MANAGING YOUR EQUIPMENT

 

Equipments are essential to our business and any breakdown will cause down time and reduce our efficiency in meeting scheduled job delivery. This will not only cause our business harm and it can also be very costly to us as entrepreneurs.

Therefore it is necessary that we manage our machines with total care and dedication.

Computer

1.     Keep your work area clean

2.     Save your work often.

3.     Hold disks and CD-ROMs by the edges.

4.     Close all programs before you shut down your computer.

5.     Don’t bring food or drinks near your computer.

6.     Dust your computer and shake dirt out of the keyboard.

7.     Keep magnets away from your computer and disks. Magnets can erase information.

 

Top 9 Tips for your Printer

1.     Keep your printer clean - Be sure to clean the printer regularly inside-out and close the paper feed trays when not in use.

2.     Keep it covered when not in use - Cover the whole printer unit with a cloth or a plastic cover.

3.     Turn it off when the printer is not in use- Press the power button on the printer to shut it down and turn off the mains.

4.     Use it frequently - Use your printer at least once every two weeks to ensure that it is in a proper working condition.

5.     Maintenance Mode - Every printer features a maintenance mode that self checks the entire unit to make sure everything is working well. So carry out the printer maintenance every 1 or 2 months.

6.     Avoid cheap paper - Using cheap, low quality paper with your printer can affect the print quality and cause paper jams. Manufacturers generally specify the type of paper you need to use.

7.     The paper - Try not to use papers that are bent, folded torn or previously used as they will affect the final print output.

8.     Refer to the manual - Printers generally vary in terms of functionality, operation and maintenance across different manufacturers. So always refer to your printer’s user manual or service manual to see what is recommended for your printer.

9.  Replacing cartridges and handling - As printers get smaller and more functional; they use the latest technologies and electronics to keep them going. So when you need to replace the cartridges or check something inside the printer, make sure you are as gentle as possible, so as not to affect any components inside the unit! Don’t use excessive force during this process.

Troubleshooting common printer problems

1.     Printers doesn’t Turn on.

  • Check the power cable running from the printer to the plug point for loose connection.
  • ​If you are having intermittent problems with the cable, replace it with a better one.

2.     Paper Jam.

  • Never try to force out the paper as it may affect the internal components( esp. The roller).
  • ​Most manufacturers include a hatch at the back or offer a specific method to release and remove the paper (check manual).
  • ​To prevent jams, make sure the paper isn’t bent or folded and is fed correctly into the printer.

3.     Error Messages/Alarms/Beeps from the printer.

  • If your printer has a LCD display, read the error message and follow the instruction shown. If you have warning LEDs or beeps instead, observe the pattern or frequency of these warnings and refer to your printer’s manual to learn more about the problem.
  • ​Try to familiarize yourself with the most common problems by referring to your printer’s manual, to avoid future reoccurrence.

 

4.     Windows is unable to recognize or communicate with the printer.

  • Check the USB or parallel cable running from the computer to the printer. It needs to be firmly in place at each end. If the cable or connector is damaged, replace it immediately.
  • ​The driver for your printer might be missing, outdated or corrupt so make sure you visit the manufacturer’s website (do a Google search) and download the latest driver available for your printer. Only after the driver is installed and your printer detected by Windows can you start making use of your printer.
  • ​You can also try uninstalling the printer from the Windows control panel and reinstalling it again.

 

5.     Misalignment of colours and lines on print outs.

  • Go to: Start >Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Select your printer, right-click and choose Printing Preferences (or Printer Properties) in the new window, look for a section related to maintenance, and you should see an option called “Print Head Alignment”. Use this option and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment process.

6.     Common problems with the print out.

  • The colour and print quality has become poor: The ink cartridges may be running low. Check the status and replace it.
  • ​Parts of characters and symbols missing: The ink cartridge could be clogged. Try the printer’s cleaning process.
  • ​Colour printout appears smudgy or smeared: Depending on what you’re printing, choose the light Paper Setting in the printer Preferences. Low Quality setting for text documents and High Quality setting for photos and other graphical printouts.
  • ​Photos and graphics look grainy: the source (image/graphics) itself is low (<300 dpi), which is why the printer is unable to print the image well. Try again with a high quality image.

 

7.     Printer returns a blank page after printing.

  • If the content sent to the printer for printing was blank, check and try again.
  • ​Try again if the printing process was interrupted.
  • ​Check the ink status to see if the ink cartridge is empty.
  • ​If you recently installed a new cartridge, check to see if you have removed the sticker from the electronic contact points of the cartridge.