Posts Tagged ‘ink’

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How to Tell When Your Office Needs a New Printer

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

 

Maybe you’ve had the same printer since you started your business—but times change. Even if your printer still runs well, it may be time to upgrade it—and it may be better for your business if you do. Here are a few signs to look for to know when it’s time to get a new printer for your office.

 

Your printing needs change. Maybe at first you were only printing out the occasional invoice. But now you’ve got a bigger company, and you’re printing company brochures, employee newsletters, and other graphics-heavy documents on your printer.  If that’s the case, you may need a printer that handles colour printing on cardstock and glossy paper better than the one you have now. Or maybe you’d like to be able to print out proposals on your office printer—but continually printing out documents over a hundred pages long on that slow machine would hold up everyone else’s work. If that’s the case, you may need a fast laser printer instead of that slow Inkjet.

Your employees are getting frustrated. Every printer has the occasional paper jam. But are your employees always complaining about the printer? If your printer has employees standing nervously by to load each sheet in the tray manually to prevent a paper jam—or digging into the machine’s innards on every print job to fish out bits of paper—chances are your printer is on its last legs.

broken Printer

You need to connect more employees to the printer. Not every printer can handle heavy networking demands. It may be that your office is growing to the point that your printer can’t handle being networked to the increased number of computers you’ve got. If that’s the case, don’t hold onto that printer for sentimental or budgetary reasons; get a new one that can handle your office’s demands.

You’re having trouble finding the ink. You know your printer is a bit too old when you can no longer easily find the right brand of ink and toner for your model. If you’re continually going from store to store to find the right ink and toner cartridges for your printer—or if your favorite third-party printer ink company doesn’t carry that model anymore—it may be time to upgrade your printer.

Your company is growing. Your printer may have been perfect when your business was just you and your laptop. But now that you have other employees, you may need a printer you can network to multiple different computers. Shop around for a printer designed for office use, and you should be able to find one that will be a better fit for your growing business.

Shaking Hands

You’re running out of ink faster than you did. If you’re printing more than you used to at the office, it could be that you need a more ink-efficient printer. If you are continually running out of ink and your budget for ink and toner has gone up significantly, this is definitely the case—especially if you bought your first printer because it was cheap, not necessarily because it was cost-efficient to use over the long term. If ink is costing you a lot of money, look into a more cost-efficient machine—one that doesn’t use as much ink as your current printer.

There are better models out there. If you’ve had your printer for longer than two or three years, chances are there’s a model out there that works better, networks more smoothly, prints faster, uses less ink and has less expensive cartridges. Technology can improve significantly over the span of a few years, and a new printer may be able to save you a lot of money on ink—and give you better, faster printouts as well.

Even if your printer isn’t malfunctioning, it may still be obsolete.  And if it isn’t working as well as it did, don’t frustrate your employees by making them deal with frequent paper jams and malfunctions every day. Above all, don’t hang on to an outdated printer—you could be wasting money and time. Instead, check your office supply stores for an office printer that can do everything you need it to do—in less time, and using less ink.

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The History of Printing

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Free Pictures | acobox.comThe next time you are frustrated with the production of your printer, consider how far this technology has come. While you may be infuriated, having to wait several seconds for a slow printer, or you are tired of unclogging yet another paper jam, it has not always been so speedy and convenient to print images. From ancient times when printing began, until now, developments have occurred that allow printing to occur in an economical and efficient manner. The next time you are feeling miserable because your print job is taking forever, take a look back at the history of printing and consider yourself lucky.

Ancient Times

Printing more or less originated around the year 200 in China. Block printing was a primitive form of putting an image onto fabric. Prior to that, there were images pressed onto clay tablets, but few of those techniques were popular enough for wide use. Examples of the earliest wood block printing are from the Han Dynasty and feature silk fabric printed with flowers in three different colors. Block printing grew in popularity and the process spread throughout Islamic and European countries.

