FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INKJET CARTRIDGES - We stock Epson T0711 cartridges.

Buying an inkjet printer these days is no big deal. A reliable printer can be acquired very easily through a store or online for as little as £30. Some suppliers are even giving away inkjet printers on promotions or as free incentives when buying other products.

On the face of it, it seems like too good an opportunity to pass by - a worthwhile investment you might say. But, much like a traditional camera that uses film, an inkjet printer is only 'cheap' before you start using it. The cost of keeping it in ink soon mounts up, especially when you're buying OEM (original equipment manufactured) inkjet cartridges as recommended by the printer manufacturer.

Before you know it you'll find that you've actually spent more on the ink cartridges than you did on the purchase of the inkjet printer itself! If you're in this position - and let's face it, most of us are - what follows could be quite a revelation!

Five things inkjet printer manufacturers DON'T want you to know'

1. Inkjet printer manufacturers make their money selling ink cartridges NOT inkjet printers. Selling recommended OEM ink cartridges is a very lucrative business for inkjet printer manufacturers. They know that once you've purchased the printer you'll be coming back to them time and time again to buy the ink that they recommend in the user guide and any other literature that accompanies the printer.

Fair enough you might say, but given that the price of manufacturing an OEM ink cartridge is only a few pennies why are the cartridges so expensive? The answer is that ink cartridges are in fact stuffed full of manufacturer profit. It is where they make their money, and is precisely why they are happy to give away an inkjet printer for nothing.

2. Inkjet cartridges supplied for 'free' with inkjet printers are rarely full. OEM ink cartridges supplied with the printer are designed only to provide enough ink for a few pages to get you 'started'. From the manufacturer's perspective this is a great selling technique, as free cartridges can often make the difference between a retailer closing a sale or losing it and once you've got the printer the manufacturer is going to make money out of you every time you order more OEM ink!

Supplying ink cartridges that are not full shortens the time frame over which consumers start ordering OEM ink cartridges too. This brings the manufacturer into profit on each customer much more quickly than had they supplied full cartridges for free with the printer.

3. Consumers have a choice about which inkjet cartridges to buy. It's true! Contrary to popular belief consumers are not obliged to purchase expensive OEM ink cartridges from the manufacturer. They can in fact opt to buy cheaper 'compatible' ink cartridges or remanufactured cartridges, often realizing savings on their ink purchase of between 50% and 75%!

All major inkjet cartridge brands are covered, What's more they do the job just as well as OEM cartridges but at a much lower cost!

4. Compatible inkjet cartridges DO NOT automatically void a printer's warranty. Regardless of what you might have heard compatible inkjet cartridges WILL NOT automatically void your printer warranty.

5. You can make money by reselling compatible ink cartridges. The market for compatible ink cartridges is continually expanding. More and more consumers are choosing to switch to compatible inks that offer the same print quality at half the cost of OEM cartridges. This creates the opportunity for business-minded individuals to make money through the Inkandstuff associates program as well as saving money on their ink cartridge purchases.

Having read this do you feel like you've been hoodwinked by the big boys? Well, it's now time to stand up for your rights! You no longer have to line the pockets of multi -nationals when buying ink cartridges. Think 'compatible ink' and save yourself hundreds of pounds each year on the cost of running your printer.

MORE WAYS TO SAVE ON YOUR PRINTING COSTS - We stock Epson T0801 cartridges

Inkjet printers are not only getting better, they're also getting less expensive. Why is that? The inkjet printer manufacturers have built their business around the supplies rather than the printer itself. They make the printers as inexpensive as possible, sometimes selling them at cost, or less and making long term profits from the inkjet cartridges. Manufacturers regularly warn about using generic cartridges, and highly recommend their own. Truth be told, there is very little difference between the two and you can regularly save over half of your current manufacturer branded cartridge purchases.

Remember:

1, When printing inter-office, internal, personal or draft documents, use the "draft" and "grayscale" options in your printer settings. This will save on both black ink was well as colour ink. Save colour and standard black for your final document print.

2, Select inkjet printers that use separate black and colour inkjet cartridges like the Canon "i" series. Many of these printers have 2 black and 4 colour cartridges that allow you to replace only the colours that are running low, not just the one 'colour' cartridge as many printers often do. This saves on long term cartridge costs and lengthens the time between cartridge replacements.

3, Purchase "generic" cartridges made for your printer. These are of similar quality to the manufacturer's brand, and often at less than half the price.

4, Purchase "remanufactured" cartridges compatible with your printer. These are cartridges collected from the original owner, cleaned and refilled with the same ink.

5, Purchase a cartridge "refill kit". You'll receive a kit that will allow you to refill the ink in your cartridge rather than a new cartridge. This is a great way to recycle and the quality is high and costs low.

6, Purchase your cartridges in bulk to save on shipping costs and discounts are sometimes available on larger single purchases.

7, Order your cartridges online to save time and money. Many local stores don't carry the generic versions and costs are normally substantially lower online. Using any combination of the tips above will save you both time and money and help you manage your inkjet printing supply needs easily.

