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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is a wise and true saying. But, it’s difficult to pull off in business because you have so much on your plate at any given time, that it’s hard to keep up with every last detail.  So, hopefully this post saves you some time by helping you understand how to take action and perform simple printer maintenance and repairs in the first place, so you don’t have to pay for a more complicated one later on down the line.

Here are some simple preventative printer maintenance tips

First of all, if you have the manufacturer’s manual, check it out for a prescribed cleaning regimen.  Most manufacturers do provide specific maintenance schedules for each printer model they have. They’ll often provide a specific schedule for daily, monthly, and yearly maintenance. If you don’t have that manual and can’t locate it on the internet, however, follow these general tips:

1. 1. Avoid using solvents or ammonia-based cleaners to clean your printer. If you do wantto clean the exterior of your printer, it’s better to dampen a cloth with isopropyl or ethyl alcohol. Make sure you inspect the rollers that pickup the paper to see if they’re dusty, and clean them when necessary.
   2. Help the ink keep its pigment. In most offices, this will never be a problem. But if you have a personal printer you use that doesn’t sit on the local network, then this is a good point to remember. You should print a few pages at least every 1-2 weeks to keep the ink fresh. This also helps the print head remain moist, giving you good printing quality.
   3. Maintain a good humidity level. For ideal functioning, printers need to have around 40-60% humidity.
   4. Clean the paper path. Paper dust, toner, film, and regular airborne dust can accumulate both on the paper and the path it follows before it gets printed on. Inspect this path every few months, and clean accordingly.
   5. Pay regular attention to the print heads. Remember that isopropyl alcohol you’re supposed to use? Apply it to the print heads to ensure they do not get clogged. You can identify if this is a problem by poor printing quality.

When it comes to printer repair, following these simple preventative maintenance tips will help keep the quality of your printing high, extend the life of your printer, and reduce the frequency repairs are needed. What will your business do with the cash it saves?

Learn more about the author Bob Martin