Taking some simple precautions can prolong the life of your office printer and keep it in good working condition. Your office printer is like any electronic device and requires some basic care and maintenance. Dust is the one thing to look out for because it can accumulate and damage the printer and result in things like blurry text and images, and overall lower quality printing. You should always consult your printer’s manual for the best maintenance practices.
Clean the rollers
Dust and debris can accumulate on the rollers on the inside of your printer. The rollers feed the paper and move the paper through your device. The rollers are round-like and plastic and you can find them by opening up your printer’s inner compartment. The rollers can accumulate dust and ink (from two-sided printing). The best way to clean your rollers is to take a fresh alcohol wipe and gently wipe the rollers.
Clean the scanner bed glass
If your pages are coming out blurry and you’re not sure why, it’s probably because your scanner bed glass is dirty. This is the thin glass that holds your pages when you scan or copy a document. We recommend using a clean microfiber cloth so that it doesn’t scratch and gently wiping the surface in a circular motion. If the scanner bed has fingerprints on it, we recommend spot cleaning with a damp microfiber cloth.
Keep unused toner in original packaging
Toner can dry out if not handled properly. We recommend keeping your toner in its original packaging until you are ready to use it. If you must open the packaging, just make sure to store the toner in an airtight container and store it upright.
Read the manual
Get to know your printer! There are many moving parts that make up a printer from rollers to print heads, to toners, to drums, to scanner beds, and you want to use caution when doing any maintenance on your printer. Your best bet is to consult the owner’s manual for specific maintenance instructions from your manufacturer or seek the help of a printer repair company.
Use a dust cover when not in use
When not in use, protect your printer from dust by using a dust cover. It will help to minimize the chance of dust getting inside the unit.
Always purchase genuine toner
You should always use genuine toner and avoid using third party brands. You think you might be saving money by buying a generic brand toner, but generic toners generally have shorter lifespans and so, do not last as long as genuine toner does. Another reason to avoid generic toner is that they generally produce lower quality prints.
Keep your printer updated
Updating your printer regularly to the newest firmware is one of the easiest ways to keep your printer in working condition. Printer manufacturers release firmware updates periodically to enhance performance of your printer, address security issues, etc.
Clean the print heads with a soft microfibre cloth
To clean the print heads, simply open your printer’s inner compartment, remove the toner and drum and place these in a safe spot and out of the light, and gently wipe the print head lens with a clean microfibre cloth. Avoid touching the lens with your hand because oil can damage the lens.
Remove dust from inside of the printer
We discourage you from using an air canister to clean the inside of your printer because it can push dust further into your unit. Instead, use a small low-powered hand vacuum, and that should do the trick.
Print a blank page
On top of cleaning your print rollers regularly, printing a blank page every now and then is a simple way to keep the print heads clean. When you print a blank page, some of the dust and ink that collects on the print roller, will deposit onto the clean page, leaving your printer with cleaner rollers.
