Should You Update Your Printer’s Firmware? 

by adminBlog, Information, TipsPosted on Comments are Disabled

How important is office security to you? If it’s not already a priority, this statistic could move a few places on the list:A study conducted by the Ponemon Institute found that organizations 68% have experienced one or more endpoint attacks affecting their data and/or their IT infrastructure. Security breaches can come in many forms, but one of the most common ways hackers enter networks is through printers. There are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself from cyberattacks on your printer, but perhaps nothing can prevent an attack more quickly and effectively than updating your device’s firmware, described in this blog. We have been in the printer/copier industry for almost 40 years, and one of the major trends over the past decade has been the increasing importance of printer security as a matter of concern for organizations that handle sensitive data. Like a tornado or a hurricane, printer security breaches can come out of nowhere and wreak havoc on those who were unprepared. I want to share some proactive steps you can take now so you don’t get caught off guard later. Once a cyberattack occurs, it is difficult to stop and can cause great economic damage. The first step in securing your printer is to update its firmware. But what exactly is firmware? Before we get into why it’s important to update your firmware, and how you actually do it, let’s look at that question first. What is firmware?firmware is a hard-coded language that machines need to communicate processes. Firmware is necessary for the operation of the device itself, as it decodes and provides instructions from the computer to the printer. Firmware is your first line of defense against security breaches, and not applying the latest firmware updates to your printer will make your printer more vulnerable to cyberattacks. To put firmware into context, think about your smartphone. The phone itself and its accompanying applications require frequent updates to fix technical issues or add additional features that will heighten its productivity. Firmware updates for your printer work in the same way, and it is precisely why they are so important to install on your device: 4 Reasons Why It’s Important to Keep Your Firmware UpdatedThere are many things firmware updates can do for your device, but here are the four main reasons why it’s important to have the latest firmware update for your printer: Gives You the Latest Printer Security FeaturesAs mentioned previously, one of the major advantages of having the latest firmware update for your printer is it gives you the newest security features that will further enhance your device’s security mechanisms. For example, Xerox (who we partner with) has multiple security features like McAfee’s Whitelisting Technology and Cisco’s Identity Services Engine (ISE) that you might not be able to get if your device doesn’t have the latest firmware update. New security features are essential to equipping your device with the latest technology to combat intrusions and shore up any vulnerabilities with your printer. Fixes all features that may not work properlySince the firmware acts as a communication between the printer driver and the printer, this interpretation via programming code is a bug that may affect the device or can lead to minor problems. Just like with phones, updating printer firmware can fix technical bugs

What Would Cause A Laser Printer’s Dirty Back Page To Emerge?

by adminBlog, Information, News, Tips, UncategorizedPosted on Comments are Disabled

A powdered mixture of granulated plastic and pigment is used in laser printers, and intense heat is used to fuse it to the surface of paper sheets to form a permanently bonded image. When the pages you print come out of the printer with what looks like dirt on the back of the sheets, it doesn’t look good to the people who buy from your business. Before calling in a professional to fix your printer, first look for symptoms that you can fix yourself. Paper Issues Your stock may not properly feed through the printer if you use paper with a heavy surface texture, sheets that are too thin or thick, or media that has been exposed to excessive heat or humidity. Additionally, if you place materials designed with only one imageable surface upside down in the input tray, they may print poorly. When you replace the printer’s paper supply or orient it correctly for your intended use, output symptoms go away. This indicates that the problem is with the media only, not the printer or its toner supply. Contamination in the Printer A leaking cartridge can spill toner all over your printer’s interior. The extra toner adheres to the sheets as the paper moves through the imaging path, resulting in what appears to be dirt on the back of each page. If there is a leak, you should be able to find it if you open the printer and take out the toner cartridge for more in-depth examination. You can use the cleaning-page procedure in your user guide to get rid of the contamination. By creating a word processing document that only contains carriage returns and printing it ten times, you can create a testing and cleaning page. Keep your hands away from your face until you are able to thoroughly clean them if any loose toner gets on them. Duplex Unit When printing two-sided sheets using duplexing, either print one side and feed the page back through to print content on the back in a second pass, or use automatic duplexing features on a printer that automatically prints on both sides. Check the hardware’s paper specifications to see if the stock you’re using can be duplexed, and if not, substitute suitable paper.Y ou can rule out your printer as the cause of your output symptoms if the issue disappears when you print on media that is certified for two-sided printing. Other Factors to Consider While the majority of brand-new toner cartridges produce flawless output when paired with the right paper, some brand-new and remanufactured consumables may exhibit output flaws.In the event that you utilize another cartridge to test your printer before you invest energy exploring its side effects, you can preclude basic, client resolvable issues right away and return to work. For expert assistance, contact a technician if the output issue persists.