Computer Maintenance and

Technical Support (ITec 3031)

Chapter 6
FUNDAMENTALS OF PRINTERS AND
SCANNERS

School of Computing
Debremarkos Institute of Technology

1
 Introduction
 Printers produce paper copies of electronic files.
 Commonly used to print text and photos.
 Hard copies of computer documents remain important today.
 Scanners allow users to convert paper documents into electronic files.
Scanner captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine
pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display.

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 ,,, Cont’d

 Computer technicians/professionals should know how to purchase,

repair, or maintain a printer.
 A customer may request a technician to:
 Select a printer
 Install and configure a printer
 Troubleshoot a printer
 Printers available today are
 Laser printers uses electro-photographic technology
 Inkjet printers uses electrostatic spray technology
 Dot-matrix printers uses impact technology
 When selecting a printer, consider the following criteria:
Capacity  Quality
Speed  Reliability
Color  Cost 3
 ,,, Cont’d
1. Printers: Speed and Capacity
Printer speed is measured in pages per minute (ppm):
Inkjet Printer 2 - 6 ppm
Laser Printer 8 - 200 ppm
Price of a printer reflects its capacity and speed
2. Printers: Color and Quality
The choice between a black-and-white printer and a color
printer depends on the needs of customers.
Quality is measured in dots per inch (dpi).
The more dpi, the higher the resolution
When the resolution is higher, text and images are usually
clearer.
To produce the best high-resolution images, you should use
both high-quality ink / toner and high-quality paper. 4
3. Printers: Reliability and Cost ,,, Cont’d

Factors of reliability include:

• Warranty:- Identify what is covered in the warranty.
• Scheduled servicing:- based on expected usage.
• Mean time between failures (MTBF):- average length of time that
the printer will work without failing.
When buying a printer, you must consider more than just the initial
cost of the printer. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) includes d/t factors:
Initial purchase price
Cost of supplies, such as paper and ink
Price per page
Maintenance costs
Warranty renewal costs
The amount of material to be printed
The expected lifetime of the printer 5
 Types of Printers
There are two major types of printers:
Impact Printer
Produce texts and images when the tiny wire pins or print head strike
the ink ribbon by physically contacting the paper. E.g. Daisy wheel,
Dot matrix printer, line printer.
Advantages:
Uses inexpensive consumables
Uses continuous feed paper
Has copy printing ability (“carbon copies”)-multiple copies of d/t
colored papers at a time.
Disadvantages:
Noisy
Low resolution graphics
Limited color capability
Slow printing, normally 32 to 76 characters per second (cps)
Non-impact printer
It produces texts and graphics on paper without actually striking to
the paper. E.g. Inkjet printer, laser printer, Thermal printer 6
 Laser Printers ,,, Cont’d

 A laser printer is a high-quality, fast printer that uses a laser

beam to create an image.
 The main components contained within a laser printer:
• Toner cartridge:-comprises a toner, print drum, charge
corona wire (primary corona) and the cleaning blade.
• High-voltage power supply:-convert AC to DC and provide
DC power
• Paper tray:-place of ready papers for printing
• Transfer corona:-applies a high positive charge to the paper
• Paper Transport Assembly:- moving the paper through the
printer
• Format board (RAM)

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 ,,, Cont’d
Laser Printer Printing Process

8
 ,,, Cont’d

 The laser printer process involves six steps to print

information onto a single sheet of paper
 Cleaning:- Photo Drum cleaned with rubber blade
 Charging/Conditioning:- Primary corona wire charges photo
drum @ -600v approx.
 Writing:- Laser writes on Photo Drum charging part of drum to
near a positive one
 Developing:- Toner attaches to where laser has written on photo
drum
 Transfer:- The positively charged paper causes the near neutral
charged Toner to stick to it.
 Fusing:- Fusing Roller uses heat and pressure to fuse toner onto
paper.

