Xante Accel-a-Writer 812 Operating instructions

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Chapter 10 - Troubleshooting
Chapter Overview
Jams
Preventing Jams
Clearing Jams
Status Messages
Printer Status Messages
Printer Error Messages
Preliminary Troubleshooting
The General Checkup
Macintosh Environment Checkup
PC Environment Checkup
Miscellaneous Troubleshooting
Print Quality Troubleshooting
Calling for Technical Support
Troubleshooting Information

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Notes

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Introduction
Whether you are a new user of the Accel-a-Writer 812 or an old pro,
this chapter can help you correct most problems encountered. It
covers printer hardware starting with printer jams, followed by status
messages, and a preliminary troubleshooting procedure. Then the
chapter goes over miscellaneous troubleshooting and print quality
issues. The final section provides specifics on XANTÉ Technical
Support and how to place a service call.
Jams
This section covers preventing and clearing media jams.
Preventing Jams
Many jams are the result of using the wrong consumables, either
toner or media, and handling the consumables incorrectly. The
following tips can help avoid these types of jams.
• Make sure all media meets the guidelines in “Media
Handling” in chapter 6.
• Make sure media is stored following the guidelines in
“Storing Media” in chapter 6.
• Make sure the correct size media is loaded in the selected
cassette or tray.
• When printing on various media, always follow the
guidelines in the corresponding sections of chapter 6
(“Printing Transparencies,” “Printing Envelopes,” or
“Printing Labels”).

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• Make sure all media is in good condition—not torn,
wrinkled, curled, or damp.
• Never overfill cassettes or the fold down tray. The
cassettes hold approximately 250 sheets of plain or laser
paper. The fold down tray holds approximately 100 sheets
of laser or plain paper, 50 transparencies, 40 label sheets or
up to 10 envelopes. Make sure stock does not exceed
upper limit marks on the cassette or tray.
• Always load the cassette media print-side down and the
fold down paper tray media print-side up.
• Empty the output tray when it gets full to prevent the
media already in the tray from blocking media as it exits
the printer.
• Use XANTÉ supplied toner.
• Do not use refilled toner cartridges.
• Make sure to handle and store toner cartridges following
the guidelines in the “Handling and Replacing the Toner
Cartridge” section of chapter 6.
• Keep the printer clean. See “Cleaning the Printer” in
chapter 8 for details.
Clearing Jams
Jams can occur along the paper path in the four major areas
illustrated in figure 10.1. The four areas are
• The paper pick-up areas
• The paper access door area
• The fuser assembly area
• The paper exit area

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Since media jams can occur in several areas at the same time, you
need to check the full paper path.
Fig. 10.1 The Paper Path
Note: Your printer has an automatic jam recovery feature. This
means if the feature is enabled and a multiple page job jams,
as long as you do not turn off the printer to remove the jam,
the printer reprints the jammed page and the rest of the job.
See “The Jam Recovery Menu” in chapter 5 for more details.
Paper Pick-up Areas
Use the following procedure to clear paper pick-up area jams.
1. If you are using the fold down tray, skip to step 3. If you are
using a 500 or 250 sheet cassette, remove the cassette.

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2. Check the cassette slot for jammed media. If found, gently pull
the media out in the direction of the arrow in figure 10.2.
ONLINE FORM FEED TRAY SELECT
ENTER MENU
RESET TEST
DATA MANUAL READY
Fig. 10.2 Remove the Jam from the Cassette Slot
3. Check the fold down tray slot for a media jam. If it is there, gently
pull the media out in the direction of the arrow in figure 10.3.
ONLINE FORM FEED TRAY SELECT
ENTER MENU
RESET TEST
DATA MANUAL READY
Fig. 10.3 Remove the Jam from the Fold Down Tray

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4. Continue checking the paper path for jams in the access door
area.
Access Door Area
Use the following procedure to clear access door area jams.
1. Open the top cover (fig. 10.4).
ONLINE FORM FEED TRAY SELECT
ENTER MENU
RESET TEST
DATA MANUAL READY
Fig. 10.4 Open the Top Cover

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2. Remove the Toner cartridge and set it aside (fig. 10.5).
ONLINE FORM FEED TRAY SELECT
ENTER MENU
RESET TEST
DATA MANUAL READY
Fig. 10.5 Remove the Toner Cartridge
Caution: The toner cartridge is sensitive to bright lights and
direct sunlight. Do not keep it out of the printer for
any extended periods without putting it in the bag
it was shipped in or covering it with a dark cloth.
The cartridge contains a magnet, so keep it away
from your hard disk(s) and monitor to prevent
possible data loss or equipment damage.

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3. Open the paper access door by pulling the green lever on the
left (fig. 10.6).
Fig. 10.6 Open the Paper Access Door

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4. Check the paper access door area for a jam. If found, remove
the jam in one of the following ways.
a. Remove the jam by gently pulling it out from the
standard cassette slot if you can see the media in the slot
and it will easily pull out (fig. 10.7).
ONLINE FORM FEED TRAY SELECT
ENTER MENU
RESET TEST
DATA MANUAL READY
Fig. 10.7 Remove the Jam via the Cassette Slot

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b. Remove the jam gently by first moving it toward the
printer and then pulling it toward you (fig. 10.8).
Fig. 10.8 Remove the Jam via the Access Door Area
c. If the media has already entered the fuser area and does
not come out easily, skip to the next section, “Fuser
Assembly Area.”
5. Close the paper access door.
6. Continue checking the paper path for jams in the fuser
assembly area.

