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Houston Chronicle Help Line column: Printer likely is crying out for a cleaning(Houston Chronicle (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Aug. 21--Q: When I try to print a photo in high quality on my new printer, the image usually has visible lines on it, which I've learned is called banding. Got any tips for getting rid of these? A: The most common cause of banding is clogged print heads or a misalignment of the print heads. The first thing you should do is run through the mechanical cleaning procedure and the mechanical alignment adjustment if your printer supports it and see if that clears it up. Also, if you want high-quality output, you should invest in better-grade paper available specifically for inkjet printers. High-resolution inkjet paper will run about 6 to 10 cents a page but can really make a difference in the output of your printer. There is also photographic paper for the inkjet printers. This runs about $1.25 per sheet. Certainly this isn't your "everyday" paper, but it is good when you are printing something you want to look its best. Q: I use Microsoft Word and have found that some of the documents it generates are often huge -- several megabytes -- even without any graphics. These are simple, all-text documents. Is there a way to make these files smaller? A: One of the features of Word is the Fast Save option. Fast saves are done by Word to make saving documents faster. The only problem is that it adds information to the Word-formatted document, which increases the actual file size each time you edit it. If you want to decrease the size of the Word document, disable Fast Saves. To do this, click the Tools menu and select Options, then click the Save tab and uncheck the Allow Fast Saves box. Click OK. The other thing that contributes to large file size is heavily formatted text. The more changes in the appearance of the document -- such as different fonts and font sizes as well as colors -- the more the file will grow in size. If you simplify the text, you will decrease the size of the final document file. Q: Is there a way to prevent certain programs from starting/running when I first turn on my PC? A: There's a relatively obscure utility that is a part of most Windows operating systems called the Microsoft System Configuration Utility, or "msconfig" for short. There's not an icon for this in your Start menu, nor is there anything in the Control Panel that would hint of its existence on your computer. You just have to know it's there and how to access it. Click on Start, then Run, type "msconfig" and hit Enter and you will see this nifty and helpful utility spring to life. In Windows Vista, just type "msconfig" into the Start menu search box and hit Enter. For the novice to intermediate user, the tab labeled Startup is the most useful section. Here you will find a list of all the little things that load when your computer is started -- such as your anti-virus, instant messaging client and so forth. There's a handy how-to article at Netsquirrel, How To Use MSCONFIG, if you're interested in a more in-depth look at the utility. You can find this at netsquirrel.com/msconfig. Write Jay Lee at [email protected]. You can view more questions and answers at the Help Line Blog located at blogs.chron.com/helpline. Lee co-hosts the weekly radio show Technology Bytes from 8-10 p.m. Wednesdays on KPFT 90.1 FM in Houston. The program is also available on the Internet at www.geekradio.com. Lee cannot personally answer all reader questions. To see more of the Houston Chronicle, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.HoustonChronicle.com. Copyright (c) 2007, Houston Chronicle Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |