WGU D316 CompTIA A+ 1/2 Lesson 9 complete questions with expert solutions + rationales

maintenance kit

On a laser printer, the fuser unit (the part that fuses toner onto the paper) needs replacing according to the maintenance kit schedule. A maintenance kit also includes new pickup, feed, and separation rollers. It may also include transfer components (roller or belt), or these may be replaced on a different schedule, depending on the printer model.

Which components are provided as part of a laser printer maintenance kit?

The main component is a new fuser assembly. The kit will also usually contain a transfer/secondary charge roller plus paper transport rollers for each tray (pickup rollers and a new separation pad).

unbox

Operational procedure for ensuring that a new device is installed safely to an optimum environment.

pickup roller

Print device components that feed paper between the input tray, print engine, and output tray.

How would you track down the source of a paper jam?

Check the error message reported by the printer (this may be shown on the printer's console). It may indicate the location of the stuck pages. Otherwise, visually inspect the various feed and output mechanisms.

Server Message Block (SMB) or scan to folder

Feature of scanners and multifunction devices that directs output to a cloud storage account.

PostScript

Page description language developed by Adobe that is capable of creating accurate, device-independent output (this means that two different printer models will produce exactly the same output from the same print file).

thermal printer

Type of printer that uses a heated print head and specially treated paper to form the image. Most direct thermal printers are handheld devices used for printing labels or receipts.

A user reports that the printed output is not up to the usual standards for their printer. You will need to resolve this issue so they can print their report. What is the overall process for troubleshooting this issue?

Print out a test page to see if you can reproduce the problem the user reported. If you see the same problem as reported by the user, identify the print defect, based on the type of printer, to resolve the problem. Document the steps you took to resolve the problem.

What must you do before installing a new toner cartridge into a printer?

Remove the packing strips. Many printer brands place plastic tabs or cling-wrap over sensitive components during shipping. The old cartridge should be removed and placed into a sealed bag for recycling.

duplex unit

Installable option that enables a print device or scanner to use both sides of a page automatically.

toner

Specially formulated compound to impart dye to paper through an electrographic process (used by laser printers and photocopiers). The key properties of toner are the colorant (dye), ability to fuse (wax or plastic), and ability to hold a charge. There are three main types of toner, distinguished by the mechanism of applying the toner to the developer roller: dual component (where the toner is mixed with a separate magnetic developer), mono-component (where the toner itself is magnetic), and non-magnetic mono-component (where the toner is transferred using static properties).

Print device

Term used to describe the actual printer hardware that services a print job when submitted from an application.

filament

3-D print device media type.

Page Description Language (PDL)

Instructions that the print device can use to create an image on the page (for most printers, this means a raster describing the placement of dots on the paper).

Printer

"Printer" is often used to mean "print device" but also refers to a term used to describe the software components of a printing solution. The printer is the object that Windows sends output to. It consists of a spool directory, a printer driver, and configuration information.

Print Server

Computer configured to share a connected printer with other hosts. The client hosts connect to the printer share rather than directly to the print device.

3-D printer

Hardware device capable of small-scale manufacturing. Most 3-D printers use either a variety of filament (typically plastic) or resin media with different properties.

True or false? To enable printer sharing via Windows, the print device must be connected to the Windows PC via an Ethernet or Wi-Fi link.

False—any print device can be shared via printer properties. The print device can be connected to the Windows print server over USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi. Other clients connect to the printer via the share, however, so the Windows PC must be kept on to facilitate printing.

You have been asked to perform basic maintenance on a printer in the Research and Development area. The dot matrix printer used to create shipping documents seems to be printing lighter than normal, and one of the pins seems to not be connecting near the center of the print head as there are blank areas in some letters and images. What maintenance should you perform?

Using the steps in the printer documentation, replace the ribbon in the printer and clean the print head. If this does not fix the problem, replace the print head.

A laser printer is producing white stripes on the paper. What could be causing this?

Poorly distributed toner or a damaged/worn transfer corona wire. If the secondary corona does not apply a charge evenly across the paper, less toner is attracted from the drum to the part of the sheet where charging failed. Note that if there are repetitive white or black marks (rather than stripes) that do not smudge, the issue is more likely to be dirt or grease on the drum.

To minimize paper costs, a department should use the duplex printing option on a shared printer by default. The print device is already configured with an automatic duplex finishing unit. What additional step should you take to try to ensure duplex printing?

Set duplex mode as the default under Printing Preferences.

What considerations do you have to make when choosing the location of a 3-D printer?

The 3-D print process is sensitive to movement and vibration, so the printer must be located on a firm and stable surface. The process can also be affected by dust and the ambient temperature and humidity (especially variations and drafts). Finally, some printer types are fully exposed, so there is some risk of burns from the high-heat elements. Ideally, the printer should not be accessible to untrained staff.

