Consider how often you and your staff use your office printer? It’s easy to take your printer for granted when it’s working perfectly. However, if it’s “misbehaving” and frustrating you with paper jams, blurred copies, and other issues, that’s when you realize how much you rely on it day in and day out. Fortunately, regular printer maintenance will help ensure your printer delivers peak performance when you need it most—which is likely all the time!
Three Factors That Affect Printer Maintenance
If you neglect regular cleanings and maintenance on your printer, it can result in not only impaired performance but also damage to the machine’s components.
Three primary factors affect how often you may need to clean and perform maintenance on your printer:
- Environment – Where you keep your printer matters! It will require less servicing if you locate it in a clean area without a lot of dirt and dust accumulation.
- Level of use – The amount of prints or copies you make affects your device. The more paper you use, the more paper dust your printer will collect in its elements. Also, the feed rollers and other parts of a printer with a high activity level will undergo more wear and tear than machines with low to moderate usage.
- Paper quality – High-quality paper may cost more upfront, but it can save you money in the long run. Good paper has a uniform cut and size, which helps prevent paper jams. Also, better-quality paper generates less dust than cheaper stock, minimizing build-up inside your copier.
Printer Maintenance Tips
Here are some actionable tasks for how to maintain a laser printer:
1. Keep the outside of your machine clean and dust-free. This will help prevent dust from getting pulled through the printer’s fan system, which can cause cooling problems. Also, avoid covering up the vents on your printer.
2. Keep the glass clean. Multi-function printers usually have two pieces of glass (a large one and a long skinny piece) underneath the document feeder. Cleaning the glass regularly will reduce the chances of having lines or dots appear on your copies and scans. We recommend using a good glass cleaner and paper towel. After cleaning, make sure the glass is completely dry before using the machine.
3. Check the paper tray for debris and other contaminants. Our technicians have been called to the rescue many times for printer issues that occurred because foreign materials got pulled into the paper feed. This happens when dirt and debris fall into the paper tray when loading paper into the printer. Avoid unwanted emergency service calls by checking the tray after loading paper—or even before each use for extra peace of mind!
4. Call a pro to do an annual cleaning. One of the best ways to keep your printer up and running flawlessly is to have Laser Lab do a yearly cleaning. We will send one of our experienced technicians to clean and assess all essential components, and we’ll let you know the state of your printer’s consumable parts (such as waste toner containers and feed rollers).
Printer Maintenance Made Easy
Contact us at 717-738-3333! We’ll be happy to answer your printer maintenance questions and schedule your annual printer cleaning