15 Essential Printer Maintenance Tips

Do you know that the Inkjet printers’ market size is expected to hit $62.5 billion by 2030?

Your printer plays an essential role in your office. Printing at a third-party company can be expensive and time-consuming.

It’s also frustrating when your printer malfunctions. Not only does it disrupt your business operations, but it also claims high repair costs.

However, you can avoid these costly repairs through regular printer maintenance. Printers, like most other devices, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Each printer has its own set of features and capabilities.

Read on for our 15 essential printer maintenance tips to ensure your printer runs smoothly.

1. Do What Your Printer Tells You

Are you constantly worried about how to keep your printer running smoothly? This is a miss.

Most modern printers display automatic notifications when something is wrong. Through the self-diagnostic feature, notifications range from written notice to a notification light.

Whenever you see a notification, take immediate action. Avoid assuming the printer will continue to function normally, which leads to serious mechanical problems. At times, minor issues affect the quality of your printing.

Printer notifications highlight small mistakes you can fix on your own, like cleaning cycles or paper jams.

2. Use Your Printer Regularly

Like how leaving your car in the cold for a long time will kill the battery, not using your printer frequently affects the cartridges. In most cases, they run dry.

Although modern printers rarely experience dry ink problems, don’t take the risk. Ensure you print from time to time.

It’s natural to assume printing often will wear out your printer fast. To some extent, it does, but most printers are designed to be worked. As a result, keep your printer busy but don’t exceed your monthly duty cycle.

3. Stay Within Your Printer’s Monthly Duty Cycle

Printing frequently helps to keep your printer in perfect condition. However, exceeding the monthly duty cycle might cause the printer to malfunction.

A monthly duty cycle refers to the number of pages your printer should produce within a month before going to rest. Fortunately, modern printers have large monthly duty cycles, so the possibilities of you exceeding are low.

But if you run a bustling office with plenty of printing needs, keep a track record of how often you print. If you discover that you are constantly exceeding the limit, it is recommended to get a new printer.

4. Update Software and Drivers Regularly

Despite printers being classified as hardware, they require drivers and software to execute certain functions. Updating your printer’s software from time to time ensures that you aren’t using outdated calligraphies.

Updated software and drives ensure greater printer performance and security. The good news is that upgrading printer software and drivers is free and takes only a few minutes.

5. Familiarize With Your Manual Print

No doubt, reading manuals is boring. But, reading your manual to understand every piece of your printer can save you thousands of dollars in repairs.

Again, don’t lose the manual that comes with your printer. The original manual is always a lifesaver every time you encounter problems.

Manuals contain the solution to most problems and provide instructions for basic tasks. For example, there is always a section to help you understand how to replace ink cartridges and maintenance notifications.

6. Purchase Quality Toners and Cartridges

Like most office equipment, purchasing premium parts is always a good way to boost performance. The kind of printer ink you buy greatly affects the performance of commercial printers.

To be safe, opt for quality and authentic cartridges from the manufacturer. These printer toner cartridges are guaranteed to work with your printer and to produce high-quality printouts.

However, if you are on a budget, ensure you choose generic cartridges that are 100% compatible. Be careful with generic parts, as a mismatch could end up destroying your printer.

Are you in need of quality toners? Check out PremiumToners today for irresistible offers.

7. Proper Placement

Like other machines, you should position a printer properly for optimal results. It should be away from moisture, heat, and dust.

For ideal performance, printers require around 60 to 55% humidity. Again, they should be free from dry air coming from your CPU.

Such elements can clog your printer head, affecting the quality of printouts. This is a risk you cannot afford. Place your printer in a less busy corner.

A mere coffee spill can do a lot of harm to your printer.

8. Turn It Off

If you won’t be using the printer for long, turn it off. This prevents cartridges from drying up and increases your printer’s life. Turning off your printer also helps you stay within your monthly cycle plan.

9. Clean Your Printer Regularly

To keep your printer perfuming smoothly, remember to clean the interior and the exterior of your printer regularly. Normally, dirty surfaces attract debris, which can lead to obstruction.

Clean external surfaces with a lint-free cloth and avoid abrasive cleaning products. You can also use a desktop cleaner and a mild detergent.

Also, inspect the inside of your printer for dirt. Remove every bit of dirt from the interior of your printer using a vacuum cleaner or a soft brush.

Cleaning your printer from time to time will keep it up and running for a long time.

10. Take Caution When Replacing Cartridges

What happens if you are in a hurry to print a document and require replacing your cartridges? It’s unfortunate; most people will force them in.

However, this is a mistake. you must exercise caution every time you are replacing cartridges. Avoid touching the bottom of the cartridge as this might compromise the quality of printouts.

If you are new to printers, below are steps you should follow when replacing cartridges.

Step 1: Note down the printer’s brand and model- this is essential to ensure you find the correct replacement. If you have trouble determining the model number, refer to your user manual.

Step 2: Turn on your printer. Turn on your printer before replacing ink cartridges to confirm the print carriage is performing well.

Step 3: Remove cartridges you want to replace. Squeeze or push the release clip on the cartridge. Push down the cartridge and pull out.

Step 4: Shake the new cartridge while in the bag.

Step 5: Remove strips and tabs from the ink cartridge.

Step 6: Insert the cartridge into the printer. Ensure the angle is correct. This should be easy as the correct replacement lock into place easily.

Step 7: Print a test page.

Step 8: Reconfigure printer heads. If there are smudges or streaks in the printout, this is an indication your printer head is out of alignment.

11. Be Paper Smart

Paper jams happen frequently, and when they do, the best way out is pulling the paper out using both hands. Be careful not to tear the paper.

However, prevention is better than cure, so you need to be paper smart. Avoid overfilling the paper tray and feeding ton paper into your printer. Folded and damp papers easily get stuck, causing a jam.

Store your paper rims in a dry place and away from sunlight.

Again, regular paper jams without proper cause indicate there is a problem with the sensor. In such a situation, it’s best to call in a qualified technician.

12. Purchase a Maintenance Kit

It’s advisable to invest money in a good printer maintenance kit. Normally, the kit contains tools and components meant to maintain your printer.

Having the right kit is essential if you use the printer for commercial purposes. Again, the kit makes it easier when servicing your printer.

13. Deal With Your Printer Delicately

You wouldn’t bang your laptop or mobile phone since they are sophisticated devices. Similarly, your printer falls in the same category despite appearing rugged.

It’s a delicate piece that should be handled carefully. Everything should be handled carefully, including paper jams.

Don’t pull the upsetting paper with a vengeance. Instead, be calm and gently pull it out.

14. Avoid Smoking Near Your Printer

Whenever you smoke close to your printer, tar from the cigarette and dust combine to create “tar dust” that clogs the printer’s cooling system. Unfortunately, this dust can cost you vital components in your printer if allowed to accumulate.

15. Have Spares at Hand

Ink and cartridges are expensive and getting more expensive by the day. This puts a lot of pressure on people printing on a large scale.

Normally, the first reaction to this pressure is squeezing out as much ink as possible before getting a replacement. Some go ahead to override the failsafe printer mechanism.

This results in printer damages. Minimize such risks by having spare cartridges at hand.

Improve Your Printer Performance With These Essential Printer Maintenance Tips

These fifteen simple tips come in handy when it comes to printer maintenance. These tips will help you maintain high-quality printouts and reduce the need for repairs.

However, if you notice your printer is malfunctioning after maintenance and repair, this is a sign you need a new printer.

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