Photocopier Machines

Have you ever had to use photocopier machines that were out of order? It is the bane of every office clerk close to a deadline and college researchers who need to bring home and important chapter of a reference book. You can avoid these problems by learning how to use a photocopier properly. The most common reason for photocopier malfunctions are due to mishandling and misuse. With many facilities set up in such a way that photocopying has become a self-serve process, it is important to know what do to and how to use these photocopier machines.

First, read the instructions. You can easily find instructions printed near control panel and access ports on the machine. Most locations even have helpful guide posters that feature step by step processes. Take your time to read and understand these helpful guides in order to use the photocopier properly. Also, not all photocopiers function the same way, be sure to re-read instructions especially when using different models.

Align your source according to the guide. When you open the lid, you are greeted with a transparent glass surface on which your place your source on. The lid has hinges that can accommodate and hold in place almost any source ranging from single sheets of paper to entire books. However, if your book or source is too huge or cumbersome for the machine, do not force the hinge to close. Instead, cover the open glass areas with sheets of paper and resume photocopying as usual. Making sure that your source is properly in place will save a lot of time and resources when making copies by avoiding misprints.

Check the paper feed for jams. Most photocopier machines jam when the paper is being loaded into the machine.

Make sure that the paper is properly aligned and that they are not held together by static. Briskly shuffling the sheets will help separate the sheets from each other. Be sure to check for crumpled and folded sheets as well as these can also cause a lot of problems. One efficient way of aligning stacks of paper is by holding the stacks upright and tapping them lightly on an even surface.

Always double check the read out on the control panels. Most photocopier machines have digital displays near the control panel. This often indicates the number of copies to be produced. Be sure to keep an eye on this readout to ensure that you create enough copies and not waste paper.

The control panel has two major switches, one for the number of printouts and the other orders the machine to print. Be aware that indicating the number of copies can be done via addition and deduction buttons or with ten digit numerical keypads. Other functions tell the machine what size the source print is and some machines even allow you to set the quality of printout. Finally, the print command button is the last button your press after you have double checked and approved the print order.