Printer Problems.....x2

[ferlew]

My usual print, Canon MG5751 is refusing point blank to recognise that it has paper. I have checked for paper blockages etc. In frustration I connected up another printer I had only used a couple of times, but keep for a spare.
HP Deskjet 3750.
Now the HP is printing funny. ie, I wanted a b/w copy of a parchment pattern, and it's coming out with a green hue. I've run about a dozen sheets through of just A4 script to try and get the ink black, still greenishI'm not very au fait with technology at all, and now I've spent almost three hours pratting around with it all, and am more than a little fed up.
Any help would be gratefully received. Thank you.

[The Builder]

In the absence of any big Tech guns, I could put my 2 cents' worth.

It seems like your computer has got its printers in a twist. I've often found that, rather than trying to patch up printers in the system, I just uninstall the whole thing.
As soon as the machine has "forgotten" about any printers, I start from scratch and re-install drivers/applications etc.

[Etch]

If the Deskjet has not been in regular used then one or more of the inks has dried up and is not printing - 3 colours are used, magenta, cyan and yellow, so a green hue would suggest that it is the magenta that has dried up.

[Etch]

I suggest that you perform a cleaning of the Deskjet print heads: go to 'Printer Properties' and select the 'Services' tab. There should be a 'Clean the print cartridges' option, or similar.

[ferlew]

Thank you TheBuilder, yes I did uninstall the Canon before installing the HP.
Thank you Etch, I must admit it has been in excess of 6 months since I tried the HP, I guess I'll just bite the bullet and order new inks.
I still wonder though, why on earth is the Canon not recognising that it has a full batch of paper?


Just noticed that every time I write 'that' it get changed to ***.

[Buenchico]

Assuming that you're using Windows 10, follow this path for your HP problem:

Start > Settings > Printers & Scanners > (Name of printer) > Manage > Printer Properties.

You should then see a 'Maintenance' tab, or similar. Click on it. There should be a 'Cleaning' (or 'Head Cleaning', or similar) button there and possibly a 'Deep Cleaning' one too. As your printer hasn't been used for ages, I suggest that you should probably go straight to the 'Deep Cleaning' button, if there is one. (If there isn't then, obviously, use the normal 'Cleaning' one instead). Click the button to clean the print heads. Then look for a 'Print Test Page' button and use that. If the problem hasn't cleared, repeat the process until it does. (I've sometime needed to clean the heads at least half a dozen times before the problem has been fixed).

For your Canon problem, turn the printer round, so that the back of it is facing you. Then pull it towards you, so the nearest 10cm or so is overhanging the edge of your desk. There's a fairly obvious lever there. Pull it to release the mechanism, allowing it to drop down below the level of the desktop. Get a torch and look inside. I suspect that you'll find that there's a very small corner of a sheet of paper (probably less than a square centimetre) in there somewhere, which you might then need tweezers to remove. (Written from repeated experience with the same series of printers!). Removing it should solve your problem.

Good luck!

[Etch]

It is possible to get dried-up cartridges working again, I've done it several times! I usually start by making a pad from a tissue or kitchen paper towel, moistening it with clean water and pressing the print head against it. The working jets will produce a 'bar' of colour, and the dried-up one(s) won't. Keep pressing/wiping the print head with the pad and ink may start to flow from the problem jet.

[Buenchico]

PS: You don't need to uninstall one printer before installing another. Lots of people have two or more printers installed at the same time (e.g. a mono laser printer for documents and a colour inkjet printer for photos, possibly with a separate label printer as well). You can change the printer that's used by any program at a particular time via the settings that you can access after pressing Ctrl P (or going to File > Print).

[ferlew]

Thank you Buenchico, I should have said Mac OS Catalina, 10.15.7
Using Mozilla Firefox.

[ferlew]

Buenchico, found the little panel at the bottom of the Canon (never even knew it was there). Got my little torch and had a real good look, nothing in there at all apart from one of my white hairs.

[Buenchico]

I'm sorry that poking around inside your Canon printer didn't work. (I took an MG5750 back to PC World for an exchange when it wouldn't load paper. It was only with subsequent paper feed problems that I discovered the 'back door' to the printer, which has helped me out a few times since then).

Try calling Canon UK support on 0207 660 0186 for help. (Mon-Fri 0800-2000, standard call charges).

You can clean the print head on your HP printer by following the instructions on page 83 of the manual:
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c05152483.pdf
(Note that '83' is the number on the bottom of the page but your PDF viewer might see it as page 87 within the document as a whole).

[ferlew]

Dare I try this I wonder?



Nothing else has worked, just about a whole day wasted now.

[Buenchico]

I've bookmarked that video for future reference, which should give you some idea as to whether I think it's worth trying or not ;-)

Go on, give it a go!

[ferlew]

Thanks, off to find some sponge :)

[ferlew]

WELL !!! I'll go to sea in a bucket !!!

IT WORKS.

Thanks for your patience Buenchico :)

[Buenchico]

Thanks for the feedback, Ferlew.

At least if you do get a paper jam in the future, you'll now know where the 'back door' is to get it out ;-)

[ferlew]

If only all things n life were that simple eh?