“All good things must come to an end”, so they say, and the same goes for your home printer. No matter how well it was built and designed to last, you’ll have to replace it eventually.
What then are the factors that tell you when to replace home printer? What are those signs you ought to look out for before you toss your home printer out the window for good?
This article is designed to answer the above questions and more. Just hang on with us for a few minutes as we help you come to a decision concerning your current printer.
Table of Contents
What Are The Factors That Tell You When To Replace Home Printer?
The factors that tell you when to replace the home printer include the following:
1. Your printer doesn’t meet your needs anymore
2. The printing performance is poor
3. Its technology is outdated
4. It keeps malfunctioning
5. High cost of printer maintenance and expenses
Your Printer Doesn’t Meet Your Needs Anymore
Your printer no longer meets your needs when the bulk of work you have to do outweighs its capacity.
It’s quite true; you can fall out of love with someone and even something like your home printer. Yep, when you got your current printer it was love at first print. But after a while, your workload has increased and your printer can no longer meet your demands.
It doesn’t supply the page yield you require. Or you now discover it doesn’t have sufficient paper capacity.
Does the above sound familiar? If it does, then it means you need to upgrade to a better printer that can meet your current workload and demands.
The Printing Performance is Poor
Print performance is the print quality and print speed of a printer. If your home printer seems to be failing on both fronts, it is an indication that you need to replace it.
Slow printing speed can be because your printer is now an older model or the internal mechanisms are beginning to give out. Some newer inkjet printers can print as fast as 22 -24 pages per minute (ppm) while some laser printers can reach up to 75 ppm.
Your home printer may be producing poor print quality because the cartridges are dirty. Cleaning your printhead in most cases will help restore print quality.
However, if after cleaning and even changing the cartridges the print quality remains poor, then other internal components might have experienced wear of damage.
When your printer becomes slow and the print quality becomes erratic, you should consider replacing your home printer.
Its Technology is Outdated
Old generation printers operate with technology that is outdated. While some new generation printers can be updated to keep up with current technology, many older printers lack this luxury.
Most devices such as your smartphone, tablet, and computer are designed to be updated constantly so that they can stay up to date with the current technology.
Moreover, apart from software upgrades, hardware upgrades can make your home printer eat the dust of newer printers. This is more so because printer manufacturers do not design many of their printers with the option of having their parts replaced with upgraded parts.
Improved printer technology has equipped newer printers like the HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 with functions such as duplex printing, scanning, wireless networking, etc.
Besides, older printers can be somewhat difficult to repair over time. This is because their parts become scarce as time progresses. So, repairing an older printer could cost you more than getting a new one.
It Keeps Malfunctioning
The clear cut sign that you need to get a new home printer is when it starts malfunctioning. If your printer has constant issues that require repairs over and again, start thinking of a new printer.
Video: When to Replace Home Printer — Best Home Printers
Watch this video about best home printers
High Cost of Printer Maintenance and Expenses
If the cost of maintaining your printer and replacing ink cartridges is too high, you should consider replacing it.
It is no secret that printer manufacturers make more profit from ink and cartridge sales, rather than the printers themselves. A printer itself might be cheap but the ink will make it expensive.
Laser printers tend to have the advantage over inkjet printers as their toners do not need to be refilled often like inkjet cartridges.
Hence, if you print a lot of pages with an inkjet printer, you might consider replacing it with a home laser printer. A laser printer we recommend is the HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw.
Find more ideas on what to do with your home printer from these articles:
How to Buy a Printer for Home Use — 12 Factors to Consider
How to Print From Cell Phone to Home Printer — Basic 101
How to Make Black Ink for Printer at Home — In 7 Easy Steps
How to Hide Printer in Home Office — With 8 Amazing Ideas
How to Print Poster Size on Home Printer
How to Refill Ink in Printer Cartridge At Home — In 8 Easy Steps
Final Words
The signs above are indications that your home printer needs to be replaced. Is your printer exhibiting any of the signs we discussed? Then you know what to do.
If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments section below.
When to Replace Home Printer — Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Should a Home Printer Last?
A home printer should last 3 to 5 years. If you consciously keep it maintained, there’s a higher chance for it to outlast 5 years. However, you won’t expect it to perform at its best.
When your printer begins to perform below average, then it’s time to let it go. Forcing it along will cost you time and extra resources to maintain it. Your printing jobs will also be at risk of being ruined; this will cost you lots of paper. Getting a new printer when the one you have becomes weak, is a better way to save cost and time.
How Do I Know if I Need a New Printhead?
You need a new printhead if you have attempted cleaning your printer’s printhead and the print is still blurry. Cartridges require constant use; leaving them inactive for a long time will cause the printhead to clog. When you notice that your printhead is clogged, clean it. You may need to run the cleaning a few times to get thorough; consult your printer’s manual.
Replace the printhead if, after several cleaning attempts, your prints are still not clean. For a printhead that is built into the cartridge, replace the cartridge. If the printhead is built into the printer, replacing it will most likely cost you more than buying a new printer. You should consider buying a new printer.
How Often Do Printheads Need to be Replaced?
Printheads need to be replaced when they begin to print lines or gaps on your paper. For healthy printers, this will take up to 1.5 or 2 years. The first thing you should do when you notice a print gap is to clean the printhead. If cleaning doesn’t get rid of the gaps, then replace the printhead.
Also, if you have to clean your printhead twice every 6 months, then you should replace it. Replacing a cartridge that comes with the printhead solves the problem. If the printhead is built into the printer, you may need to buy a new printer to save cost.
To read more awesome articles, click any of the links below…
What Is the Most Economical Printer for Home Use — 18 Cheap Printers
How to Make Black Ink for Printer at Home — In 7 Easy Steps
How to Refill Ink in Printer Cartridge At Home in 8 Easy Steps
How to Print From Cell Phone to Home Printer — Basic 101
How to Connect Epson Printer to Home WiFi — In 7 Easy Steps
How Often Should a Printer Be Cleaned?
You should clean your printer at least once in 6 months. But this will depend on how often you use your printer and the volume of work it has to do. If your printer does a lot of work on a weekly basis, then you should clean it more regularly – monthly will work great.
It’s okay to clean the printer yourself, but if you can, involve the services of a technician. This will save the pain of spending a lot of money on repairs; dust does a lot of damage to printers. Be careful when you clean so that you don’t damage any important parts.
Are Printers Worth Repairing?
A printer is worth repairing if the cost of repair is cheaper than the cost of replacement. New printers often have the advantage of repair since they still have a warranty cover. When the warranty period expires, the cost of repair gets higher. As long as the cost per page of your printer remains reasonable, it’s okay to repair.
However, if the cost per page and cost of maintenance grows above the price of a new one, replace the printer. Also, if it is outdated and the manufacturer no longer supports it, replacing the printer is a better option than repairing it.
Should I Turn Off My Printer When Not in Use?
You should turn off your printer if you’re not going to use it for a few hours. Turning off your printer helps to save electrical power and prevent your printhead head from drying up. If your printer is always on when you’re not using it, the cartridge will dry out faster and impact your print quality.
The best way to turn off your printer is with its ON/OFF button. This will enable it to activate its capping mechanism so that it protects your cartridge. Using the power button of your UPS only causes it to freeze but doesn’t engage the printer; your cartridge will still dry out.
