Reducing consumable wastage to create a more sustainable future
25th November 2020A quick guide to a Managed Print Service
22nd December 2020
Due to a long shutdown, printers may have been left idle for extended periods in offices without temperature control and maintenance. This document provides a few easy pointers and recommendations to get the printers back to a working condition whilst giving them the TLC they need if you are planning on making a return back to the office.
What is likely to happen with printers not being used for an extended period of time?
- The printer toner, paper, stapler pins, etc were left in the places at which people had used them last.
- The temperature control of offices and places where the printers had been installed may have been turned off.
- The normal maintenance of the printer fleets was not available.
Possible Scenarios and recommended solutions
Brief Checklist to restart your devices
- Shake toner cartridges as described in the service documents before restart.
- Check the paper loaded in the trays and replace it if it does not meet environmental specifications (has absorbed moisture, has curling edges, etc.)
- Remove dust around the whole device.
- Wipe the glass on the flatbed with a clean cloth.
What are the possible symptoms with no usage and no maintenances for long periods
- Issue 1: Excessive paper curl, paper jams, dog-ear folding, smear (stains) and paper wrinkles
Cause: High humidity on the remaining paper in the trays
Solution: Use a brand new paper
- Issue 2: wavy paper jams
Cause: If humidity is high, the paper will absorb the water and become wavy
Solution: Use brand new paper
- Issue 3: Dusty paper jams
Cause: If dust accumulated on the paper, it can coat the rollers and lead to jams
Solution: Use brand new paper
- Issue 4: Background image/ scattering toner / dark or light optical density
Cause: These defective images may be caused by a low quantity of electric charge on the development units because of no usage of devices for long periods
Solution: Run the "Auto Tone Adjustment” in the Service mode before restarting the devices
- Issue 5: Gray spots on the printout
Cause: This defective image also may be caused by a low quantity of electric charge on the development units because of no usage of devices for long periods
Solution: Allow the device to be in the office temperature for at least 4 hours to improve the print quality and print a few pages to cycle the printing processes
If your organisation is thinking about returning to the office at some point in 2021, it is key that your print devices are thoroughly serviced to ensure they work as smoothly as they did before.
Your office print devices are some of the most important pieces of technology in your office and it can be frustrating when it doesn’t quite work how you would like it to after not being serviced. Regular maintenance to your print devices can avoid the common office printer problems.
So whilst your printers are taking a little downtime, make sure you’re in the know and ready to follow the guidance when back in the office to keep them in tip-top condition. Make sure to
get in touch with us if you have any questions on maintaining your office based devices.