Why Are Home Printers So Bad?

We do many things wrong when it comes to our home printers. From the choices of printers to the replacement or maintenance of parts, we fail to pay attention as we should. Also, we often overlook that some printers are better than others, and some printer parts are more durable than others when buying them.

So, it’s not surprising that someone may ask, why Are Home Printers So Bad? Home printers perform badly because we don’t change the ink or toner as often as they should. Also, sometimes, the wireless connection may not connect properly, and we won’t notice. Unfortunately, with home printers, there is always a case of poor customer support. This makes it impossible to troubleshoot whatever problem that comes up. This article focuses on home printers and why they are so bad.

Why Are Home Printers So Bad?

As little as the machine appears, it is made up of delicate parts. The print heads, ink, and mapping software are parts that play major roles in the smooth functioning of the printer. If they are damaged, the printer might not work properly. Apart from the parts, some other practices and issues affect our home printers.

Some of them include:

Printer Position

Being a home printer, we may place it anywhere in the home, forgetting that not all spots are safe for printers. Sometimes we reluctantly place it on a table or beside our windows. These spots expose them to dust, which gradually accumulates and cause damage over time.

Use of Wrong Inks

Most printers have their inks designed with physical properties to work with the print head. The printer will not work well when you use the wrong ink, like knock-off ink.

Wrong Paper Alignment

Most times, you might be in a hurry to print and discover the paper tray is empty. In this rush, you fix the paper without exercising caution and press the print button, and it will automatically cause a paper jam. This paper jam can alter the printer negatively.

Wrong Printer Parts

Most manufacturers design their printers to shut down when using the wrong cartridge. Therefore, if your printer is from such a manufacturer, you have to replace the cartridge with the manufacturer’s customized cartridge.

Poor Usage

Home printers can get so bad when we use them wrongly. For instance, a child can come from nowhere and press the print button repeatedly. If there is no paper in the machine, the printer can get bad. Also, when you use the printer repeatedly without changing the ink and cartridge, it will become bad.

Storage Pattern

Every appliance or machine requires proper storage. If you store your home printer carelessly, it will result in damage. For instance, if the printer is not in use, it’s advisable to cover it properly. Also, keep it far away from fire, water, or raindrops.

Power Supply

If there is an irregular supply of power, power goes off and on at intervals; your home printer is prone to get bad. This “off and on” can burn one or more wires in the printer, thereby preventing it from working the next time you switch it ON.

How to Choose Ideal Printer For Your Home?

Before choosing an ideal printer for your home, consider some factors. Some of these factors are your home’s size, your financial capacity, and what you want to use the printer for. By choosing the ideal printer for your home, you will boycott so many issues.

Home Space

How big is your workstation? What size of printer can fit in? Is it a big or small printer? These will determine what size of the printer is ideal for your home. You can’t get a big printer for a small space.

Financial Capacity

Printers could be very expensive, although there is an affordable home printer under $150. Check your pocket size to know which one you can comfortably afford. You don’t need to go for a very expensive printer when you’re planning to use it at home only.

What you want to use it for:

Each printer has its specific use. However, there are printers that could serve dual purposes. What type of printing would you be doing? What is the volume of the work?

Are you working from home, or are you a student and will be using it for project work?  Do you want to use it to print out your children’s school projects? The answers to the above questions will help you choose which printer is ideal for your home. There are specific printers for each purpose. Check some of the available types below.

Multifunction Printer

This is a printer that can print, scan and fax as well. With a multifunction printer, you can directly scan documents to your computer with ease.

Photo Printers

A photo printer is used to print out documents with pictures. With photo printers, you can conveniently print out your children’s school projects with beautiful pictures. Also, you can use it to print out pictures from your SD card.

Inkjet Printers

It is a type of printer that uses a cartridge of ink. They are applied wet to the printing paper but immediately dry off. Inkjet printers are very fast and can print anything ranging from charts to photos.

Laser Printer

This type of printer uses a toner which makes printing very fast. It is cheap and very affordable. Plus, it has an excellent page yield with a longer toner life span.

How To Keep Your Home Printer In Good Condition

Home printers, as discussed above, are often overlooked. Although we need them, we rarely take care of them. This puts them in bad shape at all times. When your home printer is bad, your work is delayed and sometimes impossible.

To enjoy your home printer and increase its lifespan, it has to be in good condition. It is therefore advisable to keep your printer in good condition.  Some of the ways to do that are below.

• Use Your Printer More Often: Frequent use eradicates the accumulation of dust and helps you to notice any damage as soon as it occurs. Also, if you don’t use your printer regularly, there is a possibility of the ink cartridge becoming dry.
• Clean Your Printer Head: The printer head could be termed the powerhouse of your printer. Don’t be reluctant about it. Regularly clean it to prevent damage and periodic breakdown.
• Replace your cartridges: Replacing the cartridges of your printer can sometimes be challenging, especially when you are in a hurry to print, and you discover the cartridge is bad. You might be tempted to use that same impatience to change the cartridge. Despite the need, please exercise caution and patience when changing the cartridge. Also, regularly check the state of your cartridge. This will prevent a delay when you are in a hurry to print.

• Ensure your printer is clean: Most times, we feel it’s a home printer, not in the office, and therefore doesn’t need cleaning. But the truth is dust can accumulate over time. To keep your printer in good condition, you have to remove dust by cleaning your printer regularly. Also, there are cleaning solutions you can use. Go for a mild alcoholic one and use it regularly to clean your home printer. Suppose you are traveling and won’t be back for a while; ensure you cover your printer properly with a dust net. This will further prevent dust from getting into smaller parts of the printer.

• Latest Softwares: To get the optimum result from your home printer, regularly check for updated software and drivers from the manufacturers. Install them for the smooth functioning of your home printer.

Final Words

Printers are designed to be used alongside computers or laptops. Although they are majorly used in offices, you can also use them at home. This is to ease the stress of having to go to a business Center to print. You can comfortably work and print with ease with a printer at home. But why are home printers so bad?

As mentioned above, they are made up of some delicate parts. These parts determine the smooth functioning of the printer. For instance, you can’t expect your printer to print if an ink cartridge is missing. Other reasons include using the wrong ink cartridge, lack of maintenance, etc. Feel free to study these reasons above and go through the guide on keeping your printer in good condition.