Review: Universal printer drivers from Xerox, HP aren't so universal

2008-09-16

If, like me, you travel regularly with your laptop between different s, you know how annoying it can be to get even a simple document printed to the right device and in the right format. And if you forget to choose the right printer when you come into a new ? Everything disappears into the wrong queue, only to spit out in a torrent when you connect at the other .

Why can't there be one universal printer driver that knows where you are, finds the printer you need and just prints the job? That's the problem Xerox and Hewlett-Packard attempt to solve with their free Xerox Mobile Express Driver and HP Universal Print Driver (UPD), respectively.

Xerox's Mobile Express and HP's UPD both support -based printing. The drivers identify your by sensing the subnet your computer is on at any given time and offering up the appropriate printers you've associated with it. If it's your first visit to that , they will automatically discover available printers and let you choose from a list. They also let you choose a default for each office you visit. Once you've set it up, the driver determines your by examining your network IP address and automatically sends the print job to the default printer.

But there's a rather big catch in each case. Mobile Express works only with printers that use the PostScript page description language. It won't work with any other printers, including those that use HP's popular PCL format.

Meanwhile, HP's UPD works only with HP-branded printers.

Recently, I took both drivers on the road. My own circumstances provided a perfect testing environment for these two drivers. I access six printers (three regularly) at each of three office s. When I am at Computerworld's main office in Framingham, I print to an HP monochrome LaserJet 4000 printer (attached to the network by way of an HP JetDirect print server) and a Canon multifunction color laser. At my home office, it's an HP LaserJet 1018i and a Lexmark X2350 all-in-one ink-jet printer. And a separate satellite office houses a LaserJet 1200.

As it turned out, neither product was a panacea for my printing problems in all s, but I did find both tools useful and came up with a few work-around to make them play nicely together (or whatever the problem was).

Xerox Mobile Express

I started by downloading Mobile Express to an IBM ThinkPad running Windows XP . The 9MB installation file downloaded quickly and took just a few minutes to set up.

Note: When running the install routine, don't be surprised if you see a Windows dialog warning that you are installing a nonapproved program. According to Richie Michelon, product marketing manager for Xerox's Mobile Express, this happens because of the nature of the universal driver. "Windows XP doesn't recognize any digital signature for a device driver that's not associated with a specific device. But we assigned a third-party [VeriSign] digital signature to make sure it's secure," he said.

Mobile Express begins by asking you to name your current . You can have the driver import all printers in your Printers and Faxes control panel and/or have it discover available printers automatically and choose the ones you want to use.

Once the initial setup is complete, the Xerox Mobile Express Driver becomes your default printer driver. The first time you take your computer to a new , Mobile Express recognizes that it's on a different subnet and asks you to give the a name before moving on to discover available printers.

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iYogi Announces Launch of Monitoring and Performance Tool For SMBs

2008-08-28

iYogi - a leading provider of technical support services with horizons in the US, UK, Canada and Australia - today announced the launch of its exclusive server monitoring tool for small businesses. The new product offers integrated technology solutions to surmount the users' unique IT support requirements thereby enabling them to derive and share information, data, enable network performance analysis, and security trends critical to plan and manage their set of servers - 24x7.

 

Uday Challu, iYogi's CEO commented, "Holding a significant niche for itself in the computer support industry, iYogi has always known to be on the forefront of adapting breakthrough technology to exceed customer service expectations. This time we have developed a tool offering value-add functionality which will help small business customers maximize the business outcomes of IT."

  

iYogi's monitoring tool provides real time observation and monitoring solutions to ensure more robust and reliable IT infrastructure for small buinesses. Small Business owners also get a comprehensive assesment of their IT environment to meet technology needs with the scalability for future growth and create preventative measures based on quick analysis of network device alerts, pre-failure indicators, performance benchmark and security issues.

  

The new Monitoring and performance tool will provide small businesses with the opportunity to test all technical and non-technical aspects of their servers and help them to strengthen overall IT infrastructure. The array of services will include: Patch Management, Security Auditing, Site Inventory, Real Time Alerting Script Based Management, and Remote Management for all critical server issues.

 

"Irrespective of the business being small or large, when the consumer chooses iYogi, he leverages the potential of an elite taskforce of Microsoft Certified System Engineers and Cisco Certified Network Associates, ready to service their critical assets, using the most advanced network asset tracking and Performance monitoring", adds Challu.

 

Another factor where the Company aims to distinguish itself from its competitors is product pricing. Embracing the concept of service quality, iYogi offers competitively priced technical support services at no-haggle, low prices.

As for its small business support, the Company has integrated its exclusive Monitoring and Alerting Services under one price umbrella of just $480 annually. per server i.e. $49.99 per month. The price is certainly hard to find anywhere else.

 

For more information on iYogi Small Business Support, visit http://www.iyogibusiness.com

Contact Details:

Company Name: iYogi Technical Services Pvt Ltd

Address:  iYogi Inc.
12 Desbrosses Street
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013
Toll Free no:1-800-237-3901
Work Number: 1-212-229-0901
Fax Number: 1-888-867-2715

E-Mail: awadhesh.singh@iyogi.net

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16-City Road Show by Xerox India

2008-06-24

The road show is a part of Xerox's national channel strategy campaign running across cities including Indore, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Karnal, Rohtak, Raipur, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Surat, Udaipur, Ranchi, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Madurai and Vizag besides Kochi. Xerox India will showcase 8 newly launched products ranging from small, cost-effective A4 printers to monochrome MFPs in the road show targeted at the SMB community that is expected to spend 5,600 crores in printing and printing supplies in 2008, as per a report by AMI Partners.

The products to be showcased during the road show include: Xerox Phaser 3600 (40 ppm A4 mono printer), Xerox Phaser 3250 (30 ppm A4 mono printer), Xerox Phaser 5550 (50 ppm A3 mono laser printer), Xerox Phaser 3100 MFP (21 ppm A4 multifunctional printer), Xerox WorkCentre 5020 (20 ppm A3 mono multi-functional printer), Xerox WorkCentre 5016 (16 ppm A3 mono multifunctional printer), Xerox Workcentre 5225 (25 ppm A3 mono printer) and Xerox WorkCentre 5230 (30 ppm A3 mono printer).

Speaking at the occasion, Sumant Bhatia, marketing manager, channel programmes and distribution, office business group, Xerox India Limited, said, "SMB is a big opportunity in India. According to AMI Partners, India will be the fastest growing major market in the APAC region with IT spending set to increase more than 20 per cent in 2008. SMBs, which are increasingly focussing at better print quality and printer usage, will be spending 41,500 crores on IT in 2008. Xerox India is bullish about emerging markets growth potential and has identified key 16 cities that are strategic business s for the company in India."

Bhatia added further, "Xerox has always focussed on the urban markets and is now focussing on making inroads in the smaller cities. With the changing dynamics of the market, it has become imperative for us to expand our base to the tier 2 markets. Over the next fortnight, we will visit the key emerging cities to showcase our products to the partners and expand our channel partner base by educating people about the brand ‘Xerox' and the value proposition associated with it."

Added Briju Pavithran, business head, SMB, South India, Xerox India Limited, "At this point of time, we have close to 13 channel partners across Kerala and will be looking at consolidating our position by signing on over 20 strategic partners across the state in various products segments in Southern India."

source:efytimes.com

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HP Photosmart C8180 All-in-One

2008-06-15

At $400, the Photosmart C8180 multifunctional printer sits in Hewlett-Packard's lineup as one of its most expensive All-in-One (AIO) players. This printer, scanner, and copier has a suite of features for the amateur photo enthusiast that includes a touch-screen display, built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity, a slide scanner, and a dual paper feed tray, but it's not without a few missteps. The photo quality is better than average and the hardware is well-designed, but the lack of an auto-document feeder (ADF) and painfully slow print speed prevent us from giving this otherwise excellent printer an Editors' Choice award.

Design and features

The design of the C8180 is similar to the rest of the printers in the Photosmart series, but this particular model has a few notable hardware additions that you won't find in most All-in-Ones. Unlike most printers, the C8180 has a swiveled touch screen that lets you control all the software functions including photo editing, wireless setup and management, and scanning jobs. The touch screen eliminates button clutter and frees up the rest of the front panel for simple buttons that control one-touch red-eye removal as well as a few others for start, stop, and cancel. The front of the C8180 also has a memory card bay with slots for Compact Flash, xD, SD/MMC, and Memory Stick cards.

Although HP flaunts the C8180 as a full-featured AIO for the home and office, it lacks a fax machine and an auto-document feeder that you can find on other AIOs for less money. You'll also notice a unique hardware feature on the front of the C8180: a LightScribe drive that lets you archive your data directly from a USB key or an external memory card to a CD/DVD. We're not disputing its utility, but we wish HP could have found a way to include the drive alongside an ADF and fax instead of omitting them entirely. In either case, we must compliment HP on the build quality and design of the C8180. The rounded corners and silver/white overlay contribute to its overall appeal; this printer will look great alongside any desk setup.

