Ready to pull your hair out because of an old printer? Whether it wouldn’t print that paper you worked on all through the night, or you didn’t have that vital printout you needed for your presentation, you know that you need to do something about that machine already. So, do you call in the service guy? Or is it time to buy yourself a new printer?

Here are some tell tale signs that its time to say goodbye to your old printer:

1. When there are smears and bleeds all over your printouts, and splats of ink cover your documents, its time for a newer model. Don’t ruin your hard work because of an old printer. Splats of ink do not make for a very professional-looking project.

2. All printers make some noise before and during the printing process. But if your machine is thumping away and it sounds like you have a drummer sitting on your desk, you may want to start doing some research for a new printer. Excessive movement is also not normal – your printer should stay sitting right where you put it.

3. Are you having a hard time finding the driver to install your printer? Can’t find the replacement toner or ink? When your printer model gets really old, retailers stop selling the consumables and they are difficult to get hold of. And when you do find what you are looking for, you will pay a lot to keep that old printer running. This is a sure sign that you need an upgrade, and your new printer will probably be cheaper to run

4. New model printers are packed with convenience features so that you can print easily from any device without even turning on your computer. If printing starts to feel like a hassle and you wish for easier ways to get things done, replace that old model with something new so that printing is as easy as it should be – 2014 style.

Don’t wait till your printer really goes before looking for something new. Make sure to start researching with enough time to make a decision and get it delivered before you are stuck with no printer at all.