In this, and any, economy, a business has to keep a close eye on dollars going out. As a business owner, you do not want to spend money on things you can maybe skip or wait out. But, as with any automobile, skipping or waiting out the maintenance on an expensive UV-curing digital printer is asking for trouble and will most likely cost you a lot more than you expected.

When it comes to our UV-curing printers, a lot of redundant maintenance and automatic fail-safe procedures are built into most of the machines to ensure anything terrible does not happen. Some maintenance tasks are simple and some are complicated. Some, if not carried out in time, will simple cause the machine to turn itself off. The good news is that the more complicated the tasks are, the more the machines made these days do the maintenance automatically.

Something to remember: maintenance is not the same as repair! Instead, it just prevents a lot of very expensive repairs! Something else to remember: the first rule of printer maintenance is to always make sure the machine stays clean. Maintenance is not fun, and it's not exciting, but it is very necessary. UV-curing printers are exponentially more complicated than other printers. The water based printers are great workhorses that don't ever really break. Water based printer maintenance is simple: oil a couple of places, wipe off a couple of places and it runs forever. If something does need to be replaced, it's usually a matter of taking out the old part and plugging in the new one. With our UV machines, it's more complicated. There are moving parts, more electronics, UV-emitting light bulbs that must be monitored and in general, just more to keep up with. Maintenance is a critical part of performance and longevity, and the process is different for each individual model.

All things considered, the best strategy to ensure you get the most value from your UV-curing printer is to follow all manufacturer recommended maintenance procedures and schedules. The printer manual is a useful reference book. Most users will go through a period of training during which they learn the basics of how to operate a machine. The manual has recommended procedures and can be a digital printer owner's best friend. It may not be the most exciting reading, but it is filled with essential information you need to keep your printer in optimal working condition.