Useful Tips for Printer Maintenance

Without sufficient maintenance and care on a regular basis, the probability of your printer failing increases significantly. When you’ve got an important deadline coming up at the office, the last thing you need is your printer breaking down. As well as this it’s worth understanding the significance of printer maintenance, remembering that different printers have different care requirements. That is why it is so important to educate yourself on your printer’s needs or seek professional advice from Diamondsource regarding this before you are burdened with paper jams, leaking ink and a printer that is about to take its last breath. Please take a look below at the Diamondsource guide below which listed some of our basic tips on how to look after your laser printer.

Keep Your Printer Firmware Up-to-Date

A lot of people make the error of putting off installing the updated version of their printer’s software and drivers, and as a result, they are faced with an array of issues associated with an outdated device. Nearly all modern printers provide you with an alert that shows you when you need to update your software and driver, so think ahead and install everything in advance, to avoid any problems down the line.

High Quality Paper and Ink

Quite often we choose to go for the cheaper pack of paper, mainly due to its seemingly promising price, but when you use it, you find it causes a bigger mess than you can handle. In order to avoid crumpled paper jams and paper sticking to all sorts of printer parts, consider investing in a few packs of quality paper and trying different ones to see which is best for your needs and your printer. For example, you may find that thick, opaque paper is excellent for your printer but not for your needs, or you might discover that good quality paper keeps your printer running smoothly and is perfect for your printing requirements.

As well as quality paper, it is always best to opt for quality printer cartridges too. Doing so will help you to avoid leakages, breakages and a broken printer as a result of external and internal mess. When you suspect that your ink cartridge is about to run out, don’t keep using it until it draws its last breath; play it safe and change it to avoid any future complications.

Regular Cleaning

Cleaning your printer to get rid of any harmful dust and debris is so important and can help you avoid a myriad of complications, both now and in the future. To clean, simply switch off the device and use a slightly damp, lint-free cloth with a specialist cleaner, which will wipe off any muck that has collected on the outside of the printer. To clean the paper trays, simply remove them and give them a wipe down before drying.

To clean the inside of the printer, use the same type of cloth and dampen it very slightly before wiping the printer parts very gently; you can either use specialist solution or water. You could even use a Q-tip to help clean hard-to-reach areas. Take care not to put too much pressure on the printer parts though as they may break. Whilst this is a safe way to clean your printer, it is always worth reading the guide or checking the box first, to find out where and how your printer should be cleaned. Cleaning the print heads is also important as clogged print heads can result in poor print outs, and often occur after the cartridges has been left unused in the printer for long periods of time. Most printers have a self-cleaning function. This is usually found in your printer’s “properties” setting, or may be accessible from the device itself. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, please contact a printer engineer.

Regular Servicing by a Qualified Engineer

If you are unsure about how to carry out any of the maintenance procedures above, please contact a printer engineer, as you can damage your printer if these are not carried out correctly. Servicing on an annual basis by a qualified printer engineer, will insure all of the above maintenance work is carried out. This will also lengthen the life of the printer meaning the parts and consumables are working at full capacity the toner cartridges and more efficiently giving you better value for money on printing too.