Advances in printing made between the 11th and 16thcenturies include the creation of movable type and the invention of the printing press. Movable type describes the use of movablepieces of metal to create images or letters on a surface. Originally, it was used in China with porcelain pieces, but was never widely popular due to the extensive number of Chinese characters. Midway through the 15thcentury, Johannes Gutenberg developed movable type technology in Europe. This development marked the beginning of European printing, which was far more durable and faster than woodblock.

The printing press is arguably the most important advancement in image duplication and printing. The printing press is a mechanical device that applies pressure to an inked surface. This pressure causes the image to transfer to the un-inked surface. During the Renaissance period, the use of the printing press spread throughout Europe and became the most used form of movable type printing.

The 1700’s

During the 18thcentury, lithography was developed. Invented by a Bavarian author named Aloys Senefelder, it enables people to print on a smooth surface. Chemicals are used to produce or change an image, and it is a practice still commonly used today.

Moving Forward

In the 19th century, printing processes continued to improve and develop. Mimeograph allowed for low cost, relatively speedy printing. The process forces ink through a stencil onto paper. Mimeograph was used well into the 20th century and was a common part of office and school workplaces. Photocopying has since replaced mimeograph, offering a less expensive and time consuming means for achieving a similar goal.

While there were ancient methods of coloring prints, including manually adding color to the print following the printing process, chromolithography enabled color to be added during the process. There is dispute over the creator of chromolithography. The process is typically time consuming and cumbersome, but at its inception, was considered a major development in the print industry.

One of the last developments in printing during the 19th century was hot metal typesetting. This process injects molten metal into a mold to create a shape. After it has formed and cooled, it is used to press ink onto a blank surface, creating a print. Hot metal typesetting was frequently used in the production of newspapers, a factor that kept the method in use for longer than it may otherwise have been.

Modern Printing

The beginning of the 20thcentury brought the development of screen-printing. This process uses woven mesh to support a stencil. A squeegee or roller moves across the surface, pressing the ink through the open areas of the mesh, creating a print on the blank surface. Archaic methods of screen-printing were seen in Japan where banana leaves were used in a similar way to the mesh. Modern screen-printing was created by Samuel Simon in 1907 in Europe.

It is during the middle of the 20th century we begin to see the beginnings of modern printing advances. The first photocopier appeared in 1960, introduced to the market by Xerox. This advance was the beginning of the end for many of the previous methods of printing. The thermal printer and laser printer were not far behind, allowing people to print from a networked system. On the heels of these initial printers, companies besides Xerox jumped in the game, realizing a printing revolution was in the works.

At that point, it became a matter of improving the quality of prints that came from the printer, and making them more efficient, more affordable, and more practical. Further printing developments included dot matrix, inkjet, and more recently, 3-D printers. Impressive transitions over the years have led to office and home printing efficiency.

The next time frustration gets the better of you, consider the early alternatives. Unjamming the printer is undoubtedly quicker than block printing your 150-page report!

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When to Buy a Printer

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Interested in getting a good deal on your next printer?  Printer manufacturers make most of their money on consumables, so they tend to sell printers rather cheaply to begin with—but at certain times of year, prices may go down even more. You may be able to find the best price on your new printer if you go shopping at the right time.  Here are a few times of year when it’s likely you’ll be able to find an even better deal than usual on your new printer.

Back to school. Kids of all ages find printers useful to print assignments and papers at home—and parents will often buy printers at the start of the school year so their kids will have one at home. University students often take personal printers to school as well. Starting in late August and continuing though mid-September, some printer manufacturers bring the prices down on their products to attract college students and their parents. Check out your local electronics or office supply store to find out whether any back to school deals can be had in your area.

During the holidays. Sometime around Christmas, the prices on printers are brought down significantly to attract holiday shoppers. At this time, you can get a few gifts for yourself at cheap prices as well—including a new printer. Check toward the start of December for discounts that are holiday-related. Other times when a discount may be possible include Father’s Day and Easter in the States.

