Explaining the Lack of Reliability of the Printer

Printers are helpful for the office environment, until they start malfunctioning and causing problems. Let’s examine why printers have so many issues and what you can do about them.

Most printer problems will fall under one of the three following categories: a software issue, a physical issue, or a connectivity issue.

Software Problems Can Occur from Missing or Outdated Drivers

Printers are not just their hardware components; they also depend on the software that keeps them running. Therefore, if you don’t keep that software updated, you’ll run into cases where the drivers are not being updated or operating correctly. The driver is essentially what allows the printer to communicate with your operating system, thus causing significant trouble if it’s not maintained.

With operating system updates, these drivers can become incompatible with your technology, leading to more issues. Sometimes you need to update or reinstall the driver just to get the printer to work again.

Ink and Paper Are Important for the Printer’s Functionality, But Create Other Problems

While the printer is an up-front investment, the true costs of using them come from the recurring costs of purchasing ink, toner, and paper. These assets aren’t particularly cheap, and failure to keep up with them can lead to other operational issues with your technology. For example, the ink could be incompatible with your device, the paper might be the wrong thickness or size, the margins could become misaligned, or the printer could get jammed.

Hiding Printers Can Lead to Connectivity Issues

Of course, printers can be a major distraction in the office, too, so keeping them away from the action is often preferable. Unfortunately, keeping them so far from the endpoint could result in connectivity troubles.

You don’t want to deal with these issues, so we recommend you keep your printer out in the open in a centralized location so as to optimize the signal. If you sequester it away, you might have more problems than benefits when working with your printer.

Let Us Help with Your Printer Management Problems

SCW knows that you don’t want to deal with technology troubles, which is why you have us to help you out. To learn more, contact us at (509) 534-1530.