Chapter 13: Printers and Scanners

The management of printers and scanners can be a challenging technical hurdle for even the most seasoned computing professional. Organizational productivity usually screeches to a grinding halt when the printer isn’t working! In this series of CompTIA A+ training videos, we’ll provide you with an introduction to printers and scanner technologies and take you through the process of selecting, installing, and supporting a printer and scanner.

What’s the difference between an inkjet printer and a laser printer? How does a thermal printer work? How is a flatbed scanner different than a drum scanner? Get these answers and much more in this CompTIA A+ training video on printers, scanners, and all-in-one devices!

What are the major components of your printer, and what do you need to keep it running? In this video, we’ll show you key features of printer drivers, how memory is used by printers, and how printers and scanners feed paper. We’ll also detail printer consumables and methods of connecting to printers and scanners over local and remote interfaces.

As a CompTIA A+ certified professional, you’ll often be asked to research specifications and make recommendations for new printers and scanners. In this video, we’ll step through the entire process of planning, installing, and upgrading a printer or scanner in your organization.

Once a printer or scanner is installed, there’s no guarantee that the devices will work efficiently. Every printer or scanner must be optimized to provide the highest quality performance. In this video, we’ll show you how to optimize printers through tray switching, print spool settings, device calibration, and more. We’ll also show you how optimizing resolution, file formats, and default settings can impact the quality of scanned documents.

When the printer or scanner is down, where do you start the troubleshooting process? What tools will you need to solve the problem? In this video, we’ll show you where to start troubleshooting, what tools to bring to the job, and what common problems you can expect to see with printers and scanners.

Printers and scanners are mechanical devices that require ongoing preventive maintenance to keep them running at peak efficiency. In this video, we’ll show you how to keep your printer and scanner running perfectly while maintaining a safe work environment.