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Extending the Life of Your Business or Personal Computer Printer

Among the components of a PC system, the printer is the last in

the list of parts for upgrade and even for cleaning. This,

however, should not be the case. Without a printer, one cannot

produce hard copies of important documents.

While printers do not generally bog down (not as often as one's

operating system or cd player), it is still important that

people take care of their printers. Unlike personal computers

that undergo constant upgrading, printers can be used for years.

New printers in the market have basically the same function.

Often, the difference lies in the speed, which will only be a

point of contention if the printer is used at the office.

To help you keep your printer in tip-top shape even after

several years of use, here are some tips that you can follow:

Use the prescribed paper

As it will be mighty expensive to actually purchase the

specialized papers that each brand of printer recommends, most

people do not actually use them especially with extremely tight

budgets. Often, consumers will settle on alternative papers that

have more or less similar thickness. Sticking close to the

prescribed paper will prevent paper jams and smooth paper feeds

during printing jobs. It is also important to note that the

quality of the paper can also affect ink consumption. Thin and

adsorbent papers will generally use up more ink compared to

thick ones.

Another big no-no in using your printer is to feed in crumpled

paper. Crumpled paper often results in paper jams that may

eventually affect the printer's performance besides being a tad

inconvenient. Scratch papers are also discouraged. Because they

have already been used before, scratch papers will not be as

crisp as new paper. Another worry is that people often forget to

remove staples wires scratch papers before feeding them in the

paper tray.

Clean the cartridge

Excess inks during printing jobs settle at the cartridge,

thereby affecting the print quality of the printer. This will

often result to smudges and dirty prints. To get rid of this ink

problem, it is important that you occasionally conduct cartridge

cleaning. Your printer comes with a software that will help you

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through the process. Some, in fact, will even remind you of a

scheduled cleaning in case you forget.

For instance, with HP printers, cartridge inkjet cleaning

involves printing a one pager of nothing but ink. Using all four

colors, cyan, magenta, yellow and black, the procedure removes

hardened blocks of ink that have settled at the bottom of the

cartridge.

Clean the inside of the printer

Blowing out the dust with pressurized air canisters made for

this function is especially useful to extend the life of your

printer. Dust and dirt will settle in even if your computer unit

is ensconced in an air-conditioned room. When neglected, dirt

can affect print quality and the flow of printing jobs.

Following these tips can extend the life of your printer by many

months, if not years!

About the author:

David Arnold Livingston is an entrepreneur with many years of

successful business experience. For business and personal

computer printer resources, he recommends you visit:

http://www.ravenprinter.com/