My House of Ink

The Samsung Group holds the honor of being the world’s largest conglomerate. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Samsung finally overtook the Japanese brand of Sony as the leader in consumer electronics. Because Samsung is such an influential global company, their influence can be seen not just in Seoul, but in all of South Korea. Sometimes the country is even jokingly called the “Republic of Samsung.”

Founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul, the current acting CEO is Lee Soo-bin. The scope of their influence and wealth can be seen in many ventures, but it is most notable in the Petronas Twin Towers. Constructed in Malaysia, Samsung had a hand in constructing the second of those towers. While they produce a variety of products—from Samsung printer ink to HD TVs—a Samsung cell phone remains one of their best known and successful product lines. To that end, they are the second largest cell phone maker in the world.

Photographs are precious mementos that can remind you of your good times for years to come. New digital cameras, high-tech printers and premium Canon printer ink allow us to print pictures in our own homes. But before you start printing out pictures, you’ll need to make sure you have the correct paper.

There are two types of paper to print photos on: glossy photo paper and matte photo paper. Many expert photographers prefer glossy paper for its sheen and professional quality. Matte paper, on the other hand, also produces good pictures but lacks shininess.

With the expensive prices on ink and toner printer cartridge refills, have you ever wondered if it’s more inexpensive to just buy a new printer with the ink or toner already in it than to purchase more cartridges? Studies show that sometimes, it is. Printer companies are notorious for inflating printer ink or toner prices, however there are measures you can take to protect yourself. Taking a look at Consumer Reports, you can identify which companies and brands charge the most for ink and toner, and purchase your printer accordingly.

Though some printers produce a higher quality picture than others, it is also important to ensure you don’t encounter the common ink and toner pitfall.  Check reviews online and even with a store clerk before you buy the one that seems the best.

When it comes to purchasing printer ink or toner, you want to find the kind you need, but you also want to be thrifty because as we all know, ink and toner can be expensive.  Finding the best ink or toner deals isn’t always easy in retail stores, but online retailers open up a whole new world for finding ink and toner at discounted prices. While retail stores have to remain in competition with each other, the online marketplace is much vaster, and thus because of the increased competition, prices on products are often lower. However, you do have to worry about shipping costs, but with the small size of ink and toner cartridges and low shipping costs, it’s quite efficient to purchase online.

When shopping online, you can purchase ink or toner from a large retail website, but smaller vendors in general have the best deals because they don’t have to match their prices to a store location. You can even find name brands, like Canon ink cartridges.

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.

With all of the continuous innovation in technology, there are still some basic components that lack compatibility. Perhaps this is a conspiracy between companies to make us buy specialized goods—I don’t know. It does seem odd, however, that companies can’t design video games that can be read by all systems.

The same can be said for power tools and other electronic gadgets: how hard would it be to design a universal battery that transcended manufacturer. One of the most basic examples of this lack of compatibility is printer ink. This aisle at Office Depot contains thousands of products that only work with one or two machines.

Xerox, a name that became synonymous with the action of ‘making copies’ in the late 20th century, is one of the most trusted names in printing.  Back when scanners were a developing technology and printers were still in their infancy, the Xerox machine was where people made copies.  It was common to hear phrases like “I need to go Xerox these papers before the meeting!”, and this terminology is still carried on today.  In addition to their renowned copy machines, Xerox is also a premier manufacturer of printers, drawing on their experience from their well known copy machines.  A Xerox printer is one of the most reliable printers in the industry, and boasts an excellent print quality as well.

You can purchase Xerox printers and Xerox ink cartridge refills at most all retailers of fine quality printers.  In addition to their reliability, Xerox is well known for their simple to understand interface; another feature imported from their experience with copy machines. 

In a time when it wasn’t common for people to own personal printers, how often did you hear “I need find somewhere to use a Xerox machine”.  In the past the name Xerox became synonymous with that of a photocopier because almost all photocopiers were manufactured by Xerox.  Xerox has been a leading name in printing for almost two decades longer than its closest competitors in the current printer market.  Like their famed photocopiers, Xerox printers represent contemporary design and excellent quality.  With a Xerox printer and Xerox printer ink, you can rest assured that you have a reliable printer that will retain its functionality for years to come.

In addition, many high end Xerox printers also function as photocopiers, fax machines, and scanners, so when you purchase a Xerox printer, you know you’re receiving more than just a great device for printing! 

It was my senior year at college, and the end of my last semester to boot.  I had spent all of the previous night writing my final essay for my Psychology 430 class.  When I woke up and read it that morning, it even made sense and I found that I liked it, which was quite rare when it came to papers!  I made sure to print it out and slipped it in my notebook, then I headed off to class.  The bus was late, so I ended up almost being late to class, and when I was about to step into the classroom I reached in my backpack for my notebook and it wasn’t there!

I looked all through my backpack but realized that the notebook wasn’t there.  I did have my USB flash drive with me, so I ran to the university library.  I found a free computer, plugged in the flash drive, and loaded my paper, then hit print.  But then the printer was out of ink!  I had to ask an attendant for more Epson printer ink and all they had was a color cartridge!  I had to print my paper in blue, and then showed up to class late.  Luckily, my professor hadn’t collected the essays yet, so aside from the color, I was in the clear!