| |
| |
|
Hardware Information |
|
|
|
Selecting an Ink Jet printer-With Low Operating Cost
Printer technology has made tremendous advances in the past five years. Speeds are up and print quality is great. Meanwhile, printer costs have declined. What has not improved is the cost of ink. Printer manufacturers expected to make their profit on replacement cartridges, and they do. But in charging high prices they created another industry that they have to compete with. Now there are generic or compatible replacements; you can buy refilled cartridges and refill kits so you can refill them yourself. Worst of all there are counterfeits. And there's a big market for all of them due to the sky-high price of OEM cartridges. The manufacturers are full of tricks. Some of them use tiny cartridges that don't hold much ink. Most of the standard cartridges are half full of ink. They sell high capacity cartridges at premium prices that are full of ink. They run promotions on printers that have sample cartridges that barely have enough ink to try out the new printer. These are all factors you have to consider when you buy a printer. There are makers who have addressed the problem in another way. All printers have a separate black cartridge for obvious reasons, but a few use a separate cartridge for each color. If one of the colors runs out you can replace it individually. This way you aren't throwing away good ink. One maker gives you the choice of a double size black unit that is more economical than two singles. Most printers use a cartridge with a built- in print head, but at least one has the print head built into the machine. The cartridges are only ink containers, consequently very inexpensive and easy to refill. The downside of this arrangement is that the print head is a wear item and it's quite expensive to replace. The point is that these two style printers are more economical to operate than the conventional type. There are some printers that will operate with only the black cartridge installed, and this is a good choice for students and others that only print text. If you don't need a fancy printing job, often you can set your printer on "draft" which saves a lot of ink. Be careful when you are buying a printer especially, but not exclusively at auctions; they're selling them without ink. A diligent shopper can sometimes find printers with and without rebates that are below the cost of the ink. This is a good way to go. For more information about shopping visit my web site: http://www.caveatemptorus.com/ I've tried refilling and using refurbished units with mixed success. Refilling is risky business. Maker's claim that it voids your warranty, this is debatable, but there is some validity to their concerns. There are different kinds of ink and using the wrong or an inferior ink can do damage. Many refurbs are poor quality so you end up returning them for replacement. At the moment my choice is a printer with print heads in the cartridges and I buy good quality generics. Keep in mind this creates warranty problems. If you have a problem printing, you can't get technical service unless you buy a set of OEMs. Written by: George W. Cannata the publisher of the web site: http://www.caveatemptorus.com, July 8, 2005.
MORE RESOURCES:
Hardware - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Learn How To Diagnose Power Supply Problems The Power Supply convert's your regular household current into low DC voltage used by the computer. When this component fails,there is simply no activity going on wih your computer. Buying Cheap Refurbished Laptops When comparing refurbished laptop models, ask about these specifications:Central Processing Unit: The CPU or processor is the heart of the computer. The more software you want in your refurbished laptop, the more powerful the processor has to be. Can I Use My Old Ink With My New Printer? The quick answer is.. An Inexpensive Solution to Securing Public Access Computers Offering secure public Internet access is not as easy as it may seem. As the IT manager for a mid-sized public library, it's become apparent to me that creating a secure network of library workstations for use by the public is more important than ever before. How To Refill Your Ink Cartridge Forget about emptying your wallets every time you see the blinking light. Quit worrying and start doing it yourself! It's an easy process that won't take you more than five minutes. War of the Disks: A Close-in Analysis of the Hard Disk Drive vs. the Solid State Disk Much has been written about solid state disks (SSDs) becoming the next big thing1 in the IT industry(1). But as to whether or not we have enough knowledge of how it will revolutionize the industry is a different question. What is Over-clocking a Processor? Q : What is over clocking?Overclocking is when you make your system processor run faster that its normal speed. This has many advantages and dis-advantages. Choosing a Tape Drive Tape drives remain the leading technology used by organizations for backup and archiving. However, the plethora of tape drives on the market can make choosing the appropriate tape drive a confusing task. Is A Laser Printer Right For Me? The average home computer user definitely does not need a laser printer. Sure laser printer prices have fallen considerably in the last couple of years. Drop On Demand Printers Most HP and Epson printers are drop on demand printers. They use electrical pulses to fulfill requests for ink. Buying a Plasma or LCD TV FAQs This article focuses on frequently asked questions by buyers of plasma and LCD televisions.Q: Does the "plasma" in plasma televisions need to be recharged or replaced over time?A: No. Printer Ink Cartridges - The History You are working at your computer and trying to print out important documents and all at once you find you are out of ink. Years ago that would have presented a big problem. 5 Tips For Buying The Right Laptop Computer It's easy to be intimidated by all the laptop models on the market today. There are literally dozens and dozens in every price range. Testing Flyback Transformer - How to Test and When to Replace It Nowadays, more and more monitor comes in with flyback transformers problems. Testing flyback transformers arenot difficult if you carefully follow the instruction. Do You Have Dead Pixels? Take a good look at your notebook computer screen. Do you find some tiny dark spots? You could have dead pixels. A Guide To Bar Code Reader Downloads Bar code readers have proven themselves to be essential tools in modern day business. Establishments, both big and small, have started to rely on bar code readers to make their operations quicker, more convenient, and more efficient. SED is Coming One of the bigger challenges facing display manufacturers is to develop a picture with the same warm characteristics as Cathode Ray Tube, but with far less weight and size.The disadvantage of CRT, however is the size, weight and power consumption. Which Notebook Computer Has Your Name On It? Notebook Computers Are Sexy!Granted, the notebook computer may just be the sexiest accessory this side of a Baywatch Extra! But are they worth the extra money? Should your next PC be a notebook or laptop computer?What are the pros and cons of owning a notebook computer? More importantly, which notebook is best for you?There's no denying it -- notebook computers are sexy! Slim, svelte and lightweight; they always come across as looking sexy, the ultimate in high fashion accessories.Maybe sexy isn't the most appropriate word -- we are talking about chips, hard drives and bits of metal. Review: Implementing the Google Search Appliance in an Intranet environment Our corporate intranet is a non-framed environment with both Lotus Domino and IIS (.Net and classic ASP) applications and content. Security Risks and Ways to Decrease Vulnerabilities in a 802.11b Wireless Environment IntroductionThis document explains topics relating to wireless networks. The main topics discussed include, what type of vulnerabilities exist today in 802.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
