Regular Use
In most cases, using something regularly actually prolongs it use. Take a car for example, if you leave the car in the garage for a few months without turning it on, the engine oil will eventually dry up leaving you with a hard to start engine. Similarly, if printers are not used regularly, what happens is that they’re joints will accumulate dust and lubrication will dry off, leaving you a noisy printer. That is if the printer still works.

Proper Lubrication
Most portable printers for laptops are exposed to certain elements such as dirt and sunlight, which might cause some movable parts to get stuck. If you notice a few squeaking during regular use, it might be time for you to check up on all the bolts and hinges of your printer. A few oil drops on joints here and there can sometimes do the trick. If you happen to open one printer, you will notice that the rollers’ ends are lubricated. At some point in time, even if you use your printer regularly, you will have to add some more oil. Just be careful that your oil doesn’t touch the rollers itself. If that happens, your paper will come out with a few oil smudges.

The Right Supplies
Most printers have their own set of recommended paper. If you happen to check on a printer’s user’s manual, you will see what media types are recommended. Although it is conventional that all printers accept plain paper, some printers are not able to accommodate thicker media. In most cases, some users prefer thicker paper so that the ink does not soil the paper too much. Papers have the tendency to curl if the ink is too dense. Similar to Paper, you must also use the recommended ink. You may opt to use refillable type ink cartridges since they are cheaper than buying a whole cartridge. Unfortunately, for some cases, some inks have textures that are not compatible with the printer head nozzles. Ink should be finer than the printer head nozzles. Otherwise, your nozzles will get clogged.

The Right Storage Environment
When we say the right environment, we are referring to the temperature of the environment among other things. The reason for this is that printers should be kept at an ambient temperature when storage. Storing them in hot areas may affect the performance of the printer in terms of printing quality. Ink has a tendency to harden at high temperatures. Keeping them in enclosed spaces is also recommended so that you will avoid dust.

These are common ways to extend the life of your printer and avoid printer maintenance. If you wish a more detailed approach, the user’s manual should have a section containing how to use your printer properly.