If you think that buying a quality printer is all you need to achieve superior print quality then you definitely need to clear your stance.
There are times when your printer does not produce the desired quality print which leaves you wondering if there’s something wrong with your printer. Well, most of the time there isn’t any major problem with your printer. If you’re facing issues with the print quality of your printer like blurry, misaligned, or smudged prints then you have come to the right place.
In this article, we share all the tips and tricks you need to know when trying to improve print quality.
1. Check your settings
If you’re looking to attain optimum print quality then you should first start by checking your printer settings. With technological advancement, most printers come with settings where you can adjust the print quality of your document or photo according to your requirements. When trying to improve your print quality aim for a higher print resolution and DPI.
DPI stands for dots per inch. So when you look at a printout, what you see is a combination of these dots on the printed page. The higher your DPI, the more enhanced your print quality is.
You can easily customize the DPI settings in the “Printer Properties” menu. If your printer is set on “Draft” mode switch to either “Standard” or “High” mode for the best quality prints.
The names for these settings might vary depending on your printer but they are usually categorized into the same 3 categories for adjusting the quality of the document. This feature comes into play especially when you’re printing professional photos and artwork.
Also, if you’re printing on maximum DPI make sure to keep an eye on the ink levels as they tend to deplete quickly.
2. Right paper
Now some people might argue that there’s no such thing as the right kind of paper when it comes to printing. But believe us it makes all the difference. Using the right kind of paper will help you achieve a crisp and enhanced print.
Now, there are a variety of papers to choose from but it mostly depends on the content that you’re printing. While the multi-purpose copy paper can efficiently handle all the basic print jobs, if you want to enhance the capabilities of your printer then you should go for either inkjet paper or laser paper depending on the kind of printer you own.
And in case you want to be more specific with the kind of paper you’re using, there are other kinds of papers available that are solely dedicated to a particular kind of documents like photo paper, cardstock, presentation paper, fine art paper, and others.
3. Right print cartridge
Another significant aspect of quality printing is the printer cartridge you’re using.
If you own a standard inkjet printer then you should go with ink cartridges. These will give you the best results with text, photos, and basic color printing.
If you own a laser printer then go for a branded toner cartridge which will help you achieve precision with great speed. But it would be difficult for a laser printer to produce the same color distinctions as an inkjet printer due to the powdery texture of the cartridge.
And in case you desire to print professional photographs and art prints and have a photo inkjet printer then make sure to buy a few extra inkjet cartridges as these printers use more ink compared to standard inkjet or laser printers.
4. Use original files
Most people tend to neglect this aspect but it is a very essential one. For achieving the best print results, print the original file from the application where that file was created.
It is very common to use smaller file sizes or screenshots of the document simply because it’s easy and saves time. But if you’re actually aiming for high-quality print then you need to make sure that you’re not using a different application.
5. Optimum print speed
Everyone is looking for speed when it comes to printing. Who wants to spend their precious time printing documents?
We have super fast printers in the market that print at an impressive speed and save you a lot of time. But at times this speed might be disturbing your print quality. When a printer is working at a fast speed, it shifts its primary focus from quality to quantity which can often result in dull color prints.
So in order to achieve rich and crisp prints, you should consider decreasing your print speed. You can adjust the print speed according to your print requirements. You can opt for a slower print speed when printing photos or graphics and can increase it when printing normal text.
6. Basic cleaning
Often the most overlooked fact about printers is that they need cleaning and maintenance in order to perform their best.
Dust particles can easily accumulate over the ink nozzles, paper rolls, and other parts of the printer which can affect the performance of the printer to much greater aspects than expected. But thankfully cleaning your printer is one of the easiest tasks and takes just a few minutes. All you need is a piece of clean cloth and manually clean all the printers.
This will improve the print quality of your printer and will also increase its shelf life.
Conclusion
You can easily enhance the performance and print quality of your printer by following these simple tips. But in case your printer is facing some major issues then these tips might not work and you should consider asking for help from a professional.
