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Problems and Solutions
Most problems you may encounter while operating your printer have simple solutions.
You can check the operation of your printer using the self test. See Printing a Self Test. If the self test works properly the problem probably lies in the computer, the application software, or the interface cable. If the self test does not work, contact your dealer or a qualified service person for assistance.
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If you are an experienced user or a programmer, you can print a hexadecimal dump to isolate communication problems between the printer and computer. To print a hex dump, turn off the printer. Next, hold down the Load/Eject and LF/FF buttons while you turn on the printer. Then send data from your computer. The printer prints all the codes it receives in hexadecimal format.
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Power supply
Power is not being supplied
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The lights on the control panel do not go on.
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Cause
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What to do
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The power cord may be unplugged.
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Check that the power cord is properly plugged into the electrical outlet.
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The outlet may not be operating.
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If the electrical outlet is controlled by an outside switch or automatic timer, use a different outlet. Plug another electrical device, such as a lamp, into the outlet to determine whether the outlet is operating properly.
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The power switch is not in the ON position.
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Check the status of the power switch. When Power off timer is enabled, the printer turns off even if the power switch is in the ON position. See Default Setting mode.
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The lights come on briefly and then go off. The lights stay off even when the power is turned on again.
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Cause
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What to do
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The voltage ratings of the printer and electrical outlet may not match.
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Check that the printer’s voltage rating matches the voltage of your electrical outlet. If the voltages do not match, unplug the printer and contact your dealer immediately. Do not reconnect the power cord to an electrical outlet.
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Printing
The printer does not print
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The Pause light is off but nothing is printed.
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Cause
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What to do
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The software may not be installed properly.
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Check that the software is installed properly for your printer, as described in the Start Here or the Setup Guide. Check the software’s printer settings.
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The interface cable may not match the specifications of the printer or computer.
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Check both ends of the interface cable. Make sure the cable meets both the printer and computer specifications.
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The printer port may not be set correctly.
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For Windows 2000, click Start, point to Settings, then click Printers. For Windows XP, click Start, Control Panel, then click Printers and Faxes. For Windows Vista, click Start, Control Panel, then click Printer. For Windows 7, click Start, Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, then click Device and Printer.
When the icon of the printer you are using appears, right-click it and select Properties (Windows Vista, XP, and 2000) or Printer Properties (Windows 7). Then, click the Ports or Details tab and select the appropriate port. |
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The printer has been turned off using the Power off timer function.
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When Power off timer is enabled, the printer turns off even if the power switch is in the ON position. Turn off the power switch and then turn it back on. See Default Setting mode.
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The Paper Out and Pause lights are on and the printer beeps three times.
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Cause
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What to do
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The printer may be out of paper.
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Load paper in the printer.
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The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing is printed.
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Cause
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What to do
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The ribbon cartridge may not be installed properly.
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See the Start Here or the Setup Guide.
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The ribbon may be worn out.
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Replace the ribbon cartridge.
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The printer makes a strange noise, the beeper sounds five times, and the printer stops abruptly.
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Cause
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What to do
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The paper or ribbon may be jammed.
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Turn off the printer and check for a paper jam, a ribbon jam or other problems.
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The printer may have overheated.
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Let the printer cool. Then try to print again. If the printer still does not print correctly contact your dealer.
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The beeper sounds five times and all the lights blink.
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Cause
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What to do
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An error has occurred.
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Turn off the printer and turn it on again. If the problem persists, check for a paper jam or ribbon jam. If there is no jam, contact your dealer or a qualified service person. (If an error occurs when you switch between single sheets and continuous paper, make sure the paper release lever is in the correct position.)
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The print is faint or uneven
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Printed characters have parts missing at the bottom.
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Cause
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What to do
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The ribbon cartridge may not be installed properly.
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The printout is faint.
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Cause
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What to do
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The ribbon may be worn out.
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Replace the ribbon cartridge as described in Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge.
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Dots are missing in printed characters or graphics
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A line of dots is missing in the printout.
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Cause
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What to do
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The print head is damaged.
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Stop printing and contact your dealer to have the print head replaced.
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Dots are missing in random positions.
