Jun 14, 2025

How do we maintain photocopiers and printers

If you manage sales and maintenance of printers and photocopiers, you already know that a single paper jam or toner spill can bring an entire office to a standstill. In a recent Australian survey, 72 % of small-to-medium businesses said unexpected printer downtime directly hurt client satisfaction and revenue. With so much riding on reliable print infrastructure, maintenance is no longer an after-thought; it is a strategic necessity. That is why Perth-based PrintCom, with more than 35 years of technical know-how, focuses on proactive care that prolongs equipment life, keeps costs predictable, and frees your staff to concentrate on core work instead of wrestling with copier errors.

This in-depth guide explains the “why,” “what,” and “how” of maintaining both photocopiers and printers. You will discover daily checklists, preventative measures, and professional service options, all illustrated with real-world examples drawn from PrintCom’s extensive client base across the mining, education, and healthcare sectors. By the end, you will be able to design a maintenance routine that minimises downtime, extends warranties, and optimises your total cost of ownership—regardless of whether you operate a single desktop device or a fleet of high-volume multifunction machines.

1. Why Maintenance Matters More Than Ever

Have you ever calculated how much a five-minute printer delay costs your business? Consider a 40-person law office where each staff member bills at \$120 per hour. A system-wide malfunction that halts printing for even 15 minutes translates to \$1,200 in lost billable time. Multiply that by several incidents per month and the annual impact becomes staggering. Yet, Gartner research shows up to 60 % of these outages are preventable with basic upkeep such as firmware updates and timely consumable replacement.

Beyond direct dollar losses, neglected printers create hidden expenses: frustrated employees, missed deadlines, and reputational damage with clients. Environmental costs also rise because poorly maintained devices can consume up to 20 % more energy, according to Energy Star data. Add the carbon footprint of prematurely discarded cartridges, and it becomes clear that good maintenance supports sustainability goals as well as profitability.

PrintCom’s field data reinforces these findings. Clients enrolled in a structured maintenance contract experienced 38 % fewer emergency call-outs and an average hardware lifespan extension of 18 months. As an authorised dealer for Brother, Kyocera, HP, Oki, Epson, Fuji Xerox, and Samsung, PrintCom aligns service protocols with manufacturer specifications, ensuring warranty compliance while tailoring solutions to each workplace’s print volume and document workflow.

2. Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Care: A Practical Checklist

Consistency is the secret sauce of equipment longevity. Rather than waiting for the “replace fuser” light to flash, smart organisations adopt a rhythm of daily visual checks, weekly cleaning, and monthly calibration. Below is a condensed, technician-approved schedule you can laminate and post beside every device.

When your staff follow this simple routine, you can slash emergency calls dramatically. One retail chain that adopted the checklist across 120 stores, under PrintCom’s guidance, reported a 44 % drop in unplanned outages within six months. That meant fewer refunds for unprinted labels and shorter checkout lines, directly improving customer satisfaction scores.

3. Deep-Dive Preventive Maintenance Strategies

Surface cleaning is only half the story. High-volume environments such as government print rooms demand proactive component replacement and environmental controls. Should you schedule those at fixed intervals or base them on page counts? PrintCom recommends a hybrid approach combining manufacturer guidelines with real-time analytics from device management software like PaperCut MF or HP Web Jetadmin. These platforms track duty cycles, temperature spikes, and error codes, allowing you to replace a transfer unit at 180,000 pages instead of waiting for the predicted 200,000-page failure point.

Climate control is another overlooked factor. Photoconductor drums, for instance, degrade quickly in areas where humidity exceeds 60 %. Installing a low-cost dehumidifier in the print room can extend drum life by up to 30 %, according to Kyocera technical bulletins. For mining sites in the Pilbara, PrintCom outfits cabinets with dust filters and positive-pressure fans to protect circuitry from iron-ore particles—a solution that has been shown to double MTBF (mean time between failures) of on-site printers.

