This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy thru these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
I’ve always wondered whether you should leave your printer ON 24/7, or keep it OFF the majority of the time and only turn it on during the times that you actually need it.
Looks like I’ve finally found the answer!
The folks at PC World (the world’s BEST computer mag for experts and beginners alike) recommend that you keep your printer powered ON at all times — even when you have absolutely no intention of printing anything.
Want to know why?
So did I — here’s what I found out…
Reasons To Keep Your Printer ON
The reason to keep your printer ON all the time is because it keeps the print heads cleaner, and makes them less likely to gunk up and need replacing.
The print heads are typically the first thing to go bad on a printer — meaning the more you can do to preserve their life, the better.
If you tend to turn your printer ON each time you need to use it, then OFF again as soon as you’re done — stop!
Reasons You Shouldn’t Turn A Printer On And Off
You shouldn’t keep turning a printer on and off because it:
- Negatively affects the inner workings of the print system — creating more opportunities for malfunction.
- Increases the likelihood of having to clean (or replace) the print heads sooner rather than later
- Wastes ink because each time you start up your printer, the print heads
are forced to run through their complete cycle in preparation for printing.
It’s generally a good idea to leave your printer on, even when you have no intention of printing. Shut your printer on and off frequently, and you end up mucking up the print system–which you’ll have to clean, wasting ink in the process.
~ Source
Did you know you can replace the ink in your printer cartridges yourself? Here’s how.
More Helpful Info About Printers
In addition to the links I’ve included above, here are some other resources to help you get the most out of your printer:
- PC Magazine Rates Top 10 Wireless Printers
- 6 Things You Don’t Know About Your Printer
- Reasons To Love The HP Photosmart Printer 6520
- How To Solve The Most Common Printer Problems
I got my first computer in 1986 and immediately started writing, saving documents, and organizing my entire life on it. Thus began my love affair with gadgets and all things tech. I built my first website in 1998 in old-school HTML code — before websites were "a thing". Blogs weren't invented yet. It was the same year that Google was born. My husband and I created TheFunTimesGuide.com in 2004 — before YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, and Mashable were launched. That was the year Facebook started and 'blog' was the Word of the Year according Merriam-Webster. Ever since then, anytime a new electronic gadget hits the market… I have to have it. (My husband's impulsive nature to try out every new tech gadget invented is even worse than mine!) When I'm not trying out fun new tech gadgets, you'll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