Users in the marketing department complain that a recently installed printer is not producing accurate color output. What step might resolve the problem?

Switch to a PostScript (PS) driver. This is likely to have better support for accurate color models. You might also suggest running a calibration utility.

Belt

Inkjet print device component that moves the print head over the paper.

inkjet printer

Type of printer where colored ink is sprayed onto the paper using microscopic nozzles in the print head. There are two main types of ink dispersion system: thermal shock (heating the ink to form a bubble that bursts through the nozzles) and piezoelectric (using a tiny element that changes shape to act as a pump).

secured print

Feature that holds print jobs until the user authenticates directly with the print device using a PIN or smart badge.

impact printer

Typically a dot matrix printer, this uses pressure to transfer ink from a ribbon onto paper in a particular pattern, similar to the mechanism of a typewriter.

Spooler

Generic term describing how a print output stream is passed from a client application and stored temporarily at a print server until the print monitor can route the job to the print device.

Following some past issues with faults arising in print devices because of improper setup procedures, you are updating the company's work instructions for printer installation. You have noted that technicians must refer to the product instructions, use safe lifting techniques, and ensure removal of packing strips. What additional guidance should you include?

Allow the print device to acclimate for a few hours after unboxing to avoid risks from condensation.

What must you do before installing a new toner cartridge into a printer?

Remove the packing strips. Many printer brands place plastic tabs or cling-wrap over sensitive components during shipping. The old cartridge should be removed and placed into a sealed bag for recycling.

Scanner

Type of copier that can convert the image of a physical object into an electronic data file. The two main components of a scanner are the lamp, which illuminates the object, and the recording device, an array of charge coupled devices (CCDs).

Resin

3-D print device media type.

Imagining drum

Drum or belt in a laser printer that supports a high electric charge that can be selectively removed using a laser or LED light source.

cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK)

Subtractive color model used by print devices. CMYK printing involves use of halftone screens. Four screens (or layers) of dots printed in each of the colors are overlaid. The size and density of the dots on each layer produce different shades of color and is viewed as a continuous tone image.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Software that can identify the shapes of characters and digits to convert them from printed images to electronic data files that can be modified in a word-processing program.

flatbed scanner

Type of scanner where the object is placed on a glass faceplate and the scan head moves underneath it.

What configuration information does a user need to use a print device connected to the same local network?

The print device's IP address or host name. You might note that vendor utilities can search for a connected device on the local network, so "None" could also be a correct answer.

You have been asked to perform basic maintenance on an inkjet printer. One of the users noticed that the colors are not printing correctly and that the bottom of some letters are not printing. What would you do?

Try using the printer's built-in cleaning cycle and then replacing the ink cartridge. If these do not work, try using an aftermarket cleaning product. Try using the printer properties sheet to check for print head alignment, color settings, and other settings.

Print Monitor

In Windows, the print monitor is a process that checks the print queue (%SystemRoot%\System32\Spool\Printers\) for print jobs. When they arrive, they are processed, if necessary, then passed via a print port to the print device.

What considerations do you have to make when choosing the location of a 3-D printer?

The 3-D print process is sensitive to movement and vibration, so the printer must be located on a firm and stable surface. The process can also be affected by dust and the ambient temperature and humidity (especially variations and drafts). Finally, some printer types are fully exposed, so there is some risk of burns from the high-heat elements. Ideally, the printer should not be accessible to untrained staff.

Automatic Document Feeder (ADF)

Device that feeds media automatically into a scanner or printer.

You use three Windows 10 applications that need to print to a Canon inkjet printer. How many printer drivers must you install?

One. Applications rely on the operating system to mediate access to devices. They do not need their own drivers.

What types of paper/stationery can dot matrix printers use that laser and inkjet printers cannot?

Multi-part or continuous tractor-fed stationery and carbon copy paper.

Printer Control Language (PCL)

Page description and printer control language developed by HP to implement printer driver functionality.

What effect does a dirty primary charge roller have on laser printing?

It leaves black stripes on the paper. If the roller does not apply the correct charge evenly to the drum, toner is attracted to the place where the charging failed, creating a black stripe all the way down the page.

A thermal printer used to create labels for parts bins, kits, and boxes is jammed due to a label coming loose during printing. How should you resolve this problem?

Open the printer and locate the label that came off the backing. Remove the label, and if there is any sticky residue, clean it with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) applied to a swab. Ensure the roll of labels is properly loaded and that there are no loose labels that might come loose again.

Transfer belt

Roller, corona wire, or belt assembly on a laser print device that applies a charge to the media (paper) so that it attracts toner from the photoconductor. A detac strip then removes the charge to prevent paper curl. On a color laser printer, the transfer unit is usually a belt.

Fuser Assembly

A component in laser printing that uses heat and pressure to fuse the toner to paper.