Why is my printer so slow to turn on?

Why is my printer so slow to turn on

John, Charlestown

Hi John,

It really depends on what type of printer you have. Inkjet and laser printers have different startup processes that generally take a while to complete.

When inkjet printer turns on it has to clean its nozzles. The nozzles are what put the ink on the paper. This generally requires moving the print head to the far side of its parked position to a special area called a waste ink tank. To clean the nozzles, the printer sprays a small amount of ink to clean out any ink that has dried and clogged up the nozzles.

A laser printer runs on a completely difference process and so has a different startup process. A laser printer effectively melts toner onto the page. To achieve this it uses what is called a fuser. This fuser needs to be heated up to a couple of hundred degrees celsius. This is the biggest cause of delay starting the printer.

Both types of printers will also run through a self-test. This is designed to catch any problems with the printer such as a paper jam.

I hope this helps you understand what your printer is doing when it starts up and why it takes so long.