Troubleshooting Your Old Printer and Buying a New One

If your printer has given up the ghost, or just no longer prints well enough or fast enough for your needs, it may be time to buy a new one. But before heading out to the store there are a few troubleshooting ideas you should try that may bring it back to life. And if you really do need to buy a new printer, understanding your options and doing a bit of research ahead of time can save you time, money and unnecessary frustration.

Troubleshooting the Old Printer

In some cases, performing a few simple maintenance tasks will restore a malfunctioning printer to good working order. Try the following steps, in the order shown:

First, turn the printer completely off. Then check that both the power cable and the data cable are securely plugged in at both ends. Then turn the printer back on and wait for the display to indicate that it’s “Ready”.
If your printer connects to the computer via WiFi instead of a data cable, and is not printing at all, check to be sure that the wireless connection hasn’t been lost. If it has, completely shut down both the computer and the WiFi router (if the router doesn’t have a power switch, just pull its power cable). Wait at least 10 seconds, then re-start the router first and give it five minutes to completely power up and establish an internet connection (any other devices that access the internet through your WiFi will temporarily lose their connection during that time). After the router is completely back online, restart the computer and see if the WiFi connection to the printer has been restored.
Check the printer’s display panel to be sure that it’s not low on ink or toner. If so, install new ink or toner cartridges as needed, or for tank printers add ink to the appropriate tank(s).
Make sure that paper is loaded into the paper tray, and that the tray is firmly closed.
If printed pages have stray lines or streaks, or areas where the printing is either too light or completely absent, cleaning the print heads may correct that. If different colors are not well aligned on the page, aligning the print heads may be needed. You can start print head cleaning, print head alignment, and possibly other related maintenance functions either from the printer’s maintenance or setup menu or possibly from the software that was installed with it.
If you suspect a paper jam, or the printer’s display panel indicates that one has occurred, remove all paper trays and open any access doors. Then inspect all the openings and carefully remove any paper you may see. Be sure to firmly close the access doors and securely re-insert the paper trays when you’re done.

If these troubleshooting steps do not resolve your printing issues, you next have to consider whether repairs are appropriate. The sad truth is that in most cases, repairing a printer doesn’t make much sense. Especially with printers that are lower cost or more than a few years old, repairs are likely to cost nearly as much (and in some cases more) than simply buying a new unit. However, repairs may be a sensible choice if the printer is almost new or fairly expensive, or if it remains covered by a manufacturer’s warranty or an extended service plan.

If repairing your printer is not a viable choice, then you need to decide what to replace it with and begin researching prices and features.

Types of Printers

There are three main types of printers, and each type has specific pros and cons.

Inkjet Cartridge Printers: For many years, inkjet cartridge printers have been the most popular type. Using tiny nozzles in the print heads to spray ink onto the paper, they’re usually the least expensive option and typically do a great job of reproducing photos and other graphics. Their main down side is that the ink cartridges have to be replaced regularly, and that can get expensive. They typically ship with a set of “starter” cartridges containing very little ink, and replacing the entire set (black, magenta, cyan and yellow) may cost $100 or more. Even when the printer is not being used, it periodically consumes ink to clean the print heads and keep them from drying out. And to help ensure their ongoing profits at the expense of the consumer, printer manufacturers employ a number of sleazy tricks, including:
- Many cartridges have an embedded chip that tracks how many pages it was used to print. To discourage refilling cartridges, the printer may refuse to print when it detects that one of the installed cartridges has been used to print more than a certain number of pages.
- Various technologies are used to prevent the printer from functioning with any cartridges except those supplied by the printer manufacturer.
- The cheapest printers often use the most expensive cartridges, so that if you paid less for the printer you’ll end up paying more for the ink. This is one reason why there is such a dizzying array of cartridges from each manufacturer. In extreme cases, a full set of new cartridges may actually cost more than the printer!
Inkjet Tank Printers: Perhaps in response to longstanding criticism of the high cost of ink cartridges, some manufacturers now offer inkjet printers that draw ink from internal tanks rather than cartridges. When a tank runs low, you simply refill it from a bottle of ink, and the bottled ink is MUCH less expensive per ounce than the ink sold in cartridges. Tank printers are a good choice for users who prefer inkjet technology, do a lot of printing, and want to avoid the money pit of using cartridges. They tend to be a little more expensive than inkjet cartridge printers, but less than comparable laser printers.
Laser Printers: Instead of ink, laser printers use toner (a mixture of finely powdered plastic, pigment and other materials) which is fused to the paper by the application of heat. They have a long list of advantages over inkjet printers, including higher print speeds, extremely sharp text that resists smudging and fading better, dramatically lower per page costs, and greater reliability due to simpler designs and more robust construction. However, they usually cost more than inkjets with comparable features. While toner cartridges cost more than inkjet cartridges they’re still more economical because each cartridge contains sufficient toner to print what would require 5 or 10 (or even more) inkjet cartridges. Because of the higher initial cost, laser printer users who print very little may actually have a higher total printing expenditure despite the lower per page cost. Eventually, the laser printer’s drum (which is used to capture the text or image to be printed and transfer it to the paper) will wear out, and depending on the model the replacement cost may exceed $100. Finally, while laser printers do a fairly good job with photos and graphics, if you want the most realistic photo reproduction you’ll need to use an inkjet printer, ideally with special photo ink cartridges and special photo paper.