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 ,,, Cont’d
 Inkjet Printers
 Use ink-filled cartridges that spray ink onto a page through tiny
holes, or nozzles.
 The ink is sprayed in a pattern on the page, one column of dots at a
time.
• Produce high quality print
• Easy to use
• Inexpensive compared to laser printers
 Inkjet Printer Components
 A feeding mechanism draws paper in
and the paper passes by the print head
where ink is sprayed onto it.
 Paper leaves the printer through the
discharge mechanism, and is wet for
about 15 seconds.
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 ,,, Cont’d
 Thermal Printers
 A thermal printer uses chemically-treated paper that becomes
black when heated.
 A thermal transfer printer uses heat-sensitive ribbon, which the
print head melts onto the paper.
 Advantage:-
 Thermal printers have a longer life because there are few moving
parts.
 Disadvantages:
 Paper is expensive
 Paper has a short shelf life
 Images are poor quality
 Paper must be stored
at room temperature
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 Printer to Computer Interfaces
 A computer must have a compatible interface with the printer to be
able to print documents.
 The following are common interface types:
 Serial ports:- data transfer is the movement of single bits of
information in a single cycle.
 A serial connection can be used for dot-matrix printers because
they do not require high-speed data transfer.
 Parallel port:- data transfer is the movement of multiple bits of
information in a single cycle.
 Parallel data transfer is faster than serial data transfer
 Small Computer System Interface (SCSI):- uses parallel
communication to achieve high data-transfer rates.
 Universal Serial Bus (USB):- is a common interface for printers
and other devices. 12
 ,,, Cont’d
 Firewire connection:- is also known as i.LINK or IEEE 1394 and is
a high-speed, communication bus that is platform independent.
FireWire connects digital devices such as digital printers, scanners,
digital cameras, and hard drives.

 Ethernet connection:- is an interface for network printers, which are

usually a resource shared on a network.
 Wireless connection:- Wireless printing technologies available
 Infrared requires transmitters and receivers on both devices, a clear
line of sight between the transmitter and receiver, and a maximum
distance of 15 ft (4.5 m).
 Bluetooth technology uses radio frequency for short-range
communication.
 Wi-Fi is a relatively new technology to connect without cable.
13
 Installation and Configuration of Printers
When purchasing a printer, the installation and
configuration information is usually supplied by the
manufacturer
An installation CD that includes drivers, manuals, and
diagnostic software is included with the printer.

 The same tools may also

available as downloads
from the manufacturer's
website

14
 ,,, Cont’d

How to Set Up a Printer

Follow these steps to set up a printer:
1.Check the box to ensure all required cables are provided.
2.Remove packing materials from the printer
3.Remove plastic inserts from the consumables.
4.Place printer in position. Ensure that the printer location will not
cause overheating.
5.Install paper trays.
6.Install paper.
7.Read and follow the instruction manual .
8.Connect cables.
9.Test print from computer.

15
 ,,, Cont’d
Power and Connect the Printer
1.Connect the appropriate data cable to the
communication port on the back of the printer.
2.Connect the other end of the data cable to the
corresponding port on the back of the computer.
3.Attach the power cable to the printer and the
other end to an available electrical outlet.
Warning: Never plug a printer into a UPS. The
power surge that occurs when the printer is
turned on will damage the UPS unit.

16
 ,,, Cont’d
Printer Driver
It is the software program that enables the computer and the
printer to communicate with each other.
It also provide an interface for the user to configure printer options.
Every printer model has a unique driver.
Printer manufacturers frequently update drivers to increase the
printer’s performance, to add options, or to fix problems.
To update and test a printer driver, follow these steps:
1.Find out if a newer driver is available on the manufacturer’s
website
2.Download the driver files to your computer
3.Install the driver automatically or manually
4.Test the new printer driver
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 ,,, Cont’d
Printer Firmware
Firmware is a set of instructions stored on the printer to control how
the printer operates.
If printing problems occur or you need new features, consider
upgrading the printer's firmware.
Download the upgrade file from the manufacturer's website and run a
setup file to install it.
Printer Memory
Printer memory is used to buffer print jobs, create pages, or draw
images for documents.
Adding printer memory can improve printing speed and allow the
printer to handle more complex print jobs.
Consult the documentation for memory requirements:
 Memory specifications
 Memory population and availability 18
 Configuration Options and Defaults ,,, Cont’d

Each printer may have different configurations and default options.

