Browse the docs
Worked example
Build a “printer won’t print” troubleshooting flow
A guide where the reader’s answer decides the next step, with choices that work in documents, demos and Guide Me.
- Plan
- Pro
- Reading time
- 2 min read
- Checked against Thoth for Windows on
- October 23, 2026
The situation
Half of Pinecrest’s print tickets are one of three things: the printer is offline, the queue is stuck, or the driver is wrong. A tier-1 agent shouldn’t need to guess.
What you end up with: One guide with three paths. In a PDF it reads “If the printer shows Offline, go to step 3”. In Guide Me and the demo it’s buttons.
- For
- Support desks
- Takes about
- 1 hour
Plan the tree first#
On paper, write the first check, and the answers it can have. Keep to two or three answers per step, and decide where each path ends.
- 1
Record the first check
Capture Open Printers & scanners and look at the status. This is step 1.
- 2
Record each path
Record the fix for “Offline” (power, cable, network), the fix for a stuck queue (Cancel all documents), and the driver fix. Then give each path a heading with a Content block (text only) step such as
If the printer shows Offline. - 3
Add the choices
On step 1 choose ••• → Add a choice (if… go to) three times. Write the conditions:
the printer shows Offline,documents are stuck in the queue,the printer is Ready but prints garbage. Point each at the first step of its path. - 4
End each path
On the last step of each path, add a choice such as
the test page printsthat goes to The end (done), so a reader doesn’t carry on into the next path. - 5
Test it
Run Check this guide, which flags choices that lead nowhere. Then try each path: with Pro, Guide Me on a real printer, or export an interactive demo and click through it.
How readers get it#
| Where | What they see |
|---|---|
| PDF or Word | Under step 1: “If the printer shows Offline, go to step 3.” Three sentences, one per choice. |
| Interactive demo | Three buttons under the screenshot. Back returns to the question. |
| Guide Me | The same buttons on the card that follows the real screen. |