow printing are due to large photo sizes and large presentation files. You can either lower the quality of the output or simply send a part of the document at a time to speed things up.
If you are printing wirelessly, do check that the distance between your printer and your router isn’t too far—poor wireless connection could be a possible cause for slow printing. A simple solution would be to place your wireless printer as close to the router as possible, since wifi speed slows down with distance.
Do also check your print settings. Higher quality prints do take more time to print. If an average print quality (eg. for a text document) is good enough, consider switching your printouts to draft mode or the lowest quality setting your printer has to speed up your printing process.
2. Home / Office Printer not Printing
Are you staring at a printer that is just not printing? Well, you are not going crazy, there’s probably a reason for it. Before you start kicking your printer, consider checking if the paper tray is empty—yes, we’ve all made that silly mistake!
OK, there is paper in your tray. So what could have gone wrong?
Consider checking the connection of your printer. There may be multiple printers in the office and you may not have connected to the right printer.
There is a chance that you have accidentally sent the print job to another printer—be sure to double check just in case you are printing confidential documents!
If your printer is still not working, then your print driver may be corrupted. You need to upload the latest version for your model and reinstall it on your computer. Should that still fail, it is best to call your local printer technician.
3. Duplex Printer Printing Error
Having a duplex printer should save you the hassle of flipping each printout manually. But what’s the point of having this functionality if your printer prints the back page upside down?
Fret not, there’s an easy solution to this. All you have to do is select Print on Both Sides, and opt to Flip on Long Edge. Your print jobs should be in the correct orientation now.
But what if you encounter disorderly pages, where the last page is at the top of the document?
There is a way around this incorrect manual sorting—simply print your pages in reverse. This can be found in the Advanced Settings box. You should only select this if your documents are to be put in order once the printing is complete.
4. Extra Printed Blank Sheet of Paper
“Why is there an extra sheet of blank paper after my prints?”
No, your printer isn’t intentionally wasting paper. Rather, this extra sheet of paper probably came about due to your print settings. This is typically used in offices with multiple users and high print volumes, to separate print jobs from different users and avoid documents from being mixed-up.
If your printer is only for your personal home use, you can change the settings using your printer preferences. You should be able to deselect the option for separator pages from there.
5. Paper Jams
Close-up Of Businessman Hand Removing Paper Stuck In Printer At Office
Close-up Of Businessman Hand Removing Paper Stuck In Printer At Office
Paper jams are one of the most common issues people have with their home or office printers. This can happen due to static electricity (which causes pieces of paper to stick to each other) or when your printer tray is overloaded with too much paper.
A quick tip is to square off the stack of paper before placing it into the tray, ensuring that the pages line up and are flushed with the tray guides. Remember not to overfill the tray!
Jams may also occur when the print media used is not compatible with the printer. There are certain types of print media that are way thicker or bigger than the normal A4 Paper which is commonly used in most printers. Be sure to check that your printer is able to handle such media types and change your PC settings to match the print media.
6. Unclear Printed Texts
This problem may be caused by multiple reasons. Thus, you should go down this list to consider which option is the most likely possibility.
First, consider if you are using the draft mode or low print quality setting. Such settings may cause your printed texts to become unclear. By switching to a higher quality print, you will get clearer texts. However, be prepared to forgo your print speed—some printers are not able to simultaneously handle fast and high quality prints.
If you are using a laser printer, there is a high chance that the toner has settled, resulting in blurry texts. All you have to do is to remove the cartridge(s) and shake it gently from side to side to release any residual toner clinging onto the side of the cartridge. This works 90% of the time, but remember that the toner will eventually run out and needs to be replaced.
Finally, if you are using an inkjet printer, check if your unclear prints are due to a dirty nozzle or misaligned print head. Thankfully, you don’t have to deal with this manually (though you can if you wish).
Simply launch your printer’s maintenance menu and select “Clean Ink Cartridges”, “Clean Heads”, “Deep Cleaning” or a similar function. Cleaning the printhead will help improve the quality of the printout. As it uses a fair amount of ink you should only do it if you notice that the print quality is particularly bad.
7. Poor Quality Inkjet Printed Photos
Poor quality inkjet prints would commonly be due to a misaligned print head, dirty nozzles or empty ink cartridges. You can troubleshoot this by following the steps described in the previous point above.
The type of print media used may also affect the quality of your prints—especially if you intend to print photographs or posters in high definition colour. Make sure that you use the right photo paper. Often, third party photo papers are unable to reproduce your prints with the same resolution as the original photo papers from your brand.
Don’t forget to check that you have chosen the right paper type in your print settings and that it is set for photo printing.
It is also possible that your printer is low on one colour, causing discolourations. To achieve vibrant print reproductions of photos in the right hues, you need to ensure that inks in all the different colours are available—having one colour less can make a huge difference to your print quality.
