An original printer cartridge will serve you for around 24 months, and the shelf life of a compatible one is around 36 months if you take good care of it. Additionally, proper maintenance of the ink cartridges and toners assures high quality printouts because old cartridges tend to encounter clogging problems more regularly than new ones. The result of proper maintenance will be printouts that are clear in color. If you are environmentally conscious, then proper maintenance of the printer ink and toner across your whole network will reduce your carbon footprint too.
Clean the print heads regularly
Cleaning the print head removes the excess print ink and toner left on the head, including that which has dried on it. It impacts the quality of the prints because the excess ink and toner sticking on the head blocks the ink coming out of the cartridges onto the paper. To clean, wipe the head with a soft cloth before cleaning with a vacuum hose for a few seconds. Whether you are looking for industrial 3D printers for sale or office printers, proper maintenance is the key for better performance after the purchase. Check out the 5 effective ways to prolong the life of your printer ink and toner cartridges.
Seal and store cartridges in a dark, dry place
When your cartridges are not in use, seal them in a bag and store them standing upright. This means they will not accidentally spill off from the cartridge. These spills could block the cartridges, requiring you to clean them again. Additionally, leaving them unsealed may make air enter the cartridges, which could affect color consistency when you print using the cartridges. Toners require being stored in a dark, dry place to prevent moisture from clumping together the powder. It also prevents the powder from being melted away by sunlight. This means you should only unseal the print ink cartridge and toner from the original package if and when you are ready to use them in the machine. Remember that cartridges and toners can also deform if stored at very high temperatures. This may also lower the life of your products.
Combine automatic with manual cleaning
The automatic printer ink cleaning helps to check out slight blockages before they become serious enough to require manual cleaning. Most printers have automatic head printing programs that ensure nozzles are working optimally. However, it advisable not to run the program not too often, as this requires a lot of ink to flush out blocked ink on the cartridges. Instead, run the automatic cleaning only when there is a warning message to alert you of the need to clean it.
Check the manufacturer’s guidelines on maintaining the cartridges and toners
These guidelines are for maintaining your printer ink cartridges and toners, but the manufacturers will list additional guidelines for maintaining the products, and these might be very specific to the brand of cartridges and toners you have. Additionally, third party cartridges may be inconsistent with your device. Therefore, it is advisable to check that you have official cartridges, and that any third party ones are made for your specific device.
Don’t allow cartridges to dry out
Most printers have software that will track the printer ink levels and alert you when you need to refill the ink. Do not leave them to dry out completely because it may be hard to remove the dried up ink waste when you need to refill the cartridge later. This will also lead to clogging or blocking of the head and the cartridge.
Printer ink and toner will often last longer than users assume. The secret to prolonging their life is proper care and maintenance, paying careful attention to the manufacturer’s guidelines.
