Computer, Electronic, and Freeware

Ever since prehistoric times man has communicated using a type of print. What started as simple pictures or images scratched into a cave wall using a sharp rock or burnt stick has turned into a multibillion pound industry. These days life wouldn’t be the same without the ability to print, everything from bank notes to a bus ticket involves printing of some sort.

It is unlikely that the first cave man ever to scratch a picture could see the importance of printing; he could never envisage that thousands of year’s later man would develop the printing technology and the total reliance we have on this technology today. The earliest forms of mass repetitive print were the printing press, the oldest press known dates back to 1452, invented by a man called Guttenburg. The stand alone printer we recognise today followed much later.

It has been a long journey from cave drawings to the high quality photographs and documents we can now print ourselves, the ability to be able to print such things at home and in the office is mainly down to recent advances in inkjet printer and laser printer technology, back in 1938 when Chester Carleson invented the first dry printing process called electro photography (commonly called Xerox) things started to change dramatically, Xerox Engineer, Gary Starkweather adapted the existing Xerox printer by adding a laser beam to the reprographics which set the mark for the future of laser printers.

At the time other companies were investing time and effort into developing other versions of the laser printer technology. Hewlett Packard and IBM were amongst the front runners in the race to be the most innovative imaging company; it was IBM that first brought high speed to the laser printer process with the IBM 3800 Printing System which boasts a printing speed in excess of 100 impressions per minute  (impressive for the dot matrix era).

In 1984 Hewlett Packard announced their arrival into the laser printing top spot with the release of their HP Laserjet series of printers which quickly became the world’s most popular personal desktop laser printer. HP developed the first laser printer to have a print resolution of 600 x 600 dpi (dots per inch), the HP Laserjet 4 became very popular worldwide and although Hewlett Packard have not manufactured one for years there are still many of them around and the printer cartridges are still in circulation, which is a testament to the quality of build by Hewlett Packard.

The arrival of laser printers with the dry print technology didn’t spell the end for wet ink printing, although the laser printer was good, colour laser printing was not yet developed and there was a void in the industry that Hewlett Packard was about to fill. In 1976 the Inkjet Printer was invented, but it wasn’t until 1978 that it became a home user item with the release of the HP Deskjet printer series which sold for a massive $1000 each.

The development of the inkjet printer had not all been plain sailing, again more than one company worked hard to perfect the new technology. There were problems with ink delivery control and with ink drying times amongst many others. Once again there were front runners and Hewlett Packard along with Canon led the way in developing not only a completely new ink delivery system that held wet ink inside but also a removable printer cartridge which was a purpose built cartridge to deliver ink  to the paper. HP have gone on to develop this technology over the years, the HP Deskjet, HP Photosmart, HP PSC, HP Officejet, to name just a few of the HP range all owe their heritage to this early inkjet technology.

No article on print or printers would be complete without a closer look at the printer cartridge. It wasn’t just the invention of inkjet and laser printers alone that changed the way we print. Lots of effort and probably blood and sweat went into the development of the printer cartridge. Almost every modern printer has a cartridge at the heart of it; without the printer cartridge the printer is useless and visa versa. When HP released their first printer it was the fact that the HP printer cartridges can be easily replaced that played a strong part in its success as a consumer product.

The printer cartridges of today can be split into two main categories, Laser cartridges and Ink cartridges. The difference between the two is great; they are totally different types of technology. The laser printer cartridge uses a dry powder ink sometimes known as toner and the Ink cartridge uses a wet ink.

The manufacture of printing technology has spread and to date there are a few different companies who each have their own type of printers and printer cartridges. Hewlett Packard is amongst the biggest companies so too are Lexmark, Canon, Epson and Xerox. 

There are also many printer cartridge recycling companies, most printer cartridges can be recycled or refilled at least once. Refilled or remanufactured printer cartridges are usually a low cost alternative; many people choose refilled cartridges as they are considered to be a more Eco minded way of printing.

Who knows what the printers of the future will be like, will we still be reliant on the humble ink cartridge, the use of e mail and internet research will have undoubtedly had some effect on the levels of printing but for the foreseeable future there will always be a need for a hard physical copy print of some sort, or at least until the next great innovation of printers and printing technology takes place, we’ll just have to wait and see………

Michael Harrison is an expert on HP Printer cartridges and HP Ink For more information about HP printer cartridges, please visit http://www.hpprintercartridges.co.uk/

One of the more perplexing decisions when faced with choosing a new printer is which print technology is going to suit you best. At the moment there are two main printing systems: the laser technology, using toner cartridges and a transfer drum assembly; and ink jets using ink tank cartridges and fine-spray nozzles. The method that will suit you best will depend largely on what you plan to print on your new printer, and cost factors that affect the costs of running it. Laser printers are possibly better for high-volume printing, with lower ‘per page’ costs and they better black intensity text than most ink jets. Laser printers tend to have a faster page rate but ink jets still offer the important advantages in affordable colour printing.

For home use, you’ll probably want to print out digital photos or graphics, which makes colour a must. The traditional differentiation between lasers and ink jets has been office versus home use; however, colour offers obvious presentation advantages for business use as well. Fortunately, prices for both categories of printers have come down enough to make it practical to purchase both a laser and an ink jet if you absolutely need both colour and high-quality text.

The work you do

There are a number of different printer configurations available today, many of them quite specialised in the applications. There are specialised photo printers, direct disc CD printers, Multifunction printers, desktop ink jets and high-speed lasers.

If you want a printer that is specifically designed for printing photographs, you will most likely look for a colour ink-jet system that is a photo printer, allowing very high quality colour output and capable of printing all the way to the edge of the page. Recent releases by major brands now include all-in-one Multifunction devices that include scanning and printing capabilities. Many smaller units that are designed purely as a photo-printer to plug directly into your digital camera are also available. Much the same can be said for CD or DVD printing, with specialist printers available for printing directly onto discs, saving label application.

On the other hand if you are a small home-office worker, then your requirements may be more general, in which case you need to make a printer decision based on the types of documents your produce and how many. In general terms, ink-jet printers offer high quality colour outputs at a low hardware cost, but high consumable cost. Lasers offer significantly higher speeds but at a much higher hardware cost. High volume usage however, reduces the cost per page considerably.

Multifunction printers (MFP) are often ideal for home office or student needs because they combine multiple functions into one unit, usually a scanner, printer, copier fax machine, doing a little bit of everything, and saving considerable desk and office space in the bargain. Generally ink-jet style printers, some MFP may trade-off performance for price and convenience ( e.g. lower resolution, slower print speed) than if you were to buy a printer and scanner individually.

You can buy Multifunction printers specially configured for printing photographs, with some machines providing the ability to scan directly from 35mm slides and store digital files and print them, which is ideal for archiving old photo libraries. However, the scanned images may not exhibit the same clarity and brightness of digitally capture photographs, or as the kind of quality that you can obtain from a deidcated scanner. Search Myshopping.com.au for the specifications you require and compare prices and performance between brands and technologies.

Dealing with Technical Talk

One of the specifications that you will be faced with, is that of resolution. Up to a point, a printer’s resolution determines aspects of its print quality. Images are made up of tiny dots of ink or toner that is applied to the page, and resolution is the term given to the number of dots per inch-quoted as dpi. This usually represented in a two-dimensional matrix (eg: 600 x 300 dpi). Most printers today support a basic 600 x 600 dpi resolution that produces adequate quality in most instances. Many ink jets, however, especially photo printers and high-end plotters, offer higher resolutions and more dots in the vertical plane than the horizontal.

