Printers can be so, so cruel.
A misbehaving printer can make a work day a living nightmare. Paper jams. Read errors. Sitting there waiting for more documents to print, happy as a clam, while you pace back and forth from your office to the printer wondering how the report you sent to be printed got lost on the way.
Ctrl+P, indeed.
It’s not something we do very often, but when it’s time to actually replace the laser printer in your office (as opposed to slap it, pull at it, curse at it, and even destroy it), it feels a bit like self-betrayal. It’s like shopping for your next enemy.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
In an attempt to prevent you and your office from going postal — again — here is site that truly helps you and make this painless.
Just go to this site and find your model and printer type and you will get recommended models. It couldn't be eaiser or faster. I have used this site myself and it's awesome.
http://www.hp.com/sbso/buyguides/pg_printers/printer-finder.html#view=1;sVID=11401377;b=0
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
What Is Toner?
Toner is the equivalent of ink in copiers or laser printers, and is a powder that is embedded on your paper to produce graphics or the written word.
History
The first copiers used carbon powder as a toner, but later a chemical polymer was added to increase the adhesion of the toner to the paper. Originally, toner was supplied in bottle form, allowing anyone to refill the toner reservoir, but that method was replaced by a cartridge system, usually containing additional parts, such as the drum.
How Does Toner Work?
Toner is selectively attracted to a drum that has been electromagnetically charged with the desired image. The drum then places the toner onto the paper as it is fed past. From there the paper (now carrying the toner) is fed to a fuser unit where heat is applied, melting the toner into the paper before it is sent to the output tray, where the printed page can be retrieved.
Color Toners
With the advent of color copiers and color laser jets came the introduction of color toner. Aside from the traditional black, color copiers and laser printers use three color toners, usually packaged in individual cartridges; they are cyan, magenta and yellow.
Environmental Concerns
Both black and color toner cartridges should be returned for refills or proper disposal, rather than being discarded as trash. In cases where the drum is included in the cartridge, there is the possible contamination from the selenium coating used in the manufacturing of these drums.
History
The first copiers used carbon powder as a toner, but later a chemical polymer was added to increase the adhesion of the toner to the paper. Originally, toner was supplied in bottle form, allowing anyone to refill the toner reservoir, but that method was replaced by a cartridge system, usually containing additional parts, such as the drum.
How Does Toner Work?
Toner is selectively attracted to a drum that has been electromagnetically charged with the desired image. The drum then places the toner onto the paper as it is fed past. From there the paper (now carrying the toner) is fed to a fuser unit where heat is applied, melting the toner into the paper before it is sent to the output tray, where the printed page can be retrieved.
Color Toners
With the advent of color copiers and color laser jets came the introduction of color toner. Aside from the traditional black, color copiers and laser printers use three color toners, usually packaged in individual cartridges; they are cyan, magenta and yellow.
Environmental Concerns
Both black and color toner cartridges should be returned for refills or proper disposal, rather than being discarded as trash. In cases where the drum is included in the cartridge, there is the possible contamination from the selenium coating used in the manufacturing of these drums.
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The History of Paper
3,000 BCE
Egyptians manufacture papyrus from overlapping strips of sedge plant pith.
105: CE Chinese official Ts'ai Lun creates a sheet of paper using the inner bark of trees, fishnets,old rags, and hemp waste. Certain paper is still made from rags today.
3rd Century: Woodblock printing in China (Wikipedia)
751: Papermaking reaches Samarkand, in Central Asia
793: Papermaking begins in Baghdad during the golden age of Islamic culture. Papermaking soon reaches the frontiers of Europe.
14th Century: Documentation of paper mills in Europe including Spain, Italy, France and Germany
15th Century: Gutenberg brings profit to printing by inventing "the first complete printing system." His press, with its metal moveable type, could produce 3,600 pages per workday.
1774: Chlorine is discovered. It would eventually be used to bleach paper. Include articles on topics of interest to your readers, relevant news and events. If you find an interesting article on the Web, you can easily ask the author's permission to summarize the article and link to it from your newsletter. Drive traffic to your website by entering teaser text for the article with a link to your website for readers to view the full text.
19th Century: A machine that transforms wood pulp to a final paper product is realized. The paper industry is gradually relieved of its centuries-old dependency upon cotton and linen rags. Large-scale paper production becomes possible. The Fourdrinier machine remains the basis for modern papermaking.