SOME REGULAR LASER PRINTER PROBLEMS - We stock Epson T0481 cartridges

1, Paper jams:
Among the most common problems with any make of printer are paper jams. A printer will jam for any number of reasons: It's dirty, the wrong paper type is being used, or the rollers on the printer that feed the paper through its pathway are worn. While cleaning the printer periodically and using the correct paper type are easy fixes, roller replacement can be a difficult job depending on the model of printer. For some printers, the rollers are easily accessible, but you'll need to completely take apart other models to remove the rollers. Regardless of the cause, when removing a paper jam, always pull the paper in the direction of the paper path, because pulling it backwards can severely damage the printer. Some printers are more susceptible to paper jams than others. In my experience, any printer that holds the paper vertically and then pulls it down through the printer invariably ends up having paper jam problems. These models aren't designed for heavy use, but many organizations make use of them on individual systems and should be aware of this flaw.

2, Some or all of the printing on the page is faded:
A faded print image is normally the result of one of three conditions: The printer is getting low on toner, the print density is set too low, or Economical printing is turned on. For the last two settings, a printer self-test (typically a separate button on the printer) will show what the current settings are. If Economical is on, and users are complaining about how light the print is, turn it off and/or set the print density higher. If the toner is low, simply removing the cartridge and shaking it to redistribute the toner more evenly can temporarily resolve the problem until you can replace the cartridge.

3, Ghosting:
Ghosting is a condition where the image prints properly, but a much lighter copy of the image also prints elsewhere. This can be due to a problem with the power outlet that is supplying power to the printer. Check the power outlet by plugging in a different printer to see if the same results occur. Ghosting can also be caused when consumable printer parts (such as the drum or imaging kit) are near the end of their life. All of the consumable parts in a printer are rated for a certain number of pages. Once a printer gets near that magic number, you'll need to replace those parts to eliminate ghosting.

4, Toner smears or does not stay on the paper:
If words and images come off the paper when a hand is run across them, there are a few possible problems. First, the fuser assembly may be damaged or at the end of its life. The solution is to replace the fuser assembly. Repairing a fuser assembly is generally not recommended because the fuser is considered a consumable printer part and not worth the time or effort to fix. Second, the toner cartridge may be defective and letting too much toner out at one time. In a black-and-white laser printer, the solution is to replace the toner cartridge. In a colour laser printer, only replace the cartridge that is exhibiting the problem. Third, some toner may have spilled in the printer. If so, you'll need to clean it out.

5, Printer is displaying a 50.4 error message: A 50.4 error message on some of the newer HP LaserJet printers indicates a problem with the power supply. If the printer is connected to a UPS, disconnect it, or disconnect it from a power strip and plug it directly into a wall outlet. A laser printer should never be plugged into a UPS, because the UPS can be damaged by the surges of power required by a printer to keep the fuser assembly warm. If that doesn't work, make sure that all of the components in the printer are seated properly.

6, Can't find a driver for a particular operating system:
As new operating systems are released, new drivers will need to be loaded for your existing printers. Not all printers have a driver for every OS (operating system). In these cases, it's best to consult the printer manual and find out what printers the drivers will emulate. While not all of the functionality of the printer will be available under this emulation, at least basic printing will work. For example, most HP printers will print with the HP LaserJet II driver installed, although specific options, such as duplexing, will not work.

7, Printer is not printing from the expected paper tray:
You can check in two places to correct this particular error. First, look on the printing PC, and second, on the printer. If the application is set to print to the wrong paper tray, correct it within the application by clicking on Printer Properties and finding the Tray Selection source. On the printer, make sure that the paper sizes in the control panel match what is actually in the paper trays.

8, Printer picks up all the paper from the manual feed tray rather than one sheet:
The pad that is responsible for separating the paper has likely worn out and needs to be replaced. You can order and install a new pad without sending the printer out for repair. It is also possible that the paper is wet due to humidity. Make sure the paper is properly stored and that it is fanned before putting it into the printer.

9, Printer is displaying a 79 error: A 79 error can be the result of a problem with the network print server that services the printer. When troubleshooting a 79 error, first open the Printer folder from the Start menu on the Print server to make sure there are no jobs pending. A 79 error can also indicate a failure of a printer add-on component, such as an MIO (modular input/output) card or a RAM (random access memory) module. All add-ons should be removed and then added back to the printer one by one to determine which module may be at fault.

10, Trouble printing onto envelopes:
Envelopes can cause many problems for laser printers. Choose envelopes that are close to 80gsm paper in weight and thickness. Also, make sure that the adhesive on the envelope is capable of withstanding the heat that the fuser puts out to keep the printing on the page. If you don't, the envelopes will come out of the printer already sealed. If envelopes are coming out of the printer wrinkled, they may be too stiff for the paper path. Open the rear of the printer and let them exit at that location instead.

CHECK INKJET CARTRIDGES BEFORE BUYING - We stock Brother LC900 cartridges

Inkjet cartridges are usually small plastic containers that hold the ink used by the printer. These inkjets come in different sizes and makes that can be used for different printers. However, when you buy a replacement for these inkjet cartridges it is important that you make sure that you are making the right choice. It is always suggested by the manufacturers that you buy the cartridge from the same company as that of the printer. But usually there are other compatible brands available at low rates that most of the users opt to buy.

When you are buying inkjet cartridges, it is important that you compare the features and also the price before making a decision. It is now possible to shop for inkjets online and most of the websites provide home delivery of these inkjets. You can make a choice from among the various makes of the cartridges that are available and choose the one that would be the best for your printer. The costs of the inkjets available online are much cheaper as compared to the ones that you would purchase from shops.

Comparing the features of the inkjet will let you know whether the inkjet that you are choosing is compatible with your printer or not. Before you buy an inkjet make sure that you know the model and the size of the inkjet that is being used by your printer.

