The Complete Guide to Printer Maintenance for Saskatchewan Businesses

Most printer and copier breakdowns start as small problems that nobody noticed: dust on the rollers, a scanner glass smudge that turns into lines on every copy, or a worn part running past its life. A simple routine prevents a lot of service calls. Here's what your staff can do, and what's best left to a technician.

Every day

• Clear any error messages rather than ignoring them
• Keep the area around the device clear so it can vent heat
• Load paper properly: fan the stack, don't overfill trays, and set the paper guides snugly

Every week

• Wipe the scanner glass and the narrow strip on the left used by the document feeder, using a soft lint-free cloth lightly dampened with glass cleaner (spray the cloth, never the glass)
• Wipe the outside and the control panel
• Check toner levels and make sure you have a spare for each colour

Every month

• Run the device's built-in cleaning or calibration routine if it has one
• Check for firmware updates, or ask your service provider to
• Look at the page count so you know if usage is creeping up

Paper matters more than you'd think

Store paper flat, in its wrapper, away from heaters and outside doors. In Saskatchewan winters, very dry air causes static and multi-feeds, while damp paper from a cold storage room curls and jams. Let paper warm to room temperature before loading it.

What not to do

• Don't use metal tools to pull out jammed paper
• Don't touch the drum surface or the fuser (it can be very hot)
• Don't spray compressed air into the toner area — it spreads toner through the machine
• Don't keep printing through a recurring error

Leave these to a technician

Business printers and copiers have wear parts, such as fusers, transfer belts, drums and feed rollers, that need replacing on a schedule based on page count. A technician also cleans the inside of the machine, checks feed and registration, and updates firmware. For most offices, a preventive maintenance visit every three to six months, depending on volume, keeps things running and catches worn parts before they fail.

Warning signs to act on

• Jams that keep happening in the same spot
• Lines, spots or ghost images on every page
• New noises such as grinding or squealing
• Pages coming out wrinkled or toner rubbing off

Maintenance plans from Vonex

Vonex offers printer maintenance contracts with scheduled visits, parts and labour included, and priority repair response. Call (306) 881-0341 for a quote.