All computer equipment has maintenance. Sometimes it’s the software and sometimes the hardware. Other times simply the only thing you need is to clean the device thoroughly. You have already seen how you can clean your keyboard, screen, and PC thoroughly and now it is the turn of other peripherals because printers also have to be cleaned. It is not just a matter of passing a cloth to remove the dust superficially in the external zone. Sometimes you have suffered a spill and cleaning a printer and make sure they do not accumulate waste and cause traffic jams. You should also do it if you notice that the printed page does not come out with the quality you want. We tell you all the details of how you should do it so that your printer continues as the first day.
Maintenance and cleaning a printer
There is a series of general tips that you can apply for the maintenance and cleaning a printer. The first thing you should do is the printer from electrical power. It is not desirable that when you are manipulating inside, you start up.
As a general rule, you should not apply cleaning products inside as they often leave residues and affect the quality or composition of the inks. Do not work with rags or cleaning sticks, especially if they release fibers that can be stuck somewhere and then cause a jam in your printer.
Prevent paper jams
You can start by checking the paper tray and making sure that the trailing channels are clean of small pieces of paper. Over time, small pieces of paper accumulate, and it is better to remove them periodically. The drag rollers can also be cleaned if you see them dirty.
It depends on the manufacturing material of the rollers, but you have specific products to get back the adherence and traction capacity of the paper that you can apply. In case it is not solved in this way, you would have to replace the rollers, especially if you notice that the paper skids in the drag. This causes jams and unbalanced printing on the page.
If the paper jams you do not have to force it out. It is more important to remove it whole and not that you have a small piece in an inaccessible place where you will not be able to get to remove it. In any case, the clamps. In this case, are usually your salvation. It is enough with some of the hair removals that you can have at home to reach some rest that is causing traffic jams.
Cleaning and maintenance of ink or laser printers
So far the general advice you can apply, but you will see some specific depending on the type of printer you have, whether laser or inkjet, the most common today.
Cleaning Ink printers
Most ink printers have a self-cleaning head function. With this action, they eject ink with more force than usual by the heads dragging all the waste they may have. This function consumes a lot of ink, but it solves many problems. After doing so, you can also do a self-aligning test to check the proper functioning of the printer.
The other option is to do a manual cleaning of the head, which is usually included in the cartridge itself. You can do this with a moistened swab, making sure that there are no remains of fibers in the head. In case it does not work, you should proceed to the replacement of the ink cartridge.
Cleaning Laser printers
If you have a laser printer, you should make sure you do not print in a good time just before cleaning. The user of the printer is hot and can cause burns if you do not use caution. The first thing you should do is remove the toner cartridge and access the inside of the printer.
Once removed if you notice small spills caused by tone, something that happens more with recycled or compatible consumables than with the originals, you will have to proceed with its removal. In this case, you can use a small vacuum cleaner or the one you have at home, but at the minimum power to avoid damaging the printer.
The other option is to use air cans to eject the dust outside the printer. If you are going to use this method, it is better to do it outdoors, since the powder of the toner will spread. If possible, use a mask to protect your airways, especially if the spill is large.
After cleaning a printer, if you see spots or specks in one area of the page, a solution is to print a continuous black strip in that area. Simply use a spreadsheet, select multiple columns or rows and use the black fill function. In this way, you have a uniform black band, either vertical or horizontal, that you have placed in the area where the spots appear. The goal is to print several pages to drag the accumulated dirt with all the ink that is fixed on the sheets.
Finally, these printers have a very long life, so they have consumables that you will be asked to change once a certain number of copies have been made. This is the maintenance kit, which usually includes the fuser or paper drag rollers to keep your entries in shape for a few more years.
