Gadgets Category Archive

The causes and how to fix lines on printouts

12 Replies Scott Williams

If you own a printer, chances are you’ll experience some sort of trouble with it at some point, if you haven’t already. One of the most common ailments plaguing printers is horizontal lines across the page – lines you didn’t ask to be there.

The good news is that there are several steps you can take to try to cure this problem before having to call in a professional or replace the printer entirely.

Basic Causes and Fixes

Fortunately, most fixes for horizontal lines fall into this category. It’s always a good idea to start with the simplest, easiest remedies before taking more drastic measures and risking further damage.

Ink level is low
This is one of the most common reasons unwanted lines appear on printouts. If your printer is running out of ink, simply replace or refill your ink cartridges following the manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations.

Often new printers come with ink cartridges that are either low on ink or have ink cartridges that have dried out from lack of use while sitting on the shelf. If you’ve just purchased a new printer, double-check the cartridges that came with it.

Settings are incorrect
It can make a big difference in the quality of your printout if your settings are not correct. Check the following:A woman with a hammer about to hit a printer

  • Paper type – Make sure the paper type selected matches the paper you are actually using. Printing photos and the use of photo paper is especially affected by incorrect settings.
  • Print quality – Settings usually offer a choice between Draft, Normal and Best. Select the highest quality possible.
  • Color or black and white – Select “Color” printing even if you are printing a document that is only in black and white. While it may seem counterintuitive, some printers that have separate colour and black and white cartridges use ink from both cartridges – even for black and white documents. Choosing the “Color” option will often fix horizontal lines appearing in black and white printouts.
  • Speed – Turning off high speed printing mode often eliminates unwanted lines.



Test, clean, and align
Part of good printer maintenance is periodically running your printer through a cycle of test, clean, and align – even when there aren’t problems. This helps keep the printer operating smoothly. It’s also a good basic step toward resolving problems with your printouts.

Troubleshoot
Most printers have a troubleshooting option. Go ahead and run your computer’s troubleshooting program for your printer. Windows users can reach this through the Control Panel, while Mac users go through System Preferences.

Read the manual
If you haven’t thrown out or misplaced your printer’s manual, it can actually be helpful to take a look through it and check for helpful hints. Manuals also usually have their own specific troubleshooting guides – as well as a tech support hotline.

Defective cartridge
Once in a while, an ink cartridge is simply defective. If the printer is working and you’ve tried everything else, you may just need to replace the cartridge.

Advanced Causes and Fixes

Unfortunately, there are times when the basic fixes just aren’t enough. These fixes take a bit more time and effort, but they can ultimately save you the expense and hassle of either having your printer repaired or purchasing a new one.

Clogged/dirty print head
If the horizontal lines on your printouts are black or in colour and are not simply streaks where ink is missing, a clogged or dirty print head is a likely culprit. There are several methods of cleaning print heads, depending on the make and model of the printer. It’s always best to check with the printer’s manufacturer for the recommended method. However, there are some do’s and don’ts that apply regardless of printer brand:

  • DO unplug the printer and remove the ink cartridges before cleaning the print head.
  • DON’T use tap water to clean the print head. Most inks are water-soluble, so purified water is effective and relatively safe to use for cleaning. However, tap water can contain minerals and other impurities that can damage the print head.
  • DO use distilled water to clean the print head.
  • DON’T use compressed air to blow out print heads or nozzles. These parts are delicate and can be damaged by compressed air.
  • DO consider cleaning the backside of the print head assembly if cleaning the print head alone does not resolve the problem.

Defective print head
If after cleaning the print head assembly there are still unwanted lines, the print head may be defective and should be replaced.



If All Else Fails

Sometimes there’s truly nothing to be done except to either take the printer in to be serviced or buy a new one altogether. If it comes to that after trying the above fixes, at least you’ll know you did everything possible first.

How to proceed in the age of big data?

4 Replies Jonny Hankins

A couple of weeks ago I read an article in the New York Times about the age of big data, and today at a science and technology conference I got into a conversation about the same thing with a US public health official.

Much has been written (and I am a guilty party) about Google’s quest for information, including allegations of infringements of privacy etc, but not all of this capability should be seen in a negative light. I would like to give you a few examples of why.

