Have you ever met a printer
That isn’t very temperamental?
All that it’s required to do
Is print out a copy or two!
But of course it isn’t that straightforward
Printers don’t just obey orders.
Error messages blink left and right,
Printer not connected, printer is offline!
Paper problems of every kind:
Prints of faded colors, text too light,
Unwanted spots and horizontal lines!
Then of course we have the dreaded Paper Jam:
Misfed sheets, mysteriously crooked,
Hard to remove, they’re clamped tightly in its jaws,
The printer shall not relinquish!
As for paper sizes – A4 or 3?
Who’s dealing with that? Not me!
If the paper’s fine, go check the ink,
Dried-up cartridges make me flinch.
But the most frustrating issue ever
Is even when you’re assured of ink and paper,
Print jobs neatly lined up in a queue,
No error messages whatsoever.
All looks perfect, but for some unknown reason
The printer refuses to print altogether!
You curse and you kick,
You sigh and roll your eyes,
But Mr. Inkjet here remains blithely oblivious
To all expressions of exasperation!
After all those logical fixes,
Troubleshooting manuals and forums galore,
Here is my (very scientific!) assessment:
Logic can only go so far –
The missing ingredient is human touch!
So hand out a gentle pat or two,
A loving caress, an encouraging word,
Praises, compliments, they’re all very welcome.
See, printers are just like the rest of us:
All they need is love!
So next time, instead of irritation,
Take a deep breath, be kind and patient.
Printer tantrums are best dealt
With firm and loving attention.
Don’t take it for granted,
Don’t ignore it till you need it.
Forge a bond, build a relationship.
As long as you Stay Connected
Your printer will too!
Sunlit Prism 