Many offices have some type of service agreement or lease with a company that maintains the copiers, puts in new cartridges and drums when needed, and may even supply some paper regularly. All you have to do is dust the outside of the machine when you are dusting everything else. However, there are a few things people tend to do around or to a copier that could end up damaging it. Make sure you have an office meeting to go over the following to keep your copier working efficiently.

Diamond Rings

Anytime you are using the copier, and especially when clearing a paper jam, be sure to take off any diamond rings you are wearing. The diamond is hard enough to scratch the glass plate. If you need to open the unit and reach inside to remove a paper jam, be sure to take off the ring so it does not scratch any of the mirrors. Any scratches can leave a permanent mark that will show up on your copies.

Boxes

Do not store boxes around the paper or finishing trays. Sometimes a tray needs to adjust itself up or down a bit. If there is a box in the way it will stop this movement but the machine will keep trying to force things. Eventually, this will lead to broken trays that do not work properly.

Wet Ink and Wite-Out

It only takes a few minutes to make sure that any ink or Wite-Out on the paper is dry. If you put it into the copier while still wet, even damp, it will leave a mess on the glass. Unfortunately, by the time you take out the paper, the mess has dried and will need to be carefully cleaned off. It might only be a streak that shows up, but it is something you probably don't want to see on everything you copy.

Dirty Paper

When you need to make a copy of something, make sure the original paper is not greasy or dirty. Anything that is on the paper can get onto the glass. Grease may leave streaks and dirt will not only show up on the copy but can scratch the glass.

While you might not give the copier a second thought most of the time, you will be wondering what is wrong when you have copies that have lines or streaks on them. This will require an extra trip from the maintenance company and cost you extra money. When everyone takes the time to make sure they are handling the papers and machine correctly you can go back to not thinking about it again. Contact a printing service company, like J M Todd Inc, for more help.