Looking for Answers about samsung CLX-3185FW?

Thank you for contacting Samsung. Perhaps you need to adjust the altitude setting on your printer. Thank you for being a Samsung customer!

The Samsung Online Support Team

I had exactly the same trouble. I fixed this by using the dial on the printer to reset all parameters (using the menu for that, in system settings). I then reconnected the printer to the wi-fi network, entered all my other settings and voilà! It didn't fail since. Before that, I couldn't use the printer after about 5 minutes from turning it on.

I hope this will help.

Did you, by chance, shut off the printer for the evening as well so that in the morning, you had to power it back up just as you had to power up the laptop computers? If so, then what probably happened was that your printer lost its DHCP address assignment and, therefore, when it powered back up, it went out to the DHCP server built into your wireless router and requested a new address. That new address is different than what the printer originally had, so the laptops are looking for it at the wrong address. The easiest way to resolve this is to use the DHCP server in the router to give it a "static" address assignment. This way, each and every time that the printer powers up and does not have an active address assigned to it, the DHCP server will give it the same address that you have set for it to have permanently. For example, if your router assigns addresses 192.168.0.100 through 192.168.0.199 from the DHCP pool, you can have it give the printer a "static DHCP" assignment of 192.168.0.199. That way, you and your computers will always know that it is at that 199 address and, therefore, can always see it and print to it. Once you have set the address to what you wish for it to be, you will need to go into each of the laptops (and any other machines that you wish to have print to that printer) and reconfigure their IP address "printer ports" to point to that address. If you are not familiar with how to do some portion of this process, I would suggest getting in touch either with Samsung's technical support (for the Windows portion of the process) or with the manufacturer of your wireless router (for the router portion of the process) for further assistance.

The Toner Save functionality seems to be related to just graphics. Check how the Print Quality is set on the Basic tab. By default, it is set at Normal but if it is printing excessively lightly, then it may have been set to draft or it could be that your toner cartridge is running out of powder and, thus, you need to compensate by using Best instead of Normal. Remember, the black toner cartridge has an average 1500 page yield (at 5% coverage per printed page). Also, if you are still working with the first cartridge, it could be that it is a "starter" cartridge rather than a full-yield cartridge, so even if you have not printed nearly 1500 pages, you could still be running out of toner. (I haven't yet determined whether that is the case since I got my unit only yesterday).

If none of this works, it could also indicate problems within the unit itself such as a dirty charging roller (the foam roller that puts a positive charge to the paper prior to the application of the toner, which carries a negative charge). If there has been a toner spill inside the printer, that could easily cause this problem. The charging roller is not a user-serviceable part, so you will need to get in touch with an authorized repair center to replace that part. Presumably this unit is still under warranty, so it could be that the replacement--if done by an authorized repair center--will cost you nothing.

Hmmm, you say that you hit the "Scan to USB" option but you did not say whether you hit the Color Start or Black Start button (hitting either will allow the same result, namely the scan platen will start to move and take in the image of your document). After the scan is complete for that page, you should receive a message asking if you have other pages to scan. If the answer is no, then it will actually take the image (or images, if you have scanned more than one page) from memory and write them out to your USB device. The writing does not actually occur until after the final question is answered. If you are omitting answering that question, that would explain why you are not seeing any files written to your flash drive.

Thank you for contacting Samsung.

Just so that you are aware, there are no printer drivers released for specific browser versions. They are released in conjunction with specific operating systems (Windows XP, Windows 7, Mac OS). To attempt to fix the script error, we suggest you delete your browsing history and also check to make sure you have the latest version of Java installed. Please refer to the links below for more info.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/How-to-delete-your-browsing-history-in-Internet-Explorer-9

http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp

If this does not fix the issue, we suggest you consider using a different browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox to see if you encounter the same issues with printing.

If you have any additional questions, we suggest your refer to your product manual or the product support page on our website, where you'll find a comprehensive troubleshooting guide, product support videos, FAQs and How-Tos, as well as manual, driver & software downloads.

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/CLX-3185FW/XAA

Thank you for being a Samsung customer!

The Samsung Online Support Team

This sounds like a driver problem. Windows Update may have tried to install a new version of the driver but, instead, corrupted it. What I would suggest is removing and reinstalling the software that came with your printer.

Hmmm, that could be a limitation of the Samsung Printer Language (SPL) and, thus, you might want to try switching over to the more universal Printer Control Language version 6 (PCL 6). You accomplish this by going to Control Panel and double-clicking the Printers and Faxes control panel applet (if using Windows XP) or the Devices and Printers control panel applet (in Windows 7). Once there, right-click on the CLX-3185FW and click on either Properties (Windows XP) or Printer Properties (Windows 7) and wait for a new window to appear. The next to right-most tab will be Device Options and you should see the only option there is Printer Language, which is currently defaulted to SPL. Change that to PCL 6 and click OK at the bottom right of that window. Try printing again and see if that resolves your problem.

