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Reporting and resolving printer problems

Reporting and resolving printer problems


The problems feature in the maintenance system lets you and your team report issues with printers. Problem reports create a trail of what went wrong and when, and they connect directly to maintenance jobs so issues get tracked from discovery through resolution.


The maintenance feature (including problem reporting) is available on Print Farm, Enterprise, and School plans.


Table of contents

  • Reporting a problem
  • Where you can report problems
  • Problem types
  • Where open problems show up
  • Managing problems
  • Resolving problems
  • Creating a maintenance job from a problem
  • Custom problem types
  • Related articles


Reporting a problem

To report a problem:


  1. Go to Maintenance > Problems.
  2. Click Report problem.
  3. Select the printer with the issue.
  4. Choose a problem type (optional but helpful for tracking patterns).
  5. Write a description of what you observed.
  6. Click Report.


Problems list showing reported issues with status and linked jobs


The report is saved immediately and visible to everyone with maintenance view access.


Where you can report problems

You're not limited to the problems tab. Problems can be reported from several places:


From the problems tab

The standard way - click "Report problem" and fill in the details.


From a cancelled print

When you cancel a print, SimplyPrint offers the option to "Report as maintenance problem." This pre-fills the printer and links the cancelled print to the problem report, giving context for what went wrong.


From the printer control panel

The maintenance widget on a printer's control panel includes a quick "Report problem" button, pre-filled with that printer. Once reported, the problem shows in that same widget, which opens by itself while the printer has open problems.


Problem types

Each problem can be categorized by type. SimplyPrint includes built-in types for common issues:


  • Clogged nozzle
  • Damaged print bed
  • Filament jam
  • Layer shifting
  • Under-extrusion / over-extrusion
  • Stringing / oozing
  • Warping
  • Poor bed adhesion
  • Motor / axis issue
  • Sensor malfunction
  • Firmware issue
  • Connectivity issue
  • Other


Problem types help you spot patterns - if you see multiple "clogged nozzle" reports on the same printer, that's a signal to investigate further.


Where open problems show up

A reported problem doesn't sit on the problems tab waiting for someone to look. Everyone with the View maintenance permission sees it where they work:


  • On the printer card. A red flag with the number of open problems shows beside the printer's tags on the Printers page. The count includes every problem that isn't resolved yet, also those a maintenance partner has acknowledged. Click the flag to open the printer's maintenance profile.
  • In the printer filter. Search for has_open_problems:true on the Printers page to list only the printers that have open problems. See Printer search and filtering.
  • On the printer's page. The Maintenance widget opens by itself when the printer has open problems. Click a problem to see its description, who reported it and when, plus a How to fix it guide when there is one for that problem type. Up to 5 problems are listed; +N more shows the rest. Click N open problems to open the maintenance profile with every problem in full.
  • In the maintenance profile. The open problems scroll in their own box. With more than 3, each one starts collapsed.
  • When you start maintenance. Quick start on the Maintenance widget lists the printer's open problems, all ticked. Ticked problems are linked to the job and resolved when it is completed. See Maintenance jobs.


For notes that aren't problems, like "use the textured plate on this one", use the printer's note instead. It shows on the printer card and when a print is started. See Printer maintenance: keep your fleet running smoothly.


Managing problems

The problems tab shows all reported issues with:


  • Problem type and icon
  • Which printer it's for
  • Description
  • Who reported it
  • When it was reported
  • Current status (open or resolved)
  • Linked maintenance job (if any)


You can filter by status (open / resolved) and by problem type. Use the search to find specific issues.


Resolving problems

Problems can be resolved in two ways:


Manual resolution

Click the resolve button on a problem to mark it as resolved. Use this when the issue was fixed without a formal maintenance job.


Auto-resolve via maintenance job

When you create a maintenance job from a problem (or link a problem to a job), completing that job automatically resolves all linked problems. This is the recommended workflow because it creates a clear audit trail from problem discovery to resolution.


Problems linked to a job show the job reference in the problems list, so you can always trace back to how an issue was resolved.


Creating a maintenance job from a problem

This is one of the most useful workflows:


  1. A team member reports a problem (e.g., "consistent first layer adhesion issues")
  2. From the problem, click Create job
  3. The job creation modal opens with the printer pre-selected and the problem pre-linked
  4. Add relevant task templates, set priority, and create the job
  5. Complete the maintenance job
  6. The problem is automatically resolved


This connects the dots between issue discovery, the work done to fix it, and the resolution.


Custom problem types

If the built-in types don't cover your needs, you can create custom problem types:


  1. Go to the Problems tab
  2. Click the settings/types management option
  3. Create a new type with a name and optional description
  4. The custom type appears in the dropdown when reporting problems


Custom types can be edited or deleted. Deleting a type doesn't affect existing problem reports that used it.


Updated on: 22/10/2026

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