Replacing inkjets from the original manufacturer can be expensive and hence there are a number of compatible inkjets that are available these days. Choose from these compatible inkjets that are available at cheaper rates as compared to the branded inkjets and use it with your printer.

LEXMARK AND DELL PRINTERS

The Dell Company is an American success story. Initially operating from a collage dorm room, the Dell Company was originally named PC Ltd. The founder, Michael Dell, felt that he could better serve computer users if he were to build each computer to a specified set of choices provided by him. He would then construct each computer individually, addressing those needs and ship directly to the customer. His business grew right from the start, with a loan from his family, to over $73 million in its first year.

The first smart move that the Dell Company made was to construct a strategy that appealed to a new breed of customer. Computer users were a new breed and fairly savvy about how computers were constructed. The Dell Company focused on this aspect of the user and began using it throughout the company as a model. Computers could be built more cheaply and to individual specification. There was no real need to go to a retailer where you would end-up with a pre-constructed computer giving you options you did not want.

The company grew and grew. There was little that could affect it. Even when the US economy soured, the company found ways to increase market share at the expense of foundering competitors. It began to look at other markets to use this business model in. The printer business, with all its accessories, and the internet server market at the low end of the pricing spectrum seemed to be good places to let the model work. Staying close to the core The printer business seemed like a good place to ply the company's model. The one dilemma that the company faced, however, was that it did not want to stray too far from its primary product line. With this in mind, and a relationship with another printer manufacturer not working as well as it could, the company approached Lexmark to produce a line of Dell printers and ink cartridges.

This way of approaching the printer business would not expose the company to distractions, but give it a bundled product line and access to the lucrative toner and ink markets.

The company has definitely evolved since it began offering its first Dell printers. Today's offerings cover the consumer and business markets with colour, ink jet, laser and label printers. The company has gone through some interesting configurations in just about every aspect of its business and management, but has managed to stay fairly close to its core business. The interesting aspect to this closeness is that it has evolved depending upon the region of the world that one talks about.

Australia sells and orders in one way while Eastern Europe works in a slightly different way. Whatever the form, however, the company is still strong and selling all of its products to good results.

HOW PRINTERS WORK - We stock Brother LC1000 cartridges

Most people have used printers at some stage for printing documents but few are aware of how it works. Printed documents are arguably the best way to save data. There are two types of basic printers: Impact and Non-impact. Impact printers, as the name implies means that the printing mechanism touches the paper to create an image. Impact printers were used in early 70s and 80s. In Dot Matrix printers a series of small pins is used to strike on a ribbon coated with ink to transfer the image to the paper. Other Impact Printers like Character printers are basically computerized typewriters. They have a series of bars or a ball with actual characters on them, which strike on the ink ribbon to transfer the characters to the paper. Only one character can be printed at a time.

Daisy Wheel printers use a plastic or metal wheel. These types of printers have limited usage though because they are limited to printing only characters or one type of font and not graphics. There are Line printers where a chain of characters or pins, print an entire line, which makes them pretty fast, but the print quality is not so good. Thermal printers are printers used in calculators and fax machines. They are inexpensive to use. Thermal printers work by pushing heated pins against special heat sensitive paper.

More efficient and advanced printers are now available which use non-impact technology. Non-impact printers are those where the printing mechanism does not come into the contact with the paper. This makes them quieter in operation in comparison to the impact printers.

In the mid 1980s inkjet printers were introduced. These have been the most widely used and popular printers so far. Colour printing was revolutionized after inkjet printers were invented. An Inkjet printer's head has tiny nozzles, which place extremely tiny droplets of ink on the paper to create an image. These dots are so small that the diameter of human hair is bigger. The dots are placed precisely and can be up to the resolution of 1440 x 720 per inch. Different combinations of ink cartridges can be used for these printers.

HOW INKJET AND LASER PRINTERS WORK - We stock Brother LC1100 cartridges

The print head in the printer scans the page horizontally back and forth and another motor assembly rolls the paper vertically in strips thus a strip is printed at a time. Only half a second is taken to print a strip. Inkjet printers are very popular because of their ability to colour print.

Plain copier paper can be used in these printers unlike thermal paper used for fax machines. Heat is used to fire ink onto the paper through the print head. Some print heads can have up to 300 nozzles. Heat resistant and water based ink is used for these printers. The latest and fastest printers are Laser Printers. They use the principal of static electricity for printing as in photocopiers. The principle of static electricity is that it can be built on an insulated object. Oppositely charged atoms of objects (positive and negative) are attracted to each other and cling together. For example, pieces of nylon material clinging to your body, or the static you get after brushing hair. A laser printer uses this same principle to glue ink on the paper.

LASER PRINTERS - We stock Canon CLI-8 Cartridges

Laser printers use toner, static electricity and heat to create an image on the paper. Toner is dry ink. It contains colour and plastic particles. The toner passes through the fuser in the computer and the resulting heat binds it to any type of paper. Printing with laser printers is fast and non-smudge and the quality is excellent because of the high resolution that it can achieve with 300 dots per inch to almost 1200 dpi at the higher end.

Basic components of a laser printer are fuser, photoreceptor drum assembly, developer roller, laser scanning unit, toner hopper, corona wire and a discharge lamp. The laser beam creates an image on the drum and wherever it hits, it changes the electrical charge like positive or negative. The drum then is rolled on the toner. Toner is picked up by charged portion of the drum and gets transferred to the paper after passing through the fuser. Fuser heats up the paper to amalgamate ink and plastic in toner to create an image. Laser printers are called "page printers" because entire page is transferred to the drum before printing.

