Best Practices for Caring for Your Copier

As the cornerstone of productivity in most offices, caring for your copier machine is vital. Without proper care, your copier will work less efficiently reducing quality output at a slower rate. Plus, you’ll face more frequent maintenance and repairs. MIssing out on basic copier care means significantly higher costs and a shorter lifetime.

Follow these critical steps to ensure your copier is functioning optimally, keeping your office and your team efficient and productive. 

Set Office Copying and Printing Guidelines

The first and best way to care for your copier is to get to know your copier. To get to know your copier, you can start by having a chat with your managed copier services partner. They will understand your copier as well as the usage volume your office is going to put it through. They understand your office needs, which is why they matched you to your copier. They’ll have the best custom quick tips for copier care.

Next, read the manual. The manual is your care bible straight from the manufacturer. Nobody knows how to care for your copier like the very people who designed and engineered your new office workhorse.

It’s not just the buyer or the office manager who needs to read the manual. Everyone who is going to use the copier must be familiar with best practices. Getting an entire staff to study the manual probably isn’t realistic, so a quick tip from most managers is to summarize the most important points and have everyone initial the care directions once read and understood. 

Some example best practices to glean from your copier manual include: 

• How often to schedule regular maintenance.
• Ensure all settings are in place to optimize copier performance. 
• Keep the manual nearby for reference.
• Educate yourself and staff on how to properly operate the copier.
• Track toner expiration dates, especially in lower volume offices. 
• Know how to clean the copier between maintenance visits.
• Always use the proper paper and know how to clear any paper jam. 
• Keep a small inventory of common copier parts so you never have to rely on your maintenance engineer to keep them handy.
• Remember the basics, like powering your copier down during off hours and giving it a day off every week or so. Similar to people, machinery does need to power down periodically so parts, dust, and components can settle and cool.

Don’t Completely Run Out

Establishing a rule that you won’t run out of anything is ideal for any office, whether high or low volume. Not running out can refer to parts, toner and ink cartridges, paper, and more. Any and every consumable needs to be tracked and ordered well in advance of running low, and especially running out.

We get it, replacement parts aren't always going to be top of mind. Compare this to your car. Tires are one of those car parts that you know will go bad at some point. You keep an eye on them and get new tires, as needed. However, you always keep a spare in the trunk because you know the last thing you want is to have to call for a tow when you could have saved money and driven yourself to the mechanic. When it comes to copiers, keeping a few vital parts on-hand can make all the difference. They’ll keep you running and minimize the number of high-priced, emergency repair calls. 

Ink and toner cartridges are essential, so there’s no reason to run out. Many cartridges produce lower quality prints if they get too low. Be ready to replace them before it becomes a problem. This will ensure you never have to sacrifice quality. However, it will also keep your copier in working order. When toner gets too low, it can strain your copier. 

The last consumable to keep on hand is the ideal paper for your copier. Every copier needs the right weight and size. Going with the cheap stuff can actually harm your office machine. It’ll cause more jams, dull the equipment, and add to harmful dust that can build up and harm your copier.

Keep your Copier Clean

Cleanliness and your copier just can’t be underestimated. We’re not just talking about aesthetic smudges and scuff marks from shoes that stand too close to the copier while waiting for their project to finish printing. 

We’re talking about cleanings that make a material difference to the performance of your copier. That means cleaning the glass often so you eliminate smudges and keep projects looking their best. 

Vacuum out the drawers and get rid of any dust or paper lint as well as rogue staples that have fallen through the parts. Anything that can cause paper jams or end up reducing the optimal performance of your machine should be removed weekly - more often in high-volume offices.

Eliminate all possibility of liquids and other particles getting close enough to your machine to cause damage. Post signs that prohibit food and liquids in the copy room. Never store the copier in the break room. And if possible, don’t keep the copier in an adjacent room to the break room so people aren’t tempted to combine their food break with a copy project because of their vicinity to each other. 

Choose the right Managed Copier Services partner

Above all, the best thing you can do to guarantee the performance of your copier and success of future projects is to choose the right managed copier services partner. The right partner will not only know their machines, they’ll know how to match you with the best possible solution.

At All Copy Products (ACP), we listen to every client. We make sure we understand the custom needs of each and every team, the project goals of their office, and their plans for the future. Then we help them understand which machines are the best choice as well as how to optimize their copier for the best possible results. When you work with ACP,  you’re working with professionals who will minimize downtime, maximize your productivity, and save your company money. 

Call for a custom quote and suggested solutions that will be the best options for your team and the future goals of your company.