Laser Printer Maintenance Cleaning Procedures

Laser printers are the office workhorses, producing thousands of pages per year – or even per month – in professional settings ranging from healthcare facilities to insurance companies. Your laser printer is an investment that must be properly cared for and maintained. Although basic maintenance and cleaning procedures are universal, always consult your printer’s manual for specific cleaning instructions and parts replacement.

Cleaning and Maintenance Safety
Always unplug your printer during maintenance and allow it to cool for at least an hour before cleaning or performing maintenance near the fuser-roller compartment, as a hot fuser can cause burns. Toner is used by all laser printers and contains small particles that can get into your lungs or on your skin during cleaning, so turn off any nearby fans. Wear latex gloves and a mask during cleaning to avoid breathing in toner, and wait at least 10 minutes after maintenance before returning to the area.

Brush and Vacuum
Remove the paper trays after the printer has been turned off and unplugged. Brush toner and dust from crevices with a fine-bristled paintbrush before cleaning the interior compartment of the printer with a toner vacuum – available at office supply stores – by running the nozzle through the compartment without contacting any internal surfaces such as fine wires.

Wipe with a Damp Cloth
Remove the toner cartridge and clean it with a toner cloth, which is available at office supply stores. Softly rub the printer’s delicate wires with a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Wipe down the interior with a dry, lint-free cloth. Dampen the cloth slightly and clean the rollers and separation pads with it, but avoid touching the rollers with your bare hands.

Exterior Cleaning
Dust the outside of your laser printer with a clean, dry cloth or a lint-free, microfiber duster on a regular basis. Cleaning the printer’s exterior casing is usually as simple as wiping it down with a clean, damp cloth; for deep cleaning, add a little isopropyl alcohol to the cloth; never use solvent or ammonia-based cleaners. Clean the printer’s exterior every time you change the toner, or about every 2,500 pages.

Other Maintenance
When prints begin to fade, replace the toner with a new cartridge or a refill kit. Shiny, glazed-looking surfaces indicate the need for new rollers, whereas fuser assemblies with marks or scratches require replacement. In most cases, error messages appear to indicate that the drum needs to be replaced. To clean the paper path, feed a transparency sheet through it two or three times without printing.