Top 3 Supplies to Keep Your Cheque Scanner Running Smoothly

If you work in finance, commercial or nonprofit businesses and use cheque scanners to keep your daily operations going, you know that downtime is not an option. Your cheque scanner, like any other high-performance device, needs to be taken care of properly to work well. But taking care of things doesn’t have to be hard. You can make your equipment last longer, avoid scanning errors, and cut down on expensive interruptions with just a few simple tools.
For decades, Paystation Inc. has worked closely with many businesses to help them pick out and keep the right equipment for processing cheques. What is a common mistake we see? Taking action only after problems come up. Preventive care is the better way to go. Cleaning cards, cleaning wipes, and swabs are three important tools that every scanner owner should know about.

Cleaning Cards – Your First Line of Defense

Even the best cheque scanners will eventually get dust, ink, and tiny bits of cheques stuck to them. These particles get stuck in the scanner’s track and imaging sensors, which can cause misfeeds or bad image quality. That’s when cleaning cards come in.

These cards have been treated in a special way so that they can be scanned just like a cheque. As they go through, they clean the inside surfaces, especially the rollers and image sensors, getting rid of the dirt that builds up from regular use.

How often should you use them?

If you’re scanning a lot of items, once every 1,000 to 2,000 is a good rule of thumb. In places with less dust, that can go even further. If your scanner starts to misread cheques, gets jammed, or make blurry pictures, it’s time to get a cleaning card.

To make sure your cleaning is safe and effective, we suggest using cards that are compatible with your scanner model, like Panini-certified cards for Panini scanners.

Cleaning Wipes – Simple, But Often Overlooked

Most people only think about how the scanner works on the inside, but the outside is important too. The surface of the device gets dirty over time, especially around the buttons, feeder trays, and touchscreen controls. This dirt can get inside or make things harder to use over time.

Using a lint-free cleaning wipe of good quality helps keep surfaces clear and looking professional. To avoid hurting plastic finishes or leaving residue, look for alcohol-free cleaners made for electronics. These wipes are often used to clean ink cartridges (if your scanner has an endorser)

Quick tip: If your scanner is in a public place like a teller station or front counter, cleaning the outside every day will help keep it clean, especially in places with a lot of foot traffic.

Swabs – For Targeted, Deep Cleaning

Some parts of the scanner need more accuracy than a card or wipe can give. That’s when cleaning swabs come in. Swabs are made for detailed cleaning and let you get to small parts that are hard to reach, like the magnetic read head, sensor lenses, and internal rollers.

Swabs are especially helpful for Digital Check and Panini scanners because some of their parts can get dusty in tight spaces. The cleaning solution on the swab will aid in removing some of the most stubborn dirt particles.

Use swabs as part of your monthly maintenance routine, or whenever you notice that your device isn’t working as well as it should, even after using a cleaning card.

Best Practices to Keep in Mind

It doesn’t take much work to keep your cheque scanner in good shape, but you do need to do it regularly. Here are some useful habits to get into:

• Follow a plan. Set reminders to clean based on how often you use it, whether you scan 100 cheques a week or 1,000 cheques a day.

• Always use the supplies that are recommended. Don’t take shortcuts with generic items. Using the right tools protects your investment and makes it last longer.

• Teach your workers. Make sure that anyone else who uses the scanner knows how to clean it and how to find problems early.

Support from the Experts

No matter how high-tech or reliable a scanner is, it will eventually need some care. Routine cleaning is important for keeping things running smoothly, whether you have a small business and use a compact digital cheque scanner or a branch network and use a high-speed Panini scanner.

We sell and support a wide range of scanners at Paystation, and we also sell all the supplies you need to keep them in good shape, like cleaning cards, wipes, and swabs. Our staff is always available to help you pick out the right products and guide you to resources on how to clean your cheque scanners.