Getting the Best Out of Your Inkjet

Inkjet printer's are perhaps the least cared for computer accessories. It's only when a sheet of paper gets jammed in or you run out of ink, do you pay any attention (for a very limited time period) to your paper-churning workhorse.

With the constant falling prices of home printers these days, users are getting an even bigger excuse to not really bother too much with the printer's lifespan. But if you have spent a good amount on your inkjet printer and want to make sure that it will last you for more than what the warranty period can vouch for, while still giving you the best results, then you're at the right place.

Our five simple tips will not take too much of your time, or effort, and will surely help extend your printer's lifespan. Some of them may sound obvious, some less obvious, but they are all equally essential. So let's start with the first tip:

1. Keep the nozzle clean

While the best way to keep your printer problem free is to keep using it as often as you can. But since daily printing is not possible for an average home user (and for the rain forests), the part of the ink that's exposed to air tends to dry up over time and even collect a bit of dust and grime, which results in clogged nozzles.

If you even use your printer twice a week, this problem is less likely to affect you over, say, someone who prints once in two weeks. So to be on the safe side and just to ensure that you get good quality output at first shot, run the nozzle cleaning application in your printer driver if you're using it after a week or more. It will definitely save you a lot of time and money in cases where you'll be taking high quality photo prints on expensive inkjet paper.

At the same time you must take care not to over-clean the nozzle, so try to limit the nozzle cleaning to just once a week.

2. Overall cleaning
I realize I run a risk of being labeled obsessive-compulsive after all these cleaning tips, but hey, this one is essential.

Unless you're obsessive about keeping your home printer covered in plastic at all times, printers tend to gather dust when inactive. Not just that, if you've ever run into a paper jam between the roller and have had to yank the paper out, tiny shreds of paper could still be stuck in our printer's roller and other areas, hindering its overall performance.

So once in a while, maybe even once in a couple of months, it's a good idea to just clean the insides of your printer. You can use a common air pump available for as little as Rs. 15 in the market along with an ordinary paintbrush. Just clean off the dust wherever it's visible, but never apply too much pressure on any part of the printer.

Simple maintenance like that can keep dust away from all the important parts, increasing the printer's lifespan.