Inventory clearance time. Many stores try to unload old equipment to make room for the new printers and other items around mid-January to late February. They’ll drop prices on whatever’s been lingering on the sales floor to get rid of it. Your local electronics, office supply or computer supply shop would be a good place to check during this time.

When new items come out. If you’re in the market for a new printer, watch the news to see when printer manufacturers are planning to release new models—much of the time they’ll try to build up demand by advertising before the release date. Sometimes a new printer or another piece of electronics will make a big splash in the market—as Apple does with each new iPhone release. When this happens, expect the old models to go obsolete—and for prices to go down in stores. In addition, many people will try to sell their old models individually so they can buy the latest model. Check online listings and sites like Ebay if you’re willing to buy used; you may be able to get a fantastic deal.

You might want to get a good deal on a new printer, but it’s important to remember not to buy based on price alone. Here are a few tips for buying the cheapest printer for you overall—not just the one with the cheapest retail price.

Look at the price tag on the ink, not just the printer. Manufacturers make their profits on ink and toner sales. If you’re buying a cheap printer, chances are good the manufacturer sells only pricey ink for it. Check the price of the ink and take that into account as well—or you could be in for some serious sticker shock when you need to refill your printer cartridge.

Don’t buy more printer than you need. Don’t buy that all-in-one when all you need is a simple desktop printer—it’ll be a waste of money, even if the all-in-one printer is a great deal. Many stores lower the prices on the more expensive merchandise to draw consumers into spending more than they usually would—even when they’re thinking they’re getting a good deal.

Not every good deal on printers is as it seems. Know the best seasonal times to shop, but don’t get carried away by low printer prices—check the printer ink and make sure you’re buying the printer you need, not a more complex and expensive model just because it’s on discount. Do your research and go shopping at the right time of year, and chances are you should be able to find the printer that’s right for you—at a price that works with your budget.

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Be Your Own Tech Expert: How to Fix Your Printer

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Maybe your tech guy’s out of the office—or you’re at home, and at home you don’t have a help desk on call. You have something important to print out—but your printer malfunctions. What do you do?

broken printer

Don’t panic. We’ll show you how to be self-sufficient in fixing printer problems, no matter how much of a techno-phobe you are. Here are a few tips on how to fix your own printer—no tech department required.

Don’t throw the user’s manual away. If you’ve got an incomprehensible code popping up on your printer or computer screen when you try to print, it’s likely the meaning of that code can be found in the printer manual. So don’t throw it away—keep it somewhere where you can pick it up again if something goes wrong with your printer. It’s possible that the problem is very simple and easy to fix on your own—and the steps could be clearly spelled out in your manual.

Check the website. Okay, so you threw out the manual when you bought the printer—or you can’t find it. No big deal. Check the manufacturer’s website and see if the directions are there. Most of the time, manufacturers keep a help section that will spell out solutions to some of the more common problems you might have with the printer.

Do an online search. Your manual and the manufacturer’s website are no help—now what? Go onto Google and do an online search for the problem or error code—along with the manufacturer’s name and the printer’s model. In many cases, someone else has had this problem—and has asked about it in an online forum. It’s possible you could get to the bottom of the problem and find a solution through online research.

Make sure it’s plugged in. If you can’t connect to the printer, make sure it’s plugged in—and the outlet is working. If it’s connected to a surge protector, make sure the surge protector is on. If it still doesn’t work, unplug it from the surge protector and plug it into a wall socket that you know is working.

Make sure it’s turned on. You’d be surprised how many times help desks get calls about malfunctioning printers and computers—only to find the equipment isn’t responding because it isn’t turned on. Check to make sure your printer is turned on before looking into other solutions. When it’s on, check to see that there are no error messages or warning lights on.

Make sure it’s connected to your computer. If your printer and computer aren’t connected, the printer won’t receive transmissions from the computer to print. Make sure your computer is properly plugged in and the printer is online. Most printers will have a light indicating whether or not they’re online; if this light is off, you may need to reconnect it to the computer.

