CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) - Printers & Multifunction Devices; Print Device Maintenance; Troubleshoot Print Devices
Printers and Multifunction Devices (Lesson 10.1)
Learning outcomes overview
Prepare for A+ Core 1 by: Deploying printer and multifunction devices; Replacing print device consumables; Troubleshooting print device issues
Unboxing and setup: Location considerations
Select a printer; Consider speed, resolution, paper handling, options
Setup location: Consider power, network, environmental concerns, accessibility
Unboxing a printer; Lifting heavier units may require two people; Packing materials; Acclimation to humidity and temperature
Firmware management in MFDs and printers
Even new printers may require firmware updates
Reset and reflash firmware to avoid malfunctions
Backup configurations and settings before resetting or reflashing
Print device connectivity (Slide 1 of 5)
USB: directly connected to a computer
Ethernet: connected to network with its own IP address
Wireless: connected to Wi‑Fi network or to computer via Bluetooth
Print device connectivity (Slides 2–5)
Images illustrate additional connectivity scenarios (e.g., wireless/Bluetooth details and network setups)
Printer drivers and Page Description Languages (Slide 1 of 2)
Driver selection; Plug and play; Manual installation for PDL
PDLs: XPS, PCL, and PostScript
PDL supports:
Scalable fonts; Vector graphics; Color printing; CMYK – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Printer drivers and Page Description Languages (Slide 2 of 2)
Image credit: Microsoft (visuals on PDLs)
Printer properties (Slide 1 of 3)
Print queue; Paper tray selection; Fonts; Driver
Printer properties (Slide 2 of 3) & (Slide 3 of 3)
Screenshots illustrating properties in practice (no additional content beyond listed items)
Printing preferences (Slide 1 of 3)
Print quality; DPI (dots per inch) ; Economy/draft mode; Paper type and size; Finishing (e.g., duplex); Multiple pages per sheet; Landscape vs. portrait
Printing preferences (Slide 2 of 3) & (Slide 3 of 3)
Screenshots illustrating settings in practice
Printer sharing (Slide 1 of 4)
Public printers have no access controls
Print servers are connected to server/computer then shared to network
Shared printer connections
Printer sharing (Slide 2 of 4) & (Slide 3 of 4) & (Slide 4 of 4)
Additional details on sharing scenarios and management considerations (screenshots and captions referenced in slides)
Printer security
User authentication; PIN entry or badge swipe can release print jobs
Audit logs track details of each print job
Scanner configuration (Slide 1 of 2)
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) identifies characters to recreate document
Flatbeds use moving head; Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) uses fixed scan head
Network scanning services: Email, Server Message Block (SMB), Cloud
Scanner configuration (Slide 2 of 2)
Image credit: 123RF.com
Lab activity (Printers and Multifunction Devices)
Lab: Select and Install a Printer (available in CertMaster Learn and CertMaster Perform)
Lab: Configure Network Printing (available in CertMaster Learn and CertMaster Perform)
Lesson review (Printers and Multifunction Devices)
List of topics: unboxing/setup, firmware management, connectivity, drivers/PDL, printer properties, printing preferences, sharing, security, scanner configuration
Print Device Maintenance (Lesson 10.2)
Laser Printer Imaging Process (Slide 1 of 3)
Processing: Document is encoded and sent to printer to be converted to bitmap
Charging: Charge roller applies negative charge to imaging drum
Exposing: Laser shines on imaging drum, removing the negative charge
Developing: Toner sticks to neutralized areas on imaging drum; Image © 123RF.com.
Laser Printer Imaging Process (Slide 2 of 3)
Transferring: Toner is transferred to paper
Fusing: Heat is applied to fuse toner to paper
Cleaning: Imaging drum is cleaned of residual toner; Image © 123RF.com.
Laser Printer Imaging Process (Slide 3 of 3)
Image courtesy of CompTIA
Laser printer maintenance
Load paper when empty
Replace toner cartridge
Ensure packing is removed before installation
Clean printer; Never use compressed air
Use damp cloth to wipe exterior
Maintenance kit components: Fuser/imaging unit; Rollers; Calibration
Inkjet printer imaging process (Slide 1 of 2)
Thermal printers: Heat ink to form a bubble that bursts, spraying ink
Piezoelectric printers: Use jet nozzle to spray ink
Carriage system: Holds print head and sometimes ink cartridges
Image © 123RF.com
Inkjet printer imaging process (Slide 2 of 2)
Image credit: Erik Bobeldijk (123RF.com)
Inkjet printer maintenance (Slide 1 of 3)
Replace rollers regularly
Ensure paper is installed correctly
Replace inkjet cartridges
Printers with ink tanks are refilled with liquid ink
Calibrate print head alignment
Clean print head
Fix paper jams
Inkjet printer maintenance (Slide 2 of 3)
Image © 123RF.com
Inkjet printer maintenance (Slide 3 of 3)
Screenshot courtesy of Microsoft
Thermal printer maintenance (Slide 1 of 2)
Wax-coated paper heats to transfer image
Commonly used for receipts, shipping labels, and barcode labels
Tearing creates dust; clean regularly
Image © 123RF.com
Thermal printer maintenance (Slide 2 of 2)
Impact printer maintenance
A dot matrix is a series of dots used to form characters
Multipart paper is carbon/carbonless with white, yellow, and pink layers
Create multiple copies in one pass
Tractor-fed paper has holes on the side to aid feeding
Lab activity (Print Device Maintenance)
Lab: Replace a Printer Fuser (available in CertMaster Learn and CertMaster Perform)
Lab: Replace a Printer Toner (available in CertMaster Learn and CertMaster Perform)
Lab: Clear a Paper Jam in a Printer (available in CertMaster Learn and CertMaster Perform)
Lesson review (Print Device Maintenance)
Topics: Laser imaging process; Laser maintenance; Inkjet imaging process; Inkjet maintenance; Thermal maintenance; Impact maintenance
Troubleshoot Print Devices (Lesson 10.3)
Printer connectivity issues
Check if printer is powered on and online
Verify consumables (ink, paper) are loaded
Print a test page
Inspect cables or wireless settings
Check for needed firmware and driver updates
For cloud printers, verify registration with cloud service
Print feed issues
For paper jams: follow on-screen instructions to clear the paper path
Verify paper settings and feed roller condition
Listen for grinding noises
Ensure cartridges and print head are seated correctly
Image courtesy of CompTIA
Print quality issues (Slide 1 of 2)
Faded or faint prints: verify print resolution and/or replace toner cartridge
Black stripes: check charge roller or high-voltage power supply
Vertical or horizontal lines: clean rollers
Print quality issues (Slide 2 of 2)
Smudged toner: replace fuser
A color is missing: replace cartridge and clean contacts; print test pages to verify results
Finishing issues
Check for incorrect page orientation
Hole punch errors
Verify max number of pages allowed
Staple errors; check for a stapler jam; check for staples empty
Screenshot courtesy of Microsoft
Print job issues (Slide 1 of 2)
Print monitor provides printing status updates
Clear old or obsolete jobs from print queue and spooler
Tray not recognized error: verify tray is fully inserted
Frozen print queue: stop and restart print spooler and clear cache
Print job issues (Slide 2 of 2)
Garbled print job: verify correct PDL is selected
Print test page; if test page is good, it may be an application-specific issue
Screenshot courtesy of Microsoft
Lab activity (Troubleshoot Print Devices)
Lab: Resolve Print Services Support Tickets (available in CertMaster Learn and CertMaster Perform)
Lesson review (Troubleshoot Print Devices)
Topics: Printer connectivity, feed, quality, finishing, and job issues