Cleaning A Printer? Here’s What You Can and Can’t DIY
Considering the famous term ‘prevention is better than cure’, it is important to keep your printer clean in order to tackle any issue that may arise. However, not everyone knows the correct way to clean their printer.
Well, it is not much rocket science but does require some amount of patience and caution. And be it any type of printer, we’ll tell you everything about how to do it in this blog here.
Why Should You Clean Your Printer?
Obviously, printers are physical devices that face wear and tear on a regular basis, and even if they are kept in the best conditions, cleaning is a must and should be done from time to time.
Cleaning Ensures Proper Working
Proper tuning and cleaning will definitely give a facelift to your printer and make sure it functions well without creating any problems. For example, in a workplace, printer usage is quite high and also the device has to deal with various factors like dust, debris, and whatnot.
If you simply keep ignoring things and use the printer without caring for it, sooner or later you will surely face a problem, be it related to paper jam, overheating, or anything else. This is because you did not take some time to clean the device and make sure it stays in mint condition.
Hence, to avoid any fuss and ensure proper functionality, it is crucial to pay a little attention to the cleaning part.
Cleaning Helps In Maintaining Printer’s Lifespan
When the device keeps on working properly without any malfunction, that means everything related to its hardware and software is completely fine.
However, keeping things okay for a longer period of time is not that easy and requires a bit of attention. Cleaning things and making sure no dust particles stay on the device is a very good way to increase a printer’s lifespan.
Most Common Types Of Printers
So there are three main types of printers used by people, and each one of them has their specific parts that need to be maintained in their own way.
Inkjet Printers
Mainly used in small offices and homes, these printers use liquid ink of different colors to give an output that is good quality. The reasons why an inkjet printer is used in such places is that it offers good quality output at a cheaper price and helps to print on various papers.
Laser Printers
As the name suggests, laser printers use heat and pressure along with powdery ink to generate print outputs. These printers are used in places of high usage because they can print things quickly and that too gives a really good printout.
Dot Matrix Printers
These printers use the older technology of pin and ribbon, but they are still used by many people, especially in places where tons of bills are to be generated in a single day. The special thing about the Dot Matrix printer is that it is very cost-effective compared to other ones and can withstand long working.
What Can You Do Yourself Regarding Printer Cleaning?
General Cleaning Work
- Regular dust and debris can be cleaned easily by using a lint-free cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol. We recommend using alcohol because it vaporizes quickly thereby preventing any damage to any of the components of your printer.
- Most importantly, you should remember to turn off your printer and only then begin cleaning things.
- Both the outer part and inner parts can be cleaned using the lint-free cloth, just make sure not to touch sensitive areas otherwise there could be a malfunction.
Printhead Cleaning Work (For Inkjet Printers)
Automatic Method
So, there is an automatic printhead cleaning function in all inkjet printers that can be used to clean up things automatically. However, only basic clogs can be removed using this method.
If you want to clean up things in a better way, then we recommend you manually do the task with the steps we have mentioned down below.
Manual Method
- For this, firstly you should shut down your printer and unplug it.
- Then you should find the rubber roller that transports paper through the printer and cover it with a paper towel.
- Use a proper liquid (that is not harmful) and apply it on the paper towel.
- Move the printhead over the towel patiently.
- Do this process until these are colors visible from all the ink ports.
- Finally, keep the printhead in its proper position and change the ink cartridges.
Things To Clean In Laser Printers
- Rollers – Using the same lint-free cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol will be helpful to clean the rubber rollers.
- Toner Cartridge – You need to remove it and then clean the dust on it. Make sure that you do not force things but go about gently.
- Change Waste Toner Container – You should check if the waste toner container of your printer is filled and replace it.
What You Cannot Do Yourself Regarding Printer Cleaning?
Although most of the cleaning work can be done by yourself, it is better to avoid sensitive areas inside the printer and call experts to work on them. We say this because we know how delicate some parts are and only an expert hand can clean them.
Electronic Parts
Although you can clean the accessible interior parts of a printer, it is advisable not to touch those sensitive electronic things because they can easily be damaged and hence result in the printer malfunctioning.
Call our printer repair Dubai services to clean sensitive electronic parts so that there is no problem and things go smooth sailing.
Regarding Printhead
We have mentioned the easiest way to clean your printhead, but we must add here that printheads are also quite sensitive. This means only careful hands must clean them, and if you are confused, simply call a technician.
Why would you want to damage things when you can get quick printer repair Dubai services at your doorstep?
Constant Errors In The Printer
Even if you clean things regularly, if you ever face constant errors from time to time, calling an expert would be the best decision to avoid any major damage to your device.
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Constant errors mean there is a bigger problem that needs expert attention, so you should not waste any time whenever you witness constant glitches or malfunctions in your printer device.