PRINTING YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS
There are lots of options available for getting your digital photos printed, but which method is the best and most economical choice for you?
Let's look at some of the options and the pros and cons of each.

PRINTING YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS AT HOME
Convenience and instant gratification are two popular reasons for printing your digital photos at home. Depending on your printer, you can print directly from your camera or from your memory card in most cases. Or if you want to touch up your photos first you can copy them to your computer, use your photo editing software (I like Photoshop Elements 3.0) to enhance your images, and then print right from your graphics program. You don't have to make an extra stop to drop off your photo memory card at the photo-finisher or chemist and then return to pick up your prints, and you save the shipping fees the on-line photo services charge.

However, printing your photos on your home printer may be more expensive than you realized. The per-print price can approach 50p per picture when you factor in the cost of buying a photo printer, high quality photo paper and lots of colour ink cartridges. If you print a lot of photos you'll go through ink cartridges and paper rather quickly, which gets expensive, especially if you make mistakes and have to reprint. If you use inexpensive or off-brand paper, you will likely find that your photos may start to fade or discolour within a few months. According to industry experts, if you print at home, use the same brand name paper as your printer manufacturer (i.e. if you have a Canon printer, use Canon photo paper). Your prints will be better quality and last longer.

USING AN ON-LINE DIGITAL PHOTO-FINISHER
On-line digital photo-finishers like Ofoto and the new PhotoWorks make the process of printing your photos very easy. You can edit your photos either using your own photo editing software or download free software from the on-line line printing service to crop, fix red-eye, and add special effects or borders to your images. Then simply select the images you want to print, click to upload to the photo site, and you will receive your order, printed on high quality photo paper, in your mailbox in approx. 2-5 days. In addition to prints you can order customized photo calendars, photo cards, photo books, mugs, and other photo items. With some on-line services, like Shutterfly, you can even try out and order frames for your photos.

The downside: you do pay a shipping charge, so you may want to wait and order a number of photos or photo products at one time to make it more economical. Print costs for 4x6 inch photos range from about 10p to 30p depending on the company.

PRINT YOUR PHOTOS AT THE CHEMIST
Digital printing is now available at chemist chains such as Boots. You can bring in your memory stick and use their photo kiosk to crop and edit your images and then print them. The cost is about the same as an on-line printing service, but you have to stand there at the kiosk and edit/upload your photos. Not something I really want to do, nor do I want to wait in line while someone else finishes their photo order. The good news is these chemists also offer on-line photo services so you can upload your photos to their website and you can pick up your prints at their store usually the next day.

The other option is you can drop off your memory card or CD at the chemists photo department and pick up your prints anywhere from an hour later to a day later, depending on the service selected, just like the “old days” of 35mm film. The print cost is about the same as full service on-line photo finishers (less the shipping fee). There are frequent sales, so the per-print cost can be relatively low if you hit a sale, but you don't have the option of cropping or enhancing your images unless you edit your photos then burn them to a CD first.

My suggestion is to experiment with several methods and find the best one that works for you. Whatever you do, don't just let all those digital photos pile up in your memory card or on your computer, get them printed so you can show them off. Of course you can also share them on-line with family and friends, but that's another story.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

With the rise of digital photography in the last decade, many photographic purists have lamented the declining use of good old fashioned printed photographs. In fact, digital photography is, by and large, much preferable to the now outdated camera film reel and offers a wide range of benefits that not only include better quality pictures, higher resolution and more options for storage, but also - to the evident delight of many - the option to print!

Historically, the earliest cameras were first developed in the tenth century by a Persian mathematician, but photographic processing and chemical photography didn't actually come to light until the nineteenth century, when a French inventor came up with the first permanent photograph in 1826. This first photographic print took a whole eight hours to expose and, while traditional photography made long strides in order to reduce the time it took to process photos, it wasn't until the birth of digital photography that photographers were truly freed of the need to be within close access to processing facilities.