You have three options for connecting your computer to the printer: wired via the included USB cable, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. We can confidently state that the Photosmart C8180 is the easiest Wi-Fi printer we've used to date. Other printers make you pour through pages and pages of instructions and ultimately force you to set up the connection via an ad-hoc network, but the C8180 distills the process down to a simple pairing between the printer and your computer. In fact, there are no onscreen instructions; you set everything up through the digital LCD on the faceplate itself. From open box to first print, the entire Wi-Fi setup took less than 5 minutes.

Another unique feature to the C8180 is its dual paper input tray. This is bound to be one of those, "Why didn't we think of that?" headaches for HP's competitors, and it really is genius--the C8180 has two separate paper trays: one for larger 8.5-by-11 inch paper and another for smaller 4-by-6-inch media. This small hardware addition saves time and desk space by allowing the user to manually select which paper tray will spool from the device, but most of the time the C8180 will choose automatically depending on the job.

The C8180 uses six separate ink cartridges (black, light cyan, light magenta, cyan, magenta, and yellow) and each has its own dedicated bay underneath the hood. We're happy to see that each cartridge is easily replaceable at a fairly reasonable price. Even though each color costs the same, the page yields vary immensely, so for our calculations we used black and yellow, which apparently yield the most pages. A black ink cartridge costs $18 and will yield 660 pages, which comes out to 2.7 cents per page and a yellow cartridge costs $10 for 490 pages, or 2 cents a page. Both are reasonable for a photo printer at this price.

Performance

The C8180 printed much slower in all three of our test categories compared with other printers in the same price range. The discrepancy is most obvious in photo prints--the HP printed almost half a page per minute slower than our other test subjects, including the Brother MFC-685cw, an AIO that lost major points for its slower-than-average print speed. Even the Brother beat our HP by a full page per minute in photos, averaging about 1.3 ppm, while the HP trudged in at a meager .66 ppm.

source:reviews.cnet.com

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HP's newest multifunction printer includes a built-in DVD drive

2008-06-08

The HP Photosmart C8180 isn't cheap, so we wouldn't recommend you throwing down $400 for this multifunction printer unless you're an amateur photographer who needs a top-notch printer and won't mind waiting more than a minute for each photo.

We just finished testing the C8180 (full review), and we were impressed by its built-in LightScribe drive. LightScribe is a direct disc-labeling system that uses lasers to burn an image directly onto the disc. The LightScribe system is meant to eliminate the smudges and peeling that inevitably happens with sticker labels, and the fact that Hewlett-Packard decided to include this proprietary method in the c8180 speaks to the popularity of the media. Feel free to insert your opinion: do you use LightScribe yourself or do you prefer the old sticker way?

Unfortunately, the c8180 isn't without its faults. First, there's no auto-document feeder, so forget about scanning and copying stacks of paper. Second, the printer is so slow that we recommend you pick up a hobby to occupy your time while you want for the tray to spit out your photo. We ran our standard speed tests and the c8180 couldn't even print one photo per minute! The standard rate came out to about .66 photos per minute; like we said, slow. Good thing the prints themselves look great because HP would have to be crazy to think that anyone would wait more than a minute per photo if it were anything less than flawless.

source:crave.cnet

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HP Deskjet marks 20 years as world's best-selling printer

2008-06-05

HP Middle East celebrated the 20th anniversary of the HP Deskjet printer, the world's top-selling printer brand.

Relied on by more than 240 million customers around the world, the HP Deskjet-branded printer continues to outsell all other inkjet printers on the market 20 years after its first introduction.

'Twenty years after its first introduction, the HP Deskjet continues to deliver on its original value proposition of quality, reliability, affordability and ease of use,' said Sherifa Hady, Consumer Business Manager, Imaging and Printing Group, HP Middle East. 'We are thrilled by this achievement because it represents a very strong endorsement from our customers all over the world. Deskjets have successfully brought printing closer to consumers worldwide, making it the world's most loved printer."

The HP DeskJet paved the way for HP to become the world leader in thermal inkjet technology. Today, the HP DeskJet continues to change the way people work with its latest models being Energy Star® compliant with ink cartridges newly molded from recycled plastic resins, while the mobile products allow printing directly from computers, PDAs, cameras, and memory cards.

'It is celebration time at HP. What the DeskJet did - and is still doing today - is to open personal printing to everyone.'

HP Deskjet advances through two decades Launched in February 1988, the HP Deskjet was the world's first single-sheet, desktop printer. The reliable HP Deskjet featured an average speed of just 2 pages per minute (ppm).

Today, the HP Deskjet has transformed into a high-speed, lightweight printer with a multitude of features from wireless connectivity to intuitive software and hardware installation for quick and easy setup. Ideal for printing everyday document and photos, current HP Deskjet models print up to 36 ppm.

 For all short of Printer troubleshoot and support Printer Support

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Eight Mono MFPs and Printers by Xerox

2008-06-02

Xerox announced the global launch of eight mono printers and MFPs for the first time in India. The global launch which was kicked off from India will be rolled out subsequently in 162 countries.

The newly launched products range from small, cost-effective A4 printers to feature-rich monochrome MFPs and are targeted at the fast growing SMB community (small and medium businesses).

Xerox's newly launched products include: Xerox Phaser 3600 (40 ppm A4 mono printer), Xerox Phaser 3250 (30 ppm A4 mono printer), Xerox Phaser 5550 (50 ppm A3 mono laser printer), Xerox Phaser 3100 MFP (21 ppm A4 multifunctional printer), Xerox WorkCentre 5020 (20 ppm A3 mono multifunctional printer), Xerox WorkCentre 5016 (16 ppm A3 mono multifunctional printer), Xerox Workcentre 5225 (25 ppm A3 mono printer) and Xerox WorkCentre 5230 (30 ppm A3 mono printer).

Xerox Phaser 3600

The Xerox Phaser 3600 laser printer is a robust 40-ppm printer with duplex printing and networking facilities. Meeting the needs of a workgroup and even a small office, it includes advanced security features and Xerox's CentreWare Internet Service technology, making the printer easy to use and maintain. The printer comes in two variants of 3600N priced at Rs. 45,644 and 3600DN at the price of Rs. 54,012.

Xerox Phaser 3250

The Xerox Phaser 3250 laser printer, is small in size but rich with features, including automatic two-sided printing and the ability to print up to 30 pages per minute. It also includes a network-ready version, packing many features into a small footprint. The printer comes in two variants of 3250D priced at Rs. 19,018 and 3250DN at the price of Rs. 24,090.

Xerox Phaser 5550

Built on the award-winning Phaser 5500 platform, the Phaser 5550 laser printer features automated tools for easy installation and service. The printer is geared to medium and large workgroups and comes with PhaserSMART, an online troubleshooting tool that helps diagnose and solve potential printing issues, preventing maintenance calls and increasing its reliability. It produces tabloid-sized prints up to 50 ppm for both single and double-sided pages. The printer comes in three variants of 5500N priced at Rs.2,44,066, 5500DN at Rs. 2,82,419 and 5500DT at Rs. 3,17,286.

Xerox Phaser 3100

Xerox combined ease of use, reliability and low-cost to build the Phaser 3100MFP. The system, Xerox's lowest-priced MFP, makes office work easy with print speeds up to 21 ppm and features like "scan to e-mail," a full keyboard for the fax directory, and Optical Character Recognition software that converts scanned documents into text-searchable files. It comes in two variants 3100 MFO P/S at the price of Rs. 12,160 and 3100 MFP P/X at the price of Rs. 17,279.

Xerox WorkCentre 5016 and Xerox WorkCentre 5020

Small and medium-sized business can also turn to the WorkCentre 5016 and WorkCentre 5020 for cost-effective productivity. With print and copy speeds of 16 and 20 ppm respectively, these multifunction printers start at an estimated price of Rs. 57,000 and Rs. 85,000.

They feature a scanning functionality with a paper capacity of up to 800 sheets for powerful, ongoing printing and copying. The WorkCentre 5016 and WorkCentre 5020 offer Power Save and Toner Save modes, which enable customers to save energy and stretch toner use, and "ID Card Copy," which lets people copy both sides of a document, such as a driver's license, onto one side of a piece of paper.

Xerox WorkCentre 5225 and Xerox WorkCentre 5230

The modular and easy-to-manage WorkCentre 5225/5230 multifunction printer is packed with high-end features to deliver a level of productivity beyond the typical office MFP. With print and copy speeds of 25 and 30 ppm respectively, base copier configurations start at an estimated price of Rs. 1,85,000 and Rs. 2,16,000.