Any type of paper can be used in these printers. Laser printers popularized DTP or Desk Top Publishing for they can print any number of fonts and any graphics.

INSIDE YOUR INKJET PRINTER - e stock Canon BCI-3 cartridges

Have you ever wondered how your inkjet printer works? How does the ink get from the inkjet cartridge to the paper? Why is the print quality is so clear? Why the printing is so quiet?

Generally, all that most people know is that there's some movement and a faint high pitched sound when it's printing something - and then the finished document comes out. Unlike dot matrix and character printers that strike ribbons to create an image, inkjet printers do not physically touch the paper. All inkjet printers function using the same basic principles. Tiny ink droplets are "jetted" (or pushed) out of multiple holes onto paper in a controlled and systematic fashion. This is where the term "inkjet" comes from. The size of ink droplets, speed and reliability of this type of printer has been continuously improving since its inception in 1976.

In 1993, Epson was the first manufacturer to produce an inkjet printer using micro-piezo technology. The Epson Stylus 800 was the first printer to use the multi-layer actuator printhead (the printhead is the part of the printer that holds numerous tiny nozzles that actually squirts the ink onto paper). This specific printhead utilized an electromechanical element that acted like a tiny control room. When pulses of electricity passed through, it gave specific signals to fire individual or multiple nozzles loaded with ink. Micro-piezo technology utilized a tiny crystal in each individual nozzle that when electrically energized, would vibrate or bend causing a controlled amount of ink to be forced out onto paper. When the electrical current is off, the crystal bends back to its original shape, creating a vacuum, thus pulling ink into the nozzle from the reservoir for the next commanded fire.

The Epson printhead was fixed to the carriage so it never needed replacing (the printer carriage is what moves laterally across the paper). This also kept the cost of ink cartridges low since they were little more than reservoirs of ink. This breakthrough printer produced a whopping 360 dpi (dots per inch) that was deemed, almost "letter quality" at the time. With a printing speed of 150 - 180 characters per second, the new Epson became the user favourite printer for home and office. At the same time, HP was using a similar technology. A thermal jetting system was utilized in their printhead. The printhead still acted like the control room but each individual nozzle was instead independently super heated by electricity, which caused the ink to explode onto the paper.

HP claims the temperature of a fired inkjet nozzle approaches that of the surface of the sun. HP elected to put the printhead on the inkjet cartridge itself instead of mounting it permanently to the carriage. Since each inkjet cartridge would have its own printhead, replacement cartridges would be more expensive for these printers. HP inkjet cartridges also could not print as fast as Epson because each nozzle needed to cool after firing. This heating technology also limited the types of inks that could be used. In the 1990's, Canon, Epson and HP engineered printheads that applied even smaller droplets of ink, drastically improving dpi and resolution. While Canon and HP could produce a 6 - 10 picoliter droplet size from one nozzle, Epson was about half the size (between 3 - 6 picoliters).

Currently, there are printers available which will produce an amazing 1 picoliter droplet! To get an idea of how small this is; a human hair is about 12 picoliters in diameter. Most human eyes can't see one jetted droplet of ink on paper. Inkjet printers have come a long way since their first inception.

Printers today are twice as fast as their predecessors were, and are cheaper than ever. Many printers can easily produce colour photo quality images at an incredible 6000 dpi. As time goes on and as demand for printing remains high, the quality, speed and features of inkjet printers will only continue to improve.

RUNNING OUT OF INK! - We stock Canon BCI-6 cartridges

The dreaded blinking light, it happens to the best of us. Your school project is due in one hour or your boss wants a copy of the latest business report on his desk as soon as possible, preferably before the early morning meeting with the managing director. The only problem is there's no more ink left in your printer! Think about this: how much money have you spent over the last year on replacing your empty ink cartridges? If you need a stiff drink (or two!) after calculating the total, you're not alone!

The prices of ink cartridges seem to cost more then the printers themselves. So what is one to do? A great solution is to refill your ink cartridge yourself. While it might sound complicated or difficult, it's a lot easier than you might think. And cheaper, not to mention the fact that it's environmentally friendly.

Though most households don't use the same amount of ink as businesses or schools do, everyone can benefit from the savings. But what exactly is involved with ink refills? Well, let me tell you. You can find an ink refill kit almost anywhere nowadays, especially at office supply stores. They is used to replace ink manually in an inkjet cartridge. It is a simple kit that includes ink bottles, syringes, and an air balance clip. You won't need any other equipment other than what is given to you in the kit, and of course the empty ink cartridge. You might want to keep some scrap paper nearby as well, in case any ink drips.

Refilling your cartridge is easy and once you get the hang of it, it shouldn't take more than five minutes to do. Using the syringe provided in the kit, fill it with ink from the ink bottles and then transfer the ink to the empty cartridge. It's that easy. The air balance clip is used to balance the air inside the cartridge so that the ink will flow properly. The kit comes with illustrated, easy to follow, instructions. Remember to keep some scrap paper handy in case any ink spills since ink stains are tough to get rid of. For the best results, your ink should be refilled before the cartridge is completely empty. This will avoid any residual ink from drying out inside the chamber. Also, before placing the cartridge back into the printer, let it stand upright for a few minutes. This is because when refilling the cartridge, there is a build-up of internal pressure that will stabilize on its own simply by letting it sit for awhile. It is the ink drip from the print head that stabilizes the pressure.

