Caring for your businesses office photocopier is an essential task for an essential piece of kit which helps you get every day tasks done in a jiffy - just think what life would be like without your shiny multipurpose friend? I shudder to imagine what it was like.

In order to keep the office photocopier in good shape and ensure a smooth operation its worth considering developing some kind of regular maintenance schedule to ensure everyone (not just you!) keeps the rollers of progress moving - improving the overall life span of your office equipment which in turn reduces stress and helps to ensure business budgets stretch further because maintenance staff won't have to be called out or worse yet - replacement units! Keeping it clean and running routine tests on the copier like checking the cartridges and heat levels are just a couple of really basic tests you could run. Once you have mastered your photocopier handbook and understand the best ways to look after this valuable resource.

Clean out the inside and outside of the photocopier on a weekly or at most bi monthly basis. Ensure said photocopier is turned off properly, using a dusting cloth or paper towel I would dust the vents and the draws, ensuring not to touch anything mechanical or electronic. Pressurised air can be used to give dirt a blast of cool air to blow it out of the vents. Doing this will help prevent any kind of build up of dirt and dust which can cause your equipment to get blocked up and overheat (the dust can act as an insulator).

Toner levels need to be monitored, a monthly check of the toner will ensure even positioning of the toner on each and every page, when you start to get 'streaky', blotchy, and just damn right unreadable. Toner can get low quickly especially in an intense printing environment where many people share the same printer. Keep a backup of toners, this stuff might take a week to get delivered, and at the best next day - it's worth not getting caught in the lurch.

Installing fresh paper - when the old paper jam interrupts an otherwise perfect transition from white paper to warm colourful useful information, remove the jam properly and genteelly, try to avoid any further damage to your photocopier.

Photocopiers often have an LED display, or can send an error message of some description to your computer terminal when they need you to maintain them (i.e paper jams). Keep an eye out for the tale tale flashing red light and follow carefully the instructions given, otherwise consult the manual for further instructions.

These are just a couple of really easy ways to ensure a long life span of your offices photocopier. It's always recommended to consult your user manual before attempting any kind of maintenance and if in doubt call a service engineer.