Troubleshooting Your Printer
Troubleshooting Your Printer: A Guide for People Who Are Tired of Fighting It
By The Bold & The Wise Editorial Team Friday, April 24, 2026 · 9 min read Categories: Technology, Friday
There is a particular kind of rage that can only be experienced by someone standing in front of a printer that has decided, for reasons known only to itself, not to print the one document they need right now. The printer may be making sounds. The printer may be displaying lights that pulse with what feels like malevolent intelligence. The printer may be doing absolutely nothing at all.
Whatever the printer is doing, you have tried the obvious things. You have restarted it. You have checked the ink. You have clicked print several times which, as everyone discovers eventually, only makes things worse because now there are seven identical jobs queued up waiting for a printer that refuses to acknowledge their existence.
If any of this is familiar you are not alone and this article is for you. We are going to walk through, in plain language, the eight most common printer problems and exactly how to fix each one. No jargon. No condescension. Just clear steps that actually work.
First: A Philosophy of Printers
Before we get into specifics, something important that nobody tells you about printers.
Printers are fundamentally mechanical devices pretending to be technology. Inside every printer there are gears, belts, rollers, spray nozzles, electrical contacts, and moving parts that work at surprisingly high speeds. All of these parts experience wear. Dust accumulates. Ink dries. Paper fibers build up. Mechanical alignments drift.
This means most printer problems are not actually technology problems. They are maintenance problems pretending to be technology problems.
This is good news. It means most printer problems can be solved without technical expertise. You just need to know where to look and what to do.
Problem 1: The Printer Will Not Print Anything
The most common cause: The printer is not connected to your computer, is not on the same wifi network, or has lost its connection.
The fix:
First check the basics. Is the printer turned on? Is there paper in the tray? Is the ink or toner not empty? These sound obvious but they account for an embarrassing percentage of “my printer is broken” calls.
If the basics are fine, check the connection. If your printer uses wifi, make sure both your printer and your computer are connected to the same wifi network. This is the single most common wireless printing problem. If you recently changed your wifi password or got a new router your printer is probably trying to connect to a network that no longer exists.
To reconnect your printer to wifi most printers have a setup mode you can access through the physical buttons on the printer itself. Look for a menu option called “Network Setup” or “Wireless Setup Wizard.” Select your wifi network from the list and enter your current password.
If your printer connects by cable make sure the USB cable is fully seated in both the printer and the computer. Cables work loose over time particularly if the printer gets moved around.
Finally on your computer, check that the correct printer is selected. If you have ever had multiple printers, even ones that no longer exist, sometimes the computer tries to send jobs to a printer that is no longer there.
Problem 2: The Printer Prints Blank Pages or Pages With Streaks
The most common cause: Clogged print heads or low ink that the printer has not yet reported.
The fix:
Every modern printer has a maintenance function called head cleaning. This is a built in cycle that pushes ink through the print heads to clear any clogs. Look in your printer’s menu or settings for an option called “Clean Print Head,” “Head Cleaning,” or sometimes just “Maintenance.”
Run this cycle once. If the problem persists, run it again. Some printers allow multiple cycles or deep cleaning which uses more ink but is more effective.
If head cleaning does not solve it, check your ink levels. Many printers report low ink long before you actually need to replace cartridges but some printers are the opposite — they do not warn you until the ink is essentially empty and quality has already degraded.
Replacing ink cartridges is straightforward. Pop open the printer, wait for the cartridges to move to an accessible position, push down on the old cartridge to release it, remove it, unwrap the new cartridge removing any protective tape, and snap it into place. Close the printer. Run a test page.
A note on ink: Printer ink is one of the most expensive substances by volume on earth. Name brand cartridges can cost $30 to $80 each. There are several legitimate alternatives worth knowing about:
Refilled cartridges sold at office supply stores typically run 40 to 60 percent less than new name brand cartridges.
Third party compatible cartridges on Amazon run 70 to 85 percent less. Quality varies significantly by brand. Stick with highly rated sellers with thousands of reviews.
If you print frequently, printers with refillable ink tanks — Epson EcoTank and Canon MegaTank are the leading brands — cost more upfront but dramatically reduce long term ink costs.
Problem 3: The Printer Is Making Strange Noises
The most common cause: Paper stuck somewhere inside, or mechanical parts that need cleaning or lubrication.
The fix:
First turn the printer off. Actually unplug it from the wall for thirty seconds. This clears any error state and lets the printer reset its position.
Now open every access panel on the printer. Most printers have a main front panel and sometimes a rear panel. Look inside carefully for stuck paper. Even small scraps can cause problems. If you find paper pull it out slowly and carefully, ideally in the direction paper normally travels through the printer.
While the printer is open look at the rollers — the rubber cylinders that move paper through the printer. If they look glossy or slippery they have become glazed over and are no longer gripping paper properly. You can clean them with a damp microfiber cloth and a tiny amount of rubbing alcohol. Let them dry completely before closing the printer.
If the noise is a grinding or clicking sound that happens during printing rather than a scraping sound, it may be the print head carriage struggling to move. This can be caused by dried ink preventing smooth movement. With the printer open and unplugged you can gently move the print head carriage back and forth by hand. If it feels stiff or catches on something that is the source of your noise.
