Choosing a new printer

Posted in: Printers, blog, inkjet, laser by Jack on 3 February 2009

We are frequently asked to recommend a printer by our customers. Here’s what we tell the majority who ask:

It all depends on what sort of printing you do the most. Let’s break it down this way:

Inkjet printer

Epson Stylus Pro 4800

Pro…

• Best for printing photographs
• Best for printing CD/DVD labels on disks
• Most affordable way to print color for the average home office/small office (SOHO) and home user
• Less expensive printers on the market, often free with a new computer
• Affordable multi-function printers (all-in-one printers)

Con…

• Most expensive cost-per-page printing solution
• Must be used at least every 2 weeks to prevent printhead drying
• Inkjet printers are not designed to be repaired
• Leaking ink can permanently stain many materials

Laserjet printer

Pro…

• Lower cost-per-page than inkjets
• Doesn’t have to be used frequently to avoid printhead drying (no printhead!)
• Average 2000 pages per cartridge as opposed to less than 200 for an inkjet cartridge
• Generally faster printing speed, less setup time
• Usually has drivers for Windows, Mac and Linux

Con…

Samsung ML-1710

• Higher initial cost for printer and supplies
• Color laser printers are generally still too expensive for the average SOHO user
• Personal laser printers rarely offer duplexing or other advanced features
• All-in-one laser printers are still quite expensive

Just as when you consider buying a new computer or even a new car, how you intend to use it should be your primary consideration. If you think you might someday want to print photos or holiday cards, you need an inkjet printer. If all you plan to do is print out forms or receipts, consider a laserjet. If you need an all-in-one machine (printer, copier, fax and scanner) you should buy an inkjet printer.

10 Tips for Cartridge Care

Posted in: Tips & Tricks, blog by Jack on 31 December 2008

Here are a few suggestions to help you get the most out of your inkjet cartridge, OEM or refilled.

1. Before installing the cartridge, make sure the plastic clip covering the print head (usually only on color cartridges) and the tape have been removed.
2. Keep the contacts at the back of the cartridge slot on the printer clean. Ink and dust may cause the printer to lose contact with the cartridge resulting in the printer indicating an error. These can be cleaned with a cotton swab dampened with alcohol or distilled water. Allow them to dry completely before installing the cartridge.
3. Be sure to print something, anything, at least once every two weeks. Allowing inkjet cartridges to sit unused for longer than that is to risk the print head drying out.
4. If you know you won’t be using your inkjet printer for several weeks, remove the cartridges, put the clip on the color cartridge, put each cartridge in a baggie and store them in a cool, dark location.
5.  Keep your printer clean. Printers need good ventalation just like computers do. Use canned air to keep the covering over fans clear and don’t sit your printer on carpeting or a similar surface. This applies to both inkjet and laser printers. 
6. Keep printing until you notice an obvious degredation degradation to the print quality.*
7. As soon as possible after the cartridge runs out of ink bring it in for refilling. The longer a cartridge sits empty, the more likely ink will dry in the print head and reusing the cartridge will be made more difficult.
8. Do not attempt to clean the print head of an ink cartridge with alcohol or any substance other than distilled water. 
9. Do not leave cartridges, especially those just refilled, sitting in direct sunlight or anywhere the temperature is high. Ink expands as it warms, and if the cartridge is heated too much the ink will force its way out of the cartridge. Laser cartridges should be stored where it’s cool, dark and the humidity low.
10. Make sure you don’t force cartridges into printers. Cartridges have keys on them to prevent the black cartridge from being installed in the color cartridge slot, for example. Forcing a cartridge into place will most likely damage both the cartridge and the printer. Cartridges should install as easily as they came out. Consult your printer’s manual if replacing the cartridge proves difficult.

*Many printers will indicate a low ink level even though there’s plenty of ink left in the cartridge. They do this because printers cannot measure the actual level of ink in a cartridge. Instead, the number of pages a cartridge should be able to print, according to the manufacturer, is stored in the printer’s memory. Each time a new cartridge is installed, the counter resets and counts out pages as they pass through the machine. However, a page is not a page. Manufacturers use an algorithym to decide what constitutes a page. Generally the standard is 5% page coverage. In other words, if all the printed portion of a page were gathered together in one corner it should cover 5% of an 8½”x11″ page. In many cases, the page count method isn’t an accurate way to assess the amount of ink left in a cartridge. This is why we urge our customers to keep printing until the quality of the printing begins to degrade. That way you get the full use of all the ink in the cartridge.

Laser versus Ink

Posted in: Printers by Jack on 8 January 2007

We get asked to recommend a printer by a large number of our customers who are ready to purchase an upgrade.  Being our customers, one of their main concerns is the cost of the printer’s consumables.

Our advice is consistent; the printer you should buy is the one that will best accomplish your particular printing needs.

If you’re the average home user who prints emails, photos and the occasional document, an inkjet printer will most likely suit your needs the best.

But we do advise our customers to keep a laserjet printer in mind.  Students who print only text reports without images, businesses who need an economical way to print invoices, letters and office documents, the home user who hardly ever prints in color; these folks will find their cost-per-page to be far lower using a laserjet than an inkjet printer.

Even those who need a color printer should consider using a laserjet.  Hewlett-Packard is selling their 2550n color laserjet direct for only $299 currently.  It comes with a set of starter cartridges that, when empty, can be refilled through us for around $285 for all four cartridges (based on current prices).  That may seem excessive, but consider; an HP #56 black ink cartridge is rated at 450 pages, an HP Q3960A black toner cartridge for the 2500 series is rated at 5000 pages.  The Dell color laser printer (3010cn) and the HP 2500 series printers both produce beautiful color images, as do most of the new color laserjets on the market.

Our standard recommendation is to note what you use your printer for during a month of usage then buy a printer that excels at performing those tasks.  Take the printer you think you might like for a test drive at a Best Buy or Fry’s.  Make sure you aren’t paying for features you don’t need, like wireless connectivity if you don’t have a wireless network.

And give us a call if you’d like to know what replacing the cartridges will cost you once your starter cartridges run out of ink or toner.