My House of Ink

The terms “ink” and “toner” are often used interchangeably, but they are sold as two distinct products. While the two products are both used to create an image, there are some differences. The most obvious disparity is that ink is a liquid while toner is a powder.

Toner has been in use for longer and is essentially a slab a powdered ink which is pulverized to create printed images. Originally toner was poured into a machine through a bottle, but today we have convenient, reusable toner cartridges. Ink cartridges contain liquid ink that is spread on paper through the printing process.

In the last three months I have ordered two new computers on the internet. I bought the first computer, for myself, from the HP Store, and when my sister needed a new computer as well, I suggested that she look there. Now that I have purchased two computers from the HP online outlet, I am constantly bombarded with promotions from the company.

One item that they seem to be pushing with particularly ardor lately is printers and fax machines. My guess is that sales are slumping due to the economy and more people communicating electronically. I would hate to give into HP’s e-mail marketing, but I could use a new printer and know I would get a great deal on HP ink cartridges.

In this day-in-age many people are foregoing trips to the camera shop and producing their own digital photos. Once you’ve spent hundreds or even thousand of dollars on a computer, printer and digital camera, you want professional quality results. People obsess over buying the right paper for printing their photos, but one item that is often overlooked is the toner.

The next time you need to replace your ink or toner, don’t skimp on generic brands. Ink specialty products, like Brother toner cartridges, use only the highest quality products and give a more professional look. High quality ink and toner will give you sharp, professional looking photos from your home printer.

When sending your son or daughter off to live on their own at their first year of college, it can be a time of high emotions – and I’m talking about the parents. Just like when you broke down into tears on their first day of kindergarten, parting from your child will always be a heart-wrenching experience. But don’t panic, part of being able to rest assured that you’ve sent them away fully prepared is to make sure they have all the essential tools to survive on their own.

You’ll want to start off with the basics they’ll need for school. A computer, printer, paper, toner printer cartridge, pens and pencils and so on are the fundamentals to an organized education. After their schoolwork supplies are covered, it’s time to focus on bedding and bath. Comfy sheets, pillows, blankets and towels will keep them soft, fresh and clean. Slap a few rock-band posters on the wall and call it a day. 

It’s hard to image the primitive years. Life without technology moved at a much slower pace. Letters, Morse code, the telegraph, none of these advancements of the early 1900s can even begin to compete with the computers, printers and micro-chip technology we have today. But how could they? Things progress in a pattern of advancement, one idea spurs from the pervious one. And thus, here we are in the 21st century feeling like kings with our pioneered technology.

With all the products the brainchilds of our millennium have given us, it’s fascinating to encounter a person who it completely perplexed by technology. I witnessed my apartment office manager try to make copies of a flyer for a neighborhood barbeque last Saturday and the experience was riveting. Print. Print, print – why isn’t this working? Maybe because the flashing red light is trying to tell you that you’re out of Xerox toner cartridges.

People who own laser printers and photocopiers have to buy toner from time to time, but what is it exactly? Simply put, toner is a powder that is used to form printed text and images on paper. While printing or copying, toner is melted by the heat of the machine’s fuser, and then it binds to the paper. Early toner was simply carbon powder, but now carbon is melt-mixed with a polymer to improve printout quality.

Color laser toner cartridges come in black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Only black is used for black-and-white printing and copying. While changing toner cartridges in a laser printer or photocopier, some toner might get on your skin or clothes. Always wash toner off with cold water – warm of hot water will cause the toner to bond to whatever it is on. While toner bonded to skin eventually wears off, toner fused to clothing is usually permanent – be careful!

If you have a Canon printer or copier, you’ll always want to refill it with genuine Canon ink and toner cartridges. That’s because they were specifically designed to fit and work with the Canon machine by the same people who designed the machine. They will give you optimum printing and copying, and minimize jamming. Printers and copiers are expensive, and buying the right replacement cartridges will keep them working better longer.

Canon toner cartridges employ patented technology that uses extra-tine toner particles to create sharper, cleaner copies with less residue. The combination of using a Canon copier with a Canon toner cartridge will give you the best quality output. Because of the toner’s low residue, jamming on the copier is minimized. Canon also has a new toner container collection program to support local recycling and energy recovery. Its plastic toner containers are each engraved with a code that indicates that it is safe for local recycling and local energy recovery facilities.

Although many businesses are trying to go green and paperless, fax machines are still commonly used around the world. Some people may see them as old-fashioned and nearly obsolete because e-mail is so widely used, but fax machines are useful, efficient and inexpensive business tools. If you need to send a copy of a document quickly, sending a fax is much faster than scanning it into a computer and then attaching it to an e-mail.

Thermal fax machines work by using heat to melt a special ribbon, called a thermal fax ribbon, against a piece of paper to create a print-out. The ribbon can be made of a base film that has an attached substance that makes up the ink. The ink is typically made of one of three materials: wax, resin, or a wax/resin composite. Thermal ribbons that have wax ink are often less expensive, but the print-outs they produce can smudge easily. Ribbons with a resin material are more expensive, but produce high-quality documents that don’t smudge easily. Thermal ribbons with a wax/resin composite are a good middle ground for both price and print-out quality.

My first job was at an office-supply superstore, and one of our most popular products was printer ink. Oftentimes a customer would dash into the store and go straight to the ink aisle to find that one cartridge he needed. He would frantically search for the correct ink, and then inevitably call out to an employee for help. The problem? Usually he needed to print something, found he was out of ink, and then ran to the store without stopping to write down the make and model of his printer or the type of ink cartridge he needed.

I could usually help this type of customer figure out what kind of ink they needed, but it was always a frustrating experience for them. I watched as they strained to remember what type of printer they had, or as they picked up box after box and said, “I think it might be this one.” Ordering ink online is much easier because you are usually sitting right next to your printer while you order – checking the type of ink you need is a snap. All kinds, from Lexmark to Canon to Brother printer ink, can be found online and ordered in a snap. Since it can take a few days to ship ink cartridges, it’s always a good idea to order extra to have on hand for the next time you run out.

Graduation season is a time for celebration as college students move on to their future careers. However, this year, the recession has taken a toll on finding a job after college, and only about 25% of students have jobs set up for the future. While it’s nice to supplement a graduating student with a little cash to make a dent in student loans, it’s a better idea to help them in their job search. Consider these helpful products as graduation gifts:

_Epson Printer – with an Epson printer, college students can print out resumes, cover letters, and all kinds of important job documents for their job search. Don’t forget to provide a few extra Epson ink cartridges as well.

_Suit or Sports Jacket – there’s nothing more important than making a good first impression on a job interview, and students can’t do this without the right apparel.

_Smartphone – while a smartphone can provide entertainment, it’s also quite useful as a personal organizer, GPS device, and communication instrument. Smartphones are great for people who want to maximize their efficiency on-the-go.