Check the printer documentation for information about configurations
and default settings.
Common printer settings:
Paper type:- Standard, draft, gloss, or photo
Print quality:- Draft, normal, photo, or automatic
Color printing:- Multiple colors are used
Black-and-white printing:- Only black ink is used
Grayscale printing:- A color image is printed using only black ink in
different shades
Paper size:- Standard paper sizes or envelopes and business cards
Paper orientation:- Landscape or portrait
Print layout:- Normal, banner, booklet, or poster
Duplex:- Normal or two-sided printing 19
 ,,, Cont’d
Print a Test Page
Print a test page to verify the following:
 The printer is operating properly
 The driver software is installed and working correctly
 The printer and computer are communicating
To print a test page manually:
Start -> Devices and Printers -> right-click the desired
printer -> Printer Properties -> General Tab -> Print Test
Page
Print from an Application
To print from Microsoft word:
File -> Print or
Ctrl+ p 20
 ,,, Cont’d
Test Printer from Printer Panel
Most printers have a front
panel with controls to allow
you to generate test pages.
This method of printing
enables you to verify the
printer operation separately
from the network or computer.
Consult the printer manufacturer's website or documentation to learn
how to print a test page from the front panel of the printer.

21
 ,,, Cont’d
Sharing a Printer
It enables multiple network users or clients to access a printer.
To share the printer

1.Click Start > Devices and Printers

2.Right-click the printer and choose
Printer Properties.
3.Select the Sharing tab.
4.Click the Share this printer radio button.
5.Keep or change share name.
6.Click Apply.

To connect to the shared printer from another computer:

Choose Start > Devices and Printers > Add Printer
Follow the steps using the Add Printer Wizard 22
 Scanners
 Scanners convert printed data or images into an electronic data
format that a computer can store or process as required.
 A scanned image can be saved, modified, and even e-mailed as you
would with any other file.
 Although most scanners perform the same operation, different types
of scanners are available, as shown below.

Flatbed
scanner
Handheld
All-in-one scanner
scanner
Drum
scanner 23
 ,,, Cont’d
Types of Scanners
1. All-in-one Scanners
An all-in-one device combines the
functionality of multiple devices into
one physical piece of hardware.
Scanner, Printer, Copier, and/or Fax

Advantages:
All devices are built in Disadvantages:
Low cost • Not modular: if one device breaks, not
One upgrade for all devices all devices may be operational
Easy connection and setup • Not designed for heavy use
Uses one port for all devices

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 ,,, Cont’d
2. Flatbed Scanners
Often used to scan books and photographs for archiving.
Image is acquired by placing the document face down on the glass.
The scanner head lies beneath the glass and moves along the item,
capturing the image.
Sheet feeders can be used with flatbed scanners to scan multiple
pages automatically. A sheet feeder is a device that can be attached to
some flatbed scanners to hold multiple sheets and feed them into the
scanner one at a time.
Advantages
Most common type of desktop scanner
Low cost
Connection and setup are easy: one port
Disadvantages
Limited scanning size based on size of scanning bed.
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3. Drum Scanners ,,, Cont’d

Produce a high-quality scanned image

Usually used in commercial operations
Being replaced by lower priced, high-quality flatbed scanners
Still in use for high-end reproductions, such as archiving photographs in
museums
To scan an image using a drum scanner:
 Attach the image to a revolving drum or load it into a supporting canister.
 Optical scanners move slowly across the drum surface until the entire
image is captured. The captured image is then reproduced by the
computer as a digital image file.
Advantages
•High-end image results
Disadvantages
Expensive
Difficult to operate
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 ,,, Cont’d
4. Handheld Scanners
Portable scanner that is small enough to drag over text in books or
other materials
To scan an item, carefully pass the scanner head across the item that
you want to scan.
When you want to scan an item larger than the head of the handheld
scanner, you must make more than one pass to capture the full image
and then put the images back together to form a single image of the
item that was scanned.
Advantages
•Small
•Portable
•Can scan images that cannot fit in
or on any other type of scanner
Disadvantages
Multiple passes may need to be made to scan large items
Consistent image results vary, depending on the user experience 27
 ,,, Cont’d
Resolution and OCR
Features, quality, and speed of scanners vary.
Scanners typically create an RGB image that can be converted into
image formats such as JPEG, TIFF, Bitmap, and PNG.
An RGB image has three channels: red, green, and blue.
Some scanners can create text documents using optical character
recognition (OCR).
• OCR software is used to convert a scanned printed page into
text that can be edited with a word processor.
• Resolution of a scanner is measured in dots per inch (dpi).
• Like printers, the higher the dpi, the better the quality of the
image.