8. Poor Black and White Print Quality
Do you turn off the colour when printing black and white documents? This is probably the cause of poor prints, especially for black and white images.
The colours give your documents smoother gradations and richer tones compared to solely using black. Thus, if you are printing a high quality black and white document, consider turning on the colour option for the best results.
9. Thick Ink on Inkjet Prints
Do your prints have a thick band of ink clustered around certain sections? This happens when your printer is unable to print at a certain resolution, usually on an uncoated paper. When it encounters this issue, it will try to adjust for the higher resolution by using more ink, causing the thick patch of ink (also known as banding) to appear.
To solve this problem, simply opt for a lower print resolution on your printer.
10. Unreliable Error Messages
Wonder why error messages like “low toner” or “ink error” appear when you’ve just replaced your toner or printer cartridge? Unless your new cartridges are faulty or broken, resetting your computer and printer usually fixes this problem. Do follow the instructions of your printer model to reset it properly.
Conclusion
Printer problems like slow printing, poor quality printouts, and paper jams can pose a huge inconvenience, especially when you need to get your work done. Hopefully, these solutions to the most common printer problems can help you to quickly get back on track. Should all of them fail—and we certainly hope that they wouldn’t—you should probably contact your local printer operator for immediate help!
Wish To Print Anything From Anywhere? Look No Further
Do you find yourself frequently printing on the go? Need new ideas on how to easily print to your home printer from anywhere?
Cloud printing might be just the solution for your home or small business.
In this article, you will learn the fundamentals of printing any document or image from the cloud:
What is cloud printing?
Why do you need cloud printing?
Types of cloud printing services available
How to get started on printing from the cloud
What is Cloud Printing?
Cloud printing is a technology that allows you to print from anywhere over the web.
While traditional printing is done via cables, wireless, bluetooth or WIFI connections between your devices and your printer, cloud printing enables you to print from any web-connected device by sending print jobs through an internet connection.
It is also safe and secure with the Cloud Secure Print feature that is built-in within Brother Apps. Documents can be uploaded to a web browser or sent via email, and retrieved for printing after a password is entered at the destination machine.
To do so, you need to ensure that your printer is capable of connecting directly to the Internet. This allows it to receive printing instructions that you send to the web.
The result is fast, seamless, and reliable printing, without the need to tangle with cables.
Why Do You Need Cloud Printing?
Printing from the cloud brings forth various advantages. Here are some of the most popular ones.
Always On The Go:
If your business requires you to be on the move, cloud printing could be a real time-saver! Imagine rushing for a business meeting, and having all your documents ready printed – even before you step into the office. That would be a real boon to your productivity.
Shared Office Facilities:
In shared workspaces, employees are able to use any device to print, without having to worry about compatibility issues or drivers.
Eco-friendly:
Who would say no to an efficient printing process that helps reduce waste and carbon emissions at the same time? Cloud printing gives you more control over what you print, so you only print what you need – when you need it.
Convenience and Simplicity:
With cloud printing, life (and getting prints) would be a breeze. You no longer have to mess around with the installation of software and drivers, or battle with cables. You can quickly discover printers that you can access and print from – anywhere around the world.
Affordable:
Cloud printing is an affordable way to manage your print needs as you need not invest in in-house server storage and other software or maintenance costs. You would only need to pay for the services you use, and can take advantage of free or low cost cloud storage solutions.
Types of Cloud Printing Services and How to Get Started
Brother WebConnect
With Brother WebConnect, you can print documents directly from an online storage site, allowing you to share and collaborate anywhere in the world in an instant.
The services that are supported include:
Box
Dropbox
Evernote
OneDrive
OneNote
Depending on your printer model, you may be able to connect directly to any of the above services without a computer. You can also add a PIN to restrict user access.
Here are the steps to getting started on Brother WebConnect:
Create an account with the desired service (go to step 2 if you already have an account).
Apply for Web Connect access via a one-time process to obtain a temporary ID using a computer.
Enter the temporary ID on the Brother device to enable access. Specify the account name as you would like it to be displayed on the machine, and a PIN code if desired.
The Brother device now has access to the registered service.
AirPrint
Apple’s AirPrint feature is built into a variety of printers, such as the ones listed here. AirPrint features include easy discovery, automatic media selection, and enterprise-class finishing options.
To print with AirPrint from your iOS device, here are the steps to follow:
Open the app that you want to print from.
To find the print option, tap the app’s share icon or more icon.
Find the print option. If you can’t find the print option, check the app’s User Guide or Help section.
Tap Select Printer and choose an AirPrint-enabled printer.
Choose the number of copies or other options, like which pages you want to print.
Tap Print in the top right-hand corner.
