220-1101 Question 181
Single answerVertical alignment (VA)A user reports that text documents printed on a laser printer appear noticeably shifted upward on every page. The top margin is smaller than expected, and some header text is cut off, but the image is not skewed or stretched. The issue occurs from multiple applications and after reinstalling the print driver. You print the printer's built-in configuration page and see the same problem. Which action is the MOST appropriate next step to correct this vertical alignment (VA) issue?
- A
Run the printer's vertical alignment or registration adjustment from the printer maintenance/calibration menu
- B
Replace the computer's video cable because display timing can affect print positioning
- C
Increase the paper size setting in the print driver from Letter to Legal
- D
Clean the scanner glass and automatic document feeder rollers
- E
Reinstall the word processing application that the user was printing from
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This scenario points to a printer hardware or firmware-side print-positioning problem rather than a host computer problem. A key troubleshooting best practice in A+ is to isolate the fault domain: if the printer's internal configuration or status page shows the same defect, the issue exists within the printer itself. For consistent top-to-bottom image placement errors without skewing, the appropriate corrective step is to use the device's maintenance, calibration, or registration settings for vertical alignment. This aligns with standard printer troubleshooting guidance from major printer manufacturers, which typically recommends using built-in calibration or registration tools when page content is shifted or margins are inconsistent on internal test pages.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Because the problem appears on the printer's internal configuration page as well as jobs from multiple applications, the issue is isolated to the printer rather than the PC, application, or driver. A vertical alignment/registration or calibration adjustment is the most appropriate next troubleshooting step for consistent up-or-down image placement problems on printed pages.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The video cable affects what appears on the monitor, not how a printer positions text on paper. This distractor reflects confusion between display output and print engine alignment.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Changing the paper size would not properly correct a true vertical alignment problem and would likely create new formatting issues, such as scaling or pagination errors. Since the printer's own configuration page is also misaligned, the problem is not caused by the application's paper settings.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Cleaning scanner components is relevant to scan/copy quality problems such as lines, smudges, or feeder misfeeds. In this scenario, the issue is with printed output alignment, including an internally generated printer page, so scanner maintenance would not address the root cause.
- E. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Reinstalling a single application is not appropriate because the symptom occurs across multiple applications and on the printer's built-in page. That strongly indicates a printer-side alignment or calibration issue rather than software corruption in one program.