How to Troubleshoot Dell Laser Printers

Many general printing issues can be resolved by performing the steps in section one. For other issues and information, see the section that best matches the wanted information.

Table of Contents:

1. General Printer Troubleshooting Steps and Procedures
2. Obtaining and Installing Printer Drivers and Software
3. Dell Laser Printer Set Up Information, Maintenance Guides and Troubleshooting Steps
4. Operating System Compatibility with Dell Printers
5. Looking up Printer Error Codes
6. Downloading and Viewing Printer Manuals
7. Dell Laser Printer Print Quality Issues
8. Resolving Faxing Issues

1. General Printer Troubleshooting Steps and Procedures

1. When connected by a USB cable, reseat both ends of the cable going from the computer to the printer.
    

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2. Restart the computer.
    

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3. Turn the printer off.
    

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4. Unplug the printer power cable from the AC outlet or surge protector and wait at least 30 seconds.
    

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5. Plug the printer power cable back into the AC outlet or surge protector.
    

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6. Turn the printer back on.
    

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7. Print a test page.
   (For instructions on how to print a test page from Windows, click the link below that corresponds to the Operating System that is installed on the computer.)
   • Touch or Click Here if Windows 11 or 10 is Installed
   • Touch or Click Here if Windows 8(8.1) is Installed
   (When the page prints successfully, no further actions are required.)
    

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8. Ensure that the wanted printer is set as the default printer.
   1. Press and hold the Windows key and then press the r key.
   2. In the Run box type, shell:PrintersFolder and then touch or click OK.
   3. Touch or click to highlight the wanted printer.
   4. Touch and hold or right-click the wanted printer.
   5. Touch or click Set as default printer.
      NOTE: When Set as the default printer in not an option, it usually means that the printer is already set as the default printer, and usually has a checkmark next to it.

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9. For networked printers (connected by a wireless or wired network and not a USB cable), ensure that the computer is on the network, and the printer portal settings and IP address are correct. (For instructions on how to ensure that the computer is on the network and the printer portal settings and IP address are correct, click the link below that corresponds to the Operating System that is installed on the computer.)
   • Touch or Click Here if Windows 11 or 10 is Installed
   • Touch or Click Here if Windows 8(8.1) is Installed
    

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10. Run the Printer troubleshooter to diagnose and automatically correct any printer spooler issues. For more information, see the Dell Knowledge Base article Clearing the Printer Spooler, Troubleshoot Printer Spooler Errors, and Removing Printers from Windows Registry.
     

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11. Print a test page.
    (For instructions on how to print a test page from Windows, click the link below that corresponds to the Operating System that is installed on the computer.)
    • Touch or Click Here if Windows 11 or 10 is Installed
    • Touch or Click Here if Windows 8(8.1) is Installed
    (When the page prints successfully, no further actions are required.)
     

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12. Perform a System Restore to a time when the printer was working.
    For instructions on how to perform a System Restore, see one of the Dell Knowledge Base articles listed:
    • For Windows 11, Reset or Reinstall Windows 11 on Your Dell Computer.
    • For Windows 10, Reset or reinstall Windows 10 on your Dell computer.
    • For Windows 8(8.1), How To Restore or Reinstall Microsoft Windows on a Dell Computer.
    NOTE: When the printer still does not work successfully, go to step 13.
     

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13. Uninstall and reinstall the driver for your printer, for more information see the Dell Knowledge Base article Getting Dell Printer Drivers, Software, User Guides and Firmware.  

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2. Obtaining and Installing Printer Drivers and Software

See the Dell Knowledge Base article Getting Dell Printer Drivers, Software, User Guides and Firmware for help and instructions on how to get drivers and utilities for your specific Operating System.

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3. Dell Laser Printer Set Up Information, Maintenance Guides and Troubleshooting Steps

Articles that are specific to your printer's issues may be available on our Dell Product Support page. These articles include general information and troubleshooting guides.

To go to your printer's product page:

For specific information about how to download or view the manual for your printer, see the Downloading and Viewing Printer Manuals section.