Finally, firmware should never be “set and forget.” Vendors release security patches every few months, and a single unpatched device can render the whole network vulnerable. PrintCom’s managed service contracts include automated firmware deployment during off-peak hours, reducing the risk of downtime at critical moments. Imagine discovering that last week’s ransomware attack entered through an outdated printer interface—firmware vigilance would have paid for itself many times over.

4. H2 – Choosing Professional Support for sales and maintenance of printers and photocopiers

Even the best internal routine cannot cover every scenario. Complex tasks—such as replacing a high-voltage power supply or aligning a laser scanner—require specialised tools and brand-specific expertise. That is where PrintCom’s certified technicians come in. Each technician undergoes factory training and carries diagnostic software for Brother, HP, Kyocera, and other supported brands. Response times average under four hours within the Perth metro area, and regional clients can opt for next-business-day on-site service.

Which model saves you the most in the long run? A five-year total cost of ownership (TCO) study across 60 PrintCom clients showed that businesses printing more than 10,000 pages per month often saved up to 25 % by moving from ad-hoc repairs to a flat-rate maintenance contract. Meanwhile, project-based architectural firms found leasing more economical because it gave them access to wide-format plotters without expensive capital outlay.

5. Cutting Costs Without Cutting Corners

Reducing print costs is not just about cheaper toner. It is about aligning device capability with workload, optimising consumable yields, and preventing premature hardware retirement. PrintCom runs a complimentary print audit that maps your current fleet against actual usage patterns; in many cases, simply replacing an aging 30 ppm desktop laser with a modern 45 ppm energy-efficient model pays for itself in electricity savings alone. One WA engineering company shaved \$6,800 off its annual electricity bill after PrintCom replaced five legacy devices with Kyocera ECOSYS units.

Consumables matter too. Generic toners may look economical but can trigger 15 % higher failure rates due to inconsistent particle size. PrintCom supplies OEM or ISO-certified compatible cartridges and offers volume-based discounts. Coupled with extended warranties of up to five years, organisations enjoy cost predictability and peace of mind. Want an easy analogy? Think of using premium fuel in a luxury car—the right consumables keep the engine purring and avoid costly repairs down the track.

Beyond hardware, document workflow optimisation—such as secure pull-printing and duplex defaults—can cut print volume by 30 %. For example, a tertiary college implemented PrintCom’s PaperCut solution, which forced lecturers to release jobs at the device. Print volume dropped from 2.2 million to 1.5 million pages annually, saving the college \$42,000 in paper and toner while also meeting its sustainability targets.

6. Sustainability and Compliance Benefits

Businesses are under mounting pressure to demonstrate environmental stewardship. ISO 14001 certification, for instance, requires documented evidence that organisations are minimising resource consumption. Regular maintenance directly supports these goals by improving energy efficiency and reducing waste. According to HP’s sustainability reports, well-maintained laser printers can operate at 10–15 % lower wattage during standby and fusing cycles.

PrintCom assists clients with e-waste recycling programmes that comply with Australia’s National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS). In 2024 alone, PrintCom diverted 18 tonnes of cartridges and spent drums from landfill, turning them into road-surface asphalt via the Close the Loop initiative. By logging each pick-up in an online portal, businesses gain traceability for ESG reporting.

Regulated industries such as healthcare must also consider data security when retiring devices. Hard-drive wiping or physical destruction is included in PrintCom’s end-of-life service, ensuring compliance with the Privacy Act and HIPAA-equivalent standards. Skipping this step can expose sensitive patient records, leading to fines or lawsuits. Maintenance is therefore not just mechanical—it is also about safeguarding data integrity.

Conclusion

Maintaining photocopiers and printers is both a science and an art: daily housekeeping, structured preventive care, and strategic professional support converge to deliver maximum uptime, minimal cost, and robust compliance. From simple tasks like wiping rollers to advanced analytics-driven part replacement, every step reinforces the reliability of your document workflow. With PrintCom’s 35-year legacy, authorised dealer status, and flexible service models, businesses of all sizes can transform the once-tedious chore of printer upkeep into a competitive advantage. Follow the practices outlined here and your organisation will not only enjoy smoother operations but also realise substantial savings in the ongoing sales and maintenance of printers and photocopiers.