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Interfaces and Cables

To allow communication of data, the scanner and computer
must have compatible interfaces.
Interfaces and cables used for printers are typically the
same as those used for scanners.

USB Serial
Parallel
(Centronics Firewire
and DB-25)

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 Installation and Configuration of scanners
 An installation CD that includes drivers, manuals, and
diagnostic software will be included with the scanner.
 The same tools may also be available as downloads from the
manufacturer's website.

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 ,,, Cont’d
Power and Connect a Scanner
Scanners can connect to a computer using a USB, FireWire,
network, or parallel port.
Some scanners may connect using a SCSI interface.
Some scanners can draw all the power they need from the
USB or FireWire connector.
 All-in-ones connect directly to AC wall outlet.
 Scanners that do not include a printer can connect
using an AC power adapter.
After unpacking the scanner, connect the appropriate power
and data cables.

31
 ,,, Cont’d
Install and Update Device Driver
Once the scanner is connected and started, the computer
operating system may be able to discover the scanner
through the Plug and Play (PnP) process.
If the scanner is discovered, the operating system might
automatically install a driver.
Install the driver software from the manufacturer.
The manufacturer's website may provide more up-to-date
software.
This driver is usually more current than the drivers on your
computer.
It may also provide more functionality than the basic driver
from Windows.
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 Preventive Maintenance Techniques for
Printers and Scanners
 Printers and scanners have many moving parts that can wear out
over time or through extended use.
 They must be maintained regularly to operate correctly.
 Moving parts can be affected by dust and other particles.
 Clean printers and scanners regularly to avoid downtime, loss of
productivity, and high repair costs.

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 ,,, Cont’d
 Printer Maintenance
 Printers have many moving parts and require more maintenance
than most electronic devices.
 Impurities produced by the printer collect on the internal components.
 Over time, if the impurities are not removed, the printer may malfunction.
 The type and quality of paper and ink used can affect the printer’s life
 CAUTION: Unplug the printer from the electrical source before beginning maintenance .

 Techniques for maintaining printers:

 Use manufacturer monitoring and diagnostic software.
 Dot matrix printers have roller surfaces that you should clean with
a damp cloth.
 Inkjet printers have paper-handling mechanisms that may collect
particles of paper over time. Wipe the area with a damp cloth.
 Clean a laser printer with a special vacuum cleaner if you spill the
toner. 34
 ,,, Cont’d
 Scanner Maintenance
 The scanner surface should be kept clean. If the glass becomes dirty,
consult the manufacturer's user manual for cleaning
recommendations.
 To prevent liquid from leaking into the scanner case, do not spray
glass cleaner directly on the device. Dampen a cloth with cleaner,
and then apply gently to the glass.
 If the inside of the glass becomes dirty, check the manual for
instructions on how to open the unit or remove the glass from the
scanner.
• If possible, thoroughly clean both sides of the glass.
• When the scanner is not in use, keep the lid closed.
• Never lay anything heavy on a scanner.

35
 ,,, Cont’d
Obvious Issues
Here is a list of some common issues for printers and
scanners:
Loose cable connections
Paper jams
Equipment power
Low-ink warning
Out of paper
Errors on the equipment display
Errors on the computer screen
36
 Try Quick Solutions ,,, Cont’d

 Printer or scanner problems may be either in the hardware or the

software.
 Quick hardware solutions to try:
– Restart the printer or scanner
– Restart the computer
– Ensure printer doors are closed
– Reconnect the cables
– Check printer for paper jams
– Reseat paper in trays
– Open and close printer trays
 Quick software solutions to try:
– Print from another application
– Remove all print jobs from the queue: Start > Devices and Printers
37
 Common Problems and Solutions
 Printer or scanner problems can be attributed to hardware, software,
networks, or some combination of the three.
 You will resolve some types of printer and scanner problems more often
than others.
 Common printer and scanner problems and solutions are:-

Problem Symptom Possible Solution

Printer does not print Delete the print job from the queue and print again
Printer is printing unknown characters Uninstall and reinstall the print driver

Laser printer prints lines or streaks on Replace the toner cartridge

every page
Scanner head doesn’t move Unlock the scanner head.
Computer doesn’t detect the scanner Make sure that all the cables are connected
properly.
SCSI scanner does not scan Make sure that the scanner is started before the
computer.
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