Commercial digital photography is often said to have begun with the unveiling of the Kodak DCS 100 in 1990, but the high cost of digital cameras meant that its uses didn't stray much away from professional photographers and photo journalists. It was only in the late 1990s and early 2000s that digital photography began to find its way into the home. The take-up of digital cameras became so widespread that in 2004, Kodak announced it would no longer be producing re-loadable film cameras, with both Nikon and Canon following suit in 2006.

It's clear that digital cameras offer both the professional and amateur photographer a range of benefits. With a traditional re-loadable camera, printed photos that turned out blurry or were unwanted would simply have to be thrown away, with the processing fee already paid for. However, with digital cameras, it's easy to delete photos that you don't want - making more room for photos that you do.

Additionally, digital photo printing has become much more widely available today. In the early days of home digital cameras, printing out digital photos was largely confined to in-home printers, with only the best quality colour ink cartridges being able to cope with such high resolution images. But now, it's possible to find affordable digital photo printing from on-line photo processing services and on the high street.

Moreover, digital photos give you the option of having your photos printed on personalised items, like a mug or family Christmas cards. Many people even choose to get digital photos of special occasions, like a landmark birthday or a wedding, printed in book form, so there's less likelihood of special photos being lost or becoming faded. And while the traditional medium of printed photographs can hold nostalgic value, it's becoming increasingly clear to many that digital photography is the only way to go!

BUYING PHOTO PRINTERS

For a long time digital photography seemed to somewhat ignore probably the most prominent part of the activity - photographic prints. Things have changed a lot since those times, and digital photographers are now offered an overwhelming amount of different photo printers that are jam-packed full of useful, and sometimes not-so-useful features.

But which photo printer is the best choice for you? This article takes a closer look at the different types of photo printers available and will help you to choose the most suitable photo printer to cater for your needs.

Inkjet Printers for Photos
Generally providing a combination of fast printing speed and photo-quality printing, inkjet photo printers range in price from as little as £40 (if you look hard enough) to around £400.

Most of these printers offer good quality output for printing standard size photos, but pay attention to the detail because not all inkjet printers provide good quality output for larger photos. Although most inkjet printers produce a similar quality - the majority providing the maximum dpi (dots per inch) of 1,200 X 4,800 - spending more on an inkjet printer will most likely provide you with more features or a faster printing speed.

Keep in mind that many photo printers use colour ink cartridges to produce black and white, or grayscale images, which can lead to photos printed with a coloured tint, so try to stick to inkjet printers that use black or gray inks if you want to print many black and white photos.

Photo Printers for Professionals
What separates professional photo printers from consumer models is that the professional variety can produce quality images at much larger sizes.

Depending on your needs, printers accepting paper sizes from 24-inches all the way up to 60-inches wide are available, but because they are targeted towards professionals, many convenient features such as printing from your digital camera will not be available on professional printers.

If you want to create large quality prints of your photos, maybe even posters, then a professional photo printer may be the choice for you, if you can afford it - professional printers range in price from around £500 to anywhere in the thousands.

Photo-only Printers
While many inkjet and professional printers can also double up as printers for reports and other documents, those dedicated to printing photos alone are often much more compact and offer faster printing speeds. Print size is often limited to 4x6-inches but the quality remains high, and larger models do exist if you are prepared to pay a higher price.

Although the dpi tends to be low on these types of printers, the output quality is high due to the use of thermal-dye technology that utilizes primary printing colours in several hundreds of shades, meaning no need for dithering like inkjet printers do.

Another great thing about these printers is that their reduced size makes them very portable - some can even be battery-powered!

Standard Printers
Maybe you don't need a printer for the sole purpose of creating prints of your digital photos, and would like a little more freedom with what you are able to print.

If this is the case then there are many printers available to you that can fulfil your needs - standard inkjet and laser printers, and consumer printing services - all of which can be excellent choices if you are not too concerned about exceptional quality or do not plan to print a lot of photos.

Both standard inkjet and laser printers can provide good quality photo printing even if they are not exclusively designed for it, but make sure to choose your printer carefully because photo quality can vary wildly on standard printers.

Printing Supplies
One of the factors that people often overlook when choosing a printer is the type of paper and ink they will be using to print their photos and how the price of these supplies adds up in the long-term. It's not just the price to take into consideration either - choosing the right paper and ink cartridges will also make sure that the photos you print are of the best possible quality.

Conclusion
Many new photo printers come with useful features like being able to connect your digital camera directly to the printer, or allowing you to print from memory cards directly - both cutting out the time needed to print your photos.

It's also important to remember that most of the photo printers out there can produce excellent quality photos, and many have very attractive price tags to match.

Also make sure that your printer will be able to create large or small enough prints, and once you have made a purchase make sure to test with different types of paper to find the best compromise between quality and price.

DESIGN AND PRINT OF BROCHURES

What is the first thing that you notice about a brochure? Is it colour, photos or size? If you are like most people, it's probably a combination of all three. When it comes to designing your own brochure and preparing the layout for printing, it's important to know how to prepare your information in a way that will attract readers. After all, that's what a brochure is meant to do.

If you are familiar with the printing industry, then you probably know that brochure printing isn't much different than any other kind. What is unique is the actual layout and style of a brochure, which is unlike other print designs. The layout sheet and size for a newspaper, flyer or other print is much easier to work with. If you are designing a tri-fold brochure, you have three columns on both the front and back of the layout to work with. This, alone, is often very intimidating to some. But, with a little planning and imagination, your brochure printing experience can be a terrific one.

In designing your brochure, the first thing that you will need to consider is size. How many folds will your brochure feature and how do you plan to distribute it? Small, tri-fold brochures are the most common and can easily be distributed locally or by mail using a standard DL business envelope.

Your next consideration will be colour. If you want to grab the attention of potential readers, colour is the key. This doesn't mean that you have to create a kaleidoscope of colours, but it does mean that you should think about upgrading to full-colour brochure printing if it's within your budget. This is especially true if you are planning to incorporate photos into your project. Think about stopping by a visitor's centre or flipping through brochures in a hotel lobby. Whether they are promoting a local amusement park, museum or other tourist attraction, they all have one thing in common. Photos. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you can save a lot of space by simply incorporating a few quality images to compliment your brochure printing project.

Depending on your budget, you may be looking at variations in paper quality and stock. If you are using a glossy finish, a lightweight paper stock will work well. If you are using a one-column brochure with limited information, a matte finish and heavier stock similar to a postcard weight will look great and will also prevent your brochure from being too flimsy.

Once you've determined the specifics of your brochure, it's time to start thinking about the actual content. While it's important to include both text and images, it's equally important to avoid crowding one with the other. If possible, try designing your own brochure using a software program that offers templates. This will give you a good introduction as to the layout and how much space you will have for printing.

Use Of Technical Mechanism In The Printers

Printer ink is 30 billion market world wide. The printer manufactures have become very aggressive in attempting to maintain their grip on the after market for printers. The use of microchips embedded in ink cartridges that work with a corresponding technical mechanism in the printer that blocks the use of unauthorized third-party ink. Make sure write down the name or even bring the old ink cartridge to the store so that you buy the correct ink cartridge. This is a good idea because it is easy to purchase the incorrect ink cartridge.

Let's say you hit “print” and then realized that you don't have any paper in the printer. You may be tempted to stick more paper in the printer while the print job is initiating. However, this doesn't always work. The safest bet is to hit the reset button or paper feed after you put in the paper. You can also cancel the print job and start over.

You can save ink by selecting a lower-quality mode for printouts that are for ‘internal' use only. When determining quality and value you must align your expectations accordingly. It is easy to see that there is a terrific cost savings to buying remanufactured printer ink, that being said, you must balance quality expectations with the price. The print mainly text pages, aftermarket printer ink is fine. Everyone knows that printer ink is a swindle: they sell you the printer cheaply (or not so cheaply for higher-end professional models), then sell the colours - unremarkable commodities, let us not forget - at prices that would make a perfumer blush.

You can save ink by selecting a lower-quality mode for printouts that are for ‘internal' use
only. When determining quality and value you must align your expectations accordingly.

When it's time to replace you printer ink cartridge, buying bulk ink will save you some money. You need to be sure the bulk ink will be suitable for your printer, however. So how do you find the best deals?

