Prevention of Surge Errors in Printers:

Surges from lightning and static shock can damage every electronic part in the computer chain. Surges are more likely to occur during the months of March/April and September/October. To protect computer equipment during these periods, keep the following in mind;

• Keep all electronic items such as printers, computers etc on a high-quality surge protector.

• Do not remove the ground plug on the power cord or use a three-prong adapter. proper grounding on your office equipment helps shield fragile electronic parts from the thousands of volts you release from your finger with a static shock.

• Make sure the outlet your printer is connected to is also grounded.

• Proper humidity levels reduce the likelihood of static discharge. HP recommends 20% but we recommend a minimum of 40% for proper operation.

• We have concerns about mechanical switch boxes, the devices that allow multiple computers to use a single printer. Based on conversations with technical personnel on their experience in the filed, we believe that some switch boxes can generate dangerous surges, each turn of the knob makes and breaks electrical connections, possibly generating thousands of volts which can damage the printer. Electronics switch boxes seem to be safer than the mechanical ones.