Simply go to:

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/CLX-3185FW/XAA

and download the appropriate software for your computer. Presuming that you have a computer using some version of Windows, the file you should download for the printing capability is the one named:

Print Driver (Driver) (ver.3.11.34.00)

For the scanning capability, also get the file named:

Scan Driver (Driver) (ver.3.21.14.01:12)

Both are executable files, so download them and double-click on one and go through the steps until it is finished, then do the same with the other.

This is a question you need to ask Samsung's technical support. The questions posted here are read and answered by your fellow product owners. I made the same error when I first had a question: I posted it here, thinking I was talking with Samsung but, alas, that is not the case. (Once I got the right answer, I came back later and posted what I learned from Samsung in answer to my own query for the benefit of the other users.)

Yes, this printer is compatible with a Macintosh as well as a standard computer. You can download the printer and scanner drivers for Mac OS 10.3 through 10.6 from:

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/CLX-3185FW/XAA

Thank you for contacting Samsung. Make sure toner save mode isn't enabled. If you have any further problems, please contact us at qasupport@sea.samsung.com

Thank you for being a Samsung customer!

The Samsung Online Support Team

The printer is not set up for "manual feeding" of paper: there is no multipurpose tray or anything of that nature on this machine. That is actually something that I see as an oversight on Samsung's part. The way to overcome this is to remove the paper that is in the paper cassette and fill it with whatever stock you wish to use. However, if you are printing something, such as a cover letter, on special stock and, therefore, need only one piece that is the same width as your typical paper (let's presume letter size), then what I often do is just slide it along the top of the cassette until it falls between the two paper guides on the two sides of the paper in the cassette. This ensures that the paper will be fed correctly and also makes sure that it is the first piece of paper retrieved by the paper pickup rollers. The way the manual recommends doing it is to place the paper you want to use in the paper tray. If it's only a single sheet, then put it on top of the other stock face down with the top edge farthest inside the printer.

There are a number of details missing from the problem description, so let's see if we can get some of the issues covered and help point you in the right direction.

First, I am going to assume that you are using a Windows machine rather than some sort of Apple Macintosh. Second, I am going to assume that you have the printer attached to your computer in only one fashion (such as only USB or network) rather than multiple ways. (The reason being that if you have the printer attached by USB and you are also trying to look at it through the network, that can very easily confuse Windows and you can get all sorts of odd problems such as not being able to print or printing only about half of a document.)

So, let's start with baby steps. You got the printer unboxed, all the various bits and pieces of tape and other packing material removed, and found the toner cartridges already installed inside the machine. You then attached the power cable and decided whether to use the printer by USB connection or network connection. After making this decision and prior to attaching the USB cable (if you chose that option), you installed the driver from the disc that came with the printer, correct? If not, then either use the disc that came with the printer or download the software from

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/CLX-3185FW/XAA

During the installation of the driver, you will be asked how you wish to attach the printer. Make the appropriate selection for your installation and proceed as directed.

Once the installation is done and any appropriate cable is attached to the printer and either the network or your computer, all should be ready to go. Windows will probably already have set the new printer as your default. To verify this is the case (or change it to another printer if you wish this not to be the default), go to your Start Menu, Control Panel, and Printers and Faxes (or, in Windows 7, go to Start Menu, Control Panel, Devices and Printers). If it is the default printer, you will see a circle with a white checkmark inside next to the printer's icon. Open a document in your preferred word processor (such as WordPerfect of MS Word) and press Ctrl-P to get ready to print. Before hitting the "Print" or "OK" button, make sure that the CLX-3185FW printer you just installed is the selected printer at the drop-down menu at the top of this print window. If it is not, then select it, then press the button on the window to send the document to print.

If it still is not printing, then more than likely there is a configuration error and the best way to get this resolved would be to call Samsung's technical support to determine the cause of the problem. (Be aware that those of us who answer questions here are fellow printer owners such as you.) You can reach Samsung's technical support staff at 1-800-SAMSUNG (1-800-726-7864). Per the Samsung website, they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at this number.

No, the LCD on the printer has no backlight. It is not common to have a backlight on a printer's message/menu display, similar to how it is not likely to have a backlight on a calculator. In most cases, you are going to be in a well-lit office that will have enough light to insure the message is visible.

The toner cartridges are the four thin things in front of the "big drum thing." That larger part is actually called the image drum and needs to be replaced only very rarely. (Per Samsung, about once every 50,000 pages or so, if I remember correctly.) The toner cartridges for the CLX3185FW last 1000 pages for each of the colors and 1500 pages for the black.

