Welcome back to another exciting blog post! Today, we will cover a topic that everyone should really know about: What to do, and what NOT to do with your copier.

If you treat your copier right, it will give you the best quality prints, scans and copies for a long time. If you don’t, well, the results can go from bad to downright ugly.

With that, we’re going to go over what to do and NOT to do with your machine:

DO: Use the manufacturer supplied print drivers. This will ensure the best quality prints, free of any errors.

DON’T: Add the printer to your PC via the Settings app. This will load a generic system driver that can introduce errors, jams, and even poor print quality.

DO: Clean your scanner glass with a cloth. This ensures you get the best copies and scans your machine can deliver. Glass cleaner can be applied to the cloth for best results.

DON’T: Spray cleaner directly on the glass. The cleaner can (and usually will) seep into the machine, damaging it. This type of damage is not covered under your contract. As such, you would have to cover the cost of repairs.

DO: Keep all food and beverages away from your machine. This will prevent damage that can lead to costly repairs.

DON’T: Eat or drink around your copier. This can (and usually will) cause damage to the machine. Again, This type of damage is not covered under your contract. As such, you would have to cover the cost of repairs.

DO: Keep any tall waste/recycling receptacles at least 1-2 feet from your machine’s finishing unit. Note that it is OK for a short waste basket (Like the one under your desk) to be here as it is usually not tall enough to get hit by the moving output tray.

DON’T: Keep a wall trash can directly under your finisher tray. The exit tray on your finisher does move up and down to help with paper stacking. If the tray hits the trash can, it will show up on the copier as a stuck motor, causing an error that would require tech intervention. This can also cause damage to the finisher, which would not be covered under your contract. Again, a small waste basket (Like the one you keep under your desk) is OK here in many cases.

DO: Keep the spaces around the sides of your copier clear. This not only ensures proper ventilation of your machine, but also makes it easier to clear any paper jams, as well as makes it easier for a technician to perform service on your machine. Ensure there is copious amounts of room around the front and sides of the copier. It is OK for the rear of the machine to be close to the wall.

DON’T: Pile stuff around your copier. Not only can this hinder servicing the copier, but it also obstructs it’s airflow, causing it to overheat. Damage from overheating is not covered under your service contract.

DO: Contact your servicing dealer for any major issues with your machine. Call your dealer for issues such as poor image quality (if it is not resolvable by cleaning the scanner glass or using the proper print drivers), noises, tough to locate or clear jams, repeated jamming, detached parts, or even error codes that your machine may throw. In many cases, your dealer’s help desk technician can walk you through some steps to attempt to resolve the issue without tech intervention. Take note that minor things, such as a simple paper jam, or streaking when you are making copies, can be easily resolved without calling your dealer, as your machine will usually give you instructions.

DON’T: Attempt your own repairs without calling your dealer. This can not only damage your machine, but can also result in possible injuries. While it is OK to resolve issues such as a simple paper jam, or streaking in copies, other issues, such as error codes, odd noises or poor image quality from prints or copies (Other than those that can be resolved by cleaning the scanner glass or using the proper print drivers) should be handled by a trained representative from your servicing dealer. Your copier also has parts that are sensitive to light (Imaging drums), or are loaded with toner (Developer units). Pulling these out can damage the components, or create a huge mess. This is not covered by your service agreement, and you would be responsible for the costs of any components damaged during such a self-repair attempt.

DO: Use a cold, moist towel or a towel with cool dry cleaning fluid to clean up toner spills: If you accidentally spill toner somehow (It does happen), Clean it up with a COLD, moist towel, or use a cool dry cleaning fluid. Use the latter if you are removing spilled toner from carpet. If you have access to a specialized toner vacuum, you can use this as well.