Powerful scanning, printing and fax features can be added to meet customers' specific needs and introduce new productivity-enhancing workflows in the office environment. In addition to Xerox's EIP, the WorkCentre 5225/5230 also has comprehensive security features such as "scan-to-password-protected PDF," hard-disk overwrite and data encryption to ensure that confidential data stays private over the network

If you are facing any kind of problem with your computer then go for Computer Repair

source:pcworld.in

 

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Canon and AG enrol new printer system at Longley Park College

2008-05-07

Imaging technology services provider Canon UK has announced that AG Group has won a contract with Longley Park Sixth Form College to replace its printing and copying facilities.

Longley Park Sixth Form College, in Sheffield, has selected an integrated print system that will combine Canon production black and white and workgroup colour Multifunctional Printers (MFPs) with uniFlow Output Manager print accounting software.

A customer service plan will mean that should any problems arise with the system an engineer will be on site within four hours.

Derek Taylor, network manager, Longley Park Sixth Form College, said: "If someone comes to me with a problem I know I can make a call and AG Group will get it sorted out for us, or if we need advice on uniFlow we can go direct to Canon via their helpdesk. Knowing our supplier is genuinely well supported by a company as big as Canon is very reassuring."

Along with the support offered by Canon and AG, the companies will also handle training.

The new system will also share a common user interface and integrate with the magnetic swipe ID cards used by staff and students at the college. Management reporting has also undergone a change with the new system. According to the company, for the first time in three years, the uniFlow system will enable the college to see details and analysis of printing and copying activity for their department.

Taylor said: "Right away I knew I had made the right decision, I only wish we'd made the change three years ago."

source:cbronline

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Canon Q1 profit down 18 pct, cuts outlook

2008-05-01

TOKYO: Japanese camera and office equipment maker Canon Inc posted an 18 per cent fall in quarterly operating profit on Thursday, hit by a firmer yen, and lowered its full-year outlook closer to market expectations.

Although Canon saw healthy demand for its digital cameras, the yen's appreciation hurt its overall profitability. The company earns more than three-quarters of its group revenues overseas, but the value of those earnings falls when converted back into a stronger Japanese currency.

Sluggish copier demand in the United States also hit Canon, which competes with Xerox Corp, Ricoh Co Ltd and Konica Minolta Holdings Inc in printers and copiers. Canon cut its operating profit forecast by 4 per cent to 770 billion yen ($7.44 billion) for the year to December, compared with a consensus of a 753.57 billion yen profit in a poll of 18 analysts.

"I think the impact on the firm's share price will be relatively limited since the stock has already fallen to a discounted level," said Shigemi Nonaka, special adviser to Polestar Investment Management Co. The lowered forecast still tops a 756.67 billion yen profit in 2007, when the Tokyo-based company posted its eighth straight year of profit growth.

"The economy is expected to stage a gradual recovery towards the end of the year and demand from emerging markets is likely to remain strong," Canon Managing Director Masahiro Osawa said. "I think we can overcome harder-than-usual business conditions and achieve sales and profit growth for the ninth year."

Canon, which offers IXY compact digital cameras and EOS high-end models, is the world's largest digital camera maker ahead of Sony Corp, Olympus Corp and Nikon Corp. In January-March, Canon's operating profit was 170.83 billion yen, down from a 207.4 billion yen profit a year earlier and roughly in line with analysts' consensus of a 171.1 billion yen profit.

Net profit fell 18.7 per cent from a year earlier to 106.64 billion yen on sales of 1.0075 trillion yen, down 3.1 per cent. Rival Ricoh also posted a slide in quarterly profit on Thursday. Its operating profit fell 10 per cent from a year earlier to 47.4 billion yen in January-March, due to the yen's appreciation against the dollar and slower multifunctional printer sales in the United States.

Multifunctional Printers typically offer printer, copier, facsimile and scanner functions. For the year ending March 2009, it expects operating profit to dip 1 per cent to 180 billion yen, falling short of a market consensus of 190.4 billion yen.

Prior to the announcement, shares in Canon closed up 0.6 per cent at 5,170 yen and Ricoh rose 0.2 percent to 1,743 yen. Both outperformed the Nikkei average, which lost 0.3 per cent.

source:economictimes.indiatimes.com 

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Answer To Your Needs With A Multifunctional Printer

2008-04-15

Recent craze towards multifunctional or all in one printer is because these can save valuable space, convenient to do several jobs and are less costly.

A multifunctional printer is capable of doing various tasks, namely printing, photocopying, scanning, etc. Sometimes these printers can also be used as a fax machine, and you can take direct photo-prints from your digital camera.

It is important to know a few points before selecting a multifunctional printer.

The type of Printer

The two main types of printers in vogue are inkjet and laser printer. Both these printers produce high quality of printing. Inkjet printers use magnetized plated which directs ink onto sheets of paper in desired style. Normally using two cartridges, one for color and the other for black and white, the printout quality matches with laser printer. This is less costly and portable; the only disadvantage being it is much slower in comparison to laser printer.

Laser printer operates by sending a laser beam producing an image on the drum. Also known as page printers, the laser printers are much faster as the entire page is printed here in one going. Though expensive, these types of printers produce high quality printing at high speed with unlimited variety of fonts.

It is important to check the resolution of the printer. Normally higher the resolution, the better is the print quality.

Compatibility of the printer: Selection for the printer should also consider the type of operating system the printer can work with. There are printers which can work with multi-systems like Windows, Linux, Mackintosh, etc.

Scanning

By scanning, graphics and text can be directly transferred to and stored in a computer and printed as per your need. Normal multifunctional computers will have a 600 dpi resolution. In case of a photo printer the resolution may be higher. The color depth capacity of a scanner is important factor to be considered also. The greater the bit depth, the greater is the resolution and more colors can be represented.

Scanners normally come as flatbed or sheet-fed. Flatbed scanners are more versatile as they can scan a range of documents irrespective of their thickness whereas in a sheet-fed scanner the documents are scanned one sheet at a time and the documents need to be detached from the magazine or book for scanning. Scanners are normally sold with a twain driver which can be easily installed in any computer and can work seamlessly with other applications.

Copier

In comparison to analog machines, digital copiers have much larger zoom range for reducing as well as enlarging. The speed and resolution of the copier is generally the same as that of the printer.

Faxing

The easy way to transmit documents over phone line is faxing. The majority of these machines transmit between 14.4 to 33.6 kbps speeds. This means 6 to 10 seconds and 3 seconds respectively to transmit data per page. Normally 512 kilobytes of memory in a fax machine can hold about 20 to 25 pages of incoming and outgoing pages without relying on paper. The speed dial indicates how many fax numbers can be stored in the memory of the machine.

Optional items such as automatic paper feeder, extra paper trays and enhanced photo printing capability printers are available also. In case of automatic paper feeder, you don`t have to wait and feed manually for copying and scanning more than one sheet. Optional paper trays can add up 500 pages to the total capacity. Enhanced photo printing capability printers have high resolution capability, four to six cartridges and also provide a direct connection for downloading photo from your camera. Also it allows you to view the picture before printing.

source: amazine articles

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A Guide To Buying Printer Toners

2008-03-27

A printer toner is a powder used to refill the ink of a laser printer. It consists of positively and negatively charged particles, which serves to control the color and intensity of the marks made on the paper. It produces longer-lasting prints on your paper compared to cartridges and even printer ribbons. The toner comes in both black and colored.

Kinds of printer toners

Before, printer toners are very expensive, resulting in people coming up with alternatives to prolong their ink life. However, today, several companies are selling alternative printer toners for your laser printer.

Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) printer toner cartridge

OEM printer toners are original toners produced by the makers of the printer. They work only for the specific brand or model it comes with. They are also produced by the manufacturer of the printer. OEM toners produce high quality printing jobs but are more expensive than other toners.

Remanufactured printer toner cartridge

Remanufactured printer toners are refilled original cartridges that have almost the same standards as OEM toners. Remanufactured toners are cheaper than OEM toners.

Compatible printer toner cartridge

Compatible printer toners are the cheapest types of toners. They are made from used parts of OEM cartridges and are designed to be compatible with specific printer brands. They are low quality and should definitely be tested to ensure good performance.

Buying tips

Before buying a printer toner, make sure to check for your printer's compatibility. Also, it is highly recommended that the toner be tested for quality and performance before purchase. Finally, if you are aiming for high quality prints, use OEM toners.

Consumer Information / Help

If you get any kind of problem with you printer then go for Printer Repair.