Run the diagnostics. If your printer is definitely on and online but not printing, run the diagnostics program. Your manual should tell you how, and if you don’t have your manual check your printer driver on your computer. The diagnosic program is designed to assess the printer and identify problem areas.

Clean the printer. Sometimes printers will malfunction when they’re particularly dirty. If you’re seeing streaks on your printouts, that’s probably the reason. Most printers need to be cleaned once every few weeks to ensure print quality. Your printer should have a built-in program that will clean the print heads for you, but you may have to run it several times to get rid of the problem.

If your printer malfunctions, you don’t have to call the experts. Most of the time, the problem is something simple that you can fix yourself—if you have the right information. Don’t throw your manual away—you may need it later to look up error codes. If you don’t have your manual, check with your manufacturer’s website or do an online search for the type of error you’re seeing. In addition, it’s crucial to make sure your computer is plugged in, turned on and online—as well as clean and well maintained. If you do, you should be able to keep your printer in working order—and fix it when it breaks.

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How Does the Cost of Printer Ink Stack Up?

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

A common complaint among small business owners and consumers in general is the cost of replacement ink for their computer printer. Often, ink costs more than the cost of the printer, and there has been more than one computer user that has purchased a new printer based on the cost of the ink replacement. But is ink really that expensive? A number of comparisons have been conducted concerning the cost per gallon of a variety of liquid substances. One such study, featured at www.cockeyed.com, shows the true cost of ink per gallon, compared to a variety of other liquids.

Scales

Weighing up the Cost of Ink

Some surprises appeared on the list. A complaint heard regularly is that of the cost of gas. In reality, per gallon, gas is one of the lesser expensive items on the list. At approximately $3.00 per gallon, it is about twice the cost of Kool-Aid per gallon and only slightly less than auto-antifreeze. The problem is, a gallon of antifreeze lasts a lot longer than a gallon of gas, prompting people to feel the squeeze at the gas pump sooner than they would with the antifreeze.

Coming in at about double the price of gas is Evian bottled water. This gourmet H2O bottled from the French Alps costs $6.40 per gallon. This may be pricey for something that flows from the faucet and makes up rivers and lakes all around us, but it is still just a drop in the bucket compared to printer ink. Also in this range is domestic beer, coming in at right around $9.00 per gallon.

While you may think that you use a bottle of shampoo far quicker than you go through a printer cartridge, consider the fact that it is only about $35.00 per gallon. Over time this adds up, but it would take approximately three bottles of shampoo to equal a gallon. This means it will be a good four or so months before you use an entire gallon of the stuff to wash your hair.

A few of the more expensive liquids may surprise you. Vanilla extract, often bought in bottles that are less than six ounces is $128.00 for an entire gallon. You could bake quite a few cakes for that price! Penicillin clocks in at $302, very reasonable considering it may save your life. Speaking of life, human blood is about $1500.00 a gallon. Again, a very reasonable price to pay for life, but it really puts the per gallon cost of printer ink into perspective.

The study showed that the average cost of black and white printer ink is $2700.00 per gallon. Since most people use colored ink in addition to black and white ink, I estimated the cost of a color cartridge. Per gallon, the approximate cost of an average quality ink was $5500. It costs nearly four times as much to refill your printer as it would to keep your heart pumping.

Obviously, the amount of the liquid required to perform its assigned task plays a role in its cost. This is precisely the reason why Chanel #5 perfume is a hefty $25,000 per gallon. Few people are going to use a gallon of the popular scent. Purchased in a tiny amount suitable for its intended usage, the price is suddenly far more reasonable. However, if you are printing a great deal, a gallon of ink may add up pretty quickly. The next time you are at the gas pump, consider how you can reduce your printing costs. Afterall, that may be where the real damage is being done!

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Tricks for Maximizing the Life of Your Printer Ink

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Printer ink can be costly. It may leave small business owners and home printer users wondering what they can do to reduce their cost of their printing needs. If you have already utilized remanufactured options, or you are unable to do so based on your specific printer, and you still have a desire to cut costs, consider a few of these options for lengthening the life of your printer ink cartridge.

