Ink Jet Printer Tips
By Sandy Berger
The printer is the perfect companion to the computer, and here are a few tips to extend the life of your printer and to make printing easier.
Use It or Lose It
The most common printer for home computers is the ink jet printer, and the adage "use it or lose it" is best heeded for maintaining this type of printer. Inactivity causes the ink in the print nozzles to dry out which creates printing problems. If you don't use your printer on a daily basis, be sure to print out a test page at least once a week. Using the printer's test page is a good way to make sure that all the colors are being applied without using a lot of ink. See your printer manual to determine how to print a test page. This is usually accomplished by pressing a sequence of buttons on the printer.
Align the Print Heads
Most ink jet manufacturers recommend that you align the print heads whenever you change the ink cartridges. Instructions will either appear on the screen or in the manual.
Turn the Printer Off Properly
Always turn the printer on and off using the printer's on/off switch. Some ink jet printers clean and park the print head when they are turned off. If you turn the printer on and off using a switch on the surge protector or by pulling the plug, the print head may not park in the proper position.
Keep the Printer Clean
Dirt, dust, and paper shreds can interfere with the printers normal functioning. A can of compressed air can help to clean it out. If the printer environment is extremely dusty, keep it covered when not in use.
Care for the Printer Paper
Use the proper type of paper for your printer and be sure that you don't mix different types of paper in the same bin. Fanning the paper before you put it in the printer can help it move through smoothly. In extremely humid climates, the paper should be kept in an airtight container to keep it moisture-free.
Canceling a Print Job
To cancel a print job, select Printers & Faxes from the Start menu. If you don't see Printers there, choose Control Panel. Once in the Control Panel choose Printers and Faxes or Printers and other hardware. If necessary choose View Installed Printers. When the Printers window opens, double-click your printer's icon. You will see a list of current print jobs. Right-click the job you want to cancel and then select Cancel Printing in the shortcut menu.
Two Printers Are Better Than One
Although ink jet printers are still the most affordable, the prices of laser printers have also plummeted. Since the per-page cost of black laser printing is much cheaper than that of ink jets, if you print a lot and don't care about color, a laser printer may be just what you need. Many people, including myself, have both a laser and an ink jet attached to the same computer.
Bonus Tip: Extending the Printing Life of a Laser Printer Cartridge
Laser printers use a toner cartridge. When the printer indicates that the cartridge empty, you can often still get a little more printing out of it by removing the cartridge and tip it from side to side to redistribute the toner remaining in the cartridge. Then reinsert the cartridge into the printer. Often you can do this two to three times until the cartridge is really completely empty.