Egyptians manufacture papyrus from overlapping strips of sedge plant pith.
105: CE Chinese official Ts'ai Lun creates a sheet of paper using the inner bark of trees, fishnets,old rags, and hemp waste. Certain paper is still made from rags today.
3rd Century: Woodblock printing in China (Wikipedia)
751: Papermaking reaches Samarkand, in Central Asia
793: Papermaking begins in Baghdad during the golden age of Islamic culture. Papermaking soon reaches the frontiers of Europe.
14th Century: Documentation of paper mills in Europe including Spain, Italy, France and Germany
15th Century: Gutenberg brings profit to printing by inventing "the first complete printing system." His press, with its metal moveable type, could produce 3,600 pages per workday.
1774: Chlorine is discovered. It would eventually be used to bleach paper. Include articles on topics of interest to your readers, relevant news and events. If you find an interesting article on the Web, you can easily ask the author's permission to summarize the article and link to it from your newsletter. Drive traffic to your website by entering teaser text for the article with a link to your website for readers to view the full text.
19th Century: A machine that transforms wood pulp to a final paper product is realized. The paper industry is gradually relieved of its centuries-old dependency upon cotton and linen rags. Large-scale paper production becomes possible. The Fourdrinier machine remains the basis for modern papermaking.
Laser Toner Cartridge Care tips.
Toner Care
Toners are sensitive to the light and can be easily damaged,so if you remove the cartridge from the package or printer, keep it covered and away from light.
Do not stand the toner upside down
Unopened toners have a shelf life of about one year. Opened toners have a shelf life of a couple months
To extend the life of your toner, if you remove your toner cartridge from your printer hold it parallel to the floor while holding it in your hands and take your left hand and go up to @ 45 degrees while your right hand goes down the same amount. Do this about 6-8 times, don't shake the cartridge or toner can come flying out and make a mess.
If you do get toner on your clothes wash with cold water as hot water sets the toner in.
Media
The media ( paper, envelopes, etc.) you use will affect the print quality of everything you print. Because laser printers use high heat that is used to melt the toner on the media, you will need to ensure you are using media that is made for laser printers. Using the right paper will affect the quality of your prints. The best way to ensure you are using the right media is to read over the printer manual to see what media can and cannot be used in your printer.
Media to Avoid:
Too smooth, too rough
Media that is textured or glossy
Coated media
Special Media
Make sure the printer can support this special media (consult your manual)
Print only a full sheet of labels and do not re-use a sheet of labels as you can damage your printer and/or cause a major jam with labels stuck deep inside your printer.
If you are going to print transparencies make sure they are for laser printers or they will melt and damage the fuser unit which is expensive to replace.
Toners are sensitive to the light and can be easily damaged,so if you remove the cartridge from the package or printer, keep it covered and away from light.
Do not stand the toner upside down
Unopened toners have a shelf life of about one year. Opened toners have a shelf life of a couple months
To extend the life of your toner, if you remove your toner cartridge from your printer hold it parallel to the floor while holding it in your hands and take your left hand and go up to @ 45 degrees while your right hand goes down the same amount. Do this about 6-8 times, don't shake the cartridge or toner can come flying out and make a mess.
If you do get toner on your clothes wash with cold water as hot water sets the toner in.
Media
The media ( paper, envelopes, etc.) you use will affect the print quality of everything you print. Because laser printers use high heat that is used to melt the toner on the media, you will need to ensure you are using media that is made for laser printers. Using the right paper will affect the quality of your prints. The best way to ensure you are using the right media is to read over the printer manual to see what media can and cannot be used in your printer.
Media to Avoid:
Too smooth, too rough
Media that is textured or glossy
Coated media
Special Media
Make sure the printer can support this special media (consult your manual)
Print only a full sheet of labels and do not re-use a sheet of labels as you can damage your printer and/or cause a major jam with labels stuck deep inside your printer.
If you are going to print transparencies make sure they are for laser printers or they will melt and damage the fuser unit which is expensive to replace.
Laser printer or inkjet printer – Which one would you go for?
"Laser printer or inkjet printer" this is something which must be rolling in your mind if you’re thinking of buying a printer. Buying a printer to a great extent depends on the type of work you would like to do on the printer.
"Laser printer or inkjet printer" this is something which must be rolling in your mind if you’re thinking of buying a printer. Buying a printer to a great extent depends on the type of work you would like to do on the printer.
For instance, if you want to print few photos, few e books or print any other project work an inkjet printer would help your cause. Inkjet printers are far less expensive than laser printers. An Inkjet printer uses a unique printer mechanism, which provides quality printing. They transfer tiny droplets of ink directly to the page. This is the reason why you will find most photo printers are inkjets. If you want to print photos at home, photo inkjet printer would probably be a perfect choice.
You might get an inkjet printer for less but they cost high to run. The ink required by inkjet printers is expensive as they are measured on per page basis. On the other hand laser printers have a high initial price but a low running cost.
When to opt for laser printers?
No matter laser printers are far more expensive than inkjet printers but they have a low running cost. For instance, if you want to print thousands of photo printouts, e books or print any other projects in bulk, laser printer would help your cause. The quality of printing provided by a laser printer is of a higher resolution as compared to an inkjet printer. You can also use laser printer at home if you require to take thousands of printouts. It would always be advisable to treat a laser printer as an investment rather than an expense.
You need to workout properly to judge the capacity of your business prints per day. This will help you to make a better decision of the type of printer which can best suit you.
"Laser printer or inkjet printer" this is something which must be rolling in your mind if you’re thinking of buying a printer. Buying a printer to a great extent depends on the type of work you would like to do on the printer.
"Laser printer or inkjet printer" this is something which must be rolling in your mind if you’re thinking of buying a printer. Buying a printer to a great extent depends on the type of work you would like to do on the printer.
For instance, if you want to print few photos, few e books or print any other project work an inkjet printer would help your cause. Inkjet printers are far less expensive than laser printers. An Inkjet printer uses a unique printer mechanism, which provides quality printing. They transfer tiny droplets of ink directly to the page. This is the reason why you will find most photo printers are inkjets. If you want to print photos at home, photo inkjet printer would probably be a perfect choice.
You might get an inkjet printer for less but they cost high to run. The ink required by inkjet printers is expensive as they are measured on per page basis. On the other hand laser printers have a high initial price but a low running cost.
When to opt for laser printers?
No matter laser printers are far more expensive than inkjet printers but they have a low running cost. For instance, if you want to print thousands of photo printouts, e books or print any other projects in bulk, laser printer would help your cause. The quality of printing provided by a laser printer is of a higher resolution as compared to an inkjet printer. You can also use laser printer at home if you require to take thousands of printouts. It would always be advisable to treat a laser printer as an investment rather than an expense.
You need to workout properly to judge the capacity of your business prints per day. This will help you to make a better decision of the type of printer which can best suit you.
Love Your Laser Printer
Love your laser printer
Renowned for their fast page speeds and long media life, laser (a.k.a. electro photographic) printers have found an important place in small businesses, busy offices, and networks of all sizes. Today's leading laser printers support high-quality color for both everyday and photo-quality printing. Here, we'll look at ways to track the life of your consumables, minimize media jams, and achieve the best color laser printing results.
Track your consumables
Laser printers include toner cartridges, transfer belts, and other parts, known as consumables. Consumables have a limited lifetime (usually rated in pages printed) and need to be replaced at some point due to wear and tear. However, most folks only worry about replacing things when the printer goes screwy, which is usually right when the necessary item goes out of stock. To avoid getting stuck with an offline printer while waiting several weeks for the delivery boy, it's best to track the items that you're likely to need and keep them in stock.
Most laser printers keep a running tally of the pages printed over their lifetimes, called the page count. For example, the page count of a Lexmark Optra S or SC printer is found on the Menu Settings page. Press the right Menu button until you find Test Menu, then press the Select button. You should now be able to choose Print Menus. Press the Select button to print out the settings. The page count will be found under the Printer Information section.
Check your printer's manual for how to dig up the page count information. Keep track of how long your consumables can be expected to work by writing down the page count when they're installed. Then check back periodically and compare how many pages have been printed with the page rating for the part in question. If the number of pages printed is getting close to the rating for that part, then it's time to go shopping.
