Inkjet and Toner

To SAVE MONEY, try to match the print mode to the job at hand.

* Match the resolution setting on your printer with what you’re working on.

* Graphics: try to balance your use of color and use white backgrounds or colored paper. You’ll spend a lot less on colored paper than you will on color INK.

* High resolution printouts take much longer. Use it for the final product. Use draft mode for everything else. You’ll save time and money.

* When doing prints with a lot of graphics or photos, use a better quality paper and you won’t get as much curling of the paper and the image will be better.

How to waterproof an INKJET copy

* Get a clear fixative spray available at art supply stores or hobby shops. This will keep the water soluble ink from dissolving when it gets wet. Put the copy in a large cardboard box and spray it.

Now a little information on the technical side.

* Don’t turn the printer off before it has a chance to run through all its cycles: when you turn it on (power-up), reset (reboot), or after printing. This doesn’t give the print head enough time to park itself. It needs to park itself over the rubber pads to prevent leakage and to keep the INK in the nozzles from drying out.

* You can use a little wet INK to clean up dried INK spots on your printer cover.

* Feeding problems: if you’ve used cheaper paper (especially recycled) or your printer is older, sometimes the paper feed rollers will become hard and glazed. Take a soft rag with some alcohol on it and wipe the rollers clean, then take a dry rag (not paper towels) and dry them. If they’re overly glazed take a little sandpaper (100-200 grit) and roughen them up. Or you can use an emery board.

* Do not touch the contact points on the INK cartridge. This could foul them with the oil or debris on your fingers and cause the jets to misfire. If you accidentally do, take a Q-tip with some alcohol and clean anywhere you touched or where you have excess ink.

* Remove the cartridge as little as possible. Excess in and out will wear the contacts out faster.

* For MAXIMUM cartridge life, make liberal use of the “draft” settings, because it swipes once per line instead of twice.

* Make sure you have the right cable for your printer. You usually have to buy it separately. I don’t know why they don’t include it with the printer. H.P., for instance, check for presence of a cartridge to see if it’s out of INK or check for paper by checking electrical voltages on the contacts between the cartridge and the cable. So, don’t just get the cheapest cable you can find.

* Don’t let the cartridge run completely dry before refilling it. This can cause dried INK to stop up the jets. Let it get down to the 20-25% level and then refill it.

* If you won’t be using the cartridge for quite a while, take it out and place it in a sealed container or plastic baggie with a damp paper towell for storage. Be sure to put it in the same position as it was in the printer.

* Avoid turning the cartridge upside down.

Gravity pulls the INK into the jets and keeps them primed. Turning it upside down can let air be drawn back into the jets.

* Always AERATE (fan) your paper before you load the printer. Sometimes it can develop a static charge and tend to stick together. Also, the knife at the paper mill may pinch the paper together, causing two or three sheets of paper to stick together. Both conditions can cause a jam.

* INKJET printers work best with frequent use. They tend to dry out. Three months is about the limit before they start “to dry up”. Use’m or lose’m.