Problem 4: Paper Keeps Jamming
The most common cause: Paper that is too old, too humid, overloaded in the tray, or misaligned.
The fix:
Start with the paper itself. Paper that has been sitting in a humid environment absorbs moisture and becomes harder to feed properly. If your paper has been sitting in a basement for six months consider replacing it.
Check how you are loading the paper. Most paper trays have adjustable guides that should touch the edges of the paper stack but not squeeze it. Paper that is loaded too loosely or too tightly will jam.
Do not overload the tray. Most paper trays have a maximum fill line. Overloading causes paper to feed at slight angles which causes jams.
Fan the paper before loading it. Hold the stack and bend it slightly, running your thumb across the edge to separate the sheets. Paper that sticks together causes multi sheet feeds that jam.
If jams keep happening at the same point in the printer look closely at that area when the printer is open. Often there is a small scrap of paper left from a previous jam that you need to remove.
Problem 5: The Printer Prints Everything Too Light or Too Dark
The most common cause: Incorrect settings, low ink, or color calibration drift.
The fix:
First check your print settings. When you click print in any program, there is usually an “options” or “properties” button that lets you see what settings are being used. Look for print quality. If it is set to “Draft” or “Fast” that explains light printing. Change it to “Normal” or “Best.”
For ink jet printers specifically, check whether you are printing in color or black and white. Sometimes the setting defaults to color for a black and white document which uses composite black that looks different from pure black ink.
If your prints are consistently off and you have ruled out settings, your printer may need recalibration. Look for an option in the printer menu called “Printer Calibration” or “Color Calibration” and run it. This takes a few minutes and dramatically improves print quality.
Problem 6: The Printer Prints But the Pages Come Out Wrinkled
The most common cause: Worn feed rollers, misaligned paper, or paper that is too thin or too thick for your printer.
The fix:
Check what kind of paper you are using. Standard printer paper is 20 to 24 pound weight. Paper that is too thin for your printer crumples. Paper that is too heavy — like card stock — can cause wrinkling if your printer is not rated to handle it. Most printers specify acceptable paper weights in the manual.
If paper weight is not the issue, check the rollers as described in Problem 3. Worn rollers cannot grip paper consistently which causes feed problems.
Finally look at the exit path for the paper. Sometimes papers wrinkle as they come out if there is an obstruction in the paper tray, or if the tray extender is not properly deployed.
Problem 7: The Computer Shows a Print Queue That Will Not Clear
The most common cause: A stuck print job that is blocking subsequent jobs, or print spooler service issues on the computer.
The fix on Windows:
Go to your computer’s Settings then Devices then Printers and Scanners. Select your printer. Click “Open Queue.” You should see a list of print jobs. Right click on each one and select “Cancel.” If that does not work the print spooler service has likely crashed.
To restart the print spooler: Press Windows key + R. Type services.msc and press Enter. Scroll down to find “Print Spooler.” Right click it and select “Restart.”
The fix on Mac:
Click the Apple menu and select System Settings. Click Printers and Scanners. Select your printer. Click “Open Print Queue.” Cancel any stuck jobs. If that does not work click the printer while holding Control and select “Reset Printing System” which clears everything and requires you to add your printer back.
Problem 8: The Printer Refuses to Print Wirelessly Even Though It Is Connected
The most common cause: Firewall or security software on your computer blocking the connection.
The fix:
Temporarily disable your firewall or antivirus software and try printing again. If it works immediately, you know where the problem is. You will need to add your printer as an exception in your security software rather than leaving the firewall off.
Also try running the built in printer troubleshooter. On Windows this is found under Settings then Update and Security then Troubleshoot. On Mac it is under the Apple menu then System Settings then Printers and Scanners then clicking the problematic printer.
When It Is Time to Replace the Printer
There comes a point at which any printer crosses the threshold from “needs troubleshooting” to “not worth the trouble.” Here are signs it is time:
The printer is more than 7 to 10 years old and replacement ink is difficult to find.
You are spending more on ink and maintenance than a new printer would cost.
Multiple mechanical problems are occurring simultaneously.
The printer no longer receives software updates from the manufacturer making security a concern.
Quality has degraded to the point where prints are no longer reliably legible.
What to buy if you are replacing: Brother laser printers in the $150 to $300 range consistently rank as the most reliable printers for home use. They cost less to operate than ink jets over time and have far fewer mechanical problems. For color printing look at the Brother MFC series. For black and white only the Brother HL series is excellent.
The Most Important Thing
Printers are not actually more frustrating than they used to be. They are not designed to ruin your day. They are complex mechanical devices that need occasional maintenance and respond predictably to known problems with known solutions.
Most printer problems can be solved in under 15 minutes using the techniques in this article. When something does not work, step back, take a breath, and work through the possibilities systematically.
You are capable of this. The printer is not smarter than you are. It just needs you to know where to look.
Next Friday on The Bold & The Wise: Wifi, Routers, and Internet Speed — What Those Numbers Actually Mean and How to Know If You Are Paying For More Than You Need.
Products Referenced in This Article
- Brother HL Series Laser Printers — reliable, affordable, low maintenance black and white laser
- Brother MFC Series Color Laser Printers — the gold standard for home color printing
- Epson EcoTank Series — refillable ink tank printers for people who print frequently
- Microfiber Cleaning Cloths for Electronics — for cleaning rollers and surfaces
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