The first thing you can do to stretch your printer ink budget is to change the settings on your computer before printing. For the majority of your printing needs, use draft mode. This means that images will print in black and white, or even gray, reducing the amount of ink you are using. You will use no color ink unless necessary, which is the most expensive of the two replacement cartridges. If you are able to print drafts in gray, that uses less black ink as well. Be sure you change your draft setting when the time comes. Those that forget will find they waste a page worth of black or gray ink by printing an unnecessary draft page.

Ink Cartridge

After installing a printer, or after correcting a problem, your printer and computer will prompt you to print a test page. Only do so if absolutely necessary. This is a trick used by ink manufacturers to use up extra ink. All it means is that you will be one page closer to paying for an expensive replacement.

Another tip is to shake your cartridge occasionally. The ink has a tendency to settle in the cartridge, and may not reach its destination. By shaking it, you are loosening the clogs that may exist within the cartridge. Obviously use care when doing this and be sure to replace the cartridge properly.

Ink Cartridge

Remember that higher print resolutions require extra ink. Just like printing in draft can lessen the amount of ink you are using, lowering your quality settings may help as well. If you can, print the majority of your documents in a lower resolution, saving the best quality printings for when it is absolutely necessary to have a perfect print.

When your computer indicates that your printer cartridge is low, there may still be as many as 100 pages of printing left in the cartridge. Some users recommend changing the cartridge as soon as possible after the notification occurs. They believe it may damage the cartridge if you use it until the very end. However, others believe that it is most economically sound to use all of the ink available. If you plan to replace the cartridge, it may not matter if it is damaged.

If you purchase cartridges before you need them, be sure to store them in an environment that is room temperature and out of light. Keep extra cartridges and cartridges that are in use dust free. Store the extra cartridges right side up so the ink will not drain or leak.

Inkjet cartridges

Cartridge replacement can be expensive, but a few simple tips will help extend the life of your printer ink. In the long run, you will still find yourself replacing ink cartridges, but over time, you may require just a bit less replacing.

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Five Things Printer Manufacturers Say-That You Shouldn't Listen To

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Ever wonder why printers can be a bargain, but the ink is so expensive? It’s no accident. Printer manufacturers practically give the printers away so they can make more money later by selling you ink. The price of ink is so high that consumers are starting to revolt, however-and many people buy printer ink and toner cartridges manufactured by third-party companies to save money.

This isn’t good for the original manufacturers’ business model-but rather than pricing ink and toner more reasonably, they go out of their way to persuade customers to stick with their own cartridges despite the cost. Here are a few things printer manufacturers will tell you-that you should probably take with a grain of salt. Or an entire handful.

3rd party ink is of lesser quality than original ink. Printer manufacturers often insist that if you use 3rd party ink, you’re almost guaranteed to get a much lesser quality print than if you use the manufacturer’s brand. Multiple consumer tests have shown this isn’t true. Some 3rd-party ink manufacturers use reverse engineering to design their cartridges and ink from the original manufacturers’ specifications-and in many cases the quality is very close to what original manufacturers produce. This is true for black and white, colour and photo printer ink.

3rd-party ink will break your printer. Printer manufacturers claim that they want to dissuade consumers from using 3rd-party printer ink because it’s extremely likely to damage your printer irreparably. They claim this about most 3rd-party printer ink, including that manufactured by national office supply stores. This is absolutely untrue. Millions of people use third-party printer ink every day without breaking their printers-and without breaking their budgets.

If you use 3rd-party printer ink, we’ll void your warranty. Printer manufacturers almost always state in their warranty that they won’t cover damages caused by third-party printer ink-and will often try to twist the issue to let consumers think that if they use third-party ink at all, it will void the entire warranty-regardless of whether the damage was really caused by the third-party ink.

In reality, the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act prohibits manufacturers from limiting customers’ choices in printer accessories in this way. However, it’s unlikely that printer manufacturers would be able to legally void a warranty if a customer used third-party printer ink if the damage wasn’t caused by the ink. Still, this is a legal gray area that hasn’t been substantively challenged in court.

Printers are perfectly calibrated to work only with original ink. Printer manufacturers claim that their original ink has been calibrated with great precision to work as well as possible with their specific printers and paper.  Of course, they have a reason to say that-so that you’ll only use their printer ink and their paper with their printers.  In truth, printers can be used with third party ink and off-brand paper with no ill effects, and many consumers save money by buying cheaper paper and other consumables from third-party companies.

Those smart chips are there to help you. Many printer manufacturers have developed printer ink cartridges designed with “smart chips” that will tell you when the cartridge is out of ink. They claim the chips are there to add to customer convenience.

However, those smart chips have often been found to tell consumers that cartridges are out of ink before they’re actually empty-and sometimes they’ll freeze up the printer until they are replaced, forcing consumers to buy more ink too soon. They can also make it more difficult for people to use third-party ink; some printers won’t accept recycled or refilled printer ink cartridges unless the smart chip has been replaced or recalibrated to tell the printer the cartridge is new.

Printer ink manufacturers have an underlying motive for saying third-party printer ink cartridges might break your printer, print low-quality documents, and void your warranty-because they want to keep you buying their own expensive ink. The bottom line is this: the manufacturers aren’t impartial, and the things they say about ink cartridges must sometimes be taken with a grain of salt. Listen to people you know who have had experience using third-party cartridges, or buy your own and try them out-before you let the original manufacturers convince you to spend more money.

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Seven Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Print That Document

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Think it’s a good idea to print everything out for your records? Think again. Printing is costly and storage requires plenty of office space-which you may or may not have available.  In addition, use of consumables can also consume electricity and paper-and reducing your printing can have a positive effect on the environment. Here are a few reasons why you should be sparing when it comes to printing your documents.

Because ink is expensive. Sure, your printer was a bargain.  But the first time it ran out of ink, you probably had to look twice at the price of your new cartridge to make sure it wasn’t a misprint.  The high price of printer ink is enough to make anyone try third-party printer cartridge companies, which can slash cartridge costs by as much as 50%. In the meantime, save your wallet and don’t print those documents. Save them on disc instead.

Because it wastes paper. Because printing uses energy. Even if your printer is on standby most of the time, it still uses more energy when it’s printing than when it’s not. If you want to reduce your energy bill and you do a lot of printing, consider cutting down on the documents you print to hardcopy. This will reduce your energy bill-and reduce the amount of energy you consume, cutting down on your overall carbon footprint.

Because email is faster and easier. Sending an email is much easier than sending mail. You don’t have to buy postage, make a trip to your post office or wait several days for your message to be received.  All you do is click a button, and it’s sent instantaneously. And you can do it from your own home, in front of your computer. Especially for larger documents, sending an email is the way to go.

Because it’s less cost-effective. Printing documents uses energy, ink, and paper.  Sending documents requires postage.  All of that requires money. On the other hand, if you store your documents electronically on a CD or portable disc drive, you’ll spend much less money on ink and paper over the long term-and if you save your emails in your email account instead of printing them out, you can save considerable amounts of money on ink and paper as well.

Because email leaves a trail. Want to keep a record of all the messages you’ve sent and received? If you send snail mail, you’ll have to keep a folder for received messages and remember to make a copy of each sent message. That requires costly ink and use of paper, as well as lots of storage space-and if you forget or misplace records, they could be incomplete. However, most email programs keep automatic records of everything you send and receive-no remembering to print and copy and no physical storage space required.

Because digital storage is more private. Digital storage can be encrypted and password-protected to keep the data safe.  Compare that to physical storage of hardcopy documents-yes, you can lock that file cabinet, but you’d better hope the wrong person doesn’t find the key. Digital storage can be more secure than hardcopy storage.

