FAQ’s
Office machine technology is constantly changing. We understand that it’s difficult to keep up with – that’s why we do it for you. In order to save you time, we have posted our most frequently asked questions online. If you don’t see your question below, don’t hesitate to Contact Us! Our office staff and technicians are available by phone phone Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm Central Texas time to answer question and assist you with office machine related problems.
- My machine is printing lines on the page, what could be wrong with it?
- My print looks really messy, what does that mean?
- How can I tell if my toner cartridge is defective?
- My HP printer is displaying “Service 50 Error”, what does that mean?
- I need to get my machine fixed – how do your maintenance and repair fees work?
- What payment methods do you accept?
- How long does it take to get service?
- Do you offer maintenance contracts?
- What’s the difference between OEM and compatible?
- Should I get a Laser Printer or an Inkjet Printer?
- How do I install my printer’s driver?
Q1: My machine is printing lines or other marks on the page, what could be wrong with it?
A: Usually this means that you have a defective toner cartridge. Try replacing the cartridge and if the lines persist, try replacing the drum. Note that some machines include the drum with the toner cartridge, so you will be unable to replace the drum separately (IE: HP printers).
If that still does not solve the problem, then please visit our Maintenance, Service, and Repairs page to order an on-site diagnostic by a trained technician.
Q2: My print looks really messy, what does that mean?
A: Usually that means that your toner cartridge is defective. Replace the cartridge, and if it still is having the same problem, visit our Maintenance, Service, and Repairs page to order an on-site diagnostic from a trained technician.
Q3: How can I tell if my toner cartridge is defective?
A: There are several signs that tell you when your toner cartridge is defective. If you are having any of the below listed problems, try putting in a different cartridge. If that still does not solve your problem, then it’s probably more serious and might be a good idea to go ahead and order an on-site diagnostic from our Maintenance, Service, and Repairs page.
- The cartridge itself is leaky and spilling toner. Do not put it in your machine! You will have a big mess that a technician will have to come out and clean up for you.
- Any sort of print defect (lines, splotches, too light, etc.) is almost always a defective toner cartridge.
- A loud noise shortly after putting in a new cartridge.
- Jamming shortly after putting in a new cartridge.
- Your machine is not recognizing the cartridge you just put in
Q4: My HP printer is displaying “Service 50 Error”, what does that mean?
A: Most of the time when a HP printer displays this message, it’s telling you that that your fuser is defective or needs to be replaced, but occasionally could be your power supply. Either way, it’s a serious problem that a technician needs to directly repair on site. Please Contact Us or order a repair by going to our Service, Maintenance, and Repairs page so we can get you back up and running ASAP.
Q5: I need to get my machine fixed – how do your maintenance and repair fees work?
A: Our general service fee is one hour labor plus parts if needed, and generally repairs don’t take over one hour. Copier and typewriter repairs are a bit more, depending on the make in model in question. If you wish for us to come on site and diagnose your machine, then the charge will be a half hour of labor, which will be applied to the full hour of labor should you choose to repair the machine.
If you wish to order repair on your machine, please refer to our Maintenance, Service, and Repairs section to request an on site diagnostic. You will only be billed up front for the half hour diagnostic charge, and if you wish to get it repaired, we will charge for the remaining half hour.
Q6: What payment methods do you accept?
A: We accept Cash, Check, Money Orders, and all major Credit Cards, including American Express, Visa, Master Card, and Discover. However, if you choose to pay with a credit card and your order total is fairly large, we might charge a small percentage to cover our company’s credit card charge expenses. Any charges like that would be discussed prior to billing.
Q7: How long does it take to get service?
A: A general rule is that we will be out there for you next day at the latest.
If you contact us via the phone for service in the morning, we can be on site that day in most cases. If you contact us by email or later in the day, there is still a possibility that we will make it out for you that day, but usually we will assist you on site the next day unless it is an extreme emergency.
However, many times problems can be repaired remotely by doing a little sleuthing! Try reading through this question database, and if that dosent help you fix your problem, go to our contact page and talk to our office staff or a technician.
If you don’t have time to try and figure it out yourself, or if you’ve tried and are still in need of on-site help, please visit our Maintenance, Service, and Repairs page and a trained tech will be there for you ASAP.
Q8: Do you offer maintenance contracts?
A: Yes! We actually offer a few different options.
The first option is our General Maintenance Contract, which provides for free general cleaning on your machine and a discounted labor rate for repairs provided that all supplies are purchased through our company.
The other option we offer consists of total Print Fleet Management, which is a fancy term that means we take care of all your printing stuff so you don’t have to even worry about it. Print Fleet Management installs a tiny program on each of your computers that connects to a printer that monitors your printer’s status and sends it directly to us! The second you have a problem (even if you’re low on paper!) or your toner starts to get low, we know immediately. We automatically send out technicians and supplies as needed to assure you’re never without your printer.
We can set you up with whichever option you prefer. Maintenance plans are individual, and need to be set up by a representative directly. Please refer to our Contact Page to get ahold of our friendly staff and start saving money and time on your printers.
Q9: What’s the difference between OEM and compatible, and why are the prices so different?
A: OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and refers to an item is that made directly by the original manufactuer, like an HP brand toner cartridge or a Lexmark brand fuser. A Compatible product, while not made by the same company who built your machine, is almost equal in quality and costs much less than an OEM. The number of pages each yield are the same as are their included warranties.
Basically, when you buy OEM, you are paying for the fancy designs on the box and the fancy logo design. The products are all but identical.
We highly recommend using compatible products. Why pay more for the same thing? If your cartridge turns out to be defective, we will be out there for you ASAP to clean up any mess and provide you with a complimentary replacement cartridge.
To place an order for compatible supplies. However, if you still prefer to order OEM. If you are having problems finding the cartridge you’re looking for, you can place a special order by going to our Contact page.
Q10: Should I get a Laser Printer or an Inkjet Printer?
A: The answer to this question really depends on what type of printing you will be doing on your machine.
Laser printers are designed to meet and exceed the needs of all business and high volume personal users.
Inkjet printers are only recommended for individuals at home who wish to print out the occasional word document, web page, or picture. Any more use than that will end up costing exponentially more to run and maintain than a laser printer would, despite the initial cost difference.
Q11: How do I install my printer’s driver?
A: Installing or updating the driver software for your printer is required before operating a new printer, or if you’ve just reformatted your computer. Driver software basically tells your computer what that thing is that you just hooked up to it, and how to use it. Sometimes this process can be tricky, but we’ve made it easy for you – just follow the steps below! If you’re still having problems, don’t hesitate to contact us.
- Turn on the printer first, then turn on the computer.
- Locate the file using Windows Explorer when the download has completed.
- Close all other programs you aren’t using so your computer can focus on installing the driver software.
- Double click on the file. This will extract all the driver files into a directory on your hard drive. The directory these files are extracted to will have a similar name to the file that was downloaded (i.e., c:\lj987). However, you can change the path and directory name at the time of extracting the file.
- Open the Printers Window (XP: Start-Settings-Printers, Vista and 7: Start-Devices and Printers).
- Update the printer if it was previously installed
- Right click on the printer and select Properties from the pop menu.
- On the General tab, select New Driver.
- Click on the Warning Box that pops up.
- A printer listing box will appear. Select Have Disk.
- Another box Install from Disk appears.
- Click the Browse to locate the expanded files directory (i.e., c:\lj206).
- Click on the file ending with .inf .
- Click Open and then Okay and let files install.
- Add the printer if it hasn’t been installed yet.
- Click Add New Printer
- Follow the instructions of the Add Printer Wizard.