DON’T: Attempt to clean spilled toner with a standard vacuum cleaner or HOT liquids: Toner is made up of very finely powdered plastic. As such, it is also hugely affected by static electricity. At best, the toner will escape the confines of your vacuum’s filters, spraying it into the air and onto more surfaces, creating an even bigger mess. At worst, you have a major fire risk due to the nature of the toner. (Remember shocking the bejesus out of your siblings on a cold morning by shuffling your socked feet across the carpet, and them simply poking them? Yeah, it’s like that.) Your dealer’s technicians are equipped with vacuum cleaners that are specifically designed for cleaning up toner spills. Do NOT use HOT water or towels either. Put it this way: Your copier uses HEAT to fuse the toner to the paper. What do you think will happen if you use a HOT towel to clean up toner? While you could be regarded as the next office Picasso, Your servicing dealer, nor your boss, would be too appreciative of the impromptu artwork.

DO: Observe the maximum paper amount your copier’s trays can handle. Your copier will have an indicator in the tray, usually on the rear paper guide, telling you how much paper you can safely load.

DON’T: Fill the tray to the top. Overloading the paper trays can cause jams, errors, and even damage to the machine. This kind of damage is not covered by your service contract. Any errors that occur here will inevitably lock the tray out, requiring tech intervention.

DO: Load your paper in the proper place within the guides. Your machine will only feed paper from within the guides.

DON’T: Place paper in the tray outside the guides. This can cause your machine to throw an error, locking that tray out until a tech intervenes. In some cases, this can also damage the machine. That empty space outside the paper guides is NOT for storage use!

DO: Use genuine toners/inks in your machine: Using only genuine supplies in your copier will help you maintain the best image quality, while requiring far less maintenance. Your servicing dealer will always provide you with genuine supplies from the manufacturer of your equipment. Genuine supplies are tested again and again by the manufacturer for the best quality possible.

DON’T: Use cheap, generic, third-party supplies. Not only can this result in sub-optimal to poor image quality, but in some cases, generic supplies can damage your machine. Damage caused by the use of third-party supplies is not only not covered by your service contract, but is also not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. If you need supplies for your machine, ALWAYS call your servicing dealer. At CopyLady, we ONLY provide genuine OEM supplies for your equipment.

DO: Position the tray guides tight against the paper. This not only helps your copier determine what size paper you have loaded in the tray, but will also help the machine properly feed the paper.

DON’T: leave the guides set away from the paper. Doing this can not only cause your copier to register a wrong paper size, but it can also lead to multiple issues, such as jamming, and improper paper feeding. Improper paper feed can lead to skewed or cut off prints and copies.

DO: Use the multipurpose tray for special types of paper. Using the MP tray for special types of paper, such as cardstock and labels, ensures a better, jam-free printing experience. The MP tray is a straight path into the machine’s paper feed system. This can reduce flex on the paper as there are far less turns involved.

DON’T: Use the normal paper trays for specialty paper. While it’s OK to use some specialty paper, such as Letterhead or colored paper, it is not a good idea to run something like labels through here. Running labels from the normal paper trays can result in labels detaching inside your copier, resulting in a service call. Damage caused by improperly loaded paper or detached labels is not generally covered by your service contract.

DO: Use labels designed for copiers in your machine. Copier labels are specifically designed for high-speed copiers and printers. These labels can withstand the higher temperatures required in high speed printing. Avery 5351 and 5353 labels are specifically designed for use in high speed office copiers.

DON’T: Use Laser/Inkjet labels in your machine. Unlike in a home laser printer, high speed office copiers require a higher fuser temperature in order to perform their duties. Standard labels like these can come off inside your machine, and get stuck to sensitive parts, such as the imaging drums or transfer belt. This can lead to degraded image quality, and sometimes even jams. Damage caused by detached labels is not covered under your service agreement, and can result in being billed for any parts that need to be replaced.

DO: Remove all staples, paper clips, and other attachments from paper before scanning via the feeder. Doing this will ensure a proper scanning experience with no jams, and no risk of damage to your machine. Attachments include, but are not limited to: Sticky notes, Receipts, Checks, etc. If you must scan with these attachments, consider using the flatbed glass to perform your scan.

DO NOT: Send stapled, paper-clipped or undersized documents through your feeder. This can cause severe jams, and even damage your feeder. Again, damage caused by improper use is generally not covered under your service contract. Running small documents, such as receipts through your feeder can cause these items to get stuck inside the feeder, or wound up around the feed rollers.

Follow these simple rules, and your copier will give you a long life of faithful, dependable service.

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