When injecting the ink into the cartridge, do it slowly to keep air bubbles from forming. Any air bubbles can keep the ink from reaching the print head. The cartridge can usually be refilled several times before throwing it away. If you are still not convinced that refilling your inkjet cartridge is simple and easy, take a look at the advantages it offers.

Many may think that the quality of ink will decrease but the ink used in ink refill kits is the same quality used by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The cost of a single cartridge of ink is sometimes more expensive than the printer itself! By using an ink refill kit, you can save up to 70% of the cost of buying a new inkjet cartridge. Not only will you save money, but with the inkjet refill kit, you'll also avoid the headache of buying a new cartridge every time yours is empty.

Massive amounts of plastic and metals are dumped into landfills every year. You will also be helping the environment by purchasing an inkjet refill kit by reducing the amount of solid waste. Once you've bought the printer, it's unlikely you are going to replace it every year with a new one. The printer manufacturers know that for the printer to function, you need ink. It is the same with a flashlight; it needs a battery to operate, just like a car needs petrol or diesel in order to run. Therefore, the company charges consumers high prices for ink because they know that is what we are going to buy.

RECYCLE INKJET CARTRIDGES - We stock Epson T0551 cartridges

Out of the 60 million inkjet cartridges and 44 million toner cartridges used each year in the UK alone, less than 8% are recylced leaving over 95 million of them being thrown away and ending up in landfill sites. Landfill sites contain over £100 million worth in raw materials from discarded printer cartridges alone. These cartridges contain precious oil resources (it can take up to 6 pints (almost 3.5 litres) of oil to make just one printer cartridge), as well as ink, both worth a fortune to replace as new.

In less than one year, recycling cartridges in Europe could save more oil than the 11,000,000 gallons spilled by the Exxon Valdez oil tanker into Prince William Sound in Alaska in 1989. So how can you help?
Refill and reuse your existing cartridges
Refilling your existing cartridges not only saves you money but the amount of natural resources that will be spared is amazing. Do you throw away your car when it's petrol tank needs refilled?

Buy remanufactured inkjet and toner cartridges
Buying Remanufactured cartridges saves on the environmental and purchase cost of buying new. With todays standard of remanufactured cartridges so high, it is almost impossible to distinguish the quality brands such as XPrint from the original manufacturers own.

Recycle your used inkjet cartridges and laser toners
Collect and return your used inkjet cartridges to be recycled.

So what benefits does recycling my cartridge have?
Slows down the depletion of the earths non renewable resources. Oil is a non renewable natural resource and refilling your cartridges makes a significant contribution to its conservation. Other materials in cartridges include aluminium and steel.

Less non-biodegradable plastic and other material is disposed of.
The majority of discarded laser printer cartridges are disposed of in land fills. This amounts to about 10,000 tonnes of material a year in the UK and takes over 1000 years to degrade.

You save money!
Purchasing a refill kit or remanufactured cartridge costs a fraction of the original manufacturers selling price. Also, by sending cartridges to landfill, a landfill tax is incurred which is passed on to you, the consumer, through Council Tax or companies waste collection costs.

The future...
The pressure for the reduction of the amount of waste disposed of in landfill and increasing emphasis on manufacturers responsibility to consider and plan for the whole life of a product, including its eventual disposal, are both current issues in Britain and Europe. The WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic) directive came into force in January 2006 and it created an obligations on the supply chain in respect of the disposal of end of life equipment. The reuse of inkjet and laser printer cartridges by all different means is likely to grow.

SAVE MONEY AND THE ENVIRONMENT WITH XEROX PHASER SOLID INK - We Stock Epson T0441 cartridges

The Xerox line of Phaser printers are among the best printers available for office printing solutions. With their great prices they are the most affordable printers in their class. You can purchase a Xerox colour printer for only a little more than you would pay for many black-only ink printers. Previous printers in this line had used Laser technology, but they have since been upgraded to solid ink.

Solid ink, unlike liquid ink, allows for one pass printing that is as fast as a laser printer and is the same quality. Because you can easily refill the ink without having to purchase entire new cartridges, it saves you money not only in purchasing the printer but in keeping it filled with ink. With solid ink, you can just replace the ink without having to purchase entire new cartridges, saving you time and money as well as being better for the environment. Ink is stored in solid sticks rather than liquid which must be contained inside of a disposable cartridge, so there is no extra waste. Our landfills are being filled with computer cartridges and carriers that must be disposed of. If you care about the environment and everybody does, using solid ink is a way for you and your company to not only save money but do something good for the environment as well.

When you get your replacement ink, you simply slip your new colour stick into the built in cartridge in the machine, and the ink will be taken from the stick as it is being printed. This provides for easy reloading of your printer apparatus, and also removes the mess associated with liquid ink cartridges. Solid ink can never spill or leak because it is in a solid form. You can do it in seconds on the fly without having to ever worry. And there are no problems if the ink starts to get low, unlike liquid ink solid ink prints just as high quality documents when it is almost out of ink as it does when it is full, so you can keep on printing until the ink is completely gone. The colour sticks last a long time. You buy separate colour sticks in packs of five at a time. If one colour is running low while the others are fine, you do not have to purchase an entire new stick just for one colour, because each colour is separated in the printer. This makes it easy for you to keep your ink refilled all the time without wasting money buying new ink that you don't need.

