If It Prints, I'll Let You Know

With the forward progression of technology, it’s easy to imagine how pieces of computer hardware can simply fall into a near-perpetual state of disuse. Printers, however, take a longer time to fall into this state, as most would find them very useful and all you need to change are the cartridges and not the printer unit itself. Sometimes, though, it can’t be helped; there are just times when a printer won’t be used for a long period of time. You went away for a really long vacation, you had too much to do that printing becomes last in mind or there is simply nothing to print for some time. And when you think you’re back into the “printing mood”, you just hope that your printer is still ready and able to churn out those pages for you.

The first thing you should do when you finally plug that printer back into your computer is to, of course, do a bit of maintenance. You would never know if the print heads on your printer are clogged, so run the print head cleaning utility to clear the clogs up right away.

Next is to make sure that the drivers in your computer are updated. After all, you may have reformatted your computer during the time your printer sat up in a shelf somewhere in your attic. There also might be a chance that the driver information may have been updated, so make sure to check your printer manufacturer’s website if you find that your printer is not working.

Also clear the printer unit of any dust and dirt it may have accumulated. Gathered dust may only damage your printer, especially if it clogs up all the wrong places. Check to make sure the print head, drum cartridge, and rollers are clean.

You may still be able to resurrect your printer back from your graveyard of unused computer hardware, but remember to clean it thoroughly, run print head tests, update your drivers, and hope that the long idle period did not cause irreparable damages. Good luck!

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