Yeah, I said it. Wow, that felt good! Sorry if that offends anyone (especially if you’re a printer empathizer).
I get asked questions from users all the time about the issues they are having printing. Below you’ll see a few examples to help answer those concerns, mixed in with some ranting.
Let’s start with the basics. A printer is a peripheral machine that makes a persistent representation of graphics or text, usually on paper (thanks, Wikipedia). So basically, your computer tells the printer to print something, it pulls the paper from the tray, and then creates a print with the ink. That said, there are A TON of moving parts in this process, to just spit out one piece of paper. Therefore my answer to the “printing issues” question is that it has “too many moving parts.”
Next: Ink. We are dealing with a very messy substance that gets worse when touched or leaked. It’s not a lubricant or anything either. It clogs, gunks, and makes parts stick. To put it mildly, this causes problems.
Next: Drivers. The printer and computer need to communicate, which is why you need software drivers. Whether you’re connecting via network, WIFI or a old trusty USB cables, your computer installs software drivers to communicate with the printer. But like every driver, it gets old and needs to be updated frequently, which can be annoying and time-consuming. But that’s not the worst part! The worst part is the number of drivers a printer can have not knowing which one you need. Listen, I’m an IT Professional and I have no idea the difference between PCL, PS, Universal, URF, PWG, PCLm, KPDL, KX, and UFRII.
Next: Expense. Printers are not cheap. It’s kind of criminal how the entire business operates. It’s like, “I’ll give you this piece of hardware on the cheap but it’s a giant paperweight unless you use the supplies.” Between the paper, ink, maintenance, and support, this piece of equipment is pretty much a boat. No offense to boats.
On the contrary, I think printers are necessary and don’t HATE them (well, kinda) but I used that headline for some eyeballs on the blog. In my opinion, it’s important to cut down on the use of printers, from a cost-saving perspective and an environmental one. I challenge you to print less and use more document management software. Good luck in your journey to eliminate one of your frustrations… THE DAMN PRINTER!
P.S. One of my tricks is getting rid of the printer and if you need to print, go to FedEx or UPS and use theirs. You’ll start realizing very quickly what is worth printing and what isn’t, especially when it’s 5 degrees outside.