Important Features

After settling on which type of printer you want, you should make a list of which features are must-haves, which ones would be nice but not essential, and which ones you don’t care about. Since each printer has a different combination of features, being clear about which ones are important to you will help you narrow down your choices. The most important features include:

Scan, Copy and Fax: In addition to printing, many printers offer some or all of three additional capabilities – scanning documents into a .PDF or image file, copying documents (much as a dedicated photocopier does), and sending and receiving faxes. Units that offer all three of these are often referred to as All In One (AIO) machines.
Automatic Document Feeder (ADF): If you regularly scan, copy or fax multi-page documents, an ADF is a huge time saver. It allows you to just place a stack of pages into the hopper and let the machine feed and process them one at a time, rather than having to manually place each page on the scanner glass and wait for it to be scanned or copied.
Auto Duplexing: This actually refers to two separate features, one or both of which may be important to you. If so, be sure that the machine you buy has the type(s) of auto duplexing that matter to you:
- Auto Duplex Printing means the printer can automatically print on both sides of each sheet of paper. Without it, you can only print double-sided documents by first printing on one side of the page, and then reloading the printed pages back into the printer to print the other side, a procedure which is inconvenient and error-prone.
- Auto Duplex Scanning means the printer’s ADF can automatically scan both sides of each sheet of paper. Without it, you can scan double-sided documents only be loading the whole stack of pages into the ADF twice, which again is inconvenient and error prone. For example, if you want to copy double-sided originals and print the copies double-sided, you’ll probably want Auto Duplex Printing AND Auto Duplex Scanning.
Paper Handling: All printers can use standard 8.5 by 11 inch paper, and most can also print standard number 10 envelopes. If you need to use any other type of paper, be sure the printer you buy can accommodate that.
Paper Capacity: Some printers have trays that can only hold 50 to 100 sheets of paper. While that may be sufficient for occasional low volume printing, if you regularly print multiple long documents you may want to get a model with a larger tray.
Multiple Paper Trays: Many printers have only a single paper tray plus a small bypass slot for loading envelopes are other paper types. That arrangement is probably OK for most users, but if you frequently need to switch between more paper types (such as plain paper, letterhead AND envelopes), you may want to get a printer with dual paper trays.
Wireless (WiFi): Most printers now have WiFi built in, which frees you from the data cable, lets you place the printer farther from the computer, and allows multiple computers to seamlessly share the same printer. However if you’re only printing from a single computer and there’s plenty of space next to it to install the printer, WiFi is probably not essential.
Ethernet Jack: If the printer will be installed close to your WiFi router and has an Ethernet jack, you can connect them via a network cable as an alternative way to share the printer across your network. Such a connection is typically both faster and more reliable than WiFi connections.
Memory Card/USB Drive Reader: If you anticipate printing documents or photos directly from a memory card (such as the ones digital cameras use) or a USB flash drive, you’ll need the appropriate type of reader either on your computer or on the printer. There are several different memory card formats, so be sure that the reader can accommodate the particular format you use.
Color Printing: While virtually all inkjet printers can print in color, some laser printers are monochrome (black) only. If you prefer a laser printer, and never need to print in color, consider getting a monochrome unit as it’s likely to be smaller, lighter, simpler, and significantly less expensive than a color model.