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All About Multifunctional Printer, Scanner And Copier

2008-03-17

Multifunctional Printers are the best for small offices and or the home. It is a real miracle - one unit that prints, copies and scans. It saves on space and money. One point has to be kept in mind that it does all these functions but not all of them well. If the requirement is for high grade scanning then this three-in-one model might prove to be inadequate. It is all right for moderate use and not for intensive application.

As regards the speed the printer might prove to be too slow for professional use. This is especially so in the case of colour printers. While using a multifunction printer and trying to get some fast assignment completed then the rate of 22 pages per minute as against the crawl of 12 pages per minute does matter.

Multifunction Printers that have more memory turn out to be more costly. This inadequacy becomes apparent when one tries to do three things together - scanning, printing and copying. If the requirement is heavy then it is best to opt for a multifunction printer that has 16 MB - to say the least.

The quality of the image depends on dpi or dots per inch. The standard (600x600) will suffice for printing but is unsuitable as regards quality of photo. Scanner resolutions must be noticed, as these are usually low in multifunction models. There is a wide gap as regards quality between interpolated and optimal resolution.

Multifunction printers that have to be fed with one page at a time can become a real headache and eat up the whole day. It is best to buy a multifunction printer that is fitted with a document feeder system that is automatic and at each go holds 15 sheets at the minimum.

It is advisable not to just pick a multipurpose printer off the store shelf, have it packed, pay and walk off with it. Always play around with it in the store giving a good amount of time and attention. Carefully scrutinize the specifications and see how the printer actually behaves when put to the test. Each operation should be tested separately. After all it must meet the specific requirements of the buyer - no matter how small it is.

Most of the multifunction printers are manufactured with the prime function of photographic output. But being three-in-one the other utilities are kept in mind.

The scanner function is of great importance. There are two main types technologies involved in manufacture of scanners. CCD or charge-coupled-device performs better as regards quality of image especially when dealing with books. On the other hand the other technology of CIS or contact-image-sensor makes the machine more durable. Other points to consider are sheet-fed versus flat-bed machines.

The flat-bed ones allow scanning of thicker objects. Try to include in the purchase package an OCR or optical-character-recognition. It converts the pages that are scanned into text documents that can be edited. This will save a lot of time - running into hours - if the original soft copy is misplaced. For those who want to store old photographs purchase with this multipurpose printer attachments that will enable scanning of slides and films.

The speed of making copies can never be up to the mark unless the unit has these gizmos. Always bear in mind that documents have to be lifted and replaced innumerable times. Apart from speed other areas of importance are user friendliness and storage of memory. But with all the attachments included it will be child`s play to manage multiple copies; only few buttons will have to be pressed.

source: amazines articles

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Acquaint Yourself With Computer Printers

2008-03-12

A computer printer is a device used for printing text or images on hard copy stored in electronic form, generally on physical print media like paper. Printers are designed to support both local and network connected users simultaneously. Nowadays, modern printers can directly interface to electronic devices like digital cameras. Some printers that come with non printing features are commonly known as Multi-Functional Printers (MFP) or Multi-Function Devices (MFD). It integrates various functions of multiple devices into one. Such types of printers are extremely useful for small businesses and home offices.

As opposed to a traditional printer, a multi-functional printer is a combination of devices like Printer, Scanner, Photocopier, and Fax Machine. Likewise, there are numerous other types of printers widely available in the market. Let's take a look at them:

Laser Printer: A laser printer works in a similar fashion as a photocopier does. It has a roller which is charged with electricity. A laser beam is passed to remove the charge from portions of the roller.  The parts hit by the laser are powdered by the toner which is then transferred from the roller to the paper. Finally, the ink is baked into the paper with the help of a heater incorporated in the printer. People generally prefer laser printer because of its ability to give high quality output and high speed. 

Dot Matrix:  It has a print head that moves across the page. A dot matrix printer produces characters using a cluster of pins which press an inked ribbon to the paper, thereby creating a dot. Each character is made in the same way. Dot Matrix printers are relatively cheaper and durable. These qualities still attract businesses which use them as invoice printers. 

Ink Jet and Bubble Jet:  It works in a manner similar to a Dot Matrix Printer. However, its print head sprays liquid ink onto the page instead of pressing a dry ink against the page. Ink jet and bubble jet printers are better known as predecessors of laser printers. They produce better image quality and run faster.

From inkjets to monochrome and color lasers, different printers are designed to accomplish different tasks. Companies like DELL, CANON, LEXMARK, BROTHER, EPSON, and HP HEWLETT PACKARD are most preferred when it comes to buying a printer. Nowadays, Computer Printer Support is widely available on the Internet which saves you from taking it to any expensive technician for troubleshooting.

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High-Performance Colour Printing Redefined

2008-03-09

In an ongoing effort to provide high-performance printing capabilities for business, HP has pioneered the development of HP Edgeline Technology, the first-of-its-kind, ink-based printing engine designed to meet the demands of high-volume workloads. HP Edgeline Technology opens the door to innovative printing solutions for businesses with high-volume printing requirements, including retailers, industrial printers and office environments. Fast printing speeds, outstanding print quality and reliability, and a low cost of operation are some of the primary benefits of HP Edgeline Technology.

Simple question, big idea 
 
HP engineers began developing HP Edgeline Technology by asking, "How can we make printing better?" Leveraging an unrivaled history in printing and imaging and some of the best engineering and design talent on the planet, HP developed a printing solution that would deliver excellent performance, reliability and cost-efficiency to meet the printing needs of businesses everywhere. 
 
The HP Edgeline Technology advantage 
 
HP Edgeline Technology is an ink-based printing engine designed with printheads that span the width of a page. In other words, with HP Edgeline Technology, the paper moves, not the printhead. It's that simple.

For increased printing speeds, HP Edgeline Technology printers use large, stationary printheads-arranged in a line-to dispense ink across the entire width of the page as the paper passes beneath them. The result is more accurate ink-drop placement and breathtaking print speeds for crisp, print-shop quality output-fast. Plus, the sophisticated printhead design delivers outstanding reliability, allowing for more printing up-time, less maintenance and a lower total cost of operation over time. To complement the new printhead design and increased speeds, HP has specially designed Vivera inks for each current printing system with HP Edgeline Technology to deliver leading print quality. 
 
Next-generation printing 
 
HP Edgeline Technology is already in use in HP Photosmart Express Station retail photo kiosks that deliver lightning-fast prints of digital photos in the U.S. HP Photosmart Express Stations produce 4 x 6-inch photos fast-20 prints in about two minutes-at a price per photo that rivals the traditional photo lab. The photo print quality is outstanding. The HP Photosmart Express Station uses HP Vivera professional inks and a patented 6-ink system that prints smudge- and fade-resistant, brilliant photos that last for generations. HP Edgeline Technology also powers the recently introduced HP Photosmart pm1000 Microlab printer, which delivers photo lab-quality prints, fast-as fast as five seconds per print-from a compact, high-throughput mechanism that plugs into a retailer's existing photofinishing system. Colour image quality without compromising on speed or cost: it's HP Edgeline Technology and HP Vivera inks that make it possible.

HP isn't stopping there. You'll start seeing HP Edgeline Technology in many more high-performance HP products-including industrial printers and light production-in the future. In Spring 2007, this patented technology will redefine business printing with the combined benefits of ink and laser in a single device: fast printing speeds, excellent print quality for text and graphics, a low cost per page and HP world-class reliability. Stay tuned for more on HP Edgeline Technology. 

source: h71028.www7.hp.com

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About HP Printers

2008-03-05

Hewlett Packard (Hp) is one the best provider of company's products on reasonable prices. Hewlett Packard is the premier worldwide technology solutions provider to businesses, consumers and institutions.

Hewlett-Packard was one of the first companies to produce a laser printer for PCs and most software products include drivers for HP printers. The drivers control the printers through a language called PCL (printer control language). Other makers of laser printers design their printers so that they, too, understand PCL, making them able to emulate HP printers. In this way, their printers are HP-compatible and are thus automatically supported by many software products.

No non-HP printer, however, is 100 percent HP-compatible. HP is the provider of all types of printers such as color laser printers, laser Printers, inkjet printers, multifunction printers, plotters, Mac Printers, refurbished printers, portable printers, fax machines and copiers. HP also provides printers through which you can create photos. They are basic inkjet printers, photo printers, all-in-ones printer, portable photo printers and professional-quality printers.

HP also provides repair services for laser printer, printer cartridges, refurbished printers and other parts. Laser Printer Repair 911 provides corporations, small businesses and individuals with certified on site, in home and carry in Printer Repair Services and upgraded printer parts.

source:enzine articles

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All in One Printer

2008-03-03

More than 3m Brits now officially work from home, and millions more are catching up with office tasks at home in the evenings or at the weekends. The idea of doing your job without leaving your house (or even your pyjamas) might be tempting, but to get really productive without getting dressed you'll need to partner your computer with a printer, a photocopier and maybe even a scanner.

An easy way to do this without turning your spare bedroom into a branch office is with an all-in-one (AIO) printer. This multifunctional desktop device can print business letters and colour pictures, photocopy paperwork and scan all kinds of documents for digital storage.

What's more, it's compact, has just one mains plug and in most cases connects to your PC with a single USB cable. Annoyingly, you'll need to buy the cable (costing from £3) separately for every printer on test here, except for the Lexmark X4550, which transmits data wirelessly over your wi-fi network, so you can really clear up your desk by hiding it away in a cupboard. The Brother can also work wirelessly if plugged into a wi-fi router.

All the printers on test except the Lexmark X2550 have memory-card slots and a PictBridge port for printing photos directly from your digital camera. A few AIOs (such as the Brother) can also work as a fax machine, but these tend to be pricier, and faxing isn't popular nowadays.

At the heart of every AIO is an inkjet printer, a technological marvel that uses thousands of tiny nozzles to deliver microscopic amounts of ink with incredible precision, hundreds of times a second. The number of coloured inks is important; all the printers in our test used four, but more sophisticated photo printers can use up to eight inks for richer, more realistic colours. The Lexmarks can add two extra inks but the Canon and HP produced decent photos with their standard four.

You'll end up spending much more on ink over the lifetime of a printer than you ever did on buying it. Except where noted, these printers use about 5p worth of ink to print or photocopy a typical page comprising black text and colour images. But if you print mostly ink-hungry photos, be prepared for rocketing running costs.

Shop around for replacement inks, as online stores often charge far less than high street shops do. Think carefully before using cartridges that aren't from the printer's maker, or ink-refill packs; these do save you money, but at the risk of patchy ink coverage and smeary or fading prints.

When it comes to scanning, all the AIOs here were fine for making digital back-ups of letters and passports. But if you want to digitise photos to enlarge later, you'll ideally need a resolution of 2,400 x 4,800dpi, which only the Canon and HP could offer. While all the AIOs tested could produce readable (if not necessarily beautiful) photocopies of documents, none is suitable for bulk copying or making pristine reproductions of photos. Nevertheless, all-in-ones are a very handy home-office addition for weekend workers.

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HP Launches New Range of LaserJet Printers in India

2008-02-27

HP India has expanded its laser printer portfolio with the launch of two mono lasers, HP LaserJet P1505 and HP LaserJet P1505N, and two multifunction lasers, HP LaserJet M2727nf and HP LaserJet M2727nfs. Targeted at small and medium businesses (SMBs) and enterprises, the price range starts from Rs. 9, 999/- to Rs. 55,000/-.

The roll out is part of HP's Print 2.0 strategy, an overall strategy designed to accelerate the company's ability to capture a significant portion of the 53 trillion pages expected to be printed by 2010.

"We believe in growing, expanding and leading the laser printer market in India. HP is optimistic about the robust economic growth in India and expects this to fuel business demand for its Laser Jet printers," said Samir Shah, Director - Commercial and Enterprise Printing, Imaging and Printing Group, HP India Sales Pvt. Ltd.

"Through HP's Print 2.0 strategy, we are providing SMBs and enterprises in the country with the most comprehensive set of printing hardware, services, solutions and tools that make it easier and more affordable for the segment to create, consume, manage and print business content in the way they want; whether in-house, online, in retail or through a print service," added Shah.

The HP LaserJet P1505 and HP LaserJet P1505N are amongst the first mono laser printers in its class to exceed the speed of 20 ppm. The printers deliver a print speed of 23 ppm and a first-page-out time of 6.5 seconds with HP Instant On technology. HP said the low-end laser printers provide customers with manageability features usually found in high-end LaserJet devices.

These network-enabled printers feature intelligence built into the toner cartridge that provides alerts when the toner is low and can issue daily printer usage data. The new chemically prepared toner used in the range produces bold, crisp text and sharper images at fast speeds. The HP LaserJet P1505 is priced at Rs. 9999/-, while the HP LaserJet P1505n, which is also adapted to the Linux platform, is priced at Rs.14,999/-.

The HP LaserJet M2727 NF and HP LaserJet M2727 NFS, ideal for SMBs and enterprises with unmanaged IT environments, are full-featured Multifunction Printers with built-in networking, duplex printing, network ready scanning/ faxing and a print speed of 27 ppm. HP's Instant On technology helps boosts productivity by delivering the first page in 8.5 seconds from PowerSave mode. HP's Instant On Copy technology means no more wasted time waiting for the copier to warm-up.

The HP LaserJet M2727 series also features a Scan-To function that allows users to scan a document and email it directly from the printer. The HP LaserJet M2727NF is priced at Rs. 45,000/- while the M2727NFS is priced at Rs. 55,000/-.

Source:itnewsonline.com

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Practical advice when buying a multifunctional printer

2008-02-25

A multifunctional printer combines a printer, scanner, copier and sometimes also a fax-machine into the same machine. This is very convenient as it frees up valuable space on your desk and also saves money as the all-in-one machine costs less than three or four separate machines cost.

The printing quality of all printers has improved considerably in recent years, and at the same time prices are getting lower. Colour printouts are no longer a luxury reserved for the most advanced printers. If you own a digital camera, there are even printers that can read directly from the memory card, making it unnecessary to first transfer the pictures to your computer.

Type of printer

The main categories are: - laser printers and ink-jets. Laser and LED/LCD printers produce very high quality text and graphics, the only difference being that the latter two use liquid crystals or light-emitting diodes rather than a laser to produce an image on the drum. Ink-jet printers also produce high-quality text and graphics by spraying ink at a sheet of paper.

Ink jets

Ink-jets work by spraying ionized ink onto sheets of paper. This is achieved by using magnetized plates which direct the ink's path onto the paper in the desired pattern. Becoming increasingly common is the two-cartridge system which involves one black and one colour cartridge with cyan, magenta and yellow.

This can produce 16 million different colour combinations. The most common system today is to use two ink cartridges, one for black and one for cyan, magenta and yellow. This results in waste of precious ink as the cartridge needs to be replaced when just one of the colours is used up.

The best choice is a printer with separate ink tanks for each colour as this reduces the amount of ink wasted. The downside is that these printers tend to be a bit more expensive than those only using two ink-tanks. Today there are printers with new pigment-based ink that gives archive-constant printouts that are water resistant.

Ink-jet printers are capable of producing high quality print which almost matches the quality of a laser printer. As a rule, ink-jet printers tend to be somewhat cheaper than the laser variety. They also make better portable printers due to the fact they use much smaller mechanical parts. They are however considerably slower. Another negative point is that high quality paper is required to avoid smudging - a problem that doesn't exist with laser printing.

Laser printers

Laser printers operate by shining a laser beam to produce an image on a drum. The beam effectively alters the electrical charge of the drum, which is then rolled through a toner. The charged areas of the drum pick up the toner using electro-magnetism. A combination of heat and pressure then transfers the toner onto a sheet of paper.

Sometimes laser printers are called page printers. This is because entire pages are sent to the drum before the toner is even applied. This makes for very quick printing times, and the supply cartridges tend to last a long time so they can handle large print jobs. Some cartridges can print up to 15,000 pages before needing to be replaced. Another big plus point for laser printing is their resolution, with some having a DPI (Dots Per Inch) of 2,400. With resolution enhancement this figure can be even higher.

Laser printers are a must for very high quality picture printouts. In addition to that they can also print an almost unlimited variety of fonts. Laser printers used to be very expensive, but now the prices for the lower range models are merely double that of a simple inkjet printer. For colour laser printers, the prices are a little higher.

It is worth noting that there are also two other types of page printers that fall under the category of laser printers - LED and LCD printers. This is somewhat misleading because they don't actually use laser at all, although the print quality is very similar. The print process is almost identical, but LED printers use Light Emitting Diodes to charge the drum, and the other uses Liquid Crystals.

Resolution

The resolution is expressed in pixels (points) per inch -the higher the resolution the finer the print quality.

Compatibility

Which operating system can the printer work with? (Some printers can handle both Windows, Macintosh as well as Linux operating systems). 

Scanner

The primary function of a scanner is to allow the direct transfer of graphics and printed text to a computer system. The process involves dividing an image into a grid of boxes. Each box is known as a 'bit', and combined the grid is referred to as a 'bit map', that is stored as a file that can then be viewed on a computer screen.

Resolution

The quality of the scan is determined by the optical resolution the scanner provides. The resolution refers to the sharpness and clarity of an image, represented in dots per inch (dpi). The more dots per inch, the higher the resolution and the clearer and sharper the scan. For example, 600 dpi means that there are 600 dots across and 600 dots down, so there are 360,000 dots per square inch. Typically, scanners support resolutions of from 72 to 600 dpi.