From what I have found, Samsung actually bases those numbers are page counts rather than testing for toner levels within the cartridges. This probably allows for the cartridges to be simpler and, thus, cheaper to manufacture but can lead to replacing the cartridges more often than necessary. However, this helps to make sure that the image quality remains at a consistently high level by not running low on one color or another.

As for which you replace, more than likely, once you are informed that you need to replace one color, you will probably need to replace all the colors. The black will need to be replaced only by itself typically since it is judged by an independent page counter.

Thank you for contacting Samsung.

We're sorry to hear you're encountering this issue with your Samsung printer.

We suggest you refer to the following troubleshooting article to help you better determine the issue.

http://support-us.samsung.com/cyber/popup/iframe/pop_troubleshooting_fr.jsp?idx=165202&modelname=CLX-3185FW&modelcode=&session_id=Phvpgv3Lh8JGhk1pt7RQhPKyt1LWmDSV2HTfhcBMLZxcQPZc7cTX%21-1721297013%211358249754%211335976606672

For further guidance, we recommend referring to your product manual that came with the product or to the product page on our website, where you'll find a comprehensive troubleshooting guide, FAQs and How-Tos, product support videos, as well as product manual, software, driver & firmware downloads.

** If you click on the Community Q&A tab, there is a customer discussion at the top of the list that seems to deal with the same issue you're encountering. One customer in Canada said that they were able to get it working by resetting the printer to factory defaults and reconnecting it to their wireless network **

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/supportOwnersProduct.do?prd_ia_cd=N0000189&prd_mdl_cd=CLX-3185FW%2FXAA&prd_mdl_name=CLX-3185FW#

If you continue to encounter issues after following the above actions, we suggest calling 1-800-SAMSUNG to talk with a trained agent who could assist in getting it working for you.

Thank you for being a Samsung customer!

The Samsung Product Support Team

Thank you for contacting Samsung. This suggests some problem with the yellow toner cartridge. Please inspect the yellow cartridge to ensure that it looks like it's all in order. If possible, try another cartridge. If your problem still persists, please contact us at qasupport@sea.samsung.com and let us know what you've tried thus far to correct the problem. Thank you for being a Samsung customer!

The Samsung Online Support Team

To quote from the manual,

Setting up Address Book
You can set up Address Book with the fax numbers you use most frequently. Your machine provides you with the following features for setting up Address Book. Before beginning to store fax numbers, make sure that your machine is in Fax mode.

Speed dial numbers
You can store up to 240 frequently-used fax numbers in speed dial numbers.

Registering a speed dial number
1.Press (Fax) on the control panel.
2.Press Address Book on the control panel.
3.Press the left/right arrow until New & Edit appears and press OK.
4.Press the left/right arrow until Speed Dial appears and press OK.
5.Enter a speed dial number between 1 and 240 and press OK.
If an entry is already stored in the number you choose, the display shows the message to allow you to change it. To start over with another speed dial number, press Back.
6.Enter the name you want and press OK.
For details on how to enter alphanumeric characters (See "Entering characters using the number keypad (CLX-3185FN/CLX-3185FW only)" on page 2).
7.Enter the fax number you want and press OK.
8.Press Stop/Clear to return to ready mode.

Editing speed dial numbers
1.Press (Fax) on the control panel.
2.Press Address Book on the control panel.
3.Press the left/right arrow until New & Edit appears and press OK.
4.Press the left/right arrow until Speed Dial appears and press OK.
5.Enter the speed dial number you want to edit and press OK.
6.Change the name and press OK.
7.Change the fax number and press OK.
8.Press Stop/Clear to return to ready mode.

Using speed dial numbers
When you are prompted to enter a destination number while sending a fax, enter the speed dial number at which you stored the number you want.
•For a one-digit (0-9) speed dial number, press and hold the corresponding digit button on the number keypad.
•For a two- or three-digit speed dial number, press the first digit button(s) and then hold down the last digit button. You can also search through memory for an entry by pressing Address Book (See
"Searching Address Book for an entry" on page 7).

If you have not downloaded the manual, I would suggest doing so. It is a very handy resource to have to answer most commonly-asked user questions. You may obtain the manual for the CLX-3185FW from:

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/CLX-3185FW/XAA

Looking over the documentation on the CLX-3185FW, it seems that if you are attempting to send a fax from your computer, then there is no way to fax multiple files at the same time. Essentially, the "fax from PC" function acts like a printer driver. Instead of printing to a print queue, you instead are "printing" to a fax transmission queue. Thus, just like you can send only the one open document to the printer, you can send only one open document to the fax queue. The fax function is not like sending an email with multiple attachments. To send multiple documents, you will have to "print" to the "Fax from PC" function multiple times. The way to get around this, of course, is to print the documents and then send them from the machine itself as a single fax transmission just as you would any other multiple-page hard copy fax you wish to transmit.