Beware of the Ink Subscription Scam

Inkjet printer manufacturers offer a variety of ink subscription plans. HP (and its anti-consumer practices) has gotten much of the attention in this area, but they are not alone – most manufacturers now have such plans. While the specifics vary a lot, the basic idea is that you pay a monthly fee to print up to a certain number pages, and the company automatically sends you new ink cartridges when it determines they’re needed. The cost is based on the monthly page allotment you select. HP also offers a plan that include a new printer, in which case you’re essentially leasing the printer rather than buying it outright.

While the predictable monthly ink cost (and not having to run to the store to buy cartridges) is appealing to some users, there are lots of down sides to these subscriptions. To start with, it’s difficult for most people to accurately predict how many pages they need to print each month, and the actual number will often vary substantially from month to month. If you print fewer pages than your allotment in a given month, you’re overpaying (although some plans allow a limited carryover of unused pages to succeeding months). If you exceed your allotment, you’ll be charged for the excess (typically a dollar for each 10 pages). In order to make the program work, your printer must monitor your usage and ink levels and communicate that to the manufacturer, which many folks find creepy and intrusive. And once enrolled in the subscription, your printer will probably not work with regular store-bought ink cartridges.

There are also lots of horror stories of users suddenly finding that their printers have been remotely disabled by the manufacturer because either their WiFi went down (preventing the printer from phoning home) or the credit card they use to pay for the subscription has expired. Others have been left unable to print when their replacement cartridges are caught up in long shipping delays. And when you cancel the subscription (which may only be possible at the end of each monthly billing period), or when the manufacturer remotely disables your printer, you cannot print with your existing cartridges. In such a case, even though you may not have used up the pages you paid for and there may be plenty of ink left, your printer is useless because you paid only for pages per month, not ink or cartridges. Unsurprisingly, HP has faced multiple class action law suits from consumers who claim to have been misled and abused by their ink subscription program. In July 2024 the company discontinued a line of printers that would work ONLY with an ink subscription (see https://www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/printers/hp-discontinues-online-only-laserjet-printers-in-response-to-backlash).

For all of these reasons, I strongly urge my clients to avoid ink subscriptions like the plague. In order to ensure you’re not caught up in one of these schemes, you must do all of the following:

Before buying an inkjet printer, verify that neither the printer itself nor any of its features requires an ink subscription.
When setting up the printer and installing its software and drivers, you will probably be prompted at least once to join an ink subscription program. Read ALL of the screens carefully and make sure to decline the subscription. You will most likely have to decline several times, much as you would need to say no repeatedly to an obnoxious high pressure salesperson.
When you get any onscreen messages concerning your printer, or prompting you to replace an ink cartridge or “conveniently” order one from the manufacturer, read it carefully before clicking on anything, as this may be yet another attempt to rope you into an ink subscription.

More Ideas That May Save You Time, Trouble and Money

Online reviews can be extremely helpful in narrowing your choices from among the many dozens of printers available at any one time. Reliable review sources include Consumer Reports (https://secure.consumerreports.org), The Wirecutter (https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/), PC Magazine (https://www.pcmag.com/), PC World (https://www.pcworld.com/), and Tom’s Hardware (https://www.tomshardware.com/). Some reviews may be available only to site subscribers, but at least in the case of Consumer Reports it’s well worth the modest subscription fee – they provide unbiased reviews of not just PCs and printers, but also cars, credit cards, foods, health insurance, cell phones and plans, and a host of other consumer products and services.
Taking a few weeks to read reviews and investigate different brands and models will also allow you time to check for sales. Many retailers have frequent sales on selected models, and Staples has on occasion offered printer discounts if you trade in your old printer, regardless of its condition.
If your new printer will not be connected via WiFi, and you don’t already have a USB printer cable, you’ll need to buy one (a cable does not come with the printer).
If you choose an inkjet cartridge printer, you can lower your per page costs by using high capacity cartridges (typically labeled “XL” or something similar). High capacity cartridges are more expensive but also hold much more ink, so they last longer and your per page cost is lower.
Extended warranties and service plans are generally a losing proposition for the consumer. However, if you’re stretching your budget to buy a good printer and you need to depend on it for years to come, the added protection MAY be worth the peace of mind it provides. Before buying an extended warranty or service plan, read the fine print so you’re clear on exactly what it covers, how you file a claim, whether it provides repairs or simply refunds the purchase price of a failing printer, etc.
Read the instructions carefully when setting up the printer and installing its software and drivers. Performing the steps out of order, or missing a step, can cause problems.