Printer services: periodic maintenance a must
In some ways, the average office laser printer isn’t so very different from a motor vehicle. Both need regular maintenance if they are to perform at their best. Moreover, both laser printers and cars are now equipped with sophisticated electronics that allow them to announce when the time has come for a regular servicing. Cars tend to request a round of maintenance after a certain number of miles have been driven; a laser printer, in contrast, will often have been programmed to keep track of the total number of pages it has processed so that it can announce a need for printer services at the appropriate time.
The HP Laserjet 4200 is a case in point. After printing 200,000 pages, the control panel will display a “perform printer maintenance” message. Just as with automobiles, it is important for SMBs to heed this request for a service call. If the maintenance message is ignored, the printer will continue to use parts that should have been replaced; in the long run, this can lead to much greater maintenance headaches.
What is involved in a printer maintenance service call?
The exact details of a maintenance service call will obviously vary with the type and model of printer being serviced. Still, some commonalities often apply. Most printers require new parts such as transfer rollers, fusing assemblies, and feed rollers on a periodic basis. While it is technically possible for an SMB employee to install these new parts themselves using the instructions available with a kit, this is far from recommended. A qualified printer repair technician who does the job instead will also clean the machine thoroughly and examine it in several ways to be sure that it is truly ready to handle the next 50,000, 100,000, or even 200,000 copies.
This type of service can save money in the long run because a skilled technician should be able to spot any glaring problems and correct them before the machine becomes unusable – a circumstance that will interfere with workflow and therefore, with the SMB’s bottom line.
Is it time for your printer to be serviced?
Many small businesses, especially law firms and government organizations, still rely heavily on print. A Managed Print Service program may be a perfect, cost effective solution to necessary repairs and maintenance.
Here is what you can expect from Great Lakes Computer’s Managed Print Services:
• All inclusive plan: everything is included except the paper (i.e. toner, maintenance kits, all parts, labor, etc)
• Lower print costs with 10 – 30% savings on overall printing costs
• The program is billed on a “per page” basis, which means how much you pay per month will depend upon how much you print
• Preventative printer maintenance to increase uptime and reduce printer repair service calls
• Automated print supply ordering and trouble notification
• Less IT involvement with printing problems
• Precise management of print resources to control and reduce print cost
• Your printers are monitored remotely, enabling us to catch problems early and resolve them more efficiently. We monitor the toner level of a printer, any errors that are generated, as well as the page count. GLC can then produce various reports with information that gives you a better overview of your print operations, plus insights as to how you can further reduce your costs.
Let us take a look at your current print operations, and help identify where you can save – schedule a free, no obligation assessment today:
