Archive for September, 2011

When researching a printer, you may have noticed the term “duty cycle” mentioned along with other terms like speed and printer resolution.  The duty cycle refers to the number of pages that can be printed in a certain period of time without potentially causing problems and failures. This number is often given as a maximum monthly duty cycle. Continue reading “Printer Duty Cycle Explained” »

There are nearly 2 billion ink cartridges sold each year, with an estimated 350 million ending up in landfills. This is not only harmful from the perspective of the extra waste in landfills, but also in that it takes up to 5 ounces of oil to manufacture a new cartridge. By recycling your ink and toner cartridges, you can not only keep them from ending up in a landfill, but also contribute to remanufacturing programs that can help eliminate much of the waste involved in manufacturing brand new cartridges.

A number of different organizations and even printer manufacturers themselves offer programs that make it easy for users to recycle their empty cartridges, and some can even help you contribute to charity as you do it. Here are a few recycling programs you can take advantage of: Continue reading “Printer Cartridge Recycling Programs” »

An example of “ghost printing”.

One of the most common issues to crop up when printing is “ghosting” or “ghost printing”. Essentially, ghost printing is when the printed page contains an extra, lighter version of the main image. This can often look like a lighter stencil of the original image. If you find that you are experiencing ghosting in your prints, there are a few things to try: Continue reading “The Secrets of Ghost Printing” »

Ethernet is a networking standard that was designed to simplify communication and data transferring for an office environment.  Previous connection options, such as parallel and USB ports would limit machines to single-user capabilities.  Ethernet opens the door for multiple users to share a printer, among other things, thus saving the company ample space and time.  A standard ethernet interface is compatible with all major operating systems but will require the right wiring and hardware.

Users that are within a small area can use a LAN, which is a local area network.  This allows them to send and receive data through the network but requires a central hub or switchboard.  “Packets” of data are sent along the ethernet connection line.  This data is delivered by the main hub, but pushed by passive machines to be distributed to the proper place. Continue reading “Printer Ethernet Explained” »

Every inkjet printer, whether it uses thermal or piezoelectric technology, has cartridges that hold water-based ink, printheads and nozzles that apply the ink to the paper.  In piezoelectric technology, which is an Epson patent, a pocket full of piezo-ceramic material (crystals) resides near the back of each printhead.  When a job is sent to the printer, a voltage gives the aforementioned material a charge and causes the crystals to expand and vibrate, ultimately forcing droplets of ink out of the nozzles and onto the paper. Continue reading “Piezoelectric Inkjet Printers” »

A Personal Area Network, or PAN, is a small network made up of only a few devices, usually two. It is designed to provide simple communication between a limited number of devices without the interference that often comes with larger networks.

Many users are familiar with the term Local Area Network, or LAN. This type of network is often made up of several, or even hundreds, of devices, all communicating with each other. A personal area network takes a smaller approach. Instead of plugging a smart phone into a computer with a cable, for example, a PAN is created so that the two devices can communicate exclusively with one another. Continue reading “PAN – Personal Area Network” »

A new and innovative development has recently been introduced into the world of laser printing by a company known as Print Recovery Concepts, Inc. Though known mostly for being a vendor of affordable, third party toner cartridges in the past, they now offer toner that comes from soy beans rather than the typical oil-based product. Though soy ink has been around for a while, this is one of the first instances of soy toner, but it certainly will not be the last. Continue reading “Printing ‘Green’ with SoyPrint” »

A life on the move can be grueling, so it is helpful to have portable electronics to simplify tasks that may be otherwise difficult.  We all know you cannot fly from New York to Utah with your computer tower and monitor, but laptops will fit beneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin.  Why should this convenience be limited to computers?

Many people do not know portable business printers even exist, as the market for this type of device is not nearly as big as mobile photo printers.  However, if you are a person who frequently stays in hotels or has a job that requires a lot of time spent in your vehicle, a portable business printer is invaluable.

Perhaps you just delivered a truck-full of product to a company and a few boxes were damaged so you need to print a revised invoice.  Maybe you took the red-eye flight to get to an early meeting in San Antonio and need to print the notes for your speech but the hotel doesn’t have a printer.  These are just a few scenarios that may call for a portable document printer. Continue reading “Portable Business Printers” »

Having backup toner readily available in the office is not a necessity but it is certainly recommended.  Especially in offices that print frequently and blow through cartridges quickly, keeping reserves on hand will eliminate the possibility of running out completely.  Toner cartridges range in print capacity and cost, but all will come with an expected page yield so you have an idea of how many pages can be printed before replacements will be necessary.  This is really important information.

Another way to keep tabs on the remaining life of a cartridge is by printing a statistics page.  This can often be accessed through a computer, but most can simply print the information by navigating the menu of the actual printer.  Find the options for maintenance, supplies or status information and select the statistics page, which will look something like this HP LaserJet P3005 example:

Continue reading “Backup Printer Toner” »

Photo printers have been around for a long time, and the ability to print lab-quality photos is certainly nothing new. As inkjet photo printers evolve, however, new features help to make them easier to use, and provide functionality that you may not have even dreamed was possible a few years ago. Here are some of the top features you should look for in a modern photo inkjet printer.

Wireless Printing

A few years ago, many homes had a single desktop computer connected directly to a single printer. As laptops and mobile devices become increasingly popular, and most family members have their own laptop, wired connections are no longer convenient. Most modern printers offer support for Wi-Fi, and can be easily integrated into your existing wireless network, to be made available to any device that connects to your network.

Mobile Printing

Users who have a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet often need a way to print, but may have found the process to be difficult to use or even impossible, as older printers often don’t provide adequate solutions. Newer devices come with support for Apple’s AirPrint, Google Cloud Printing, and other protocols that can make printing from tablets and smartphones as simple as a few taps on the screen. Once set up, these protocols can often enable printing from just about any app on the device. Continue reading “Best New Photo Printing Features” »