Ok, so your printer has a mind of its own. Sometimes it prints with no problem, other times it throws error messages at you… or even worse, it says nothing and does nothing. Here are 10 common things it could be. I bet if you walk through them in this order, you’ll fix 95% of printer problems right there on the spot. Or, of course, you could submit an IT support ticket for help.

1. Make sure the printer is plugged in. It sounds silly (and “of course it’s plugged in — I plugged it in myself”), but check anyway. You may just be surprised.

• Plug the printer in and try printing again

2. Make sure the printer is turned on and that all status lights are green. A red or yellow light may indicate a problem like a paper jam, low toner, no paper, etc..

• Some problems will be pretty obvious. For example, you will easily spot a paper jam by sliding out the paper tray or opening the top cover. Some printers will even show you where the problem is by flashing designated lights or displaying messages on the LCD screen. Other problems will be more difficult to understand. Some older Brother printers, fox example, showed a different combination of error lights and blinking sequences to alert users to common problems. You will obviously need the printer’s manual to decipher those.

3. Make sure your printer is connected to the network (unless it’s connected directly to your PC). There is a network cable that may go into the back of your printer; make sure that that light is green as well.

4. Perform a test. Most printers have a self-diagnostic program that prints out a test page with printer information. The information may include errors, toner levels and other diagnostic data.

• You can usually print the test page by pressing one or more buttons on the printer cover. Again, refer to the printer’s manual on how to do this with your particular model.

5. Make sure that you sent your print job to the correct printer. Sometimes the default printer may be changed through a security update or by another user.

• You can set/reset your default printer by clicking Start>Settings>Printers/Faxes. Right-click the printer you want, and select “Set as Default” from the list of options.

6. Check that your computer is connected to the network. Again, this is important if you share the printer with other computers in a networked environment.

• Open an internet browser and go to a website you don’t go to very often (I use www.nike.com — that should give you an idea of how little I work out) to check if you have a connection. Some computers may cache your common destinations like www.google.com, so this connectivity test won’t tell you much.

7. See if it’s an application error. Sometimes your Word or Excel or whatever application you use can hang up and cause the problem.

• Save your work, restart the application and try printing again.

8. See if the printer shows that it’s “online”. Go to Start>Settings>Printers/Faxes and double-click the printer you’re sending your job to and check its status. If it is “online”, try printing a test page to see if it goes through. If the printer is “offline”, then turn the printer on, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on again. Sometimes rebooting the printer will make it re-register on the network.

• If the printer doesn’t display “online” status after a reboot, it may not be mapping correctly and you may need to call your IT support for help.

9. Reboot the printer. Even if it’s showing “online” in the properties, it may have a minor glitch that will fix itself with a printer restart. Turn the printer off for 30 seconds, turn it back on and try printing again.

10. Restart your computer. Similar to how the application itself may be giving you trouble, it may be the machine. Restart your computer (don’t use “hybernate” or “sleep”) and try printing again.

Any luck? If your printer still doesn’t work, please submit a trouble ticket and an IT MAX Consultant will get in touch with you shortly. If you don’t currently have an IT MAX Support plan for your machine, you can inquire about it here or call 888-77-ITMAX.