The PC Surgery - Tiscali.co.uk

Get more from your inkjet with our tips for stunning documents, whether you need to print crisp pages for business presentations or want to create picture perfect photos, and find out how to keep that printer running smoothly. Plus, if you have several PCs, we tell you how to share one printer between them.

Setting the scene
Get to know your printer's settings by exploring its Properties menu. Click Start, Settings, Printers or Start, Printers and Faxes, depending on your version of Windows. Right-click your printer and select Properties. You should see a selection labelled "Device Options" or "Printing Preferences". Click it to find your printer's Print Quality setting. You'll usually see three modes: Draft, Normal and Best (or High Speed, Normal, and High Quality). The Draft, Fast or High Speed settings not only saves time but also stretches the life of your ink cartridge. Use these when quality isn't important.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

Fantastic colour (PART 1)
If you have a colour printer, you can speed printing drafts by disabling colour matching, or by disabling colour printing altogether. For many inkjets, you do so by clicking the Color button under the Graphics tab and changing a setting in the "Color control" box. Other printers include a grayscale print option.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

Fantastic colour (PART 2)
For better-quality colour printing, check the "Color rendering intent" setting under the Color button. Verify your Color profile under the Color Management tab as well. Windows usually selects the best Color profile for your printer, but check with your manufacturer for alternative profiles that are better suited to certain types of paper and other printing situations.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

Nudge your nozzles
Inkjets form letters and images by blowing droplets of ink through tiny nozzles onto the paper. Even a slight clog in a nozzle can lead to faint output, blurred text, or unprinted lines running across the page. Many printers have a nozzle-clearing function that blows ink through the nozzles. Use it regularly, especially after long idle periods.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.


Clean by hand
If that doesn't work, clean them by hand. Dampen a lint-free swab with distilled water and gently wipe the nozzles to remove dried ink. Isopropyl alcohol is a better solvent, but apply it very carefully. Always shut down your inkjet with its own power switch - not the switch on the surge protector. Many inkjets have a printhead parking function that helps keep nozzles from clogging and is triggered only by the printer's power switch.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

Twice as useful
If you are one of the many users who have more than one computer at home, then you might be interested in sharing USB peripherals between them. For example if you have two PCs in your study - one for the kids and one for you, then you might want to share a printer or scanner between the two. The best way to share a USB peripheral is to invest in a USB multi-port switch (hub). This allows you attach up to four PC and Macs to a USB device. You simply plug the switch into the device and then plug in your computers, switching between them at the press of the selector button.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

More PC Guides here.