Everyone is looking for different ways to save money.  Why pay for costly equipment repairs that could have been easily avoided.  We have compiled a list of things that you can do today to avoid unnecessary repair bills for your electronic equipment.

Don’t Overlook the Obvious

If your electronic office equipment goes on the fritz, here are a couple of things that you should do before you call a repairman:

      1.  Make sure the plug is in at both ends.

      2.  Make sure that the equipment is turned on.

You may laugh, but nearly one-third of all repair calls are caused by overlooking these two simple steps.

Keep Your Owner’s Manuals

Most electronic equipment comes with an owner’s manual.  There is usually a troubleshooting section located near the back of the booklet.  This information can save your office valuable time and money.  If you don’t have your owner’s manual, many manufacturers put their manuals online for quick reference. 

Avoid Paper Jams in Printers

Fan your paper both directions before loading it into your equipment and always tap it on a hard surface to level the pages out.  Some machines pull the paper on the 8 1/2" side while others pull from the 11" side. Fanning the paper reduces the chance of jamming by separating sheets that may be stuck together.

Always use the correct paper size.  All printers have a minimum and maximum paper size that they will accept.  Paper that is too small is likely to get jammed and ripped when trying to remove it.

Don’t mix paper sizes in one paper tray.

Check your paper guides.  If they are too loose or too tight it will cause the paper to go into the printer at an odd angle.

Don’t use bent paper or paper with curled corners.

Store paper on a flat surface, away from heat and humidity- this avoids curling.

Not all printers work the same way.  Check your owner’s manual before you purchase paper.  Your owner’s manual will tell you what type of paper products are compatible with your printer.  Paper will be labeled for inkjet or laser compatibility.

Don’t buy cheap paper it can cause paper jams in both printers and fax machines.

A Good Cleaning

A good and proper cleaning can fix a multitude of problems.  Always refer to your owner’s manual for the proper cleaning methods for your electronic equipment.

Have any tips to share?

Purchasing a cost-effective printer is an individualized process based on the anticipated usage of the device. The most common printers are inkjet printers or laser printers, so here are six items to consider before purchasing your next printer.

1.  How will the printer be used?  Will I need a color printer?

If you need a printer that produces a mass amount of documents with little to no color quality then a laser printer is the best option. However, if you are in need of a printer that can print quality color documents such as photographs then an inkjet printer is your best bet.

2.  How quickly will I need my documents produced?

A laser printer can print up to 12,000 pages per hour. The quality is sometimes sacrificed, but for simple letters, this is the best way to go. Inkjet printers take an “incoming stream of data and directly imprint it in a slow lurching process that may include pauses as the printer waits for more data,” according to Wikipedia, creating a leisurely printing process.

3.  Will I be printing conventional sized documents or elaborate pieces of varying size?

The requirement to store data in the memory before printing has traditionally limited laser printers to small fixed paper sizes such as letter or A4. Most laser printers are unable to print continuous banners spanning a sheet of paper six-and-a-half feet long, because there is not enough memory available in the printer to store such a large image before printing begins. The data received by an inkjet printer allows the device to elongate the time it is working on a project creating opportunities for various print sizes.

4.  Will I be using a lot of printer toner?

Overall, if a printer is cheaper in price, double check the price of toner. Some printer cartridges are excessive compared to the price of the entire device. Toners for inkjet printers typically carry less ink than those of laser printers, so if cost cutting initiatives are a primary concern with a printer purchase then the size of toner cartridge should be considered.

5.  How much do I want to designate toward technological maintenance?

Maintenance for inkjet printers simply involves proper cleaning to prevent the ink from drying. Laser printers are more technologically enhanced due to the speed in which they work; therefore have more parts that may need replaced. A laser printer will typically need its roller, drum, and fuser replaced. Printers with soft plastic drums can be expensive to replace, so if a laser printer is the best option for your company, consider purchasing a printer without a soft plastic drum.

6.  Will I be printing front and back documents?