Resolution ratings are not the whole story however. Many printer manufacturers now incorporate smoothing and enhancing features through software algorithms. This means that some output from printers with a lower dpi looks just as good as that from a higher dpi unit. And, although some printers have very high resolutions, you’re not likely to notice any difference in quality with common print jobs once you go above 600 x 600 dpi resolution. What you will notice however, is much higher consumption of inks or toner. It is noteworthy, and perhaps obvious to some, that the higher resolution you are printing at, the higher will be your consumable consumption, and this is the most expensive part of your printer.

Speed is another important consideration. Vary rarely will you find that your printer performs at the ‘pages-per-minute’ rate (ppm) that is advertised or cited in the specification. There are a number of reasons for this including the size of the file being printed, the amount of ink coverage on the page, the proportion of black to other colours, the weight of the paper stock and possibly even the constancy of the power supply of electricity to your premises. This is not to day that the manufacturers, under laboratory conditions are not able to make the machine perform at spec, just not to rely on the claim as a gospel figure. However you can use the speed ratings to make some judgement of performance differences between brands and models. If speed is an important consideration, then you can short-list printers that claim to perform above a certain rate and the compare other factors. You can do this at Myshopping.com.au simply by searching for printers that offer a certain ppm speed.

Laser printers use powder toner that is electromagnetically attracted to the page by an image temporarily made on a transfer drum through a laser scanning process, and then fused to the page with a heat-setting system. This toner is supplied in cartridges, usually one for each of a four-colour printing system (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). Manufactures give some estimate of how many pages of a given size each toner cartridge will print, based on a predetermined proportion of coverage (say 10%). As with the speed claims, these estimates are rarely accurate, but can be used to make some judgement between makes and models. The higher resolution of image you are printing, the more toner will be used in the process. Ink jet printers use a liquid ink stored in tanks that are sprayed by very fine nozzles onto the page as they are required. Just as you replace the toner cartridges in the laser system, you replace ink tanks when they’re depleted in an ink jet printer.

It is important to understand that even thought the printer might be cheap, consumables is where the manufacturers actually make enormous profits, so be sure to consider replacement consumables when doing your cost comparisons. With ink jet printers, some have colour cartridges in one unit, others have separate colour units. In the long run, separate tanks will most likely work out cheaper, because as one colour runs out, you replace only that colour. When all colours are housed in the one cartridge unit, you may have a nearly full tank of cyan when the yellow is completely gone, and you have to throw away unused ink. Not only does this waste your money, it can also be environmentally expensive.

Cost

There are two parts to your cost assessment of a printer. The first is the purchase price of the printer itself. This can vary considerably between brands and models, and is usually differentiated through different features being offered. Use Myshopping.com.au to search for a printer based on a given price range and compare the features. However, possibly more important is the ongoing cost, often measured in cost per page. A typical ink jet printer may cost you 40-50 cents per printed page, depending on how much ink you are using on the page, it may even cost more. By comparison, a colour laser may work out to 15-20 cents per page. These costs don’t usually include the paper stock, and are based on consumables and maintenance costs. Companies like Xerox often supply large colour Laser printers for a cost per page fee.

One cost assessment technique is to estimate how much printing you will do in a given period, load your calculations with a percentage of ink coverage (if you are printing all full gloss and high resolution photographs, for example, you might load the cost per page by a factor of 8-10), factor in the machine cost and make a comparison of what you will spend in a year, including the cost of the printer.

Other things you might consider

How paper travels through a printer can affect your whole printer experience. The closest you can get to a ’straight through’ paper path, the more trouble-free your printer will be. If all your printing is only on plain white bond paper, then paper path will possibly not be a major consideration. But if you’re printing on photographic stock, thick paper, envelopes, transparent film or other materials, then be sure the print path is compatible with your requirements. How you connect to your computer might also be a consideration, especially if you work with large files where connection speed is a consideration. Most printers today offer relatively high-speed USB interfaces. But you might want to consider wireless connections or networking capabilities.

When choosing a Laser printer, on-board RAM (read only memory) might be a consideration. A printer with a standard 64 Megabytes of RAM will be slow to print a quantity of documents that are larger in size than the printer’s memory. If large documents are a consideration, make sure you can upgrade the printer’s memory. The printer driver provides the software interface to your printer, offering you on-screen control over copies, page size, orientation, resolution, text smoothing and paper thickness and type. Many drivers now include advanced features and enable you to create your own custom-setting profiles for quick selection. Moreover a good driver provides complete printer management from on-screen, including paper jams and job queue management. Ink-jet drivers often provide graphical indications of remaining ink levels for each colour.

Search using Myshopping.com.au

Consider any bundled software offerings when you’re choosing a printer, for this can mean a significant bonus in value-added software. Bundled applications might include greeting card, poster, and banner creators, and photo editing programs. With computing becoming a major component of education, software for kids that provide a user-friendly way to create word processing and graphics documents can be a major bonus. Space may be an issue in your office, in which case you should consider the amount of space the printer will need to operate efficiently. This is often more than just its footprint. You need to also consider access to paper trays and airflow around the machine. While basic printer configurations may be fine for your immediate needs, take a look at the options available and their costs for each unit before you buy. You may see future applications. This is easy to do using Myshopping.com.au where you can simply compare types of technology, prices, vendors and the options each one offers.

Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison shopping site MyShopping.com.au. MyShopping.com.au helps you compare printers from hundreds of different brands and vendors.

Are you looking for the best deal on HP Printer cartridges? When you get an HP printer, you know that you are getting the top of the line quality. HP makes many different types of printers, some that include scanners and copiers as well as photo printers. No matter what your printer needs, HP has a printer that is perfect for you.

One thing that is unique about HP Printer cartridges is that many of the printers offer single colors instead of all colors in one cartridge. This can work well for you if you tend to use one color in your printing more than others. For example, if you have a logo that has red ink in it and do a lot of printing with your logo, chances are that you will use up the magenta cartridge faster than the others. By giving you the option of changing just the magenta cartridge instead of all of the color cartridges, HP can save you money.

There are hundreds of different printers and models when it comes to Hewlett Packard. You have to be sure of the model number before you can find the best printer cartridges for your HP printer. Take a look at the manual that came with the printer or on the printer. You can also pull out one of the old cartridges and shop for cartridges using this number. Each cartridge on HP printers is numbered, making it easier for you to find the right printer cartridge for your printer.

By shopping online for HP printer cartridges, you can expect to save at least 20 percent or more from store prices. It makes more sense to shop online for these printer cartridges as you will not only save money, but be sure to get the right printer cartridges for your printer. If you have an older model HP printer, you may not find the cartridges for the printer in the store. Stores that sell printer cartridges often do not carry cartridges for older printers as they want you to get a new printer. When you have an HP printer, however, you have a quality instrument that does not need to be replaced often. Your HP printer can last as long as your computer.

Take a look at the online vendors before you order your HP printer cartridges and get an idea of the prices. You may want to order more than one cartridge so that you do not have to worry about running out. When you run out of ink with one cartridge, you can simply replace it with the other and order another cartridge.

If you have been using computer printers for years, you are probably surprised to see how much the cost of both the printers as well as the printer cartridges have dropped. Now, thanks to the internet and vendors who sell HP printer cartridges, you will be pleased to find that you can save more money when buying printer cartridges than ever before.

Amber works largely on PPC and guerilla marketing campaigns. However, she is quickly becoming an expert in online marketing for local merchants and small businesses. Originally from Seattle and currently a student at SDSU, Amber is heavily involved with her business fraternity, AKPsi. She is also a Libra.

If you are a professional in the printing business, you may very well be looking for a high-qualify wide format inkjet photo printer. Although there are a number of choices on the market, you’ll find that a few possess features which are going to give them an advantage and which would be an excellent choice for your specific needs. Below are some details of those different printers.

