How to Keep Your Documents from Smudging

 

You send a print job to the office printer, walk over to the machine, and pull it from the delivery tray—only to find that it’s smudged. Smudged documents can make your work look unprofessional, and is a waste of both time and paper. Luckily, there are several easy things you can do to prevent this from happening in your office. Keep reading for some helpful tips on how to produce clean, smudge-free prints.

Choose the Right Paper

The type of paper you use significantly impacts how the ink dries on your documents. Glossy or coated paper will take longer for the printer ink to dry, increasing the risk of smudging when you pick up your document. Choose high-quality, absorbent paper that’s compatible with the type of printer you’re using. For inkjet printers, make sure you’re using a printer paper that’s specifically labeled for use with inkjets; these are usually designed for better absorption and faster drying.

Don’t Rush to Grab the Paper

Whether you’re excited to examine your printed document or just in a hurry to get work done, it can be tempting to grab the document the moment it comes out of the printer. However, if you want to avoid smudging it, give each sheet a few moments to dry before you pick it up. If you do need to grab it quickly, make sure you’re grabbing by the edges of the paper, in the clean margins, and not putting your fingers on the ink.

Use the Right Printer Settings

It’s important to select the right print quality and paper type in your printer settings before ordering a print job. While you may be tempted to use “Best” or “High Quality” mode, assuming it’ll make your documents look the best, these modes lay down more ink, which increases drying time. If you’re printing on regular paper and don’t need photo-level quality for your document, choose standard or draft mode instead to reduce ink saturation and minimize smudging. (Bonus: You’ll also be saving on ink.)

Consider a Laser Printer

If you need documents printed quickly, with crisp text and no smudging, consider getting a laser printer instead of an inkjet. While inkjets are great for printing images and graphics, a laser office printing machine in Fairbanks, AK, can produce extremely high-quality text-based prints without the same smudging risk. How? These printers use a powder, called toner, instead of ink; a laser heats the toner to help it adhere to the paper, so you get crisp text without the wet ink.