Ink refills for Xerox products are easy to find, and completely affordable. Most any computer or office supply store will carry all of the ink refills you need for your Xerox Phaser line printer. The internet is an abundant source of ink refills at incredible prices that can make it even more affordable for you to keep on using it. If you are not using Xerox line printers with their simple refill systems yet, it is certainly something you should be looking at, as they are one of the best office colour printing solutions available on the market.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT REMANUFACTURED LASER CARTRIDGES - We stock Epson T0891 cartridges

Remanufacturers just replace the Toner in the Cartridges
Single re-use remanufacturers (so called ‘drill and fill' merchants) are cheating you and the environment. Professional remanufacturers replace every worn or damaged component in the cartridges. Imaging Drums (OPC Drums) should be cleaned, tested or more usually replaced. The OPC Drum is the most expensive part of many toner cartridges, but is critical for the quality performance of your cartridge. The majority of remanufactured cartridges have Brand New OPC drums, Charge rollers and other mechanical parts. Microchips must also be replaced to restore the full functionality and compatibility of the cartridge.

Third Party Toner is not as good as the OEM's
Since the advent of Chemical Toner about 9 years ago, almost all of the major OEM's are shipping printer cartridges using this new technology. About 3 years ago, this toner became available for the Remanufacturers and I would say that the quality of both colour and greyscale achieved by the Remanufactuers is equivalent to the quality that the OEM's achieve.

Remanufacturers reuse Toner in their cartridges
If they did then none of the cartridges would work. Toner becomes contaminated during the printing process by paper dust and electrical charges rendering it unusable. Every different Manufacturers cartridge model also requires different toner formulation. Combining contaminated toners would compound problems.

Defective Toner cartridges damage printers
Toner Cartridges are largely self contained and make limited contact with the rest of the printer. The worst that can happen is that toner from a failed cartridge must be removed from the printer. All cartridges deposit some toner inside the printer, and many of the new printers have a waste toner box to collect this. Properly remanufactured cartridges do not damage printers or create more wear than cartridges that are properly assembled by or for printer makers. Removing toner deposits is often part of routine maintenance for the printer.

Empty Cartridges returned to HP, Canon, Lexmark et al are Reused
Only about 20% of cartridges are ever re-used. Independent cartridge remanufacturers recover more empty cartridges than all the OEM's put together. A recent Infotrends report said that: The OEM's own program to collect empties generally results in them being broken down into their constituent parts and then the base materials recycled 3rd party remanufacturers will almost always re-use the cartridges that they collect following inspection and cleaning.

Remanufactured Cartridges are inferior to Manufacturers Originals
We always use remanufactured toner cartridges where available for our printers. I have to be absolutely honest and say that we cannot notice any significant difference in quality or printed output between the Original Equipment Manufactures (OEM's) cartridges and the remanufactured cartridge. There is a significant saving in price and there is also the feel good environmental factor to consider.

Use of Remanufactured Cartridges will void your Printer Warranty
Following pressure from the European Union and American fair trade laws, the OEM's are not allowed to void your printer warranty for using compatible or remanufactured toner or ink cartridges. HP have this information on their website which is quite clear. Our experience is that most of the issues we see are actually user generated, but because Remanufactured ‘is not OEM quality' the problem is perceived by the customer to be with the cartridge rather than the user.

SMALL PHOTO PRINTERS - We stock Epson T0321 cartridges

Should consumables influence model choice?
Sales of small photo printers were higher in November & December 2005 than the rest of the year combined, helping them to account for 32% of all printing devices sold in the UK over that period. According to marketing agency GFK, sales of these printers have remained strong in 2006 with a +18% year-to-date rise in volume. With all the major manufacturers heavily promoting their respective ranges, a bumper Christmas is in prospect. Each of the five major manufacturers: Canon, Epson, Lexmark, HP and Samsung currently hold over 10% of the overall market each, and with around one in five of all small photo printers having a retail price of less than £50 the cost has now reached the point where replacement ink cartridges and paper can equal or exceed half the value of a new printer.

Of the major manufacturers, Canon, Epson and Samsung have all developed cartridge and paper packs which are unique to their respective models of photo printers. Unfortunately, these packs tend to be very restrictive, as no choice of type of photo paper is allowed. Epson and Samsung only have one size of paper available, and although Canon has a range of three sizes of photo paper, all are sold in packs complete with cartridge. HP & Lexmark utilise inkjet cartridges and paper that can be used in other models of printers across their ranges and there is a variety of paper available for use in these models. Cheaper, compatible cartridges are already available for the more recent models of HP branded printers and it is anticipated that compatibles for Lexmark will be available on the market in due course.

Compatible cartridges for Epson, Samsung and Canon, while on the market, are less widely available. The major manufacturers recently launched a range of printers onto the market, including the Canon Selphy ES1 which has been heavily advertised on TV; Epson Picturemate 100; Lexmark P350 and the HP Photosmart 335. Samsung entered this market in the autumn of this year; however Samsung dealers have been plagued by short supplies of consumables since the launch.

SHALL I PRINT IT? - We stock Epson T0540 cartridges

How many times have your gone to a web site, found a funny joke or interesting story that you quickly printed off so you could share it with others or so you could keep it for posterity? Have you ever printed off a draft of a letter or other documents so you could have someone else edit/review it for you? These and other printing activities may have seemed important at the time but if you have only stopped and asked yourself the question 'Shall I print it?', you may have changed your mind...

