DIY printer repair

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of a quoser printer from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Printers, scanners, multifunction devices - office equipment has become a part of our life: these devices are now available in any office and in almost every home. Like any electronics, such devices, no matter how high-quality they are, can start to "junk" over time. Someone in such cases immediately goes to the service center, someone tries to repair the printer on their own at home, which sometimes leads to disastrous results. Let's find out together in what cases do-it-yourself printer repair is justified, and when it is better to use the services of professionals.

Printer interruptions can occur for a variety of reasons. The most common problems faced by users can be described as follows:

  • Problems with feeding / dispensing, even paper rolling.
  • Horizontal / vertical stripes appear on sheets.
  • Loud noise during the operation of the device.
  • Problems turning on the printer.
  • "Invisible" cartridge that is not recognized by the printer.
  • Inability to print from a computer or print "incomprehensible" characters.
  • Inability to print a given (usually large) volume.

We have listed several problem situations, but in fact, printer malfunctions can manifest themselves in different ways - depending on the type of device, its "age" and other factors.

Let's figure out in which of the cases it is possible to repair printers at home, and whether it is possible in principle.

A strong noise during the operation of the device is most likely caused by a malfunction of the gearbox or the main drive, so you should immediately contact the service center, and not try to "fix" the printer by repeatedly turning it on and off.

Video (click to play).

There are many sites on the Internet that describe in detail how you can easily and easily repair any equipment with your own hands. However, in our opinion, the repair of printers should be carried out only by specialists who will accurately identify and fix the problem, and will not act with improvised means (screwdrivers, nail files, scissors), as most users would do. "So what happens when you run to the service center at the first unsuccessful attempt to print a sheet of paper?" - you ask. No, you don't need to run right away, there are still some things you can do at home - for example, carry out initial diagnostics of the printer's operation.

Often, oddly enough, the printer does not work for "funny" reasons:

  • incorrectly installed cartridge,
  • not exposed sheet limiters,
  • tray not fully retracted,
  • foreign objects stuck in the printer.

Therefore, if your machine suddenly starts to jam or tear the paper, make sure that all the elements in it are installed correctly. Remove the cartridge and carefully inspect the inside of the device: if you see the remains of a jammed sheet, it is better not to try to get it yourself using sharp objects, they can cause much more damage.

If water, sand such as plaster, earth from a flowerpot gets inside your printer, or toner spills - immediately unplug the device and contact the service center.

Another diagnostic trick to understand where the problem lies is to use one cartridge instead of the other. If your printer “does not see” the cartridge, jams the paper under it, prints stripes on the sheet, install another cartridge in it, if, of course, you have one. Restoring the device's performance will indicate that the problem was in the cartridge, but if the problems persist, then the malfunctions should be looked for in the printer itself. By the way, sometimes stripes on the paper indicate that soon you will need to refill the cartridge.When stripes appear on the sheets, take out the cartridge, shake it well several times and put it back in place: if the “streaking” has disappeared, it means that the matter is in the running out of toner.

From time to time, printer owners encounter malfunctions. Most people have independently acquired personal experience in eliminating the minor flaws of such a device. As practice shows, a frequent reason for the unwillingness of the printer to work may be a software failure or a minor malfunction in the mechanical part, which can be eliminated independently, without seeking help from a specialist.

Let's consider the probable causes of malfunctions and how to eliminate them on our own, without resorting to the help of another person.

The device of printers such as HP, Canon, Epson, Samsung, Sharp, Ricoh is fundamentally the same. Therefore, we will consider several reasons that are found on all printing devices:

  1. After the printer gave you the information about the error, first of all, check the presence of paper in the loading tray, whether the paper is jammed, the presence of toner in the cartridge, whether all the covers on the printer are well closed and, of course, the connection to the network and to the PC.
  2. A common problem that you may not be shown is a software glitch.
  3. One of the most common malfunctions is contamination of the mechanical parts of the device. First of all, you need to disconnect the printer from the power supply, open the top cover where the cartridge is located, take it out and visually inspect both the cartridge itself and the mechanisms in the field of view. In case of contamination of the mechanism, you just need to wipe it off with cotton napkins, slightly moistened with water. In hard-to-reach places, cotton swabs will come to the rescue.

Important! In no case should you use detergents and liquids containing alcohol.

In addition to all of the above, listen to the operation of your device. Are there any extraneous noises coming from it? If you hear them, this could be a signal that the gears that activate the printing mechanism are out of order. In most cases, they are made of plastic.

Below we will consider how to make repairs using the example of an HP LaserJet 1100 printer. This manual will also be useful for repairing Canon, Samsung and Epson printers.

Suppose the thermal film is damaged during printing with a paper clip on the sheet. For repairs, you need a small set of tools:

  • crosshead screwdriver;
  • flat thin screwdriver;
  • pliers with long jaws;
  • wet wipes or cotton-dampened pads.

Having prepared the necessary tool, we proceed to repair the device: