It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Offices are closing for the Christmas break and you get some well-deserved time off. So, with the company closing its doors until the new year comes the question: what should I do with the printer?
Should we leave the printer on, or turn it off completely? Well, it depends on how long you will be away and the environment in which the printer is located. There are certainly pros and cons for both options, and this issue has been widely talked about for a while by technicians and users.
If the printer is going to be out of use for a period of months, then the recommendation is to turn it off completely. Ricoh recommends taking out all the paper from the trays and covering the printer completely to prevent dust buildup. When you use the printer again, you may want to insert a fresh batch of paper and run some pages to help the colour quality return to normal. We have seen cases where the toners have been crystalised, especially if the surrounding is wet and damp.
In the case of the printer being unused for just a few short weeks, our recommendation is to leave the printer on. What has changed drastically in the last few years, is the print manufacturers’ approach to energy saving and sustainability. With most brands, there will be an energy saver mode. With Ricoh’s sleep mode, the average A3 Ricoh printer is only using 0.55W to 0.75 W of power. Not only this, but the printer will only take around 6.1 seconds to recover from sleep mode when you return.
The pros of leaving your printer on during those few weeks are:
1. The printer intelligently adjusts and calibrates the toner at specific times. This means it will not crystalise.
2. The paper will be kept relatively -dry, as there is still low power operating in the printer.
3. Depending on how the network is setup, some printers that run on automatic (DHCP) IP address may have settings, such as it the IP address, reset if the power is turned off
In short, leaving it ON will ensure that the printer is healthy and ready to print when you come back to your office, in less than a minute. Ultimately, the decision is entirely yours and also adherence to your company’s policy. However, if you would like to speak to one of our knowledgeable team members, you can contact us at: info@b2btechnologies.com.au
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