How to Perform Printer Maintenance (14 Steps)

Turn off the printer and unplug any attached cables. Move the printer to a good accessible location.
Remove paper trays. Open the printer cover and gently remove the toner cartridge, being careful not to shake it. Place it on a clean sheet of paper.
Clean the inside of the printer with a lint-free cloth. Laser printers sometimes come with a small brush for cleaning the toner dust from the hard-to-reach spots. If one is not supplied, you can use a clean, dry paintbrush.
Moisten a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol and gently clean the rollers to remove any buildup.
Replace the toner cartridge once the unit is cleaned and dry. Close the cover and clean the outside of the printer with a cloth moistened with a mild cleaner suitable for plastic.
Wipe down the paper trays with a clean cloth and replace. Return the printer to its normal location and plug the cables in.
Print a blank page to remove any last dust or toner particles.



Turn the printer off, unplug the cables and move to a good location for cleaning.
Remove paper. Open the printer to gain access to the ink cartridges and paper rollers. Check to see if there are any ink drips or stains on the inside of the unit. Clean the ink spots with a cotton swab moistened with rubbing alcohol.
Moisten a clean cotton swab with rubbing alcohol and gently clean the paper rollers. If the swab gets dirty, use a new swab. Using a lint-free cloth, wipe the inside of the printer to remove the dust from the printer. Close printer cover. Using a cloth moistened with a gentle safe-for-plastic cleaner, wipe the outside of the printer.
Return the printer to its usual spot. Plug in the cables and replace the paper in the paper tray. Turn the printer on and open the printer's software program.
Go to the Tools section of your printer software and run a print head cleaning cycle, following the onscreen instructions.
Before you install a new ink cartridge, take a cotton swab moistened with rubbing alcohol and gently wipe the contacts in the receptacle where the new ink cartridge will go. This keeps the contacts clean and helps prevent printing problems and ink error messages.
Print at least one page a week to keep the ink nozzles on the cartridge clear and clog-free.