HP Z3100

This Hewlett Packard model is one of the most popular printers. For one, the printer is fairly easy to use. It comes with a great deal of documentation to make problem solving a cinch. Additionally, the HP is extremely fast at handling print jobs. In fact, the HP’s speed is about double that of the Epson’s (see below). However, when it comes to color, the HP can provide some great color but there are some weaknesses in the palette. Orange colors aren’t quite as vibrant, for example, while the yellows look amazing.

Epson Stylus Pro 9800

While the Epson does have a good deal of documentation to help users get a feel for the equipment, it doesn’t come close to the amount found with the HP. As mentioned above, the Epson is also about half as fast as the HP model. When it comes to the color delivery though, Epson printer is about equal to that of HP’s. The difference is in which colors are the most vibrant. For instance, the Epson model seems to have much more realistic green colors.

Xerox 8264E

While Xerox is a more common name for copiers, the company does a great job of producing wide-format color printers that can deliver exceptional results. Not only does the Xerox model do its magic quickly but the equipment has been specifically designed to be eco-friendly and to minimize ink usage. That means you’ll actually save money while also helping to save the planet. You won’t find that type of benefit if you choose the HP or Epson printers.

Canon ImageProGraf IPF5100

Finally, you can’t discuss amazing graphic printing without mentioning at least one Canon product. In fact, Canon produces several wide-format printers for a variety of needs. One of the nicest part of the printer is that it uses a 12 color system which can provide a wide range of brilliant shades and hues in the printed documents. The printer comes with automatic recalibration to make sure you get the best results every time you do a print job. This Canon model also works well with some of the top photo-related software, such as PhotoShop, which could be extremely useful for print shops.

This article is written by Brenda Stokes. A longer version of this article is at Inkjet Printer Cartridge Recycling Franchises and main source of this article is Discount Printer Ink Cartridges.

For those who love to watch graphically pleasing copy make its way off a printer, the thrill of finding a great machine to handle almost any job is a big one. When a printer can create photo-perfect pages and still be affordable, the rush is amazing. The problem for many, however, is the fact that the printer itself can be found, but replacement ink cannot. Whether a person buys a photo quality Canon printer, or another model, there needs to be some care in the choosing the right machine. A lot of department stores will have printers for sale on their shelves that do fantastic jobs, but they won’t stock the replacements. Those with Canon printers tend to buy them for a number of reasons. They include:

* Quality. Canon tends to make a solid printer in a number of different price ranges. Typically a good Canon on the low end of the price spectrum will perform very well under a number of different circumstances. The best in the Canon line tend to be phenomenal with quality.

* Price. Since Canon tends to equate to quality no matter the sticker price, those in the market for a reasonable buy will find these machines generally fit the bill.

* Reliability. The Canon name is a good one. People trust it and for good reason. Canon does a very good job creating and backing its products.

* Options. Even the lower end printers come with some serious options that make them a good choice for someone who needs to be able to do more than print a black and white document. And while Canon is generally a top choice for those in the printer market, there needs to be some attention paid to the makes and models purchased. It’s a simple fact that getting ink for these machines – and many others as well – can be a difficult and costly undertaking. Before settling on a model – Canon or otherwise – check into the following:

* What kind of ink does the printer take? Color? Black? Photo quality?

* Does the store where you’re getting the printer stock the ink? If it’s not on the shelves, ask if they order it on a regular basis.

* Can the ink be found on the Internet? Does the company that makes the printer stock it in its online store?

* Can the cartridges be refilled with a kit? Sometimes printer cartridges allow for this, which makes it very easy to ensure ink is always available. Generally, this is less expensive, too.

* Are there aftermarket cartridges out? Sometimes “knock off” companies take over the making of the cartridges. This is okay as long as they fit and work. A great printer is a good accessory to have for any computer. But if the printer purchased can’t have its ink cartridges refilled or replaced, a good buy quickly becomes a bad one. A little research before a purchase can go a long way to ensuring what is bought will work for some time to come.

More resources
Printer ink cardtridge advice.

http://www.printerinkcartridgeadvice.com

Advice on printers.

http://www.printersadvice.com