Whether you're an office worker or a student, a printer is one of the necessary purchases. You would be needing it to print documents in the office. Similarly, you would be needing it to print papers for school.

A printer could last for years. If you purchase a really good quality printer, with proper usage, you should be able to use it for several years. But eventually, your printer would grow old and will start malfunctioning. You might need to replace your printer with a new one.

In this article, we have identified the signs that you need to say goodbye to your old printer and purchase a new one.

1. You Printer Frequently Jams

Paper jam is usually caused by putting papers in the tray which are not properly aligned. Once in a while, you would experience paper jams. However, if paper jams are happening more frequently than usual, it becomes problematic and annoying. It might be time to replace your old printer to avoid this problem.

Old or dirty printer cartridges can also cause jams, as per Working Needs. You might be opted to replace your cartridges to solve the problem. However, if the jams keep on persisting even after you replaced the cartridges, it might be the right time to replace your printer.

2. You Cannot Print in Color Anymore

Your printer has two cartridges, one for black ink and another one for colored ink. With fully functional cartridges, you should be able to print in color without encountering a problem. 

However, if your printer is not printing in color anymore, you might want to check the ink cartridges. It is highly likely that the cartridges are empty or damaged. In cases like this, you might be able to solve the problem by replacing the cartridges. 

However, if you replaced the cartridges and it is still not printing in color, there might some other underlying problem with your printer. You might need to visit a technician or completely replace your old printer.

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3. You Cannot Connect the Printer to Your Computer

There are cases when you are having difficulty connecting the printer to your computer. If your printer is wireless, check if you are connected to the right network. 

Another reason might be because the driver is outdated or because your computer's operating system no longer supports the printer. In cases like this, try updating the driver. If that still doesn't work, perhaps it's about time to get a new printer.

4. The Printer is Slow

Printers nowadays usually print faster than older models do years ago. If you are really in rush, you can set the printer to a draft quality for a faster printout. But if your printer takes longer and longer time print documents, perhaps it might be time to replace it with a new one.

It is possible that your printer is too old that's why it's taking a long time to print. A new printer should be able to print documents much faster, according to 1ink. If your printer is several years old, it's probably about time to replace it.

5. You Printer has Poor Print Quality

We want our printouts to be good quality. However, as the printer gets old, its print quality will gradually get worse. When this happens, getting a new printer might be a good idea as it will likely have better print quality than your old one.

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