Colour Depth

Another factor to consider is the colour depth capacity of the scanner, which allows the scanner to distinguish the range of different colours and shades in the documents to be scanned. Each point in an image is called a pixel (short for picture element), and different scanners read the pixels in varying intensities of bits. The greater the bit depth, the more colours or greyscales can be represented, and the greater the resolution. For example, a 24-bit colour scanner can represent 2 to the 24th power (16.7 million) colours.

Technology

Flatbed scanners On a flatbed scanner, the document to be scanned is placed on top of a glass surface. Flatbed scanners are generally considered the most versatile, as they enable you to scan a range of documents or objects regardless of their size or thickness (e.g. magazines, books, maps, charts, etc).

Sheet-fed scanners On a sheet-fed scanner, the document is pulled through the scanner. These are suitable for scanning single sheets of paper, however, the materials that are scanned need to be detached from the book or magazine. These scanners look similar to a portable printer, where the item to be scanned in is fed into the scanner.

TWAIN

Scanners are generally sold with specific operating software that controls the scanning process and adjusts the scanned image. In most cases, this software, called a TWAIN driver, is easily installed on your computer and allows you to use the scanner with other applications.

Copier

The copy speed and resolution are generally the same as the printer speed and resolution.

Reduction/enlargement ratio

Digital copiers are capable of a much larger zoom range (both reducing and enlarging) than analogue machines. A few enlarge as high as 800 percent, but the majority enlarges to 200 or 400 percent.

Fax

Fax machines provide an easy way to send documents over phone lines. Faxing is a faster option than regular mail and an affordable alternative to overnight delivery.

A fax machine scans each outgoing page and converts the images into a series of light and dark dots. This pattern is then translated into audio tones and sent over regular phone lines. The receiving fax machine "hears" the tones, pieces the grid together, and prints the total compilation of dots. The result is black and white copies of the original pages.

Modem speed

The majority of fax machines transmit at speeds of 14.4 kbps or 33.6 kbps. 14.4 kbps means a sending time for a single page of six to ten seconds, and about three seconds per page with 33.6 kbps.

The high speeds are only available when transmitting to machines that have the same protocol, but the machines are equipped with a fallback mechanism that lets them send and receive at 9.6 kbps to ensure backward compatibility.

Memory

Memory enables a fax machine to store incoming or outgoing pages without relying on paper. The amount of memory required to hold a page depends on the density of the image. In general, you can expect 512 kilobytes to hold about 20 pages to 25 pages.

Speed dials

This indicates how many fax numbers you can store in the memory of the fax machine.

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Vital Tips for Document Scanning Software Buyers

2008-02-25

The requirement to save paper and control the management of workflow documents and images continues to be driven by two main methods: managing costs through efficiency and managing environmental concerns through technology. The need is therefore continuous and ongoing, to ensure the correct acquisition of document scanning software with functions which fit the purpose. This summary highlights some important considerations when buying such software.

Categories of Document Scanning Software

Document scanning solutions fall in to one or more of the following categories by function. These are

1) Ad-hoc scanning of individual documents into computer files.

2) Desktop batch scanning of documents to network files or to a document management system.

3) High-volume, multi-user scanning of documents to document management system.

4) Automated indexing of documents from multifunctional printers, network scanners or distributed capture.

5) Applications which automate data entry tasks using handprint recognition and dynamic Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to capture data from images.

Which Scanning Software Features?

The key to the best practice and most efficient document scanning is to specify as many automation features as possible to eliminate manual indexing and at the same time make all documents fully searchable.

An excellent way to achieve this is with barcodes. Barcodes can be recognised with a very high rate of speed and accuracy and a minimal possibility of false positives.

Another way is via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) which can be used to read indexes from machine print on scanned images. It's not as quick as barcodes, and the recognition rate is not as high, but it has the advantage with documents that were not designed with scanning in mind.

An efficient user-friendly interface design will also save you time in setting up, training staff and supporting the document scanning application. Clearly, staff will respond better to any work pattern changes with a more efficient interface for their daily work. For this reason the user experience must be a paramount consideration.

Other Key Scanning Software Features

Features and areas requiring attention and comparison between software brands are:

License Type: Is the license server or workstation based? Do any monthly page limits apply?

Platforms: Presently, almost all batch scanning system is limited to the Windows user environment.

Export Capabilities: How is index data exported? Keywords can be used to organize images into logical folders and filenames on a network, for example. Alternatively it can be exported to delimited text files for import into other software systems. Or again, it can be added directly to an ODBC or OleDB database.

Scanner Support: Almost all scanners support TWAIN drivers. These days, ISIS drivers are also supplied with most document scanners available. Real-time image enhancement on scanned images is supplied by Kofax - native support for Adrenaline image processing boards.

Multifunctional Printer Support is provided by automatically processing images from a drop folder operating in the background. Any networked MFP, digital copier, scanner or fax machine can scan images to a network folder. These applications process these images without any user intervention. Usual practice is to use printed barcode coversheets to index documents prior to scanning. This means more flexibility, in that any user can scan and index files.

File Type Support: PDF is an overall standard, but it is useful to specify additional file types, and check what is supported by the software. It is useful to know that PDFs can create a hidden text layer that is overlaid on the scanned image, letting the viewer search, highlight and copy the OCR text while viewing the image. This function is very desirable.

All pricing options depend of course on the selected optional features and page count limitations, if any. Setup cost depends very much on the desired level of service. It is possible for knowledgeable users to install and configure most scanning software systems. However there are many advantages to having experts to guide you through the process to ensure the fullest available automation and workflow efficiency. The biggest cost in batch scanning is without doubt the indexing process, and proper automation is vital to getting the most return from your investment document scanning software.

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Inkjet and Laser Multifunctional Printer Buying Tips Recommendations

2008-02-25

You have decided to buy a printer. With the great amount of models to choose from in today's printer market, are you confused about which one you should get?

Wondering which printing technology is right for you? Should you go for an inkjet printer or a laser printer?

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet Printers can be categorized as 3-color inkjet printers, 4-color inkjet printers and photo printing inkjet printers. The 4-color inkjets are the most popular ones in the industry. 4-color Inkjet Printers usually hold two ink cartridges (one for black and one for color). Some hold two additional ink cartridges to separate the colors and have one ink cartridge for each color (black, cyan, magenta and yellow).

3-color Inkjet Printers are usually equivalent to the low-end 4 color inkjet printers with the exception of holding only one ink cartridge at a time. So you need to switch the ink cartridge to change between black and color. The 3-color inkjet printers are no longer popular as the 4-color inkjet printer prices are continually dropping.

The photo printing inkjet printers are a bit more complicated than the first two. Many of the 4-color inkjets print photos with good quality and most photo printing inkjets carry the same features as 4-color inkjets with just a few special photo printing features added such as directly printing from the digital camera. Most of the photo printing inkjets use additional colors such as light cyan light magenta, green, and red to provide true photographic quality outputs.

Laser Printers

Laser Printers have two different technologies for black & white (monochrome) and color printing. Among the laser printers, monochrome laser printers are the most popular ones in the industry. In general, laser printers are a lot faster than inkjet printers. Laser printers are quite popular as they offer fast printing, good print quality and low cost per page. They use toner cartridges instead of ink cartridges found in inkjet printers.

Whether it's for home offices, businesses or home users, we can say that Monochrome Laser Printers offer the best balance between print quality, price and speed Color Laser Printers are generally designed for offices where a lot of graphics or photographs are being printed. If you are a home user, probably you will not need a color laser printer. The high-end laser printers are capable of printing good quality photographs but still none can reach the true photo quality of high-end inkjet printers.

Once you choose between monochrome and color laser printer, you can decide whether you need a personal or workgroup laser.

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Multifunctional Printer Setup Utility Perks Up Your Small Business

2008-01-02

The Multifunctional Printer Setup Utility is a software which helps you to configure printers connected to your computer or to the network. Printers are a common article of use in any office. Any corporate office these days, are equipped with a series of printers. However, printer settings can be a problem. Won't you love to go for shareware that can connect with any printer? You need a solution to save your precious time.

A printer setup utility is an application setup to access printers. There are many practical advantages with printer setup utility:

It helps to configure printers physically connected to the computer or via a network. Another great advantage is that the tray settings in documents are not preserved even when you:

1. use a different printer 
2. change the version of your Operating Software
3. or when you change the version of the printer driver
4. and its tray selector can work with any printer

Tray settings in documents can change because the printer driver for one printer may have different tray ID or different printer driver settings. Difference in page sizes are also the cause of this behaviour. Apart from all this, you can specify in which tray to print the first page of the document you want and the subsequent pages for each printer.

