An office printer is one of the most valuable tools in your workplace, which means it needs to be reliable. With people printing anything from a couple of pages to large-scale projects and presentations daily, it’s critical to perform regular printer maintenance to ensure your printer can handle the demand and maximize productivity. Many businesses don’t understand the importance of a well-maintained printer, but professional servicing can help prevent workflow disruptions, among other things. Below, the experts at Office Technologies share how often you should service your office printer and some common issues you’ll face if you ignore regular maintenance.
How to Resolve Printer Problems/Issues
Did you know the average lifespan of a printer is three to five years? However, an office printer’s life expectancy is typically shorter and depends heavily on the care and quality of the services you perform on them. How often your printer will need to be serviced depends on how much it’s used. Printers used to print a few documents a week likely only need annual servicing, whereas an office printer that is in constant demand likely needs servicing more frequently. With proper care and maintenance, your office printer can last several years. Failure to do so results in voided warranties, breakdowns, and increased downtime. Below we highlight some of the most common printer problems/issues that modern printers experience.
Paper Jams
Although paper jams are relatively common, frequent jams could signal a much larger problem. Most can be prevented by properly maintaining and caring for your printer, but sometimes they’re inevitable. The most common causes of printer and copier paper jams include:
- Inserting paper incorrectly
- Overloading the paper tray
- Using the wrong paper size
- Humidity causing the paper to swell
- Damaged rollers or other mechanical parts
- Torn, wrinkled, or otherwise damaged paper in the tray
- Using toner or ink cartridges that are low quality or incompatible with the printer
Regular servicing can keep your printer in top shape and prevent frequent paper jams.
Head Leaks and Blockages
If lines or blots appear on your prints, it’s a strong indication that your machine needs maintenance. A few drops suggest that your ink roller or the thermal ribbons are loose or the printer head is blocked. Most modern printers feature a print cleaning cycle, which will remove the blockage from the printer head. If that doesn’t work, you can remove the printhead nozzle and wipe it clean to remove any buildup.
Mechanical Failure
Dust can build up inside your printer, affecting your printing quality. It can create a misalignment of the rollers or even produce small short circuits on the electronic circuit boards. Both cases can cause machine failure, so it’s best to keep your printer free of dust to save time and unnecessary troubleshooting.
Printer Repair Services With Office Technologies
Prevent unneeded disruptions and downtime by scheduling regular printer maintenance. At Office Technologies, we offer comprehensive printer servicing and preventative maintenance for your office fleet. Whether you need printer repair services or are ready to upgrade your outdated printer, we can help! Contact us at 610-326-4700 to ensure your office stays up and running all year.
