Keep Your Copier Running Like New With Regular Printer Maintenance

Printer Maintenance Tips and Tricks

If you’re looking to keep your printer in good shape, consider the following factors:

1. Turn Off Your Printer When Not in Use for Long Periods

Equipment needs periodic rest or it can overheat. You may never see, hear, or smell your copier overheating, but if it happens, you’ll have a breakdown or malfunction to manage. Make it a point to turn off your copier when it won’t be in use for a long period of time, like over the weekend or through a holiday. If people work on the weekend, ask them to turn the copier off before they leave.

This works well as long as you keep normal working hours and nobody is in the office overnight. However, if you do have people working late, around the clock, or over the weekend, consider getting two copiers and rotate usage between them on a set schedule. Use one Monday through Thursday, and the other Friday through Sunday.

Giving your printer a break will prevent overheating and prolong the life of the machine. In the end, this amounts to saving money on repairs and replacements from a copier repair service.

2. Warm It Up Before Use

The warm-up cycle on your printer is there for a reason—it allows the printer time to calibrate its internal processes, and it provides the heat laser printers require to function. The inner workings are complex. If you don’t wait for your printer to warm up before trying to print something, you could shorten its lifespan, and your copies might not be that great.

3. Properly Load Paper

Loading paper into a printer or copier is harder than it seems. It’s easy when you’re used to it, but many people have never been shown how to do this properly. Inexperienced employees often load paper wrong, which makes it jam and shred inside the machine when it gets pulled out by force. Each time a paper jam has to be manually cleared, it creates more wear and tear. The proper loading technique will vary based on the machine, but make sure you train your staff to load paper correctly. Make sure everyone knows which type and size of paper goes in each tray. Another good tip is to keep your tray decently full, but not over-stuffed. When the paper tray is low or overloaded, copiers and printers tend to have feed problems that result in a jam.

4. Clean Your Glass

If you have a copy machine or production printer, keep the glass clean. You might not notice the dirt when you place your paper on the glass, but it will become apparent in your copies. Have you noticed extra shadows, textures, or specs on your copies? It’s probably nothing more than dirty glass. A simple daily cleaning routine will ensure everyone in your office ends up with crisp, clear copies.

5. Clean the Toner’s Waste Reservoir

Toner waste reservoirs tend to collect dust from the cartridge, and if you don’t keep it clean, the debris can clog your machine. Your copier should have a built-in alert that will tell you when the reservoir needs to be emptied. Educate your staff on how to clean it when the message pops up and ensure they don’t ignore the warning message.

6. Use Quality Paper

Cheap paper sounds good for your wallet, but it’s not always good for your printer. Poor-quality paper can jam far easier than good paper, which means employees will be messing around with the inside parts more often. Despite good intentions, they might be a little too rough or not know how to put something back together. This will increase your repair and printer maintenance costs. You don’t have to buy top-of-the-line paper for your office, but choose something mid-range to prevent lint build-up.

7. Use Quality Toner

Toner is expensive, but don’t go cheap because low-quality toner comes with a host of costly problems, like leaks and breaks. You don’t have to pay high-end prices for good toner. Like paper, aim for something mid-range in quality and find a source that doesn’t charge full price. Cost-effective printer toner does exist.

8. Start With a High-Quality Copy Machine

The first and best way to keep your copy machine or printer working like new is to start with a good machine. There are so many makes and models to choose from, and while some are more high-end than others, that doesn’t mean you can’t find a cheaper machine that meets your needs. It all depends on your specific needs. If you’re already experiencing frequent breakdowns and are paying for regular repairs, consider upgrading your printer. With a good printer, it will run smoother, last longer, and your employees won’t waste so much paper or toner trying to make it work. Copier maintenance also lasts longer when you have a good machine.

9. Get Regular Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is crucial to keep your office copy machine and printer running smoothly. These machines may be big, but they have delicate components that are prone to wear. Some printer maintenance tasks are routine for all machines, but often, you’ll need maintenance specific to your particular copier or printer. Printer maintenance isn’t something you can do yourself. You need a professional to get the job done correctly. Printer technicians know the inner workings of these machines and they’ll spot parts that need to be replaced and make suggestions for prolonging the lifespan. Without regular preventive maintenance, your machine might break down in the middle of an important print job and you could end up with extended downtime.

Overdue for Printer Maintenance? Connected Office Technologies Can Help!

Having a good printer or copier in your office will be a game-changer for everyone. You’ll spend less time and money getting repairs, and you’ll have better quality prints. Also, your employees won’t get frustrated like they do with machines that just don’t want to cooperate, which means they’ll be more productive.

Whether you’re considering getting a new printer or just need support for your existing equipment, call us at Connected Office Technologies. We’ll come up with a solution that matches your budget to get you the best copier or printer at the best price with a reliable, ongoing printer maintenance support package.

Our printer maintenance services will help you maintain smooth workflows and preserve your profitability.

Keep Your Copier Running Like New With Regular Printer Maintenance

Printer Maintenance Tips and Tricks

1. Turn Off Your Printer When Not in Use for Long Periods

2. Warm It Up Before Use

3. Properly Load Paper

4. Clean Your Glass

5. Clean the Toner’s Waste Reservoir

6. Use Quality Paper

7. Use Quality Toner

8. Start With a High-Quality Copy Machine

9. Get Regular Preventive Maintenance

Overdue for Printer Maintenance? Connected Office Technologies Can Help!

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