Inkjet printheads clog during idle periods as ink dries in the microscopic nozzle channels. Once clogged, a cleaning cycle is required to restore output — and each cycle burns a meaningful amount of ink. Printing one small page weekly keeps ink flowing and prevents the drying that causes blockages.

This is especially relevant during South African school holidays, when home printers can sit completely untouched for three or four weeks in a row.

Paper left exposed in the tray absorbs ambient moisture and curls. In coastal areas during summer, a ream left open for two weeks produces noticeably more jams than paper taken fresh from a sealed wrapper.

If the printer will sit idle for more than a week, remove the paper from the tray and store it sealed. This single habit eliminates a large proportion of feed jams most home office printers experience.

Dust, paper fibres, and ink or toner residue accumulate on rollers and sensors over time, causing streaks and progressive jamming. A quarterly clean takes under ten minutes. For inkjet: a soft, lint-free cloth lightly dampened with water on accessible rollers. For laser: dry cloth only — moisture near the toner unit causes damage. For both: compressed air blown into the paper path clears dust from corners and feed rollers.

A standard power strip provides zero voltage protection. Load shedding restoration events push surges through unprotected outlets, and printer control boards are among the more vulnerable components to these spikes. A surge protector rated at 1000J or more provides meaningful protection. Laser printers — with fuser units running at high temperatures — are particularly susceptible to power-related failure.

The cleaning utility in your printer's driver forces ink through the nozzles to clear clogs — and it works. But each cycle consumes ink, so running it preventatively wastes consumables. Run a cleaning cycle when you see streaks, faded patches, or missing colours. One cycle is usually enough; run a second if it isn't. If the problem persists after two cycles, the cartridge itself likely needs replacement.

Dust settling on optical sensors and accumulating in the paper path causes gradual quality degradation that most users attribute to age rather than a fixable condition. A clean cloth draped over the printer when idle — especially in the Highveld dry season, workshop environments, or any dusty space — costs nothing and meaningfully reduces accumulation.

Cartridges with incorrect chip versions, incompatible ink formulations, or counterfeit construction don't communicate correctly with the printer firmware. This triggers false ink level readings, failed print cycles, and in some cases printhead damage. Toner and Ink stocks OEM and quality compatible cartridges for HP, Canon, Brother, Pantum, Olivetti, and Epson. If you're unsure whether a specific cartridge suits your model, ask us before installing it.