Unknown Printer

How to Identify and Fix Common Problems ?

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The reason ist either a restriction of the used font or a poor PDF converter setting or qualitiy. So when you print such files it can happen, that the printer driver tries to substitute the fonts with the printer fonts but cannot find a surrogate for any character so it`s then missing.
Printer Driver

The results of a mismatch between computer and printer can show up in flawed output, blank pages or printing failures. These same symptoms can occur if your driver software becomes damaged in a thunderstorm, power surge or outage, or by malware that worms its way onto your computer.

If your printer is spitting out pages full of strange characters, symbols, or strange formatting, your inkjet printer drivers may be outdated, incompatible with your operating system or corrupt. Drivers are important to the proper function of your inkjet printer and it is best to check for updates regularly.
Clogged Nozzle

One or more clogged nozzles preventing ink from getting to the page is the most common cause of a printer skipping lines. Through normal use, small amounts of ink can collect and dry in the printhead blocking the nozzles.

This issue will occur if the application does not contain the fonts that are in the document. To solve this issue, print the PDF file as an image. From the application, select File => Print, and then click Advanced. Check the Print as image option.
An outdated or incompatible keyboard driver might be causing the issue. If you recently upgraded to Windows 10, it`s possible that the current driver was designed for a previous version of Windows. Check to see if an updated driver is available. 1.
Make sure that your page settings are set to print all pages and to print every page. Settings that cause some pages not to print are `manual duplexing`, `print every other page`, `print odd pages`, `print on both sides`, or similar settings.
When the print driver is corrupted, the target printer interprets the data stream as random characters. This problem can usually be solved by re-installing the print driver or checking the printer setup in the Control Panel.
Usually a quick paper setting adjustment will clear up a ghosting issue right away. Run a cleaning – Most printers have a cleaning function built into the machine. Run this a couple of times to attempt to clear up the printing issue. Inspect the drum – Sometimes excess toner powder can stick to the drum.
When you see unreadable gibberish symbols as shown in the screenshot below, you are likely dealing with a corrupted PDF file. More specifically, your PDF document is probably missing important information about font character mapping. The reason for this can be that the document was produced incorrectly.
Open PDF file and press Ctrl+P to bring up the Print dialog box. Then select Adobe PDF or Microsoft PDF as the printer. This will regenerate another version of PDF file with the default setting. In most cases, this will merge all the layers into one.
The character fonts may not be embedded. Non-standard font encoding may have been used by the PDF producer. The characters affected may not map properly to unicode. Typically this issue must be resovled back in the authoring file and a new PDF produced.
You`ll know fairly quickly if your printhead is causing you problems. If your PC or the LCD screen on your printer is telling you that your ink cartridges are full but no ink is passing through to the paper, then it`s most likely that you are dealing with a clogged printhead.
Several factors may cause the product to print blank pages, such as print settings, low ink, or the product itself. Check the following: Make sure the product is placed on a flat, stable surface that extends beyond the base in all directions. The product won`t operate properly if it`s tilted or at an angle.
This is usually a problem with drivers. The only way to solve the problem is to install new drivers or update the one you have been using. Usually, weird characters appearing on your printing papers means there is no communication between your printer and the computer it is connected to.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

HP Laserjet 4100 Error (13.1)
ANSWER : I am pretty late to the party for this discussion but I am incredibly thankful to the person that posted this “fix” that I can barely imagine it. My 4100 had developed the dreaded paper jam described above and I had no idea what was causing it. I replaced a number of rollers only to have the same problem re-occur with no solution in sight.

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Unknown Printer

Prints blank pages, won't print from computer
ANSWER : Don’t know why you replaced the fuser, but assuming you had print before, then it must have been something you did during the procedure. Only thing I can suggest is to recheck your work. Just because you reinstalled a connector doesn’t mean that it is seated firmly enough to work. Any flat ribbon connectors that you removed and reinstalled, check to see that the contacts are all flat and not peeled back.

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Unknown Printer

HP LaserJet 2200D won't print configuration page
ANSWER : Find someone with a HP LaserJet 4100 and you can configure the card to the IP you want:

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Unknown Printer

My 2550n Color LaserJet does not want to print in color
ANSWER : That model had issues with the carousel solenoid sticking. That might explain why it works after you let it sit for 10 minutes. The solenoid gets hotter with use which causes the deteriorated foam on it to become sticky and hold down the release plate instead of letting it go. This allows the carousel to spin when it is supposed to stop for each color. The solenoid is located on the right side of the printer. If you open the lid, it is just behind the opening at the top right. You need to remove the top of the printer and scrape off the goo on top of the solenoid body. I put a piece of thin sticky backed felt to replace it. Other people use electrical tape.

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Unknown Printer

Print file sent but no printing occurs
ANSWER : Been working on these since they first were released. Never seen a problem like yours. If it happens again, try doing an engine test, as it bypasses the formatter board. The engine test is located at the right side of the manual tray opening. Look for a hole in the side wall. Stick something like a paper clip into it to actuate the test button. It will then print a lined test page. If it does that, then it points to the formatter board as the cause of your problem.

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Unknown Printer

HP Laserjet 1320tn printing grey instead of black
ANSWER : Try this test. Put a page into the manual feeder and do that same test. When the end of the page is just about to enter the printer, open the lid. Take out the toner cartridge and pull back the shutter. Look at the image and see if it is black. The explanation is that there is high voltage going to both the toner cartridge and the charge transfer roller below it. If the image on the drum is black, then the fault is at the transfer roller not getting enough high voltage. The transfer roller pulls the image off of the drum and down onto the paper. It would not be a laser scanner problem as any issue with it would not result in an overall gray image, but combination of gray and black. It will probably turn out to be a bad HV power supply, which will need replacement. I’ve never seen this particular problem on this model.

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Unknown Printer

Laserjet 4250 print quality issue (see image)
ANSWER : It looks like a fuser problem. One way to prove it is with the half-stop test. Put a sheet in the drop down manual feed tray. Send a print job and watch the paper. When the end of it is about to enter the printer, open the lid and take out the toner cartridge. Look at the printed image. If it looks OK, then it is a fuser problem. If not, then it is a toner cartridge issue since it hasn’t gone through the fuser.

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Unknown Printer

HP Color Laserjet 3800 problem when printing color
ANSWER : Do a cold reset

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Unknown Printer