Avoid paper jams
The paper-handling mechanism of your laser printer can often be intricate and convoluted, making it prone to paper jams. These can cause a terrible inconvenience (especially in a busy network printing environment) and usually make you resend at least the part of the print job that was caught in the jam, if not the whole job. While most jams aren't difficult to correct, it's best to avoid them in the first place.
The paper (media) itself plays a major role in paper jams. Make sure you're using the media that is recommended for your particular printer. Paper that's too thick, too thin, specially coated, or unusually textured may easily curl or crumple and then jam the paper handler. Try a standard paper, such as 20lb. xerography-grade, and remember to fan it and orient the printable side properly (usually facing down in the paper tray).
Lack of maintenance is the other main culprit in paper jams, especially after the printer has been very busy. Dust, paper fragments, label bits, and residue from coated papers tend to build up and can eventually cause problems in paper handing. Clean the printer periodically as recommended by the manufacturer. This will remove the junk that can affect paper handling.
Print the right colors
Color matching between what your monitor displays and what your printer spits out can be difficult because the devices use different color models. When printing in color, it is often best to use the Pantone chart supplied for your particular printer and verify that the printer is in the CMYK operating mode. In most cases, you can download a suitable Pantone chart for your printer directly from the printer's manufacturer. For example, the Pantone chart for Lexmark color laser printers can be downloaded from their Web site. If your printer appears to be color blind, you may need to update your drivers for it. Since printer drivers (PC or Mac) normally take their color data from the system's video drivers, be sure to update them as well.
Renowned for their fast page speeds and long media life, laser (a.k.a. electro photographic) printers have found an important place in small businesses, busy offices, and networks of all sizes. Today's leading laser printers support high-quality color for both everyday and photo-quality printing. Here, we'll look at ways to track the life of your consumables, minimize media jams, and achieve the best color laser printing results.
Track your consumables
Laser printers include toner cartridges, transfer belts, and other parts, known as consumables. Consumables have a limited lifetime (usually rated in pages printed) and need to be replaced at some point due to wear and tear. However, most folks only worry about replacing things when the printer goes screwy, which is usually right when the necessary item goes out of stock. To avoid getting stuck with an offline printer while waiting several weeks for the delivery boy, it's best to track the items that you're likely to need and keep them in stock.
Most laser printers keep a running tally of the pages printed over their lifetimes, called the page count. For example, the page count of a Lexmark Optra S or SC printer is found on the Menu Settings page. Press the right Menu button until you find Test Menu, then press the Select button. You should now be able to choose Print Menus. Press the Select button to print out the settings. The page count will be found under the Printer Information section.
Check your printer's manual for how to dig up the page count information. Keep track of how long your consumables can be expected to work by writing down the page count when they're installed. Then check back periodically and compare how many pages have been printed with the page rating for the part in question. If the number of pages printed is getting close to the rating for that part, then it's time to go shopping.
Avoid paper jams
The paper-handling mechanism of your laser printer can often be intricate and convoluted, making it prone to paper jams. These can cause a terrible inconvenience (especially in a busy network printing environment) and usually make you resend at least the part of the print job that was caught in the jam, if not the whole job. While most jams aren't difficult to correct, it's best to avoid them in the first place.
The paper (media) itself plays a major role in paper jams. Make sure you're using the media that is recommended for your particular printer. Paper that's too thick, too thin, specially coated, or unusually textured may easily curl or crumple and then jam the paper handler. Try a standard paper, such as 20lb. xerography-grade, and remember to fan it and orient the printable side properly (usually facing down in the paper tray).
Lack of maintenance is the other main culprit in paper jams, especially after the printer has been very busy. Dust, paper fragments, label bits, and residue from coated papers tend to build up and can eventually cause problems in paper handing. Clean the printer periodically as recommended by the manufacturer. This will remove the junk that can affect paper handling.
Print the right colors
Color matching between what your monitor displays and what your printer spits out can be difficult because the devices use different color models. When printing in color, it is often best to use the Pantone chart supplied for your particular printer and verify that the printer is in the CMYK operating mode. In most cases, you can download a suitable Pantone chart for your printer directly from the printer's manufacturer. For example, the Pantone chart for Lexmark color laser printers can be downloaded from their Web site. If your printer appears to be color blind, you may need to update your drivers for it. Since printer drivers (PC or Mac) normally take their color data from the system's video drivers, be sure to update them as well.
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