Recycle Paper
Unfortunately, not all printers are going to be working with you on this quest to conserve paper. Occasionally, blank pages are going to be printed and those aren't going to be useful to anyone. Have a container near the printer in your home or office where these pages and other unneeded pages can be dropped off for later recycling. Even though you won't technically be saving any paper yourself, by recycling these sheets you can prevent the necessity for cutting down more trees.

Select Print Range
We've all printed something from the Internet only to find that the last page of the job only had a small line of text at the top and nothing else. One of the best ways to prevent this from happening is to get in the habit of doing a 'Print Preview' before you send the document to your printer for processing. You can select this option from under your 'Print' menu. Once you see the preview, you can find out which pages are necessary for printing. You can go back to the print job options and enter the specific page number range (for example, 1-5) that you need to print. You will save paper and ink cartridge using this technique but it can take time getting in the habit of taking those extra steps.

Print Front & Back
As long as your printer comes equipped with a duplexing feature, you can save on paper simply by printing on both the front and back of the paper. In fact, you might want to look for a machine that comes with auto-duplexing because this will be even easier to use. Generally, this approach works well for any document larger than one page in size and it allows you to cut your paper needs in half.

Only Print When Necessary
Another way to reduce your paper usage is by printing only items that are necessary. If you see something on the Internet you want to share or keep, email the link to people or bookmark the page instead of printing. If you are on a network, you can place documents on the network so they can access them in digital form.

PORTABLE PHOTO PRINTERS - We stock Epson T0611 cartridges

Portable photo printers are becoming a popular way to being able to print off digital shots on the fly which can be useful for a wide-range of purposes and makes them more convenient to use than other types of printers if you tend to travel a lot with your camera.

Here are some of the top picks.
Canon Pixma iP90 The Canon Pixma line of photo printers tends to rank very highly with users and with reviewers alike. This portable unit is no exception. Here are a few of the highlights. ' Has built-in Pictbridge and Infrared technology that gives it instant connectivity to other portable devices, including cell phones and PDAs, without the necessity of a computer. ' Weighs only four pounds which means it is light enough to travel ' that's less than many laptops on the market. ' Includes two options to help you conserve black ink cartridge and save money ' one is similar to the lowest print setting available through most computers and the other forces the colour ink to combine into black when that cartridge is empty ' Costs for printing are reasonable, plus the ink tanks are small enough for easy travel as well

HP Photosmart A626 Another one of the popular choices for portable photo printers is this wireless Hewlett Packard model which includes a number of features that are easy to like for people who enjoy printing photos. ' Can print photos very quickly ' 39 to 78 seconds depending on the print quality selected ' Can print files directly from camera's removable media but also from other portable devices, including cell phones and iPods. ' Comes with only one ink cartridge for more affordable supply restocking. ' The USB port means this portable printer can be used at home or on the go just as easily ' Includes a screen that can be used for viewing images before printing, as well as for adding graphic effects and for editing shots.

Epson PictureMate Dash PM 260 As one of the most overlooked portable printers by critics, this particular Epson printer and its predecessor have been hugely successful with consumers and the following features make it easy to see why. ' A 4 X 6 inch photo can be printed in as little as 37 seconds ' Printing technology known as Advanced MicroPiezo promises that prints will last up to 200 years in a family photo album ' Prints photos without a connection to any computer. You can print from removable media, directly from the digital camera, or from a USB flash drive ' Comes ready to print in a wide variety of layouts, including wallet size and even passport size shots

Bottom Line on Portable Printers If you want to take your printer along for the ride, make sure you choose one that is going to deliver the speed and quality you want at a reasonable price. Be sure to shop around and compare all of your options.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPE OF INKJET CARTRIDGES? - We stock Epson T0891 cartridges

What are OEM inkjet Cartridges?
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, and hence OEM inkjet cartridges are produced by the same manufacturer as your printer. For example, Inkjet Cartridges produced by Canon for use in Canon printers, are OEM inkjet cartridges. You will find that the majority of online ink stores do not offer OEM cartridges, however there are exceptions. Most will offer high quality generic brand inkjet cartridges which use the same specific printer ink found in OEM brands. By offering generic brand cartridges, you will find the savings to be quite substantial.

What are Compatible Inkjet Cartridges?
Compatible inkjet cartridges are produced by a company other than the manufacturer of the printer. They are manufactured specifically to meet or exceed OEM standards. Compatible and generic brand inkjet cartridges are brand new cartridges, manufactured using all new parts. They usually provide a very cost effective alternative to OEM name brand printer ink. The use of compatible or generic brand inkjet printer cartridges does not void the printer manufacturers warranty.

What are Remanufactured Inkjet Cartridges?
Remanufactured cartridges have been professionally recycled to meet or exceed OEM standards. Remanufactured cartridges go through a complete disassembly and reassemble process, which involves inspection, replacement of worn out parts, cleaning, and refilling the ink. Remanufactured cartridges are then sealed, tested, and ready to be sold.

What are inkjet refills? An ink jet refill is a very good option if your printer needs new ink. An ink jet refill is basically a compatible ink kit for your printer, and is usually much cheaper than new OEM cartridges. You don't have to worry about ink jet refill being of second hand quality since an ink jet refill is of the highest quality ink, formulated and tested under strict laboratory conditions. With an ink jet refill you can personally recycle your empty ink jet cartridges so they can be used again. This way you not only save money compared to buying new cartridges, you also help the environment at the same time.

A Tip: Refill your cartridges before they run out. If you don't refill your cartridges before they run out, the ink can dry out between refill and you could experience problems when refilling. Refilling is a cost effective and environmentally sound way to restore empty ink.