The Brother MFC-L8900CDW Colour Laser Printer lets you print and scan more with greater speed and assurance. You can wirelessly print from any device with Brother iPrint&Scan, Apple’s AirPrint, or Mopria. You can also preview your copies and faxes, and save to Cloud.
Conclusion
Mobile cloud printing is an important feature not just for personal and business productivity, but also for future-proofing your business. Used effectively, it can be a powerful tool to keep your business and staff safe by enabling remote work, while also enhancing cost efficiency in your printing jobs.
Looking For The Perfect Scanner? Here Are The Top Features To Consider
Looking for the best scanner for your home business or small office use? What scanner features do you need and which model should you consider?
From scanning documents, photos, business receipts, name cards, professional certificates, and testimonials, to newspaper articles, magazine ads, or school reports, the sky’s the limit when it comes to things you can scan! And there are multiple scanners available on the market equipped to handle your everyday tasks.
But the question remains… What features in a printer scanner are most important for a home-based business like yours?
In this article, we touch on the top questions to think about when buying a scanner. We’ll also cover the different kinds of scanners you can choose as well as their unique features.
What is a Scanner?
A scanner is an input device that works by using light and optics to convert an image or text on paper into a digital format for computer editing, displaying or archiving purposes.Often, these images need to be of a fairly high resolution in order to be useful.
1. What Do You Need Your Scanner for?
When it comes to choosing the right scanner, it really boils down to your home business’ needs and preferences. Photos and documents are the most common things that you’ll need to scan, along with receipts, articles, business cards, or film.
If you need to scan things very often or have multiple pages to scan at one go, you will likely be looking at document scanners (also known as sheetfed scanners)—most of these scanners are designed to be high-volume workhorses. We will cover the different scanner types in more detail below.
2. What Types of Scanners Are Out There?
The range of scanners available are fairly wide—have a look at the options below to see which suits you best.
Flatbed scanner
For photos or bound material (e.g. a periodical or report), a flatbed scanner works best. These scanners come with a large glass surface on which you can place the item to be scanned. They also tend to be more flexible, allowing you to scan pages from books, magazines or easily damaged items like old photos.
Sheet-fed scanner/Document scanner
Unlike a flatbed scanner, a sheet-fed scanner scans only document pages and cannot be used to scan thicker items such as books. Most sheet-fed scanners have two-sided scanning capabilities and an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), which give these lean mean scanning machines high processing speeds and efficiency.
Image scanner
If you are in the business of archiving and are specifically looking to scan images and photographs, your most obvious choice is to opt for a specialised photo scanner. Such scanners tend to provide photo-friendly features, boasting of a high resolution and the ability to scan transparencies or negatives in addition to photographs. Some even come with their own editing software to help retouch image-based scans and remove dust and scratches.
3. What Scanning Software Will You Use?
Most scanners come with basic scanning software, for example, Brother scanners which can be easily operated via the iPrint&Scan app which is free to download.
Depending on your scanning needs, the features which you may need in your home business scanner may include:
Photo editing: to allow scanned images to be manipulated
Optical Character Recognition (OCR): to translate scanned text into editable text
Text indexing: to process scanned text to be searched and sorted
Searchable PDF documents: to create PDFs that can be searched
For a reliable and compact home scanner, check out Brother ADS-1200 Scanner. This smart wireless document scanner simplifies your everyday scanning tasks. Scanning up to 25 sheets per minute, documents will automatically be scanned as soon as you insert it into the ADS-1700W. Frequently used scan-to destinations can also be set up as one-touch shortcuts on the touchscreen.
4. How Will You Connect To The Scanner?
Need to access a scanned document or image in a jiffy? Do consider the different connectivity options for your scanner.
While some scanners may only work with computers, others can be accessed through mobile devices like smartphones or tablets. These connectivity options may affect how quickly the scanner can scan to your device.
A standard USB cable will usually suffice if you’re connecting the scanner to a single computer. However, if you’re looking for a scanner that multiple people can access and use, do ensure that it has Wi-Fi capabilities so it can be connected to your wireless computer network.
5. What Resolution and Colour Depth Do You Need?
Unless you are a graphic designer, you probably don’t need a scanner with the highest dots per square inch (dpi)—but let’s be honest, a good scan resolution is always nice-to-have! That said, a dpi of 600-1200 is usually enough for most home-based businesses.
What about bit depth? Also known as colour depth, the bit depth is the number of bits used to determine the colour of a single pixel—the more bits available, the better the colour reproduction of your scanner. For standard colour scanning, a significant depth ranging from 24-36 should be sufficient.
Conclusion
Deciding on the best scanner for your home or office use will depend on your business’ specific scanning needs. Keep an eye out for the features that matter most to you and you should be on the right track.
