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Recommendations for protecting a laser printer

Issue:

What are APC's recommendations for protecting Laser Printers?

Product Line:

SurgeArrest, Back-UPS and Back-UPS PRO

Environment:

N/A

Cause:

Due to the large amount of power consumed by these devices, APC does not recommend protecting laser printers with a UPS.

Resolution:

In most cases, a separate surge protection device is adequate for laser printers. It is recommended the Laser Printer have its own designated circuit, as the high current draw of a Laser Printer can "sag" the utility line causing low voltage situations. The Laser Printer should not be plugged into a UPS's Battery Outlets OR in to its Surge Only Outlets. These low voltage situations may cause an APC Back-UPS to transfer to battery operation repeatedly, eventually exhausting the unit's internal battery unnecessarily.

If you must use a UPS with a Laser Printer it is important to size your UPS appropriately. APC recommends a Smart-UPS series product that is sized for the maximum power draw of the laser printer as defined by the manufacturer. This is typically a 1500va or larger UPS. Even small Laser Printers can have very high maximum power draws, due to the nature of the technology. We do not recommend the use of Back-UPS products with a laser printer.