Best Practices for Keeping Your Printer Working

Printers play a key role in most businesses and are often one of the devices that causes the most amount of headaches for users. Business printers are a big investment. The longer you keep them working and the less you need to call the repairman, the better it is for your office's finances. In past articles, we have discussed the potential causes of printers failing but we have yet to talk about what employees can do to keep those printers working well. Here are a few suggestions that may help you extend the life of your printer and keep it working efficiently with as few issues as possible.

Keep Your Printer Clean

Printers have moving parts that could become dirty with ink, snagged by paper jams, and cloudy with dust. Keep the interior of your printer clean by gently wiping down the surfaces and cleaning the printhead. This is probably one of the best tricks to keeping your printer functioning well. It only takes a couple of minutes and it actually works!

Reduce Paper Jams

It always seems that the printer jams when a big report is due or a client is coming to sign a contract. Keep your printer free of jams by trying the following:

Use high-quality paper or a brand recommended by the printer’s manufacturer
Don’t fan the paper before loading
Don’t overload the paper tray
Don’t use paper that is bent or wrinkled
Check the paper tray each time to confirm that debris has not gotten caught in there
Store paper in a temperature-controlled room to avoid sticky or humid paper

Monitor the Temperature & Humidity

Just as you want to be certain that the paper used is stored in a temperature-controlled room, so too should the actual printer. Temperature extremes and humidity fluctuations can impact the functionality of a printer. The more moderate the printer temp and humidity, the better it is for your technology.

Change Cartridges Carefully

Seems like the ink is always running out on printers. The action of changing out the ink cartridge can potentially damage the printer if it is not done carefully. Instead of shoving the cartridge in, attempt to slide it in so as to not rattle the inner pieces of the device. It is also a good idea to invest in good-quality ink cartridges as they are less likely to clog the printhead.

Have the Printer Professionally Cleaned

Being proactive when it comes to your printer is a great way to keep it working longer. Have your printers cleaned by a professional on a regular basis to ensure the longevity of the device.