1. Introduction to Computers
Printer Maintenance

2. Maintaining Laser Printers
Since laser printers are complex mechanical devices, preventative maintenance will provide us a measure of security and help us avoid future trouble
As with most things, preventative maintenance is better than repair work since a printer being out of commision in an office setting can greatly affect productivity
We’ll look at laser printers first and then the maintenance for other printers after

3. Printing Environment
The environment we set our printer up in can greatly affect its health
The air should be clean
Keeping the air clean of dust and debris will help the printer’s mechanical parts function at their best, limit wear and allow for less frequent cleaning
The printer should be connected to a surge protector
Surge protectors will keep your printer protected from spikes that come in through the electrical power lines caused by natural events or issues at the power company
Adequate Ventilation
There are fuser elements and power supplies inside of a printer that generate heat, and if the printer is in a closet or another enclosed area, then the heat can build up and damage and degrade the internal components
Heat
Outside heat is also a concern. If your printer is in an environment where it's excessively warm, because they will have a hard time dissipating their own heat

4. Printer Maintenance Kit
Printer maintenance kit content will vary by printer and is supposed to contain everything that wears out quickly on that device. Your printer documentation will tell you how often maintenance should be done, and your printer will usually display a message alerting you when it is time
In a common maintenance kit, you will find
Fuser wires. These fuser wires heat up and cool off regularly, and every time that happens, the metal degrades slightly
Rollers. When users complain about crumpled or jammed paper, most of the time it is caused by old rollers that have worn out and deformed so they are no longer round
Drum. Some printers, will also need a new drum. Some models of printers include the drum within the toner cartridge itself, so every time you get a new toner cartridge, you're putting in a new drum. Drums have a finite lifetime, usually around 20,000 pages or so, and if the drum is nearing the end of its lifetime then it will affect printing quality

5. Toner and Page Count
After implementing your maintenance kit you may need to reset the page counts. Many laser printers use a page counter to determine when the toner in the toner cartridge is getting low as well as when maintenance is required. They don't actually check the physical toner level.
This can be inaccurate, since it is based on average toner consumption. If you print full page graphics or dense documents you are going to be using way more toner than if you print documents with a lot of spacing
If your printer is reporting that the toner is low, the toner may be low, or you may need to reset the page count
Even if the printer will still print, you'll want to reset the page count to stop the printer it'll prompt you constantly, either on the front panel of the printer, or through a printing utility on the workstation telling you that the toner is low.

6. Cleaning
Toner from the cartridge can leak out when it is applied to the paper. You'll sometimes see everything inside the printer covered with a fine film of excess toner. This needs to be cleaned out, otherwise it'll get thick enough to where electrical connections aren't made
Some laser printers have a little reclamation utility that draws out the extra toner and puts it into a little container, but for laser printers that don't collect the extra toner, you will need to clean it using an anti-static vacuum cleaner
Using a regular vacuum probably won't hurt the printer itself, but it will hurt the vacuum since the toner has a charge to it. If you vacuum that up into a standard vacuum, the toner particles will be attracted to the electrical parts inside of your vacuum cleaner, and will damage it

7. Other Printers - Impact Dot Matrix
Other printers also require maintenance to run at their best. In general all printers run best when they are cleaned off and free of debris, but here are the best practices for cleaning other styles of printer
Impact:
Replace the ribbon as needed. Avoid rewinding and reusing the print ribbon as it will dramatically decrease your print quality
Remove accumulated debris. Pay special attention to the tractor feeds as debris can cause them to jam
Calibrate the printer. Some dot matrix printers include a calibration utility that you can use to print out a calibration page. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for completing the calibration
Replace the print head if necessary. Heavily used printers may require replacement of the print head as it wears out. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for replacing the print head

8. Thermal and Inkjet Thermal: Inkjet: Clean the heating element.
Clean the print head every time the ribbon is changed with isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free rag
Remove accumulated debris with compressed air
Clean the drive roller using an alcohol wipe
Inkjet:
Replace the ink cartridge as needed. You can also refill and reuse the ink cartridge but it could decrease your print quality. In addition, many ink cartridge manufacturers include a small fuse or switch that is tripped when the cartridge runs out of ink that has to be reset if reused
Calibrate the printer after replacing the ink cartridge. Most inkjet printers include a calibration utility that you can use to align the new print head in the new cartridge
Remove accumulated debris. Pay special attention to the paper rollers to prevent jamming
Check the carriage assembly and belt. On heavily-used printers, the carriage and the belt that drives it can wear out or sustain damage. If this happens, you may experience carriage jams and need to be replaced. The steps for doing this will vary by printer manufacturer. Consult the appropriate documentation for your printer

9. How to use a Maintenance Kit for the HP 4250
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