What Are Some Useful Printer Accessories

Date: February 17, 2010

New York, NY -- Almost as a rule, printers don’t work correctly 100% of the time. That however doesn’t mean that at least a good number of times that a printer malfunctions that you as the owner can’t fix it yourself. Here are just a few things to keep in mind.

• Printer Drivers
  Also known as the lifeblood of your printer, drivers are what translate back and forth from your computer to your printer and vice-versa. When you bought the printer, it came with an installation CD that contained your driver and any other software (such as printer management tools) needed by your printer. If you lost your CD though, don’t panic. Printer manufacturers provide the drivers online, free of charge, from their very large archives. This writer last week found a driver for a printer at work that had to have been at least 6 years old from HP.com (Thanks, HP).
• Paper Jams
  Paper jams can occur more easily than one might think. Something as minor as placing the paper in the input tray or drawer could cause a jam. If you reuse paper, make sure that the condition of the paper is still good, otherwise it may not go through as smoothly on its second pass.
• Clogged Print Heads
  To keep your printing clear and clean, be sure to clean your print nozzles every so often. If you print with clogged heads, you will notice a decrease in the quality of the text or graphics in your output. While yes, this process does use ink, it can save you money in the long run because it is better than not being able to print at all.

BY ADAM HAIGH, Editor