A wealth of data

Google collect all of the search terms used by every user and categorize them. Let’s take a hypothetical situation. You are director of a large hospital inManchester. What can Google tell you about your job? Well probably a lot, let’s say that this week there is an enormous peak in the search terms “Flu symptoms” used across the Greater Manchester area, or “rash on back and neck”. Indirectly the knowledge of these search trends tells you that you should prepare your hospital, because late next week you will have a massive influx of patients with the Flu or some other contagious disease as it takes hold of the population.

This information is potentially lifesaving, as one of the main problems with epidemics is they come out of nowhere and so health centres are not properly prepared.

Search terms can also give an indication of how the housing market will behave too, with a rise in searches for houses in a certain area being reflected 6 months later in new sales. The type of house searched could also improve planning, as developers would see what people were looking for and where.

Analysts and programmers are currently working on how to expand on the simple examples above using search terms as wider indicators, a system called ‘sentiment analysis’ looks particularly promising.

This form of analysis looks at terms used during on line communication and categorizes them in terms of their sentiments. The logic is that in an area that is prospering terms will be generally positive, but in an area that is threatened by demise, such as the closure of industry or other societal problems, the terms will differ. This is not dissimilar to the conversation analysis sociologists use to obtain a person’s own sentiments about their position in life, with their true feelings reflected in the terms they use without thought. The hope is that an accurate analysis of this type might signal unfolding problems before they become a reality so that action can be taken in specific areas to avoid social breakdown.

I have addressed these issues in more depth on the Bassetti Foundation website, but want to conclude by saying the following; in my posts I have often raised the issue of data collection as a problem, and collection of personal data for advertising or any other purpose for that matter does raise serious ethical issues, but here Google et al could be sitting on a mine of extremely useful and possibly globally important data if the technology and political will is developed to use it correctly.

Five Web Alternatives to Desktop Applications

9 Replies Nishadha

I’m a big fan of web based applications. I don’t have anything against desktop applications, but there are many limitations with desktop software, especially for someone who like me who is constantly on the move. Higher cost, platform dependence, installation problems (space, hardware, buggy installers) are a few of the reasons I try to avoid desktop applications.

My reluctance to use desktop applications led to me using a few highly useful web alternatives. Mentioned below are the five which I find the most useful.

Aviary Tools

If you are looking to edit images then this is the perfect tool for you.  It’s a great alternative to desktop image editors like Photoshop, Illustrator etc. It has a comprehensive set of tools to do all sorts of things with your image.

You can import your own images to do some quick changes and help text pops up from time to time to ease the process. It has a comprehensive set of tools for vector editing and even audio editing. Try Aviary Tools.

Creately

Creately is a diagramming application that is a great alternative to software like Microsoft Visio and Omnigraffle. It supports technical diagrams like flowcharts, UML and business diagrams like organization charts, mind maps etc.

Creately's LogoIf you are looking to draw a quick flowchart or an organization chart then this is the tool to do it. It also has online collaboration support, meaning you two people can work together in the same diagram, excellent if you are working with clients that are in different locations. Check out Creately.

WobZip

As you will probably guess by the name, this is a great alternative to software like WinZip. It supports popular file types like ZIP, RAR and as an added bonus scans the files for viruses as well.

Most downloads are packaged as zipped files so this is an extremely useful tool to have. The best thing is, you don’t have to sign up or provide you email just to get the file. Try WobZIp.

Google Docs

I consider this a must have tool for anyone. It’s a great alternative to Microsoft office and offers controlled sharing with others as well. You can prepare documents, design slideshow presentations, create spreadsheets and much more.

As mentioned, the online sharing ability makes it very easy for many people to work on the same document. You do need a Google account to use the service, but most people have one these days, so that shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Check out Google Docs.

Wunderlist

Wunderlist is the latest addition to my online tool set. Wunderlist is an online to do list manager, which also has some cool additional features which makes it very productive. If you want they provide desktop applications for many devices that automatically sync with your online account.

You also have the ability to share lists with other users. This is especially useful if you are working with few others on some small tasks. You can easily see what they have completed and what needs to be done. Try Wunderlist.

Mentioned above are five tools that have helped me become more productive and efficient in my day to day work.  There are hundreds more web alternatives out there so if you can think of a similar one make sure to mention in the comments section. In the meantime try out these services and enjoy the freedom of web based applications.