By Bill Weiser

Have you ever been shocked when touching your inkjet printer?  Most likely this occurs in the winter months when you are running your heater and the humidity is low.  Other than being an annoyance, this is potentially dangerous for your printer.

Depending on the level of the static electricity being discharged, and the place where the discharge enters the printer, this little spark could disable a printhead or fry the motherboard.  In addition to the possible damage to your hardware, static electricity can also cause dust to collect on your paper that will create flakes and white spots on your prints.

To prevent static electricity from interfering with your workflow, you can do a few very simple things:

Run a humidifier near your printer and keep the setting at 50% relative humidity.  This will dampen the effects of static electricity, as well as keep your ink cartridges from drying out and clogging. (You may have noticed that you get more clogged nozzles in the winter than any other time)

Don’t place your printer on a carpeted surface.  If you can’t avoid this, place the printer on a rubber mat with enough  surface space for you to stand on while operating the printer.

Use the Static Elastic™ cord across your media to prevent static build up.

Use an anti-static glove, brush or cloth when working with static-sensitive materials such as polyester films.

If you have any questions about any of these tips, call me or any other LexJet account specialist. We will be happy to help you. Call 800-453-9538.