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Fuser Assembly Area
Use the following procedure to clear fuser assembly area jams.
Warning! The fuser unit can become extremely hot during
printing and can cause severe burns. Do not touch this
area.
1. Check the fuser area for a jam. If found, gently pull the media
out in the direction of the arrow in figure 10.9.
Fig. 10.9 Remove the Jam from the Fuser Assembly Area

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2. Align and slide the toner cartridge back into the printer until it
rests securely in place (fig. 10.10). If the cartridge is not seated
correctly, the top cover will not close completely.
ONLINE FORM FEED TRAY SELECT
ENTER MENU
RESET TEST
DATA MANUAL READY
Fig. 10.10 Load the Toner Cartridge
3. Close the top cover.
4. Continue checking the paper path for jams in the paper exit
area.

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Paper Exit Area
Use the following procedure to clear paper exit area jams.
1. Open the rear cover by pressing in and pulling the latch back
and down (fig. 10.11).
Fig. 10.11 Open the Rear Cover

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2. Remove the jam using one of the following methods.
a. If the media is not completely past the fuser area, first
gently pull the media’s trailing edge loose from the fuser
unit and then pull the lead edge to remove the media via
the paper exit (fig. 10.12).
Fig. 10.12 Remove the Jam from the Fuser and Paper Exit Area

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b. If the media is past the fuser area, press and hold down
the green lever on the left to release the paper lock bar.
Remove the jam by pulling the media’s trailing edge
down in the direction of the arrow in figure 10.13, and
then release the green lever.
Fig. 10.13 Remove a Jam from the Paper Exit Area
3. Close the rear cover, making sure it latches firmly.
Status Messages
Often, you can solve questions by checking the display window on
your printer’s front panel for printer status or service messages.
Printer Status Messages
The following messages alert you to the general status of your printer
or to situations which require you take some action such as loading
paper.

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ACCEL-A-WRITER The power to the printer has been turned
on and the printer is coming up to full
power before beginning to initialize.
FEED B5 Manual feed is selected and B5 media is
selected and needs to be loaded into the
printer.
FEED <PAGE SIZE> Manual feed is selected. <PAGE SIZE>
is replaced by the size of the selected
media, such as letter.
FIRST JOB The printer is checking to see if there is
an initializing file (such as
STARTPAGE) which needs to be run.
INITIALIZING The printer is warming up, performing
setup routines, and getting ready to go
on line.
NO EP-CART The toner cartridge is either not in the
printer or not seated firmly in the
printer. Install a toner cartridge or reseat
the current cartridge.
OFFLINE The printer is off line which means it is
not ready to receive and process data.
PAPER JAM A media jam has occurred along the
paper path. Clear the jam using the
procedure in “Clearing Jams” earlier in
this chapter.
PAPER OUT Either the cassette is pulled out or the
selected media source is out of paper.
Push the cassette in or fill the current
media cassette or tray.
PRINTER OPEN The printer is not closed completely.
Make sure the top cover is closed
completely.

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PROCESSING The printer is processing a job,
preparing it to print.
READY/IDLE The printer is on line and ready to
accept a print job.
READY/PRINTING The printer is completing a print job and
ready to accept a new job to begin
processing.
RESET TO STOP The printer has been taken off line
during an active job.
RESETTING JOB The printer is resetting after the Reset ↑
key has been pressed and an active job
has been cancelled.
TEST PRINT The printer is printing a test page when
the printer is off line and not working
within the menu structure.
TONER LOW The toner is running low. Try
redistributing toner in the current
cartridge or install a new toner cartridge.
WAITING The printer is waiting to receive more
data on a job before printing.
WARMING UP The printer is warming up and the fuser
unit has not reached optimum
temperature yet. Wait until READY/
IDLE appears in the display window
before sending a job to the printer.

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Printer Service Messages
You may see one of the following messages occasionally which
indicates a mechanical issue requiring a service call. Be sure to make
a note of the message before calling.
SERVICE A The fuser unit needs attention.
SERVICE B The laser diode, scanning mirror, or
scanning motor needs attention.
SERVICE E An engine part other than one covered
by SERVICE A or B needs attention.
Preliminary Troubleshooting
Preliminary troubleshooting covers both a general once over of the
printer and then specific checks depending on the environment,
Macintosh, PC, or Ethernet. Also, Ethernet troubleshooting is
covered in the Ethernet upgrade documentation.
The General Checkup
If you experience problems printing, the following quick checkup
may provide an easy, fast solution regardless of your printing
environment.
• Make sure the power cord is plugged into the printer and
the power source.
• Make sure the power source is working.
• Make sure all cables are connected and seated properly.
• Depending on your working environment, either go to the
next section, “Macintosh Environment Checkup” or skip to
“PC Environment Checkup” later in this chapter.

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Macintosh Environment Checkup
In a Macintosh environment, if you experience printing problems,
other than quality ones, the following quick checkup may provide an
easy, fast solution.
• Make sure all LocalTalk cabling and transformer boxes are
connected correctly. If there are any open sockets, close
them with terminating resistors. See “Connecting in a
Macintosh Environment” in chapter 2 for details.
• Make sure you select the correct LaserWriter icon and
your printer, and verify that LocalTalk is active in the
Chooser.
• Make sure the correct LaserWriter file is in your System
Folder.
• Make sure you install screen fonts to match the printer
fonts you use. See “Loading Screen Fonts” in chapter 3 for
details.
• If you have an Ethernet setup, make sure all Ethernet
cabling is connected correctly. See your network
documentation for details.
• If you have an Ethernet setup, open the Control Panel,
click Network, make sure Ethernet is selected, and change
from LocalTalk to EtherTalk.
PC Environment Checkup
In a PC environment, if you experience printing problems, other than
quality ones, the following quick checkup may provide an easy, fast
solution.
• Make sure your application, printer, and host
communications settings all match. You can check and
change printer settings through the front panel (see “The
Configuration Menu Structure” in chapter 5). See your
application and host documentation for checking and
changing those respective settings.