In the printing world, efficiency and longevity aren’t just ideals—they are necessities that make good business sense. Print shop owners understand the critical balance between high-quality output and maintaining printers and other equipment that performs consistently over time. One often overlooked aspect dramatically influencing both is the selection of paper and other media for a printer. Your substrate and media choices do more than affect the look and quality of your prints; they play a significant role in prolonging the printer’s lifespan. In this article, we explore why proper paper selection extends the life of a printer. Learn to choose well and wisely and help your printer produce many years of quality prints!
Printer Wear and Tear
Like any device, the more you use a printer the faster it will wear out—and if you use it improperly, it will wear out even faster than that. Printers are designed to work seamlessly with specific types of paper and other media. Using incompatible media may lead to issues including, yes, increased wear and tear. If the wrong paper is used, it may create excessive dust within the printer, for example, clogging up the gears and rollers, leading to mechanical failure. In addition, incorrect paper weight and texture may cause frequent paper jams, leading to unnecessary interruptions, potential damage to print heads, and other problems with the device’s more sensitive components. Read on to learn what to keep in mind to prevent such damage from occurring.
Paper Quality and Maintenance
Regular maintenance is essential for the health of any printer, but the type of paper you employ can either alleviate or exacerbate maintenance needs. High-quality paper produces less dust and lint, which means less cleaning. Furthermore, this helps minimize downtime and maintains the printer’s internal mechanisms. Using better-quality paper that consistently delivers good results also means fewer reprints, saving time and resources.
Texture and Finish Affect Print Quality
When considering paper for your printer, the texture and finish are critical factors influencing print quality. Glossy, matte, and textured finishes interact differently with various inks and toners. For instance, a glossy finish may require different printer settings than matte paper to achieve the desired color saturation and detail. Understanding such interactions lets you confidently choose the best paper for your projects, ensuring vibrant, sharp images and text as well as less stress on the printing device. As an example, for highly detailed work, such as architectural or engineering prints, use Mylar paper rolls. Mylar’s double matte surfaces are excellent for ink adherence, ensuring prints don’t smudge and that they dry quickly. This superior quality reduces the risk of running prints multiple times because of errors, thereby reducing the “mileage” on your printer.
Cost Efficiency Through Paper Selection
Cost management is essential in any business, and print shops are no exception. While buying cheaper paper and other media may seem like a savvy choice that reduces costs, it may in fact lead to a higher price in the long run through repairs, downtime, replacement costs, and the like. When balancing costs and benefits, investing in high-quality paper might seem like an excessive upfront expense, but it ultimately reduces operational costs by minimizing printer wear and paper waste. For example, an inkjet printer using a roll of premium Mylar paper simply yields better results with less ink spread and no need for frequent recalibrations, leading to savings on ink and toner.
Environmental Considerations
Sustainability has become a mark of good sense and honor in today’s business environment. Opting for eco-friendly papers helps the planet and also reflects well on you, your brand, and your business’s commitment to environmental responsibility. Biodegradable and recycled paper options have grown more widely available and may be used confidently and without sacrificing quality. Naturally, you may be concerned that the right paper for the environment may not necessarily be the best one for your printer’s life. But be assured that many suppliers offer sustainable options that are quite compatible with a wide range of printers. What more, these papers are designed to decompose naturally, reducing your environmental footprint. And by choosing sustainable, high-quality, and durable paper, the frequency with which you need to place reorders is likewise reduced.
Enhances Customer Satisfaction
Proper paper selection directly impacts customer satisfaction as well as your printer. High-quality prints made easy by the right paper choices show you’re the printer to whom they should bring their business, ensuring repeat customers and referrals. And ensuring that your printer is still running—and running well—and set up to produce those prints, means you’ll be ready for those customers.
Paper Provider Support
Feeling a little in the weeds about paper selection? Contact your paper provider for insights and support that extend beyond simply purchasing a product from them. Many suppliers offer consultation services to help businesses select the best paper types for their specific printers and applications. This aids in choosing the right products and fosters a working relationship that provides ongoing support and is often mutually beneficial. Even better, building a partnership with your supplier ensures you have access to the latest products and technologies, keeping your business at the forefront of the industry and by extension, your printer running smoothly for a longer time.
Proper Storage for Paper
Where and how are you storing your paper? Properly storing your paper is just as vital as selecting the right type for your printers. Improper storage leads to paper degradation, may cause sheets to stick together, can damage the size and shape and integrity of the ream or roll, and other problems. To preserve the integrity of the paper, keep it in a cool, dry environment. Humidity and temperature fluctuations cause paper to warp or curl, resulting in jams or misfeeds during printing. Additionally, storing paper flat in its original packaging prevents exposure to dust, grit, and debris. And don’t open the box or roll until you need it. Paper and other media retain their quality for a very long time when left wrapped up and stored away. And that ensures they work better in your printer when the time comes. By implementing these storage practices, print shops can maintain the quality of their paper stock and safeguard their printing equipment from premature wear.
By considering proper paper selection features like texture, finish, sustainability, and cost, you can make informed decisions that will extend the life of your printer.
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