Make sure your heaters are on only when you need them.

Technician on Duty

This month I want to discuss some easy ways to save costs with your large-format printer without spending any money. Although much of this may seem obvious to some, I do go out on a limb and recommend some suggestions that might make a few of you cringe— like stretching cleanings and spacing periodic maintenance out a bit—but, in the end, with people looking to save more and work with less, these tips can be useful as long as you're careful and informed.

CONSERVE POWER
The single most important money-saving tip I can give you is: Don’t leave your heaters on overnight. Your printer’s heaters can suck money directly from your wallet in the form of utility bills. Turn those heaters off at night when not in use. Even if you leave your printer on overnight, there is no need to keep the heaters powered.

Some printers will allow you to control the time between cleanings, whether to clean during print jobs or if the printer should perform a clean when it’s turned on every time. This and many other cleaning options can be controlled within the user menu.

Many people leave their printers and other equipment running each night and during the weekends. Although this is common, it also can be wasteful. Without realizing it, many leave their heaters on full blast along with the printer and simply don’t realize that the heaters are still running. Some, perhaps, don’t realize that the power requirements for electrical heaters are tremendous and costly. For example, consider running a toaster oven 24/7, and the amount of electricity it takes to do this. Your printer’s heater works much the same way a heater element on a toaster oven does and often takes as much electricity to operate. The heaters on many printers require their own power board and cable because of this.

Even if you have the heaters set to “idle,” you can still leak power from them. Each heater uses a thermostat to sense changes in and maintain constant temperatures along the element. During the night, temperatures will dip, causing the heaters to work harder and suck even more electricity, even to keep them at idle temperatures. Not to mention, constantly leaving heaters on can greatly reduce heater life. It seems like a waste to keep such a large surface area heated at any temperature and unused for such long periods. At night, when temperatures dip, the printer is working even harder than it does during the day, costing you that much more in electric bills.

If your printer allows, set your heater to turn off after a short period, say 30 minutes. Some printers will allow you to set an idle (or standby) temperature, where the heaters will maintain a much lower temperature setting when not in use. Consider simply turning the printer off every night. Unless you have cleaning issues that might require you to leave the printer on, this eliminates having to fuss with your heaters altogether. Some printers allow you to leave the printer on but turn the heaters off, making it as easy as switching the heaters off when you leave each day. Be sure this doesn’t interrupt any maintenance procedures first, and check your manuals for specifics regarding your particular model printer before doing any of the above.

WATCH YOUR INK USAGE
Another way to save money is by closely watching your ink usage. Playing it smarter here can go a long way. Many printers are designed to perform periodic cleaning cycles when left idle, which essentially just moves ink through the heads in an effort to blow out any clogs and fill the head with ink. Many desktop printers do the same. However, on large-format printers, the user is given more control over how this is done. Consult your manual on how to do this, but consider increasing the interval between cleaning cycles or perhaps try disabling them altogether, provided you’re using the printer every day without any issues. The half a dozen or more cleanings each night can easily translate into a print job or two worth of ink.

Pump maintenance is something we’ve covered before, but I feel that it’s important to mention that pumps can also fail in such a way that they will allow ink to drain entire cartridges dry, almost overnight. It’s actually more common than you might realize, and I’ve run into this a number of times, where it almost went unnoticed, except that ink had overfilled the waste tank, drawing attention to the problem. Remember, pumps require replacement every six to 12 months anyway. If you can’t remember the last time you had them replaced, it probably is time to do so.

Since pumps don’t have sensors or indicator lights to tell us when they are failing, many people will forgo replacing them proactively until they see an issue or they fail outright. Although I don’t condone this practice, I recommend using caution and that you maintain constant attention to all systems affected by the pumps for signs that you might have a problem: Keep an eye on your waste tank and ink levels. If the drain tubes are visible on your printer, watch them carefully to make sure ink is indeed moving through them. Periodically, check the ink levels on your cartridges. Are they being used at roughly the same rate? If something looks wrong, empty the waste tank and leave the printer off/unplugged overnight. If ink has drained into the waste tank the next morning, then you might have a problem with the pump(s), and, again, they might need to be replaced. If you’re using the printer frequently, however, I don’t recommend skimping on maintenance.

One last note about ink leaks: Don’t rule out the capping station. Try using a flashlight to look for puddles or fresh ink below and around the capping station. In some cases, you may need to remove a cover or two, but try and determine if you have any leaks before they start dripping from the bottom of the printer. In the long run, catching these internal ink spills will not only save you ink but reduce other service costs as well.

In the meantime, if you suspect ink is leaking or being wasted, you can slide the ink cartridges an inch or two out of their slots, thus removing the ink from the equation (and conserving it) until you can have someone take a look.

MONITOR SERVICE COSTS
Consider signing up for an extended service contract that includes parts and labor. Many one-year service contracts cost between $1,000 to $3,000 dollars, and although that sounds expensive, I have seen many out-of-warranty issues well exceed that. Ask your service provider what they offer, and check with the manufacturer as well. Sometimes these are well worth the money.

Many larger solvent/eco-solvent printers require that you replace pumps and dampers every six months or twice a year. Still, with parts and labor, you’re looking at anywhere from $500 to $1,000 dollars per visit. Realistically, many people will stretch that to once a year. Try three service calls every two years, instead. Stretch this out effectively by compensating with better and more frequent maintenance as described in previous articles and above.

Bottom line: If you keep your printer maintained properly, you can proactively avoid many of the associated costs of ownership. For example, stressed bearings can cause premature failure of the motor and belt that drives the carriage and, in turn, can reduce the life of those systems, too. To avoid all of this, keep the track/rail that the carriage travels along clean and dust free, paying special attention to keeping bearings/bushings clean and lubricated. Leave external covers on the printer. They are there for a reason—keeping ink and dust off critical components, thereby, increasing effective mean time to failure.

Extending the life of your equipment directly translates into money saved. Though it may seem menial or ineffective, over time they do indeed make a difference. With many of these printers, misuse is almost as bad as not using them at all. Without trying to contradict myself here, try finding a balance in conserving ink but not at the risk of allowing ink to sit too long in the printer, which will then start to clog. Try to keep ink moving through your printer as best you can. Try to use them daily. Print something, anything, to keep ink flowing through the heads and pumps. The longer they sit, the more clogged they are likely to become and the more likely you are to require service.