The Original Manufacturer Cartridges can usually buy them for less if, you buy them in bulk. If your printer uses both a black cartridges and a colour, you likely use more of one than the other. If you're going to buy them in bulk, just buy the one you use most.

The original manufacturer's cartridges will usually give you the best quality prints out of any of the alternatives. They are the most expensive, however. Also, if you buy them in bulk keep in mind that they do dry out.

The companies that refill them also usually do a more thorough job of cleaning and testing them than you can do yourself, so they tend to be more reliable. These cartridges are much like the original brand of ink - they will dry out if they sit too long. Don't buy more than you need to last you for a couple of months, otherwise they may not work by the time you use them.

A HISTORY OF BROTHER PRINTERS

There are so many printer companies in the world today that it is difficult to keep track of them. More and more companies are exploring the opportunities thrown open by the increasing demand for printers and are coming out with new models promising better quality and reliability. However, there are some companies who have done pioneering work in terms of printing technology and have been there throughout the course of the printer history. The Brother Printer Company is one such manufacturer who has always been associated with high quality printers.

The Brother Industries

Brother Industries Ltd is a Japanese company that produces a diverse range of products including label printers, printers, Brother multifunction printers, machine tools, sewing machines, typewriters and many other computer related electronics. In the world of printers the Brother Printer Company is known for its quality, reliability, and efficacy of its printer models and the company has gravitated from distributing various printers under OEM agreement with other companies to distributing products under its own name. Today the Brother Printer Company is as big a name as many of its contemporaries in the market like HP, Canon, and various others.

Early History
An interesting fact to note is that the Brother Printer Company did not start out as a printer company. It was a company that started out manufacturing sewing machines in 1908. Back in the those days the company went by the name of Yasui Sewing Machine Co. and was founded by Kanekichi Yasui in Nagoya, Japan. In 1934, the company changed its name to Nippon Sewing Machine Manufacturing Co.

Growth and Printers
In the 1950s the company began to call itself the Brother International Corporation and started the overseas export of their sewing machines. They were very successful in this regard and have been credited with many advances in the sphere of knitting machines and home appliances during this time. However, it was not until 1971 that the semblance of the Brother Printer Company came into being when they created the revolutionary new high-speed dot matrix printers.

In early 2003, the Brother Printer Company brought out its multi-function devices into the market. These were printing devices and over time these Brother printers have been widely appreciated. When it comes to printers and printer ink cartridges sales, the Brother Printer Company is widely regarded as one of the front runners.

A Brief Timeline of Brother Printers
It was in 1971 that the Brother Printer Company launched the worlds first high speed dot matrix printers. In the year 1985 the UK arm of Brother Industries started the production of electronic typewriters. In 2003, the China based, Shenzhen, arm of Brother Industries started the production of multi-function products including printers.

ORIGINAL Vs REMANUFACTURED INKJET CARTRIDGES

Let's face it words aren't cheap, especially when they are being printed from an ink jet printer. If a picture is worth a thousands words, well, time to get out your wallet.

Printer makers may sell their hardware for a pittance, but anyone who's had to refill an ink jet printer knows that the ink is where Epson, Lexmark, and the like make their real money.

An OEM (original equipment manufacturer) black cartridge for a £100 Epson C80 colour printer costs £32.99, a third of the price of the actual printer.

Ink for a wide format printer costs £47.50 per litre. If you take the ink that goes into an ink cartridge, it's costing over £1,100 per litre.

They're giving customers the printers, but they're charging them a fortune for ink. Sensing an opening, dozens of small companies now sell “compatible” or “remanufactured” cartridges for consumer ink jet printers at deep discounts over the official cartridges.

In the third party realm, there are three different ways to pump up your printer for pennies. Compatible cartridges are new boxes, often-built in China the same Chinese manufacturers sold under U.K. brand names.

Remanufactured cartridges are official OEM (original equipment manufacturer) cartridges that are cleaned out, professionally refilled, and put back on sale.

For most HP printers, remanufactured cartridges are the only option because HP cartridges include patented print heads that are illegal for third parties to clone.

Last but not the best, there are refill kits, containing ink and needles for you to refill a cartridge on your own.

OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and third party cartridge manufacturers alike say consumers should stay away from refill kits if they are concerned with quality professionally remanufactured cartridges are cleaned and sealed in a way you just can't do at home unless you have a lot of garage space.

Throughout printer manufacturer's defence, they claim to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into developing inks that work with an individual unit's print heads, drivers, and paper.

Designed for flexibility, endurance and brightness, inks are complex chemicals, not just water and dye. Some cartridges include precision-made print heads.

Even the plastic ink tanks are specially designed to prevent inks from changing colour over time.
This allows the consumer to enjoy the quality of the printouts, without having to be concerned about losing its colour behind glass or even in a photo album. The objective here is to save you money in areas such as ink cartridges.

There will always remain the question on whether or not you should use genuine, remanufactured or compatible cartridges for your printer.

In a nutshell, here is the bottom line answer: If you own an Epson or Canon ink jet printer, and aren't so concerned about quality, then compatible is your answer and key to saving money.

If quality is a priority, then you may want to consider genuine cartridges. If you own or plan on owning a HP or Lexmark ink jet printer, then you may want to stay away from remanufactured cartridges and spend the extra buck and use genuine cartridges.

This is because third party companies don't seem to have it all together and never will due to HP & Lexmark's strong patent on their print heads.

As a result, most third party companies aren't willing to spend the finances in the quality ink that is preserved with chemicals to give the printout images that realistic life look.

The reason why remanufactured cartridges are so cheap is because the majority of HP & Lexmark remanufactured ink is diluted with water and alcohol along with dye based solutions and also fewer chemicals used within the ink.

The outside of third party packaging also keeps the costs low. Name brand companies brand their retail packaging for marketing purposes. The cartridge inside the box costs them pennies.
What do you think of that?

BUYING CARTRIDGES ON-LINE

Have you ever walked out of the computer store with some expensive ink cartridges? Perhaps you are wondering why on earth the ink cartridges are so costly. In fact, most people spend many times the price of the printer on ink cartridges alone. This is no surprise if you understand how the printer industry works.

You see, printer manufacturers soon learn that to enter the consumer market, it is very hard to differentiate between one printer and another. Even if they manage to come with better technology or exclusive features, it is still hard to charge a lot more for a printer. This is because consumers have a limit as to the price they wish to pay for a printer. Try selling an ink jet printer to a home user for two thousand dollars. It just doesn't work!

As far as the printer manufacturers are concerned, selling printers may even be impeding the growth of the business. So in order to continue competing in this space, the manufacturers are looking to lose money in the short run. They know that without ink cartridges, the printers are useless. And ink cartridges are items that must be purchased again and again for the printers to continue to print. This is where long term profits are made.

To capture market share, printer manufacturers try to sell their printers as cheaply as possible. The prices are so low that consumers are wondering how the manufacturers make money. Some manufacturers even bundle printers with other hardware such as desktop computers or laptops to be given away for free. In fact, manufacturers would be lucky if they can break even. Most would expect to lose money in the short term.

You may also have noticed that when you buy a printer, you cannot buy the ink cartridges from another brand. They will not be compatible. That means to continue using your current printer, you must buy ink cartridges from the same manufacturer, regardless of price. Otherwise, your printer is useless.

For this reason, manufacturers can charge higher prices for their ink cartridges and consumers will still buy. Because they need it and there are no other alternatives! In addition, manufactures have to make back the money that they have invested when they try to sell off their printers at low prices.

Fortunately, in this day and age, innovative ink manufacturers are selling re-manufactured ink cartridges that are compatible with all types of printers. How is this possible?

Well, ink re-manufacturers are ink specialists. They studied the technology of the original printer manufacturers and have been able to replicate much of the original cartridges. The result is that the consumer now gets to enjoy low prices without compromising on ink quality.

It is interesting to note that sometimes, printer manufacturers attempt to scare consumers into thinking that the warranty may be void if re-manufactured ink cartridges are used. This is a defensive tactic to help protect their market share. Legally speaking, the warranty cannot be voided just because a re-manufactured ink cartridge has been used. That is because, by law, as the owner of the printer, you are pretty much free to do what you want with it.

So perhaps it's about time to try out some compatible ink cartridges. You will be surprised at how much you will save in the long run!

Canon Cartridges: Smart Choice for Smart People
Printers are very important accessory of your computers. For hard copy of your documents printers are very useful and need of cartridges for printing of documents. Cartridges are not only an essential component of any printer system but also an important accessory. A cartridge is a component of a printer system that contains an ink which spreads over the paper during the process of printing. This is one of that part on which visibility of an end product depends. Without it all printers are practically worthless. Canon Cartridges are one of the most trusted, top priority brands which are obtainable at the cheaper price among all its competitors.

CANNON CARTRIDGES

If you're the type of person who likes to “keep it simple,” you'll enjoy the flexibility you get from Canon cartridges and Canon printer supplies. Since the development of the world's first bubble jet printer in 1981, Canon has been a leader in the manufacture of inkjet cartridges and printer supplies. Canon cartridges and printer supplies are among the least expensive of all the OEM brands. “Keep it simple” technology gives their customers additional advantages in Canon cartridges replacement that are unavailable to buyers of competitive models.

Individual ink tanks make refilling Canon cartridges a breeze! Instead of having to refill all three colours, you can refill just the colour you need. This added benefit from Canon cartridges translates into extra savings in your printer supplies budget. In addition, when using Canon colour cartridges, you don't need to purchase all three colours to refill one. You can purchase either individual Canon cartridge tanks or tanks in a set. This is true for both OEM Canon cartridges and Canon compatible ink cartridge tanks sold at by many Internet vendors.

You may also choose to buy inexpensive ink refills for your Canon cartridges because the Canon cartridges ink tank has no vapour lock or any other obstruction that can make filling other cartridges messy and difficult.

When you're ready to print with Canon cartridges, you'll find excellent inkjet media in Canon printer supplies. Correspondence prints sharp and clear and images keep their true-to-life colours when you pair up Canon cartridges with Canon's line of quality papers. In addition, your Canon cartridge will deliver high quality print results when paired with Canon greeting card papers, iron-on transfers, labels, and transparencies and fine photo papers, which are available in either gloss or matte finishes. Just as the Canon cartridges refills, many Canon offers many printer supplies in pocket-book friendly quantities - you don't have to break your piggy bank to print with Canon!

THE BEST PRINTER!

I wish I had a dollar for every time I was asked what is the best printer? I'm the printer guru and I know all there is to know about printers. Truth is I keep my ear to the ground but I don't run out and test every new printer on the market. That's what CNET is for.

So don't ask me to recommend your next printer. I won't do it because if you get something you're not happy with, I become the bad guy. I'll be happy to steer you in the right direction but I will never recommend any specific printer.

Most of the time the question is, “Which printer is the easiest to refill?”. I can answer that one really fast, Canon, hands down. Any Canon. See, I won't get specific. But the fact is, if you are refilling and want to eliminate 90% of your headaches, buy a Canon.

The order of complexity, from easiest to hardest, for refilling cartridges is as follows:
Canon, Epson, Lexmark (Dell, Compaq), Hewlett Packard.

I don't recommend buying any of the others like Xerox, Brother, Sharp or any off brand printer if you want to save money on supplies. The people that make the ink and the generic cartridges are only going to concentrate on very popular printers. Same with remanufactured cartridges.

By the way, Dell printers are getting really popular but be warned, even though they are made by Lexmark, they will not accept a Lexmark cartridge. A Lexmark refill kit will work with Dell cartridges though.
Lexmark does not need a reset procedure but they are a little fussy to refill sometimes.

Canon ink tanks contain NO technology. They are simply a plastic shell. The hardest thing about refilling Canon cartridges is getting a good seal over the refill hole. If you don't get a 100% airtight seal they will leak.

EVOLUTION OF INKJET CARTRIDGES

First a little history lesson... There was a time, long ago that printers had ribbons and used dot matrix printing to create tiny dots that, when looked at, were readable. Sometimes they were barley readable, however. Changing ribbons and printing wheels to change type face was a chore.

Then, in 1984, the first laser printer that used toner cartridges came into being. Quickly, no one wanted a dot matrix printer any more. The laser printer caused ink powder from the toner cartridge to fuse onto the paper where the program told the printer to leave ink. The output was much clearer and much more professional in appearance. Very soon, dot matrix printers became known as “door stops”. By 1990, inkjet printers that used drop-in ink cartridges became readily available and at very reasonable prices.

These inkjet cartridges were very easy to change without any fuss. The cost to the user, compared to the laser toner cartridge, was significantly reduced. So now it starts getting pretty cool... Today, inkjet printers using ink cartridges are so affordable that every computer owner can afford to own their own printer that is capable of using photo quality inkjet cartridges or for less expensive printing, ink cartridges that are remanufactured or “generic” or non-original manufacture. These inkjet cartridges can even be refilled in many cases to save even more money.

The price of the machines themselves has dropped by buckets and what they can do is way cooler than ever before. Not only can you print but also scan, fax (many do PC-Fax which I'll get to later), copy, make your morning coffee, take out the garbage (ok not those last 2). Combining this many tasks obviously reduces the number of different machines in your home/office but in addition there's only one manual you have to completely ignore instead of many (for the guys reading this). The PC-Fax thingy I mentioned Id actually like to discuss a little more about because I personally find this a fantastic feature. Basically it means that your printer/fax/everything else talks directly to your computer allowing you to send and receive faxes without any visible signs of paper involved. For example if anyone was crazy enough to want a copy of this article faxed to them I could do it directly from my computer without having to actually print anything out.

When using inkjet cartridges that are photo quality, it is sensible to use photo quality paper for your printing. This ensures the best quality print out resulting from your inkjet photo quality cartridge. While these inkjet cartridges will print on regular paper, it is a waste to place the more expensive ink cartridge into your printer and then print on plain non-glossy paper.

For every day printing in black and white or even in colour, remanufactured or non-original inkjet cartridges work great and save money for you in the long run. As a general rule of thumb, you need to purchase twice as many black inkjet cartridges because there is, on average, more black printing needs for the average person.

Nowadays manufacturers are including more and more technology into their cartridges and trying to convince you that their ink has that extra special something. Epson uses DURABrite ink, HP uses Vivera ink and the list goes on. If you ever get bored and feel the need to work yourself into a frenzy just try surfing some of the major sites to compare exactly what one manufacturers ink does compared to the next. If you come away from this sane you'll definitely know a lot more techie sounds words than you need to know now or in your next lifetime.

Many of the latest ink cartridges have cool gizmos in them like small chips designed to monitor the ink levels and tell you when its time to reorder and even little LEDs for those of you who want their printer to light up like a disco. The idea of the chip sounds great but there are cases where the chip is telling the printer to stop working too soon or even to not work at all if the cartridges inside are not original (there's been at least one of the major players recently sued over exactly this). To try and counter this a ‘chip resetter' can be purchased which basically tells the chip to do as its told and keep on printing regardless of how much ink it thought was left in the tank. As far as the issue with these chips and non original cartridges is concerned its actually illegal for a chip to stop your machine working on this basis but apparently this hasn't deterred a few of the big boys. Whether a chip resetter will fix this problem is uncertain.

No one knows what will come next in the world of printing. Just as the dot matrix printer long ago became a door stop (mostly that is), it is possible that within the next decade a new, less expensive, more user-friendly printing method that is even more cost effective than inkjet printers using drop-in ink cartridges will become archaic. For today, inkjet cartridges in low-priced printer provide the average household with all the affordable printing from their inkjet printer they need.

Whether you want to print graphics, brochures, or just letters, there is a printer that uses inkjet cartridges for you. Choose inkjet cartridges that meet your printing needs at affordable prices.

Ink cartridges have evolved over the years in so many ways that they have in themselves become fairly hi -tech let alone the machines that use them. Your average inkjet printer these days can perform a myriad of functions at prices seemingly getting cheaper by the minute.

Bottom line is yep your ink cartridges are getting more high tech and cooler (heck in the old days there's no way your cartridge would actually light up with pretty colours for you and tell you when its about to run dry). The future is certainly going to be interesting seeing what comes next...