Printer Setup Utility can help you do away with the need for manual setups. There is all the better reason for you to try out this shareware today. It effectively solves your word document printing issues.

To help you prepare printed reports, letterheads, this shareware can ease your task. It should be a nice thing for your business setup as much as to increase the efficiency of your business. Printer Setup Utility thus helps you score with enhanced utility.

Source: Ezine Articles

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A Guide To Buying Multifunctional Printer Toners

2007-12-19

A Multifunctional Printer toner is a powder used to refill the ink of a laser printer. It consists of positively and negatively charged particles, which serves to control the color and intensity of the marks made on the paper. It produces longer-lasting prints on your paper compared to cartridges and even printer ribbons. The toner comes in both black and colored.

Kinds of printer toners

Before, printer toners are very expensive, resulting in people coming up with alternatives to prolong their ink life. However, today, several companies are selling alternative printer toners for your laser printer.

Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) printer toner cartridge

OEM printer toners are original toners produced by the makers of the printer. They work only for the specific brand or model it comes with. They are also produced by the manufacturer of the printer. OEM toners produce high quality printing jobs but are more expensive than other toners.

Remanufactured printer toner cartridge

Remanufactured printer toners are refilled original cartridges that have almost the same standards as OEM toners. Remanufactured toners are cheaper than OEM toners.

Compatible printer toner cartridge

Compatible printer toners are the cheapest types of toners. They are made from used parts of OEM cartridges and are designed to be compatible with specific printer brands. They are low quality and should definitely be tested to ensure good performance.

Buying tips

Before buying a printer toner, make sure to check for your printer's compatibility. Also, it is highly recommended that the toner be tested for quality and performance before purchase. Finally, if you are aiming for high quality prints, use OEM toners.

 

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Save Money On Multifunctional Printer Ink

2007-12-17

Multifuctional Printer ink is very expensive and due to this the cost of running a printer is also very high. However, it is possible to save money on printer ink if you know what are the things to consider and where to buy.

The best way to save money on printer ink is to buy remanufactured cartridges or compatible cartridges for your printer rather than buying expensive OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges. Remanufactured cartridges are recycled OEM cartridges. Empty cartridges are professionally refilled by experts and then put up for sale. Compatible cartridges are third-party cartridges manufactured by companies who make cartridges for various printer types. Refilling your printer cartridge with a refill kit is also a good way of saving money. Refilling is the cheapest of all the options available.

Buying online can also save money on printer ink. Online sellers offer discounts and it will be easy to compare prices of various dealers and choose the best price. You will also be able to save on traveling and shipping expenses. Many sellers offer free shipping facilities on their products.

Having an extra cartridge at home will help save money on printer ink. If your printer suddenly runs out of ink, you don't have to go to the retail printer store and buy printer ink at a considerably higher price. If the number of printouts from your printer is too high then is it best to buy cartridges in bulk. Dealers will give huge discounts if you purchase in bulk. Bulk purchases are suitable for offices and large set-ups.

As printer inks are very expensive, the best way to save money on printer ink is to use it economically. Plan and print. Often people take printouts simply to realize later that it is not required. Take printouts of only those documents that are necessary.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com

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Understanding The Multifunctional Printer Toner

2007-12-09

With a computer printer sitting on most office desks - both at home and at the office - most users have come to understand the role of the multifunctional printer toner. But, in most cases, the extent of our knowledge is limited to knowing when and how the printer toner cartridge must be changed. And change it we do, without having any real understanding of how it functions within our printer.

Printer toner contains the ink - whether in liquid or powder form - that allows our computer documents to come to life so that we may hold them in our hand. When we choose the print option from our computer, a signal is sent to the printer, and ink - of all necessary colors - is released onto our papers reproducing exactly the document we constructed on our computer.

Each printer comes equipped with compatible printer toner. Depending on the volume with which we print, the printer toner will have to be changed periodically or more frequently. In this case, we purchase replacement printer toner - which in many a case can be an expensive proposition.

Of course when replacing the printer toner most people turn to the printer manufacturer. The specific printer toner that is compatible with your printer comes with a product number that will help you easily and conveniently locate a replacement. While this can be a more pricey option then purchasing a generic alternative, you are sure to get the quality that your printer needs. Lower quality printer toner, while always less expensive, can seriously clog and damage your printer.

That is not to say, however, that you can not find quality printer toner at reasonable prices. There are generic brands that offer superior quality at a more affordable cost. The key is ensuring that you are dealing with a reputable company that will stand behind the products they sell.

Printer toner is an inevitable part of printer ownership. Take your time to learn what works and what prices you can find so that you affordably address your printer needs.

 

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Make The Most Out Of Your Canon or HP Multifunctional Printer Ink Cartridges

2007-12-05

As long as we use multifunctional printers or ordinary printers in our homes and offices, printer ink cartridges would find a significant role in our lives. Printer ink cartridges help the printer to give shape and visibility to what we want to see in a document. Printers and printer ink cartridges have acquired a very significant role in both personal and commercial domain. Not just documents in A4 size sheets, but we can print cards, pamphlets, posters, logos, stickers and much more, only with efficient performance of printers and ink cartridges.

Amidst a wide range of printer systems that are found in the UK markets, the inkjet printers are most commonly used. Generally the inkjet printer is made up of plastic and it has chambers from where the ink is supplied. You can find HP ink cartridges and inkjet cartridges of other leading brands like Canon and Lexmark quite easily. Inkjet cartridges are found in two types - black ink cartridges and colour ink cartridges. The inkjet cartridges enjoy a lot of popularity due to their efficiency and user friendly features.

Do you know how to calculate the efficiency of your printer? The efficiency of a printer can be calculated on the basis of their ink usage. An efficient printer utilises ink from printer ink cartridges in the optimum possible manner. It prints maximum number of pages as long as there is ink in the printer ink cartridges.

Printers which exhaust ink cartridges sooner - are not of good quality. Although printer ink cartridges can be replaced or refilled easily, yet you want to get most out of your existing ink cartridge, won't you? A good way to get most out of printer ink cartridges is by taking printouts on a regular basis. This is particularly applicable for homes where you may not find the need to take print outs on a regular basis, unlike in offices.

So whether you are using HP ink cartridges or Canon or Lexmark, utilise your printer ink cartridges by choosing the right printers and good quality printer ink cartridges.

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Lexmark Multifunctional Printer line-up wins top honours from Buyers Laboratory, Inc.

2007-12-02

Lexmark International, Inc.has been recognized with a Fall Pick of the Year Award for Most Outstanding Monochrome Multifunctional Printer (MFP) Line by Buyers Laboratory,Inc. (BLI), a leading independent printer and multifunctional testing laboratory.

The Lexmark X642e, X646ef, X850e series monochrome MFPs also received individual awards as BLI's Fall Picks of the Year in their respective workgroup MFP categories.

The awards were conferred to Lexmark for their reliability and productivity. Moreover these products are user-friendly and possess color back-lit display, which allow users to easily program functions and view help messages.

"Lexmark's MFPs are robust, dependable devices that provide users with standard print, copy, fax and scan functionality out of the box,"said BLI. "Add to that the easy-to-use customizable color touch screen, the convenient USB flash drive on the control panel that allows users to scan and print files without a PC and the network-friendly administrative utilities, and you've got a winning combination that meets the needs of a variety of users," added BLI.

"Lexmark introduced an entire new line-up of monochrome multifunction products in 2007, giving customers in both small offices and large enterprises access to leading-edge multifunction technology to help increase productivity and reduce costs," said Paul Rooke, Lexmark executive vice president and president of its Printing Solutions and Services Division. "We appreciate this recognition of Lexmark as a technology leader in the printing industry."

Lexmark's current workgroup monochrome laser MFP line-up for business customers begins with the Lexmark X642e, which features a monochrome touch screen interface and speeds up to 45 pages per minute (ppm). For customers who need more advanced functionality, the Lexmark X646ef, X646e, and X646dte feature a larger, color touch screen interface. The Lexmark X850e series adds wide-format (A3) printing capabilities and offers performance up to 55 ppm performance. Lexmark also offers the Lexmark X342n for small businesses and workgroups.

The entire line-up includes flatbed-scanning and fax capabilities and is designed to make it easy for users to print, copy and improve their paper-based business processes.

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Acquaint Yourself With Computer Printers

2007-11-28

A computer printer is a device used for printing text or images on hard copy stored in electronic form, generally on physical print media like paper. Printers are designed to support both local and network connected users simultaneously.

Nowadays, modern printers can directly interface to electronic devices like digital cameras. Some printers that come with non printing features are commonly known as Multi-Functional Printers (MFP) or Multi-Function Devices (MFD). It integrates various functions of multiple devices into one. Such types of printers are extremely useful for small businesses and home offices.

