Recycle. Refill. Save!

Paper Recycling - Why it has become a necessity?

2010-09-07T09:00:00.005-05:00

The desire to be environmentally friendly has inspired many to consider it as a condition for survival. This is a timely development as the world is living amidst rapidly vanishing natural reserves. Unless advances in technology are developed to avert the loss of more non renewable reserves, the world sits in waiting for a miracle to rescue the human race from an impending discomfort that we collectively willed to occur. One of the conservation efforts being lobbied worldwide is the efficient recycling of non-renewable resources. This involves using whatever is available to manufacture new products and precluding the need to tap what is left of our natural reserve – paper recycling included.

But what precisely is paper recycling and why should we patronize this global agenda? The manufacture of virgin substrates requires a good volume of tree fibers to therefore necessitate the fell of many trees in order to proceed with production. While trees are considered as a renewable reserve, it will take years to grow one; not to mention funds required to sustain its growth.

Offices produce a lot of post consumer waste that can be converted to new paper through paper recycling. Post consumer waste can therefore be forwarded to recycling facilities where used tree fibers are recovered and mixed with other components to produce new paper. Note that most paper mills do not use 100% recycled tree fibers to manufacture recycled paper. Recycled tree fibers are only required as an additive to reduce the use of virgin components and cut subsequent dependence on new tree fibers.

According to the American Forest and Paper Association or AFPA, around 1 cubic meter of landfill space is saved for the locality in every ton of paper recycled with paper recycling facilities. The AFPA also reported that at least 36% of fibers used to produce new paper products in the United States come from recycled paper. Efforts are already underway to optimize paper recycling activities and reduce dependence on tree growths. Moreover, paper manufacturers have resolved to adhere to sustainable practices in the farming of trees. Nonetheless, it still requires time in years to cultivate fast growing trees to full size and maturity.

Thus, the mantra for our generation applies craftily and we are left only with the last option to recycle and conserve what is left of our natural reserves.

Epson Releases the World’s Fastest Line of Inkjet Printers

2010-09-01T10:15:00.003-05:00

Experts are unanimous in the observation that inkjet printers deliver far superior printouts over laser printers, particularly in the aspect of color photo reproduction. Print technology called MicroPiezo has made all of this possible, as inkjets can now accurately deliver numerous ink droplets for every square area of print space on media which has tremendously improved dpi (dots per inch) image resolution. Consequently, the Epson patented fluid ink called DuraBrite Ink likely performs better than laser toner when it comes to managing color tones over printed media.

Whatever the conclusion may be, Epson is releasing to the market 3 new inkjet printer models, the WorkForce 635, 633 and 630. The new all-in-one printers are outfitted with features that are designed to bridge the gap between inkjets and laser printers in terms of overall reliability. Integrated with print speeds that can compete head on with laser printers, the new inkjets can produce monochrome prints at the speed of 15 ISO pages per minute (PPM) and 7.2 ISO PPM for color prints. Just like its counterpart, the Epson WorkForce laser printer series, said inkjet models come full featured with improved dpi image resolution and double-sided or duplex printing capabilities that cuts printing expenses substantially.

Outfitted with a 250-sheet paper tray while loading on extra high capacity epson ink cartridges supplied with DuraBrite ink, the WorkForce series all-in-one printers will be a boon to small business, professionals and other business entities. The new generation Epson WorkForce series printers are reputed to be the fastest inkjets in the world. Moreover, the latest in wireless technology (Wi-Fi) is integrated into these printer units. This therefore offers unparalleled ease in office connectivity while increasing overall workplace efficiency and productivity.

The Epson WorkForce all-in-one printers are devised to serve micro and home based businesses, because Epson understands the need to quickly and affordably print presentations, reports, flyers, and other marketing materials without having to outsource said print jobs. In a related press release, Epson product manager for Business Inkjets Rodrigo Catalan issued this statement: With our new line of WorkForce All-In-Ones, we provide a cost-effective and convenient option that ensures businesses can print professional quality output using Epson’s latest printer technology that delivers blazingly fast print speeds, exceptional black text and outstanding color graphics.

It is no longer far-fetched that with the new strides materializing in inkjet technology, inkjets could very well regain its stature as the better and more reliable printer type in the future.

Xerox Corporation - Awarded Company of the Year

2010-08-26T05:59:00.000-05:00

Photo by VSharma

Company of the Year and Overall Winner has been conferred to Xerox Corporation for its contribution to the growth of business resellers worldwide. A major impetus to the award is the development of wide ranging products and programs such as the PagePack 3.0. The PagePack 3.0 is a collection of managed, print services oriented programs aimed at (1) helping consumers and business entities attain cost saving printing solutions and (2) improve productivity.

The award was presented by Everything Channel’s CRN Magazine, a topnotch industry publication and website for the value added resellers, solution providers and several other channel professionals. The award was culled from a survey of 3,700 solution providers that unanimously picked Xerox Corporation for the remarkable support and partnership extended to its resellers, eclipsing all other competitors in the workgroup color printer’s category. The prestigious award is an offshoot of the publication’s commitment of recognizing companies and entrepreneurs who have greatly contributed to the growth and development of the sector they represent.

In winning the CRN Annual Report Card, the most prestigious honor granted by the IT Channel Industry, Xerox Corporation must be congratulated for topping the list. This is according to a statement from Kelley Damore, VP and Editorial Director for Everything Channel.

The honor conveyed by the CRN Magazine, serves as the culmination of Xerox Corporation’s efforts to raise the standards for workgroup color printers. Overall, Xerox corporation has received 47 awards this year including the Editor’s Choice Award from Better Buys, the Reader’s Choice Award from BERTL and PC Magazine’s Best Free Software of 2010.

