Take Care of your Document Scanner...
Document Scanner Maintenance
- Clean the scanner every day if reaching the maximum daily duty cycle of the scanner.
- Clean the scanner weekly if reaching the maximum daily duty cycle spread over a week.
- Clean the scanner monthly if the scanner is only used occasionally.
- When the scanner is jamming multiple times a day.
- When the scanner is grabbing multiple pages at one time.
- When the scanner is squeaking as it feeds the page through.
- When lines appear in the scanned image.
This could also mean that you need to replace the consumable parts in your scanner. Contact ScanTastik for a "Consumable Kit". Pick pads, Pick rollers are what "grabs" the pages to feed through. If they wear down, they will not grab the pages one at a time. Cleaning them will not help. That's like cleaning a bald tire...
- When the scanner is still jamming multiple times a day.
- When the scanner is still grabbing multiple pages at one time.
- When the scanner is still squeaking as it feeds the page through.
- When lines still appear in the scanned image.
When you replace the pick pads or separator pads or rollers and the scanner STILL has those problems then you need a PM, or Periodic Maintenance by the Manufacturer. These are DEEP cleanings that remove most of the dust inside the scanner as well as lube the roller bars and treat the belts (squeaks). Sometimes the entire feed mechanism can get bent or springs worn out and that mechanism has to be replaced or misfeeds and double-feeds will continue. Typically only the repair person has access to those parts and that person can replace those during a deep cleaning. Call us and we can put you in contact with the right people to take care of this.
All the scanner manufacturers have videos on each model and how to clean them. Go to www.youtube.com and search for your scanner model. Follow the instructions on the video. You will need to purchase a Consumable kit to do the cleaning with. You can order these online from us, just enter the model in the search box at the top of this page.
- Excessive dust on the main pick-up roller will make it appear worn and smooth to the touch, causing the roller to skip across the page instead of grabbing properly, resulting in blurring images.
- Excessive dust on the rest of feed rollers in the scanner will make a squeaking sound as it feeds the paper through.
- if you don't remove errant staples, these could get caught between the paper and camera "glass" and scratch the glass.
- Loose paper "chads" can stick to the double feed sensor tip and cause a "double feed" signal
- If stacks of paper are constantly "shoved" into the feed tray, these will eventually bend back the separator pad arms, causing double feeds
- A worn Separator pad does not push the paper fully against the main pick-up roller causing multiple pages to be fed at one time.
- The Separator pad can last a long time, however it should be replaced as needed if regular cleaning does not resolve misfeed issues.
- When cleaning the scanner, take out the pad and look at it from the side, if the rubber tip of the pad has a noticeable and severe wear pattern, then replace the pad.
- Inspect the pad after cleaning to make sure the silver arms are properly placed. These arms should be parallel to each other and slightly elevated above the gray rubber pad. If these arms are parallel to the pad, bent in opposite directions or elevated too high, pages will catch in the scanner. You can gently bend these arms into the correct position.
Proper maintenance of the scanner will resolve most hardware issues and prevent other issues from arising. Please refer to the maintenance section of the scanner manual provided with the scanner for more detailed cleaning instructions.
Call ScanTastik
1-800-977-4935
for scanner cleaning kits and parts.