First, plug your printer into the wall and turn it on.

Next, you will need to install the drivers for your printer. If you have the CD that came with your printer, insert it into the CD drive of your computer. Otherwise, you can download drivers from the manufacturer’s website. For instance https://123.hp.com/us/en/ is the home page of HP. If you purchased an HP printer, and were looking for it’s drivers. You would look here. Once you found your drivers, you need to download them, and then install your printer by following the installation prompts on screen.

Common printer problems:

• “ERROR: Unable to communicate with printer”

This error can be due to a number of printer issues. Try bypassing the printer and going to the computer. Make sure that the printer is plugged in and turned on. Make sure that the printer is operating and the paper is loaded correctly in the tray. If you are using a wireless printer, check for a weak connection or for interference from other electronics in the area.

• “ERROR: Paper Jam”

If a paper jam has occurred then you will need to remove any obstructions from the paper path of your printer. Typically, there are doors on the back and on the inside of the printer that are designed to give you clear access to the paper path so that in the event of a paper jam, you can clear the blockage.

• Prints come out blurry

If your prints are coming out blurry, the most likely scenario is that you are running low on ink or the ink has dried into the nozzle of the print cartridge. The first step is to try the maintenance settings on the printer. Oftentimes there is an option that will say clear print head. If that option does not work, then your next step is to try aligning the print head. The clear print head option attempts to run ink through the nozzle and clear out any blockages or dried out ink. The align print head option attempts to move the print head so that it more correctly lines up with the paper and the writing on the document. If neither of these options work, your last step is to try a new set of print cartridges.