10 tips for the perfect print every time
How many times a week do you hear someone in your office get frustrated by the printer? We imagine in workplaces up and down the UK, office workers are losing valuable minutes sorting out printer problems. From toner issues to printer jams, there’s a whole host of situations that may arise when workplace printers are getting such intensive use. Many of us have been in that dreaded situation of needing to print out a professional document, only for something to go wrong at the last minute and cause both you and your colleagues stress.
The research team at Avery spends hours exploring the latest printer technology and looking for new ways to develop our labels and stickers to ensure they aren’t causing any printer issues. Our guaranteed JamFREE™ technology has been around since 1999 but as printers have changed, so must our printer labels, which is why we recently introduced the new UltraGrip™ labels.
Toner Levels
It sounds obvious but keep a regular check on your toner levels. As soon as you start to run low this can affect the quality of the print. If you are printing a tender or other sales document, you will want to create a great first impression so make sure the print is perfectly sharp. We recommend always having at least one batch of ink spare, as sometimes it runs out when you least expect it.
Print in colour or Black and White
Think about whether you need to print in colour or black and white. This will mainly depend on your audience. If you are printing a document for internal use only, then a black and white print will suffice. However, humans are hard-wired to remember colour so if you are printing important information for a potential new customer or something you want your boss to remember, then a colour print is the better option.
Quality of the paper
You may have the most up-to-date, expensive printer but if you are putting the cheapest paper or labels through it this will have an impact on overall print quality. If you want your document to impress others, think about what goes in it.
Service your printers regularly
If you have had your printer a while, then make sure you are regularly getting it serviced. Printers get dusty over time and this can affect the rollers, which then impacts alignment.
Perfect alignment
When printing blank labels, business cards or signs you can use the Avery Design & Print software with Avery products to make sure everything is perfectly aligned. There are four key things you should check before you print. The page size should be set to A4, the Paper Type needs to be set to Labels (or Heavyweight if Labels is not available), the ‘Paper Source’ is set to ‘Rear Tray’ or ‘Manual Feed’ and your page scaling is set to Actual Size (Not fit, or scale).
Do a test
If you are printing on to labels, another way to make sure they will print accurately is to do a test on plain white paper, lay this over your labels and then hold them up to the light so you can see the design through the paper. When you are happy with the alignment, print on to the labels.
Single-sided or Double-sided
Before you print, consider whether the document needs to be single-sided or if it could be double-sided. There is so much focus on sustainability these days that some colleagues or customers may disapprove of the wasted paper if you opt for single. However, there may be occasions when single-sided will read and look better.
Blue Patterned Strip
Printer jams can be extremely frustrating and time-consuming, especially if it happens when you are on a tight deadline. Our JamFREE™ labels have been popular in UK offices for the last twenty years but with technology changing, so must our labels and we’re proud to introduce the new UltraGrip™ range of mailing and parcel labels. These have been designed to give you an even more reliable feed and improved printing experience. Look for the memorable blue patterned strip to have complete confidence that you are using the highest quality product. Each sheet of UltraGrip™ also includes detailed printing instructions to make sure your print is right first time. It will cut down on waste, save money and reduce office frustration.
Microsoft Word templates
Some Avery customers choose to use the Microsoft Word templates for printing labels. As well as checking the tips in point five above there are a few other important checks you should do in this case. In the main print screen click on ‘Page Setup’ at the bottom and then under the ‘Paper Tab’ click ‘Print Options’, select ADVANCED and then scroll down to the PRINT section. Here you should remove the tick from ‘Scale content for A4 or 8.5 x 11 sizes’ and click ‘OK’.
Professionally Printed
If you have a document that really needs to wow the recipient, why not look at getting it printed professionally? The quality of print really can affect the first impression people get from your business and may be worth the additional cost.
If you ever have any issues when printing your Avery products, we have a friendly team who will be able to talk you through any concerns or problems. Give us a call on 0800 80 50 20 or email us via [email protected].