There are plenty of reasons why you should print sparingly-and save important documents digitally rather in hardcopy form.  Digital storage takes up less space and fewer resources, and it can be more secure than hardcopy storage. In addition, digital document storage costs much less-in ink and paper, energy, and other consumables.  Print as few documents as you can, and send emails rather than snail mail. If you do, you’ll have a more efficient information storage and sending method, and your cost for operating a printer on a regular basis will drop.  By being judicious about what you print, you can save money, space and resources.

Each year, over 11 million tonnes of paper are disposed of in landfills in the UK. Most of this paper comes from Scandinavia’s forests; only 5% of Scandinavia’s original boreal forest remains, and it’s still being logged-partially to feed the UK’s paper habit. You can help protect wildlife and old-growth trees by conserving paper. Only print when you have to, and use both sides of a sheet of paper.

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Green Printing: Save The Environment And Your Bank Account

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Printing can be hazardous to the environment.  From the energy your printer uses to the paper and ink your message is printed on, the printing choices you make can have a strong effect on the world around you.  Luckily, printing green isn’t difficult or expensive.  Here are a few ways you can make sure you make environmentally friendly choices when printing—without breaking the bank.

Use recycled paper.  The papermaking industry uses a lot of resources—including trees, water, and energy.  It’s estimated that it takes approximately three tons of wood, over 2,000 pounds of solid waste, and almost 20,000 gallons of water to make a single ton of paper. In addition, the bleaching process used to get paper white can release damaging chemicals into waterways and the atmosphere.  Any way you look at it, the more paper you use the worse it will be for the environment.

But you can make a difference by using recycled paper. It typically doesn’t cost significantly more than virgin paper, and it both reduces the demand for and uses less resources than production of new paper.

Print less.  This is probably the easiest and most obvious way to go green—and the best for your budget. Avoid printing as much as possible.  Keep your documents backed up on USB drives and discs instead of printing out paper copies.  Send emails instead of mailing letters.  When you do print, make sure you print on both sides of a sheet of paper so you can reduce the amount of paper you use overall.

Look into soy-based inks.  Paper in landfills may not be ideal, but at least it’s biodegradable, right?  It might be—but the ink printed on it isn’t.  Most regular printer inks are petroleum-based.  Petroleum-based inks release VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) into the air—not just in landfills, but in your home.  These contribute to both global warming and indoor air pollution.  In addition, some colours—often reds and metallics—contain heavy metals such as zinc, copper, and barium.  In landfills, these pollutants leach into the environment and cause damage.

Soy-based inks use natural pigments and mediums, and are generally much less harmful to the environment.  Not all of them are completely free from pollutants, however; look for inks that contain less than 2% petroleum.

Investigate the company’s energy use and green policies.  Whenever possible, investigate the green policies of companies you buy printers and ink from.  Do they take steps to reduce their carbon footprint? Do they have a recycling plan? Do they commit to using energy-efficient machinery and production methods? Many companies do lip service to the environmental movement, but don’t follow through on larger commitments. Most big printer manufacturers have a cartridge recycling program, for example—but some simply ship their used cartridges to third-world contractors who dispose of them in landfills.

Recycle.  Don’t throw any of your electronics, ink and toner cartridges, or paper into the garbage. Recycle them instead.  It’s relatively easy to recycle paper—most municipal recycling programs can take it—but it’s more difficult to recycle cartridges.  Your best bet is often to use a nonprofit program that specializes in handling ink and toner cartridges.  Some charge, but many don’t—and some will even arrange to pick up or pay for postage on your cartridges.  In addition, some third-party cartridge companies sell remanufactured cartridges—and will pay you for your used ink and toner cartridges.

Use a green printer.  If you use a printing company for high-volume work, be warned: printing companies can be highly toxic to the environment. Printers use solvents, drying agents, shellacs, and other chemical solutions to create film and printing plates as well as to clean printing presses.  These get released into the air and into waterways, and many have toxic effects on people who are exposed to them.  Look for a printer committed to green operations—one that avoids the use of packaging and foils that can make paper products impossible to recycle; relies on soy-based organic inks; and follows green energy use and printing practices.