As opposed to a traditional printer, a multi-functional printer is a combination of devices like Printer, Scanner, Photocopier, and Fax Machine. Likewise, there are numerous other types of printers widely available in the market. Let's take a look at them:

Laser Printer: A laser printer works in a similar fashion as a photocopier does. It has a roller which is charged with electricity. A laser beam is passed to remove the charge from portions of the roller.  The parts hit by the laser are powdered by the toner which is then transferred from the roller to the paper. Finally, the ink is baked into the paper with the help of a heater incorporated in the printer. People generally prefer laser printer because of its ability to give high quality output and high speed. 

Dot Matrix:  It has a print head that moves across the page. A dot matrix printer produces characters using a cluster of pins which press an inked ribbon to the paper, thereby creating a dot. Each character is made in the same way. Dot Matrix printers are relatively cheaper and durable. These qualities still attract businesses which use them as invoice printers. 

Ink Jet and Bubble Jet:  It works in a manner similar to a Dot Matrix Printer. However, its print head sprays liquid ink onto the page instead of pressing a dry ink against the page. Ink jet and bubble jet printers are better known as predecessors of laser printers. They produce better image quality and run faster.

From inkjets to monochrome and color lasers, different printers are designed to accomplish different tasks. Companies like DELL, CANON, LEXMARK, BROTHER, EPSON, and HP HEWLETT PACKARD are most preferred when it comes to buying a printer. Nowadays, computer printer support is widely available on the Internet which saves you from taking it to any expensive technician for troubleshooting.

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Multifunctional Printers - Home Office Workhorses

2007-11-26

Businesses are now practicing conservatism. They choose, hire, and propose ideas and solutions that are multi resultant. Such is the case with office equipment as well. Like the all in one printer.

These all in one printers offer a myriad of office essential features. Aside from printing documents, these machines more or less function as a photocopier, a scanner, and a fax machine. They take up less space because of integration of several pieces of office equipment.Also, let's not forget less cost for setting up (as opposed to getting individually the fax, photocopier, scanner and the printer), and less hassle in maintenance. All these features make all in one printer highly favorable office equipment.

Here are some of the best all in one printers that recently hit the market.

Canon MultiPass390 All in one Printer

A rare breed of speed and quality packed with a lot of vital features, the Canon Multipass390 is indeed intended to deliver. It has superb quality. In fact, this all in one printer can print photographs on a scanned 4 x 5 inch with relative ease and the output is a genuine-quality copy. It has speed too; colored printings are logged at 12 pages per minute, 18 pages per minute for a regular monochrome document.

Though the Canon MultiPass seems to be out of production now, you can still get refurbished models from varied vendors. Be sure to read reviews though, so that you know what you can expect.

Dell All in One Printer 922

This goodie churns out text prints at a quick rate of 7.7 pages per minute though slow on colored graphics, around 1 page per minute.

It is among the fastest in the ‘old' market; 19 pages per minute. Quality printing is achieved by its 1200 x 4800 dpi for maximum printer resolution. Though it doesn't feature a fax, it has a Flatbed scanner though, with 600 ppi scanner optical resolution and a copier capability.

HP PSC 1315 All in One Printer

Though this model is not famous for its speed, the HP PSC is celebrated for its clean output. Many consumers who bought this model turned out to be etremely pleased with its delightful impressive quality albeit that was stained for its remarkable slow page per minute.

All in One Printers are praised because of their multifunctional capability. Businesses can save office space, due to the integration of several pieces of equipment into one; The only drawback is the occasional breakdowns when you will be left with, not one, but four pieces of office hardware not working.

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Top 5 Multifunctional Printers in the Market for Home and Office Use

2007-11-22

Multifunction printers have been talked about to a great extent in the last couple of years. So what's the hype all about or rather why are they so great? The very fact that they have printer, copier and scanner all enclosed in the same unit offers a powerful combination of functionality and compactness. These especially are great for small businesses or home-based offices that cannot afford to buy separate printers, copiers and scanners for their daily requirements.

The top 5 in the market

When it comes to multifunction printers for home offices, one needs to look at several aspects - the first being the cost - though of course cost isn't the only driver. Here we look at the top 5 picks in the best multifunctional printers and also state why they're so good.

1. Brother MFC- 7820N Printer

This one's a winner all the way. All of Brother's multifunctional printers come with easy installation and set up. However, what sets this one apart from its siblings are compactness, high speed and affordability. It has sharp and crisp laser quality printing, has a scanning resolution of around 1200x1200 dpi. It has good quality fax as well. The layout and design is one of the most note-worthy aspects of this multifunction printer. The feeder in the printer is especially designed for even envelop printing, which makes this even more versatile. With an average speed of 20 ppm and a surprisingly quick warm-up speed of 10 seconds, this printer is much better when it comes to its other counterparts.

2. Canon Pixma MP600

Canon Pixma MP600 has a high quality print output, with sharp and crisp text and photos. With a mono speed of 30 ppm and color of 24 ppm and a color resolution of 9600x2400 dpi, it provides high quality color prints. However it lacks a film scanner or an automatic document feeder.

3. HP Officejet 9120 multifunction printer

This multifunction printer is great for an office workgroup for a home based business. It has an Ethernet print server and good multitasking ability with scanning, copying and fax abilities inbuilt. With a relatively good mono speed of 25 ppm and color of 22 ppm, and two sided copying, this printer suffices for home office use.

4. Samsung SCX 4200

This one's a laser multifunction printer and has a 600x600 dpi resolution, a mono speed of 18 ppm. Being a laser printer, it is much better than the ink cartridges. It provides good quality prints and a reasonably good speed. All in all, the Samsung SCX 4200 multifunction printer comes at an affordable price which makes it good for home office use.

5. Epson AcuLaser CX11NF

This one's a color laser multifunction printer and hence isn't really great at printing color photos. However its good for text and graphics in general. The Epson AcuLaser CX11NF multifunction printer has an average speed of 18 ppm for text and 4 ppm for graphics (which can be quite slow). The tray input capacity is just 180 pages.

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Top 5 HP Multifunctional Printers for Office Use

2007-11-15

Having a multifunctional color printer around the office certainly helps to pick up the pace when projects are due. The issue becomes, however, how much needs to be spent to get the quality and efficiency required without having a hunk of plastic sitting in the office when there are fewer smaller projects in the pipe line.

Are there substitutes?

Striking the even balance of having a multifunctional color printer around and sending out the bigger jobs is an age-old issue. With Hewlett Packard (HP), however, there may be some comparison shopping to be done so that the office supplies and capital expenditures budgets do not get too depleted.

Depending upon the layout of a particular office there may not need to be a need for more than one multifunctional color printer. In some instances having a few lesser quality multifunctional printers available in a cube situation, with a lead unit as a centerpiece for larger projects, may be an option.

Cube top

In this instance, hp multifunctional color printers can range from $70.00 on up. Reviews suggest that the functions, on the lower cost machines, may require a bit more attention from the user but that they work well in situations that may just require a visual hard copy for inspection. The HP Office Jet 4315V may work in this situation. The unit was perceived to be slow (in the users' perception) and the scans could have been better. Each, however, was acceptable to a degree. The real "pain" was in the need to swap ink colors in and out depending upon need.

The next step up but along the same lines, at $170.00, is the HP Office jet 7410. A workhorse of a printer by most accounts it provides hard copy with little effort. It does not shoot out the copy with remarkable speed but it does produce at a solid rate. Swapping out color and black ink continues to be an issue but for the given application this is less of an issue.

Upper end

The hp multifunctional color printer designed to meet a vast majority of office needs is the HP Jet Pro L7680. This unit offers all the bells and whistles that an office could want and was named Editors Choice by several computer magazines. Media card slots, HP OEM ink cartridge, filing options and 16 pages per minute page speed. For a unit that doubles the cost of the other smaller machines, at $358.00, this unit does the trick. Scanner and fax finish off the unit so that a complete system is included.

If the top end is desired the Laser Jet 3390 is available at $437.95. This unit includes the other options mentioned with solid performance characteristics. As a laser may suggest, paper throughput is high at 29 pages per minute.

Middle end

As is often the case a purchaser wants something in the middle. In this case, the HP Photo Smart 2575 XI may be the unit of choice. The unit is still fast and has all the features but at a varying level of sophistication.

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Canons Excellent Multifunctional Printer Sales in Vietnam

2007-11-11

Canon has achieved high sales and export growth in Vietnam this year, a senior official from the Japanese printer and camera giant has said. Mike Asao, director of Canon Singapore's HCMC Representative Office, said sales had risen by 20 per-cent on average, though it was 50 per-cent for some products like laser and ink-jet printers. In Vietnam, Canon mostly makes low-end printers meant for developing