Lexmark x 1240 (by 3 users)

Hi Margeau. Mine still doesn't work. I did receive a farily detailed list of suggestions from the tech support at Lexmark. I will insert that info below, including my replies which should appear in red. These steps are probably worth doing, but they didn't fix mine.

Good luck. Mitch

Thank you very much for replying to my service request. I have written (in red) the response to the suggested interventions below, in the list of your original recommendations. Sadly, the printer still doesn't work. Please read my comments below. Thanks. ----- Original Message ----- From: Lexmark Support To: mjleavitt@gmail.com Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:11 AM Subject: Lexmark Technical Support 1-864713221
Dear Mitch,

Here is your Service Request # 1-864713221

Thank you for using Lexmark’s e-mail support service. I very much appreciate the opportunity to serve you, and I look forward to providing you with a speedy and effective solution.

Please begin by disconnecting the power supply from the wall (not the back of the printer) for at least "30 seconds." Then plug the printer back in.

Next, try this printer self-test by following the steps given below:

1. Power the printer off.
2. Press and hold the "Paper Feed" button.
3. While still holding the "Paper Feed" button, press and release the "Power" button. Continue holding the "Paper Feed" button.
4. When the printer starts pulling paper, release the "Paper Feed" button. It should print a test page at this point.
5. Power the printer off, as this test is continuous.

The self-test should at least print out a set of either a solid black or solid color bars, if not both (if you have a printer with both color and black installed simultaneously (I have only a color cartridge, no 27). The paper does feed, and it sounds like the printhead is definitely moving across the page, but no ink is on the output page (s). (Should this test fail, please try it again without cartridges installed. Again, the paper feeds porperly). If the self-test still fails to take paper in and make sounds like the carrier is moving across the paper, this is a hardware issue, and the printer will require service. If the self-test completes without any cartridges installed, run the self-test again with only a color cartridge installed (If you have both black and color cartridges, after this test, run the test again with just the black cartridge installed). If you find that either cartridge causes the self-test to fail, please let us know. It still feeds paper, but no ink is on the paper.

However, a technique to improve print quality is to try and clean the cartridge nozzles. You can clean the cartridge using the following steps given below:

Click on "Start," go to "All Programs," and down to the Lexmark. Click on the "Solution Center." Next, click on the "Maintenance" tab. Select "Clean to fix horizontal strips." This will produce a printed page.

The colors that you should see here are black, yellow, magenta (a reddish purple) and cyan (a dark sky blue). You should notice the diagonal lines above and below the solid horizontal lines. These diagonal lines should be solid from left to right with no gaps.

If there are gaps in the lines or the print diminishes across the page, you should run the "Clean to fix horizontal strips" page a couple more times to try and clear it up. If you still have gaps at the top and bottom, you should "wick" the cartridges by following the steps given below:

1. Please open the "Solution Center" again and go to the "Maintenance" Tab.
2. Select "Install color/black cartridge" and remove the cartridge (or cartridges) from the printer.
3. Get a damp paper towel.
4. Set the ink cartridge right side up on the damp paper towel so that the ink nozzles are against the towel and hold the cartridge in this position for about 15 seconds.
5. Now wipe the print head (on the bottom where the ink comes out) across in one direction only (left to right) until it looks clean.
6. Next dab the cartridge on the towel to make sure that the ink is flowing. All 3 colors of ink are visible on the dry paper towel when I dab it, confirming that the ink flows easily from the cartridge (it's a new cartridge).
7. Snap the cartridges back into the printer.
8. On your computer, select "Old Cartridge install."
9. Repeat the "Clean to fix horizontal strips" one more time. If this fails to address the problem, the entire procedure may need repeating. The page still feeds but nothing prints on it.

Also if this fails to resolve the issue, the maintenance station may have an excess build-up of ink. The maintenance station is located inside the printer on the right hand side. This is the same area where the cartridges sit when in the "idle" position. To access the maintenance station: Unplug everything from the back of your printer, open the front cover and look above the steel rod. You should see a conveyor belt with rubber teeth on it, like a fanbelt. On some models, the cartridge access will be very small, but the belt should still be visible. Take the top part of the belt and move it gently to the right.

***Note*** please do not pull outwards on the belt. The cartridges should come over towards the left side of the printer. The maintenance station will be on the right side on the bottom of the printer behind the fixed cover. Clean the area with several damp cotton swabs or damp papertowels until the build up of ink is removed. After moving the cartridge over to the left, I can clearly see the maintenance station, with tiny ink splatters in the region. They don't seem excessive. I cleaned them with water-dampened cotton swabs.

Let us see if it will print from a basic Windows application. OK, I recommencted the power, and connected the printer back to the computer. Please click on "Start," go to "Programs," go to "Accessories" and click on "WordPad." Once that opens, type your name or a short sentence. Click on "File" and then select "Print." Make sure the Lexmark printer is listed as the printer. Make sure you have paper in your printer, and click on "OK." Darn, as before, the printer responds to the command, feeds the paper, and the printhead definitely moves across the bar (the page), and sounds like it is printing. But the output page remains blank.

If the printer will print black from here, but not another application (like internet), it may be an issue with the application. If the printer still won't print black but it does so with the Clean Print Nozzles or Print Test page, uninstall and reinstall the printer driver to ensure an uncorrupted installation. It won't print from any source. I did uninstall and reinstall the drivers, but that didn't help.

You may also wish to stay in WordPad, select parts of the sentence by clicking and dragging over them, and then going to the small "Palette" icon on the toolbar and choosing Red, Blue or Yellow to test the color aspects of your cartridge (The best test is one word or sentence of each color, including black).Ah, that's a good idea. I tried ten various colors of read, yellow and blue...still nothing prints on the page.

If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact me at your convenience and I will be happy to assist you. (If I am not available, another representative will reply to you as soon as possible.) To respond, please select "Reply" in your e-mail software, and be sure that the past e-mail is included in this reply. Well, it still doesn't work. I really appreciate this help so far, but I wonder if you have any other ideas. I was then asked a series of questions about the printer. Eventually, since I purchased a new 'after-market' cartridge to try to get it to work, they suggested that I buy a Lexmark cartridge instead. I am reluctant to do that, since I'm doubtful it will make a difference. Good Luck