No matter the brand, quality, or durability of a printer and its ink cartridge, proper maintenance is what can either lengthen or shorten their lifespans. That’s why we’ve come up with this list of easy and practical instructions on how you can clean and maintain them expertly.
Printer Maintenance Expert How-Tos
Frequency Of Usage Is A Must
This may sound counterintuitive but this is a scientific fact— that using your printer (and its ink cartridge therein) is how you can actually extend said apparatus’s life. The more you use it, the better.
It mainly has to do with how ink has a higher tendency to dry up quicker than average when it stays inert. The same can be said of the printer’s parts and/or hardware. Their functions may slow down when not put to action as often as recommended.
Experts say that you are to at least print out one to two pages from your ink tank printers once every two weeks.
Regular Dusting And/Or Wiping
Oh, the wonders that simple dusting and wiping can do to maintain your printer and its cartridges. Although its interior should be professionally cleaned once every 5 to 6 months, dusting and quick-wiping are to be practiced once every 3 days. That, or soon after you use it.
Dirt and dust are elements that, though are minute, can accumulate and wreak havoc to printers and ink tanks when left unattended. They may jam smaller nooks and crannies of the printing machine.
What’s unfortunate is that these said elements are hardly noticeable. It will take some time before their destructive effects will be distinct, and only when slower printing operations begin to catch your eye. So, grab a lint-free cloth and a handheld low-to-medium intensity vacuum to dust it every now and then.
Be Mindful Of Cartridge Changing Or Replacement
This is where many forget to exercise caution— when changing or replacing cartridges. Remember that its parts, along with that of the printing device, contain fragile sections.
One swift wrong move and you may end up breaking internal pieces without even knowing. One non-working part can cause the rest of the machine’s components to malfunction as well. In case you’re unsure of how to change cartridges, ask your supplier for help. You may also refer to the user manual for instructions regarding this task.
Cleaning The Print Head
Cleaning the printer head or print head is another vital aspect of printer upkeep. The printer head is, in essence, what permits the “writing”, a.k.a. the printing, to take place on pieces of paper that slip through the printing rollers.
Anything you wish to be impressed with on paper from your electronic device— this transfer is possible because of the print head. This implies that ink and dirt amassing will inevitably impede its proper functioning.
Generally speaking, most newer printing machines are installed with software that provides a kind of the first step to print head-cleaning. You can select this feature in the installed software and let it do its job.
But for a more in-depth clean, you may do it manually. Prepare a 50-50 solution of isopropyl alcohol and water. Next, carefully dip the thin region of the print head that comes into direct contact with ink. Follow the same process with cartridges that have print heads attached to them. For the latter, do NOT soak nor touch the sponge. Instead, soak only the built-in print head in the solution.
Also Read: 3D Printing- An Extraordinary Revolution Of 21st Century!