Buy recycled cartridges.  Third party cartridge resellers recycle old original ink and toner cartridges and fill them with their own ink.  Buy from them instead of buying new cartridges from your manufacturer, and you could save significant amounts on cartridge costs—as well as reducing demand for new cartridges and keeping old ones out of landfills.

Green printing is good for the environment, as well as your budget.  Commit to recycling, look for energy-efficient printers, and use recycled materials whenever possible.  Buy recycled paper and cartridges, and support green printers and manufacturing companies—and you’ll be doing your part to make a difference.

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Seven Myths About Third-Party Printer Ink

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

Apprehensive about buying third-party ink, despite the savings you could see in your print consumables bill? You’re not alone. Original printer manufacturers work hard to encourage the perception that third-party ink is low-quality and can damage your printer irrepairably. However, the truth is not nearly so dire—and if you believe the original manufacturers, your bottom line could suffer.  Here are a few common myths about third-party compatible and remanufactured cartridges—and the truth behind them.

Third party ink will wreck your printer. Printer manufacturers are very fond of claiming that third-party ink can completely ruin your printer. However, in practice this is a fairly rare occurrence. A printer cartridge may not print successfully if it’s defective, or it may leak ink—but neither of these things permanently damages printers and ink can be cleaned with a damp sponge or cloth.  These defects are known to occur sometimes in original manufactured in addition to third-party remanufactured or compatible cartridges.

Third party ink will void your warranty. This is another myth perpetuated by the printer manufacturers. It’s actually illegal for any company to force users to use a specific accessory product as part of the warranty. Particularly if the damage wasn’t caused by the use of third party ink, companies have no right to void warranties based on that.

Third party cartridges are of lower quality than original cartridges. While there are some bad companies out there—as there are in any industry—many third-party compatible and remanufactured cartridge companies adhere to high standards. Compatible cartridges are usually engineered using the original manufacturer’s specifications. Many companies adhere to stringent ISO standards for cartridge manufacturing—standards that are also followed by original manufacturers.

Remanufactured cartridges are just old, refilled cartridges. Companies that sell remanufactured cartridges do more than just inject old cartridges with new ink. They also inspect each cartridge, make repairs when needed, and replace old and worn out components. Microchips are replaced, and all cartridges are run through a print test to ensure functionality before heading out the door. This is why remanufactured cartridges are much less likely to fail than the cartridges customers refill themselves using ink refill kits.

Remanufacturing companies reuse old ink and toner. This would be impossible—ink and toner is contaminated during the printing process by paper, dust and other contaminants.  Remanufacturers make their own ink using original manufacturers’ specifications. In most cases, the ink from a remanufactured cartridge is tailored to the specific brand and model of printer you’re using. Printer ink from these companies is not one-size-fits-all, and it’s never combined or recycled.

Third party ink has a lower page yield than original ink. Actually, some compatible and remanufactured cartridges have higher page yields than the originals. This information can be found in product specifications and documentations, and a good third-party company should make it available to you up front. Before buying, compare your third party cartridge yield with that of original manufacturers’ products.

All third party cartridges are the same. It’s true that all original manufacturers’ cartridges are the same, but third-party cartridges range in make and quality. Remanufacturers inject third-party ink into original cartridges; this ink is made by the third-party company and its quality varies depending on the company’s technical skills. Compatible cartridge companies build new cartridges from the ground up. Although they’re usually based on original specifications, they are made differently by different companies.  If you have a bad experience with one third-party cartridge company, it’s not necessarily a good idea to give up on third-party cartridges altogether—there are many third-party companies that make excellent products.

Original ink is expensive, and third-party ink and toner can save you significant money. Still, manufacturers make the bulk of their profits through sale of consumables, and they work hard to protect their market by encouraging consumers to believe that third-party ink is low-quality and dangerous to their printers.  But many third-party remanufacturers and compatible cartridge companies produce well-made products that deliver the same or similar print quality to what you’d expect from an original cartridge. Do some research and buy from an established company, and you’re sure to find a good source of dependable third-party cartridges that save you money without compromising on quality.

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