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Cause
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What to do
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Either there is too much slack in the ribbon or the ribbon has come loose.
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Reinstall the ribbon cartridge as described in Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge.
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Printed characters are not what you expected
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The typestyles or characters you sent with your software did not print.
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Cause
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What to do
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The software may not be properly configured.
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Check that the software is correctly configured for your printer.
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The font selected on the control panel does not print.
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Cause
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What to do
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Your software may be overriding your control panel setting.
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Check the font setting in your application software.
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The print position is not what you expected
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Printing starts too high or too low on the page, or the bottom part of one page is printed at the top of the next page.
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Cause
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What to do
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Your application software settings may be incorrect.
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Check the margin or top-of-form position setting in your application software.
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Page length does not match the length of the paper.
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Cause
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What to do
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The page length setting in your application may be incorrect.
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Check the page length set by your application software and adjust it if necessary.
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The printer’s page length setting for the tractor may not match the size of the continuous paper you are using.
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Check Page length for tractor of the printer’s default settings. See About Your Printer’s Default Settings.
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Regular gaps occur in the printout.
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Cause
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What to do
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One-inch skip-over-perforation may be set.
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Set Skip over perforation to Off in the Default Setting mode. See About Your Printer’s Default Settings.
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Paper handling
Single sheets do not feed properly
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Paper does not feed.
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Cause
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What to do
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Continuous paper may be left in the printer.
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Remove the continuous paper. Set the paper release lever to the single-sheet position. Insert a new sheet.
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The printer cannot detect the paper on the paper guide as it is positioned too far to the left or right.
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Move the paper (and the edge guides) a little to the left or right.
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Paper feeding is crooked or the paper jams.
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Cause
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What to do
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The paper was not fed correctly or is of the wrong type.
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Turn off the printer and pull out the paper. Insert a new sheet straight into the paper guide. Make sure you’re using the right type of paper. See the paper specifications under Paper.
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Paper does not eject completely.
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Cause
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What to do
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The paper may be too long.
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Press the LF/FF button to eject the page. Use paper that is within the specified range. See the paper specifications under Paper.
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Continuous paper does not feed properly
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The tractor does not feed the paper.
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Cause
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What to do
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The paper release lever may be in the wrong position.
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Check that the paper release lever is pulled forward to the continuous-paper position. If not, turn off the printer, move the lever, and turn it on again.
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The paper may have come off the tractor.
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Reattach the paper to the tractor.
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Paper feeding is crooked or the paper jams.
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Cause
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What to do
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The paper supply is obstructed.
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Make sure the paper supply is not obstructed by a cable or some other object.
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The paper supply is too far away from the printer.
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Make sure that your paper supply is within 1 meter (3 feet) of the printer.
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The printer cover may be opened.
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Close the printer cover.
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The edge guide positions may be incorrect.
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Position the edge guides at the diamond-shaped guide marks.
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The holes on the sides of the paper are misaligned.
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Check that the holes on the sides of the paper are aligned with each other. Also make sure the sprocket units are locked and their covers are closed.
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Your paper may be the wrong size or thickness for the printer.
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Make sure that the paper size and thickness are within the specified ranges. See Paper for information on the continuous paper specifications.
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When you use side-crimped multipart forms, the copies may not align with the original.
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Raise the paper guide to keep the printing position accurate.
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The paper does not eject properly.
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Cause
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What to do
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The page may be too long.
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Tear off the fresh supply of paper and eject the page from the printer. Use only paper that is within the specified length range described under Paper.
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When you switch between single sheets and continuous paper, the beeper sounds three times and the Pause light comes on.
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Cause
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What to do
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You may have tried to change the paper release lever position while paper remained in the printer.
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Return the paper release lever to the previous position and eject the paper. Then change the paper release lever position.
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Network problems
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A communication error occurs
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Cause
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What to do
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Are multiple users logged into a single computer at the same time?
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On a Windows XP/Vista/7 system with multiple users, a communication error may occur when switching to a new user and starting a new print job while the previous user is still printing.
Make sure that the print job for the first user is complete and that user is logged off before switching to a new user and starting a new print job.
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