URGENT!! Problem with printer!

Fast_Mover

Firstly I hope this is in the right place!

Secondly..HELP:( !!!


Have a Dell laptop and printer.
Before Christmas I had to print off a college essay but when I went to print it out it was coming out with the text coloured red. So i did it again..and still the same problem(x3) My colour cartridge is even gone, but my black and white is half full. When i go into prefrences on the printing contol panel, I cant even press black and white in the print set up.
Why the importance of this is that when I go back to college tonight I have lesson plans/student handouts to print out as im out on teaching practice for 2weeks tomorrow.
I rang Dell..but no one there.
My printer not with me-it down in Limerick.

Hope someone will be able to help me.

Capt'n Midnight

Fast_Mover wrote:

Firstly I hope this is in the right place! My colour cartridge is even gone, but my black and white is half full.

What model of printer ?

Was the text RED or reddish ?

Are you getting marks for presentation, or just for the content in which case legibility is the key issue, finish the work and print it in red so you can actually hand it in, THEN you can start to worry about the niceties.

Someone you know must have a printer, you could email them the document and ask them to print it.

Fast_Mover

It was red as far as I remember.

I have to get the problem sorted asap..I cant give the children out red text handouts/pictures!
And yes, presentation is everything-my supervisor would kill me if my lesson plan wern't perfect, content wise and visually.
Like I can go up to the college and print stuff out there, but I could be finishing a lesson plan at 2am..what then?!

Dn't know the model im afraid. It down in Limerick. Im in Cork.

EDIT:/ It's a Dell Photo AIO Printer 924

Hagar

Highlight you first paragraph and change colour to dark navy blue. Do a test print on that paragraph only. If it comes out dark navy blue change the whole document to that colour and go with it. You will get away with that as a colour.

Fast_Mover

But why wont it come out black?! ahhhh!!
Il try the dark navy blue when I go back tonight Hagar.

Any ideas what then if it still comes out red?!

Hagar

I don't know what software you are using it may be "revision" related in Word. Try a one line print from "Notepad" and see if it comes out black. If it does, In Word select all text and change colour to black even if it looks black on screen. Hope this helps.

oisin

I know it sounds obvious, but are you sure the ink cartridges are in the correct slot in the printer. I'm not familiar with your printer so maybe thats not possible. I notice in your original post you say the colour cartridge is gone, so I can't imagine why black would print red. I had a problem once where the black cartridge leaked and contaminated the other colours but even if black was contaminated I don't think it would matter that much.

As a last resort uninstall the printer and reinstall the drivers.

Fast_Mover

It was working grand week before that though when I had other college related stuff to print..just went like that all of a sudden.#

I have a new cartridge so i'll bring that with me, and il bring the install printer CD aswell. Hope one of those will sort it..or else i'l be back here again asking for more help!:)

Thanks for all ye're help..much appreciated!

Sully

Why not run the diagnostics? Dell has pretty good stuff like cleaning printer heads etc. Might help?

Fast_Mover

Sully04 wrote:

Why not run the diagnostics? Dell has pretty good stuff like cleaning printer heads etc. Might help?

Diagostics?! Eh, english please!:D

MarkR

Diagnostics would be a program / application that will perform maintenance on your printer. Usually it will clear the nozzles for the ink and reallign the heads. As said previously try printing from another application.

For something urgent just copy it to a flash drive / cd and bring it to any printer. Done in a few minutes and you can sort your printer later?

Fast_Mover

Ah, so even though it may not be printing black from Word document, it may on another application (eg: wordpad)..?! I just presumed it was all the one/general.

Sorry for all the questions and what not...just im not that good on the technical side of computers and printers..

Sully

For a Dell Printer to run the diagnostic tools you would (probably) go to:-

Start -> Programs -> Dell Printers -> Dell Photo AIO Printer 924

Load up the main program and under "Maintain / Troubleshoot" it shows diagnostic tools, what they do and how to use them.

Fast_Mover

It goes:
Start-> Programs -> Dell Printers ->Delll Photo AIO Printer 924 -> Dell Order Ink Cartridges OR uninstall Dell Photo AIO Printer 924

cast_iron

Well go into Control Panel and find it in the Printer Preferences.

Either way, unless you're in front of it, you will really only be running around in circles here.
Is there a possibility of going in a bit earlier and printing in or wherever you're going.

It's not possible for a black cartridge to output red ink (think about it). The red ink in the colour is obviously still left - other colours may have ran out.

Sully

Fast_Mover wrote:

It goes:
Start-> Programs -> Dell Printers ->Delll Photo AIO Printer 924 -> Dell Order Ink Cartridges OR uninstall Dell Photo AIO Printer 924

Have a look for the little control unit thats on your task bar (Task bar is that bottom bar where the Start button is, open windows are listed, clock is etc.) and look for a printer icon. Double click it and you should get the "Dell Solution Centre". Seek the "Troubleshoot" or "Maintance" options.

Hagar

AFAIK if there is any colour in a document then some printers* use the colour cartridge to print the whole document. They print black by mixing the CMY colours. You may have drained one of the colours leaving the printer unable to make up the black tone. Have you been printing a lot of blue/green stuff lately?


* It's a bit of a scam to raise sales of expensive colour cartridges.

Fast_Mover

ok, so im just back in Limerick and printed a document to see if my printer decided to cop its self on over christmas..but no such luck!!
Took out the empty colour cartridge but then the thing just wudnt print at all.
I copy and pasted to Wordpad..but it still printing in red!!

Will i uninstall/install the printer?!!

Capt'n Midnight

Plan-B RED is a very easy to photocopy on B&W copiers, especially if they use green light.

check the options in the printer driver, properties,
unfortuatley they all use their own names so it may be called qualiy or finishing
see if there is a setting for mono/ colour and try both, also check in the app you are printing from.

If there is an option to do a test print the try it to see what happens, even the widows test page you should have black text and four coloured boxes in the windows logo.

Fast_Mover

Ah you know what, feck it!
Im tired and cranky now..and having to teach five year olds tomorrow isnt helping!:eek:
Gonna ring those people at Dell tomorrow and see can they shed any light on the problem since its their product!!
I'l let ye know how I get on, so i shall be back!

Thanks ever so much for all yer help lads!:)

Mike...

Had a similar problem....Try cleaning the print heads...if that don't work the heads have become damaged so your screwed...

Good luck teaching

Fast_Mover

and how does one clean print heads tell me..?!:)

Sully

Fast_Mover wrote:

and how does one clean print heads tell me..?!:)

Diagnostic Tools - as I mentioned earlier..