Remember the other night when my printer was wasting all that blank ink and Vince was not happy with me . . like it was my fault!
Normally, I’m not a destructive person but I can screw up a computer so fast! I mess up the printer, the scanner, the keyboard . . my fairly new laptop is missing a key! One night, I had the laptop on my lap and wasn’t even touching the keyboard and a key just went flying across the room. I saved it for Vince to put back on because I couldn’t make it stay and . . then we moved and maybe it’s in the box with my yarn swift and back handles. Thank goodness, it’s the key at the bottom that says “fn” and I haven’t a clue what that’s supposed to do so I don’t miss it.
Last week when I called Vince downstairs and showed him what was happening when I tried to print a .pdf file, he was so sure I (ME) had messed up something. That’s always what he says . . you have too many windows open, you’re saving it wrong, you’re using an old version of Adobe, the file is too big . . he really does know a lot about computers but he always blames me first. He messed around with it, updated my Adobe and then he told me to save the file under a different name before printing it. Huh? That made no sense to me but I don’t know anything about the computer and I don’t want to know anything about the computer. But, somehow, he made my pattern print last week.
Yesterday I downloaded another pattern (and ordered more yarn), hit print and got this.
Oh, my! Got rid of all 8 pages before he saw it. Saved it under a different name. Picked the page with the fewest pictures, printed that one page. Got the same thing.
Out of frustration, I was just sitting and staring at the computer screen. That always helps. I saw this:
See that bottom box on the left side that’s checked? “Print color as black”. That’s all it was. Someone checked that box. It wasn’t me . . I’m sure of that! 🙂 Chad’s not here and he sometimes used my computer to print. I’ll blame him.
Anyway, I didn’t need to update Adobe. I didn’t need to save the document as something else. I just needed to uncheck that box . . Vince! Who would ever have thought some blasted little box would cause so much trouble?
Sandi P. says
Of course I don’t know, but could someone (I’ll let you theorize on who that might have been) have checked that box to print things in B&W to save color ink which – at least for my printer – is much more expensive? I do that sometimes on things that are different colors of text, or have simple pictures with a lot of contrast and I don’t really need the details.
Anyway, glad you figured that out. Oh, and since it seems to have reset itself to that could that be set somewhere as the default? Not sure how to do or undo that, but it seems like a possibility.
Michelle says
I am laughing SO hard right now! My “c” key was hanging by a corner the other day, but I’m sure small children had something to do with it….what does that “fn” key do? I didn’t even realize I had one of those!
Debbie says
Well, thank goodness you found the solution to that problem!
Penny says
fn is short for function. You usually use the fn key together with another key e.g. if you press fn and backspace together on my MacBook you can delete the letter after where the cursor is inserted.
Glad you found the solution to all that black printing!
Liz says
On my computer, the top row of keys have “f?” and then another symbol enclosed in a box. So, pressing the fn key with one of those f keys will result in something happening. And sometimes it is something that you don’t want to happen!
Kari in UT says
So Funny! I also was having problems printing out Adobe or PDF downloads. It was printing but the words were like in a different language (probably alien language, with a lot of stars and symbols). I had to call the IT guy at work to figure out what was going on. Apparently some PDF files like to interpret what key or font has been used and it chooses off the wall symbols. There was a check box under the “Advanced” button, that says to print as shown. That box needed to be checked.
It was so frustrating to have something print but I couldn’t read it.
Now that we know solutions to our little issues, we are better computer people. YEA US!
Peggy says
I must laugh at myself as I was reading this entry. I didn’t know I had an fn key and looked down and there it was located, right where you said to look. The key that I would like to move on my laptop is the caps lock key. It is to the left of the “A” key. I used the “a” key 14 times already. Usually I will get a little wild and hit the caps lock key and EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE THIS. Since I don’t always look at the screen I redo things more times then I would like to tell anyone.
Kerstin says
I learned years ago that if you close a pdf before it is finished printing, it prints something that looks like Russian! A teacher came to me one day and asked about it. She was amazed that I knew the answer to her problem. It was only because I had done it before myself, and wasted lots of paper!
Peggy says
Once a month I print off the block of the month patterns I try to keep up with. I hit print, wait until it loads into the printer by watching the line going across my computer. Then I move on to the next item that needs to be printed. Maybe my pdf viewer, computer and printer just like me, that is until the cat walks on the printer and a beeping sound happens. Then he stopped the printing and I must start over.
Marilyn Smith says
Judy – guess I caused you all kinds of problems! Are you going to alter the pattern as the original blog writer did? What color yarn did you buy? I am going to sign up for Ravelry – maybe I will start knitting again. I do have some yummy yarn here (we have a wonderful yarn shop here) to make a shawl. I have started it several times on circular needles but having troubles using them. I need to dig that out for winter when I don’t have quilts to bind!
Debi says
We haven’t seen any updates on Chad lately? Tell us something soon!
marolyn says
How funny! I can’t wear a windup watch (they always stop running)b/c I am too electrical or something so when the computer messes up I always blame it on the electrical problem in my body. I can’t get anyone to buy that explanation, though.
Linda in NE says
I’m going to remember that little check box on the printer window. It might save my reputation some day since around here I’m known as the computer guru who can fix things. Heaven forbid someone should call me and I don’t have the answer to their problems!! 🙂 Be sure to tell Vince that YOU solved the problem.
Glen in louisiana says
It kinda makes one wonder why in the world they wouLd have a box that would print a totally black page. Hmmm.
But the I like pickles and ketchup…..
glen
Linda Steller says
I had a feeling it was one of your print settings. I think if you go into “Advanced” you can select something like quick draft printing – it uses less ink and it causes my printer to spit the papers out at me when they’re done, but it does save on the ink!
Becky R says
That happened to me recently so as I was reading this I was getting ready to tell you to check that option – so kudos for figuring it out yourself!