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Warning Signs It’s Time To Replace Your Printer

Warning Signs It's Time To Replace Your Printer banner

We use printers in every aspect of our lives, from our homes, offices, shopping, and warehouses. Everywhere you go, there’s a printer related to our industry. However, they don’t last forever. Over time, your printer will face wear and tear, heavy usage, and common accidents that will lead to inefficiencies, increased costs, and downtime. If you’re struggling with your printer, it may be time to consider a replacement. Luckily, we’ve created a blog explaining when to replace your printer

How Do I Know When To Replace My Printer?

Poor Print Quality

If your prints are coming out faded, streaky or full of smudges, changing the cartridges (and drums, if you’re using a laser printer) is recommended. If the prints are still coming out in poor quality, this could lead to another internal issue, with the print head or rollers being the most common cause. A new printer would provide crisp, higher-quality, professional prints consistently

Slow Performance and Outdated Technology

Older printers tend to be slower, especially when handling high-volume tasks. This is usually caused by software updates filling up the printer’s memory. If your printer takes too long to process documents or struggles to accept high-quality documents and images, this is a sign the memory is full.

Difficult To Find and Purchase Ink & Toner

When manufacturers release a new range of printers, more often than not – they release new inks and toners alongside them. In most cases, ink and toner is still available for many years after the printer has been discontinued. But, over time – the replacements can become hard to find, which leads to an increase in costs. If you’re printing costs are increasing due to scarcity of ink & toner, this could show you’re due a new printer.

Do You Often Need Help With Your Printer?

If you find yourself needing help with your printer often, whether it’s technical advice or in-person guidance, this is a clear sign of when to replace your printer. Modern printers often have built-in help tools, it’s also easier to access support websites and forums. Plus, modern printers can usually update the software and firmware automatically.

Lack Of Modern Functions

Like other modern technology, new features are constantly being added to printers which could make them easier to use. However, if the rest of your technology is being upgraded to include new features, and you feel like you’re missing out. It could be a sign of knowing when to replace your printer.

Your Printer Is Making Louder Noises Than Usual

It’s perfectly normal for printers to make noise, especially when they’re first starting up. However, if you have noticed your printer getting louder, this can be a warning sign that your printer is showing its age. If you hear a lot of gurgling, or banging from the printer – these are common signs of internal issues.

If your printer is physically moving when in use, that’s definitely a sign to replace your printer.

Changes In Printing Needs

Over time your printing needs will change, this can happen for many reasons:

  • Increasing or decreasing print volume
  • Switching to colour or black & white
  • New workplace setup

There’s no need to have a colour printer when you only print black-and-white documents. The running costs would be much higher compared to a monochrome printer.

A new workplace setup could have space limitations, or certain printer requirements, such as specific security and connectivity needs

Smaller, cheaper printers aren’t built to handle heavy workloads, they have low ink reserves and small paper trays. On the other hand, a large laser printer may be overkill for a home user printing the occasional document, or photo.

No Longer Supported By The Latest Operating Systems

The latest operating system for your computer always brings exciting new features and updates. But it doesn’t always carry over support for older devices, this is especially the case with printers. More often than not, these need the drivers re-downloading to work with your latest update.

But, older printers don’t always support the latest operating systems. After a few years, they’re left out of driver updates leading to the printer being incompatible with your desktop.

Conclusion

Replacing your printer at the right time can save you from costly downtime, and poor print quality. These are some key signs to know when to replace your printer. However, you may not need to purchase a brand-new printer, so why not consider a refurbished option or an open box? If you’re struggling to find a printer that meets your needs, get in touch with our sales team, and a member of our dedicated team will be able to assist.

Need Help or More Information ?

If you need any further help or more information, reach out to us by leaving a comment below or through one of the many ways on our Contact Us page.

Alternatively you can contact us by Phone on 0800 170 7234 and 0161 308 5800 or by Live Chat on our main Website Monday to Friday and our team will be happy to help or answer with any questions you might have.

You can also find all the various ways to connect with Us at the bottom of this page. Please share this post if you found it helpful.

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