Remanufactured toner cartridges support the environment and are very cost effective. It's an option well worth considering when shopping for new toner cartridges. Professionally remanufactured toner cartridges have been recycled to meet or exceed Original Equipment Manufacturer specifications. The recycling and remanufacturing process involves inspecting, disassembling, cleaning, replacing worn out parts, reassembling, and refilling the toner or ink. Once the process is complete, the cartridge is then tested, sealed, and ready to be sold.

WHO WAS THE INVENTOR OF THE FIRST INKJET PRINTER?

The History of Inkjet Printers.
No single person can be credited with the invention of the first inkjet printer. However, we can safely say that it was invented in 1976 but did not enter the popular consciousness until 1988 when Hewlett Packard released the DeskJet Printer and marketed it like a home consumer item. It must be said, however, that buying this printer and the printer cartridges was not everybody's cup of tea as it was priced at around £500. A steep price indeed!

The Inkjet Revolution
If you compare the inkjet printer in use today to those that were launched some twenty years ago, you will find that they have indeed come a long way since then. Though they arrived in the stores in the 1980s; it was way back in the 1970s, that printer companies recognized the fact that the ink based printers were the way forward and this technology would be revolutionary in nature. They began the process of developing printers and printer cartridges. The initial challenge for the company was not only to concentrate on quality but also on affordability.

Siemens invented a popular inkjet printer model in 1977 and it became quite popular amongst businesses. The biggest benefits of this printer was that it sprayed ink only when necessary and was not very expensive.

A Few Challenges
A major challenge faced by printer developers with regards to this type of printers was the fact that the flow of ink from the print head to the page needed to be controlled. This required cutting edge technological research not only in terms of the printers but also the printer cartridges. Initially the dried ink, clogged the printer head, and even the IBM strategy to use electrically charged droplets for coating the pages with ink was not successful and lacked consumer appeal. This challenge was tackled by two companies namely Hewlett-Packard and Canon. They introduced the inkjet printer into the market that used liquid ink, held in cartridges. These became vastly popular and this technology is still in use today.

The Inkjet Cartridges
An article on these printers won't be complete without mentioning the role of printer ink cartridges in the scheme of things. It is the ink cartridges that played a stellar role in the increasing popularity of these printers. Printer cartridges are the core element of each and every printer and they have also gone through a long and evolved process of development, side by side with the printers. Without the development of printer ink cartridges there would be no inkjet printers. It's as simple as that. As can be seen, the whole process of developing a printer is long and goes through a long period of trial and error. This is one of prime reasons why so many companies have contributed to the development of printing technology.

WHY DON'T THE COLOURS I SEEN ON MY SCREEN MATCH MY PRINTS?

The basic properties of colour, what the relationships are between them and the differences between what you see and what you actually get using your inkjet cartridges.

Properties
Most of you will have come across these three; Hue, Saturation and Brightness; if you have ever messed around with colour settings of your images. Hue: For example; blue, green and violet are all hues. They are colours. The dictionary definition of 'Hue' is; "the attributes of colours that permits them to be classed as red, yellow, green, blue or an intermediate between any adjacent pair of these colours." Saturation: This refers to how vivid the colour is. The higher the amount of gray relative to the amount of hue, the less vivid it will be. Brightness: Relates to the relative darkness or lightness of the colour. In 1905 American artist A. Munsell published a colour measurement system, naming the three parameters, Hue, Value and Chroma (Hue, Saturation and Brightness as above). This three dimensional relationship resulted in colour identification in this format, for example; 7.5YR 7/12. Here we have a yellow-red hue tending with a value of 7 and a chroma of 12. There are 40 pages in the book covering all colours in the complete Munsell system.

Monitor and printer colour production
Printer: Printer colours are produced from inkjet cartridges emitting minute patterns of ink dots placed on paper. All colours that you see come from just four colours; cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K). As an aside, a mixture of cyan, magenta and yellow should produce black, but in reality a touch of black is needed to get it.

Monitor:
A phosphor is a substance that emits light when subjected to radiation. Colour phosphors are illuminated with electrons in your monitor and hence images are produced. There are three coloured phosphors in each pixel on the screen; red (R), green (G) and blue (B).

Monitor and printer colour differences:
As you will be aware, the printed output you receive hardly ever matches exactly that seen on your monitor. This is because the way that colour is produced is different and the range of colours that are produced is different between the monitor and printer, as described above. There are ways to get a closer match. You can experiment with printer driver settings or use image editing/colour management software to help match up the two.

Printing Process:
Most inkjet printers can't produce variations of the three primary colours so they employ a process called 'halftoning' to represent the thousands of colours needed. The two methods used for this are 'Dithering' and 'Error Diffusion'. With 'dithering', different coloured ink dots are aligned to give the appearance of neutral colours... suitable for large areas of colour such as in graphs and bar charts.

There are often additional settings such as 'Coarse Dithering'... for images with limited detail and shading, and 'Fine Dithering' for images with significant amount of detail. If there is only text to print then 'No Halftoning' should be selected. With 'error diffusion' inkjet cartridge dots are merged with surrounding colour dots to produce natural colours with the possibility of subtle colour gradation. Ideal for detailed images or photos. When scanning, be aware that it will be more difficult to get a good match because the scanner will make the image using the CMYK data format, then RGB on the monitor and finally changed again to the CMYK data format via the printer.