How to Know When to Replace Your Printer

If your printer looks like this, it's definitely time to replace it.

Know when to replace your printer to avoid wasting money on repairs that may easily exceed the price of a new printer. We live in a time when many appliances are designed to be simply replaced because it is often cheaper than labor. Replacing the printer's ink cartridges is a smart troubleshooting step, but if more costly repairs are needed, it may be time to go shopping for a new printer that will give you trouble-free service for a few years.

Instructions

1. Replace the ink or toner cartridge in your printer; there's a good chance that doing this will restore the device to working order. If the printer resumes functioning and produces decent print quality, it isn't yet time to replace the printer.

2. Monitor the lifespan of the ink or toner cartridges you install. If you are getting fewer and fewer pages each time you install a cartridge, it may be time to replace your old printer with a new one that will prints more pages and uses less expensive cartridges.

3. Obtain a quote from a repair service to determine whether you'll save money fixing your old printer or buying a new one. Compare the cost of fixing versus replacing, but also consider whether it's worth the headache to try and squeeze a little more use from an aging printer. If you'd rather not bother, it's time to replace the printer and start anew.