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4. Operating System Compatibility with Dell Printers

Select the Dell Knowledge Base article that matches the Operating System that is installed on your computer, for a list of compatible printers.

• Microsoft Windows 10 and Windows 11 Compatibility with Dell Printers
• Microsoft Windows 10 S Compatibility with Dell Printers
• Microsoft Windows 8.1 Compatibility with Dell Printers

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5. Looking up Printer Error Codes

There are several options to locate information about printer error codes:

• Browse to the Dell Support Page and input the error into the search box at the top of the page.
• Download the manual for your printer, and using the search function (Ctrl + f), and input the error.
• Browse to the Google Search Page and input the error into the search box.
  NOTES:

  • When you get too many results just using the error code, include the model number of your printer.
  • For instructions on obtaining printer manuals, see the Downloading and Viewing Printer Manuals section.

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6. Downloading and Viewing Printer Manuals

To get a concise list of manuals or guides for your Dell printer, perform the following steps.

1. Browse to the Dell Product Manuals page.

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2. There are two options to obtain the manuals and guides for your Dell Printer.
   NOTE: The automated Detect Product process does not work on printers.
   • Enter your Service Tag, Express Service Code or Product Model.
     Note: For information about how to locate your printer's Service Tag, see the How to Find the Service tag on a Dell Printer page.

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   • Touch or click Browse all Products, and then:
     1. Touch or click Electronics & Accessories.
     2. Touch or click Printers & Accessories.
     3. Touch or click Dell Printers, MultiFunction Printers, Legacy Printers, or Smart Printers.
     4. Select your printer model (the model number of your printer is shown on the front of the printer).
     5. Select PDF or HTML next to the manual and guide that is wanted, to start the download. When the manuals or guides are available in other languages, a Drop Down menu allows you to change the language.

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   NOTE: Most manuals and guides come in the PDF format and is the easiest way to view the manual or guide. When a PDF reader is not already installed, a PDF reader (Acrobat Reader) is available for free from Adobe.

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7. Dell Laser Printer Print Quality issues

To find information about resolving print quality issues that are specific to your printer, perform one or more of the options below.

• To get a concise list of Knowledge Base articles for your Dell printer, perform the following steps.

  1. Browse to the Dell Product Support page.

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  2. There are two options to obtain articles for your Dell Printer.
     NOTE: The automated Detect Product process does not work on printers.
     • Enter your Service Tag, Express Service Code, or Product Model.
       Note: For information about how to locate your printer's Service Tag, see the How to Find the Service tag on a Dell Printer page.

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     • Touch or click Browse all Products, and then:
       1. Touch or click Electronics & Accessories.
       2. Touch or click Printers & Accessories.
       3. Touch or click Dell Printers, MultiFunction Printers, Legacy Printers, or Smart Printers.
       4. Select your printer model (the model number of your printer is shown on the front of the printer).
       5. Select the Documentation tab when not already on it, to see what articles are available.

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• Browse to the Dell Support Page and search for print quality using the search box at the top of the page.
  NOTE: When you get too many results, just using the words print quality, include the model number of your printer.
• Download the manual for your printer, and using the search function (Ctrl + f), look for the print quality section (if available). For more information about how to download or view the manual for your printer, see the Downloading and Viewing Printer Manuals section.
• Browse to the Google Search Page and input print quality into the search box, and include the model number of your printer.

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8. Resolving Faxing Issues

See Dell Knowledge Base article Resolving Faxing Issues, for help with resolving faxing issues.

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More information can be found in the User Guide for your model printer, or go to our Printer Support site for additional information, troubleshooting articles and videos.  

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Recommended Articles

Here are some recommended articles related to this topic that might be of interest to you.

• Dell Printer Uninstalling, Downloading and Installing Printer Drivers, Software, Manuals, and Firmware
• How to Troubleshoot Driver or Software Errors on Dell Laser Printers
• How to Troubleshoot Dell Inkjet Printers
• How to Print a Test Page in Windows
• Windows 10 and Windows 11 Compatibility with Dell Printers