Laser and Inkjet Printer's Repairs and Parts

Most printers, like any other machine, experience problems in their basic operation leading to their primary function no longer occurring.  In the case of most common inkjet and laser printers, repairs will need to be made in order to get them back into working order.  This could mean anything from installing a new ink cartridge or replacing an important piece of machinery in the device.  Certain printer's repairs can be easily done by a mechanical novice, while other repairs will need to be performed by a trained and certified professional.  Many printer companies now sell the easy to install parts of a printer in kits so owners can easily and quickly replace and repair their own printers.  Here are some of the common repairs a printer will needed, including the standard maintenance printer owners should be normally performing.

Replacing Ink

This is one of the most common printer repairs that need to be performed, especially on inkjet printers.  Laser printers will need this performed as well, but the toner cartridges used in this style of printer will last much longer than the standard inkjet cartridge.  Most color inkjet printers will require the standard color cartridge and a black cartridge, allowing for full color printing capabilities.  To replace these cartridges on most inkjet printers, you will need to open up the printer cover, allowing for access to the cartridges.  Most printers will advance them to an easily accessed area.  Then, following the instructions for your specific printer, remove the old cartridges and snap in the new ones.  Most printers have a unique system for locking in new ink containers, and there will be a diagram or instructions on the inside of the printer cover showing you to perform your printer's repairs. 

Once new cartridges have been installed, they must be calibrated through the print manage on your computer.  This step is not required, but it will give your printer the best results possible.

For a laser printer, the spent toner cartridge will need to be lifted out and the new one slid into place.  This process is much easier than replacing inkjet cartridges, as long as the proper cartridges is used.

Paper Jams

This is common, especially when the hopper is getting low on paper.  Most of us have experienced the last five sheets of paper being sucked into the printer at the exact same time.  With most printers, there is a separation pad that allows for only one sheet of paper to enter the printed at a time.  If this is happening frequently, then this pad may need to be replaced.  With most printers, this repair is fairly simple, since the part can easily be snapped out and the new one can be snapped in.  In certain printer models, there may be screws attaching the separation pad to the printer. 

Cleaning Printer Parts

Like all other machines, printer function much better when they are clean.  Excess ink from printed pages can rub off on rollers, pads and belts can become damaged or sticky, and these unclean parts can result in a degraded print quality and frequent (and annoying) paper jams.  To avoid or resolve all of these annoying little issues, just clean the moving parts of the machine.  In most cases, this is much easier than it sounds.  Most metal parts can be cleaned with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab.  The alcohol will quickly loosen up any dried on in and it will evaporate quickly off of the metallic surface.  Plastic parts are normally cleaned by using a small amount of water and a cotton swab.  With most other parts, just cleaning it with a rag will help your printer to run 100 times better.  While the ink is on the rollers and other moving parts, this ink will cause the paper to stick to the roller, push the paper off its intended course, or could even smear more ink onto the page in locations it isn't supposed to go on.  If you perform these essential repairs to your printer, then you can avoid most common printer issues.

If you are in doubt of being able to performs these basic tasks on your own, or the problem is not resolved, there are professional printer maintenance personnel who specialized in home printer repair.  If worst comes to worst, you can simply buy a new printer for the same price most repair shops will charge to fix a major issue.