- Screen Printing Spot
- May 21, 2021
- 3 min read
A printer is a great device for printing documents, but it can also serve as an environment for bacteria and viruses. A dirty printer can be a breeding ground for all sorts of bad things that you want nowhere near your office. If you have never cleaned your printer before, now is the time to get started! This blog post will show how easy it can be to clean your printer like a pro with these five simple steps.
Step-by-step guide on how to clean printer
Inspect Your Printer for Clogs
If you have not cleaned your printer in a while, chances are there is some sort of clog. The first step to cleaning your printer like a pro is looking around for any blockages on the inside or outside of the machine. If you do find something that blocks the flow of ink (or anything else) remove it immediately with one hand and brush off any residue from the other. Don’t worry about how dirty it gets because we will be going over this again soon!
Remove all paper jams by pulling out both sides simultaneously
Look behind rollers for excess paper debris
Check cartridges and make sure they are seated properly before putting them back into the machine
Remove any excess debris from rollers or other parts of the printer
Vacuum Inside and Out
Once you’ve removed all blockages, it is time to vacuum everything inside your printer. Hold the brush attachment at a 45 degree angle away from anything that could be damaged by dust and dirt particles. Brush around each row of ink cartridges before pulling out and inspecting them for clogs again (we just did this in Step One). Next, use your hand vacuum to remove every last bit of paper debris left behind on interior surfaces like roller shafts or gears. Remember to make sure there are no loose objects near where you will be using these tools!
Use an air compressor with a nozzle attachment to blow out anything left inside
Use an air compressor with a compressed gas canister (such as hair spray) to clean the exterior of your printer.
Clean Cartridges and Print Heads
The paper rollers are dirty, but they’re not covered in ink like the print heads that move over them! You want those areas to be nice and shiny so you need some kind of cleaner for these guys. Even if it’s just water mixed with soap, you will see better results than what is happening now when dirt covers up their shine. Simply run cold tap water on each cartridge until there is no more visible ink coming off onto your fingers, then use a lint free cloth to dry them off.
Tips how to clean printer
Wipe down the exterior of your MFP with a dry, lint-free cloth.
Remove trays to clean the interior.
Be careful not to touch any circuits or moving parts on surfaces like gears and motors
Spray around it gently using an air cleaner spray
Pull out some paper so dust doesn't accumulate inside again in time for another print job later.
Conclusion
When you’re done with the printer, don't forget to clean it. It may seem like a small task, but when your machine is left dirty for too long, this can cause print quality issues and other problems that will be costly to fix. Take some time out of each day for maintenance tasks as they come up so that your business doesn't suffer from lost productivity or high operating costs due to avoidable printer breakdowns.