All of these award winning printing solutions will be showcased by Xerox Corporation at various Industry events and gatherings – DMA 2010 Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco; SGIA in Las Vegas and Interface in Seattle.

Printer Buying Guides: Determine the Type of Inkjet Printer Ink You Need!

2010-08-25T10:09:00.014-05:00

Photo by AshtonPal

It takes two to tango!

The idiom is very much applicable to the paper (or media) and inkjet printer ink partnership. Aqueous ink (water based ink) easily adheres to paper because both are manufactured using a similar polar molecule. Thus, the use of aqueous ink for printing will definitely result in vivid and sharp images captured on paper. Solvent inks meanwhile are a good match to plastic media - again, because both are of the same polar molecule. However if aqueous ink is used to print on plastic media (particularly on vinyl banners), water based ink will not stick to the surface. Printing can only be possible in this case if the plastic media is coated.

These incompatibilities are reminiscent of water and oil. Oil won’t dissolve in water since both substances are of different polar molecules. In the same way, paper is compatible only to aqueous ink while solvent ink works in plastic media. However, it will be doubly expensive for inkjet printer owners to use different inkjet printer ink formulations for every type of print job. A compromise is reached in the use of vinyl substrates.Said material comes coated with a thin emulsion that makes possible aqueous ink printing and solvent ink printing to paper. Media of this type are however so expensive as the price per rolls would indicate.

Users should therefore look into the typical documents printed at home or at the office to determine inkjet printer ink requirements. This would be crucial in the selection of a printer. If print jobs are clustered to printing on paper most of the time, buying a printer that runs on solvent inks will not be a sound idea. Canon, Hewlett Packard and Lexmark inkjet printers use aqueous inks while Epson inkjets use solvent inks.Always bear in mind that vinyl backed media used for aqueous ink printing is not only expensive, but also leaves clay-like impressions on the surface. Moreover, surface emulsion for this printing setup is not durable. The output could easily get scratched while prone to curl and not resistant to water and moisture. Banners of this type are often classified as low quality since the collateral easily fades when exposed to UV rays and has a limited outdoor life of 6 months.

The inkjet printer operating on solvent inks on the other hand is a new technical gem. Said type of inkjet printer ink can print directly to uncoated plastic media. However, the printer comes with a much more expensive price tag than its aqueous ink counterpart. In the course of printing, the plastic media is heated-up momentarily to allow solvent ink to penetrate and embed itself into the plastic substrate. This way, the solvent printed media becomes scratch resistant and can be exposed to water and moisture for longer periods of time. So if the intention is to print banners and other outdoor signages; printers running on solvent ink will do the job.

In the end, the user’s choice of inkjet printer must be based on the principle that the polar properties of inkjet printer ink and paper must complement in order to produce fine quality prints.

Inkjet Printer Ink - Comparing Aqueous and Solvent Based Inks

2010-08-23T11:30:00.002-05:00

Photo by DBreg2007

Early Chinese civilization employed 1 or 2 types of substrates that made the antiquated system of printing system much more easier. The availability of a wide range of substrates in this day and age has placed printer manufacturers into a tight spot. A universal printer with an inkjet printer ink formula that will be compatible to a wide-ranging variety of substrates is likely needed.

So far, 2 types of inkjet printer ink formula have emerged in the effort to meet this requirement. The first one is called the aqueous or latex-water based ink while the other ink type is the solvent based ink. Let us discuss below the ink types in detail.

Aqueous–water based inks. Often used in home and office desktop printers, the water based ink is actually a mixture of water, glycol and dyes or pigments (or both). While this type of ink is not expensive to produce, it is however difficult to control when sprayed on the surface of media. More often, media used is coated with this ink to improve print quality. The HP inkjet printer ink for example includes as additive sulfonated polyazo black dye (used as dye for leather), nitrates and other compounds, obviously to improve the character of ink. Aqueous inks are used in printers running on thermal inkjet head technology where water is necessary for efficient performance.

Aqueous Ink has been found to provide the widest color gamut and produce vivid colors as well. This ink type is also known to be durable and resistant to ultraviolet rays.But because it is water based, the printed output is not waterproof and therefore requires special coating (lamination) after printing. Dye based inkjet printer ink is also prone to rapid fading when exposed to light. Thus, most aqueous ink are now pigmented.

Solvent based inks. Inkjet printer inkof this type integrate volatile organic compounds (VOC) into its formula. VOCs are reactive compounds responsible for the delivery of high pressure during printing. Instead of dyes, color pigment is used as colorant in line with its fade-resistant characteristics. Consequently, VOC content serves as a disadvantage to solvent inks. Said compounds have been found to pose hazards to the environment and to human health as well which has been the subject of much controversy lately. Solvent based inks are applicable for use on uncoated vinyl substrates utilized for outdoor signages such as vehicle graphics, billboards and banners.

Depending on ink type, either solvent or water is integrated with the inkjet printer ink formula for the purpose of improving the viscosity of liquid so that it can be easily sprayed on media surface. While solvents are quick to dry by nature of rapid evaporation, water needs heaters and consistent airflow to dry and cure water based printouts.

Compatible Laser Toner Cartridge - Built like the OEM Cartridge or not?

2010-08-18T11:57:00.001-05:00

Photo by bigevil600

In terms of size and shape, you won’t see any marked difference between the OEM toner cartridge and the compatible laser toner cartridge because both units are intended to fit into the cartridge compartment of a particular printer. Thus, allowing it to snap perfectly for easy loading and retrieval. However, there could be differences with regards to toner powder supplied.

In the intent of not breaching pertinent copyright laws, compatible laser toner cartridge formulations must be poles apart from the OEM toner and yet produce the same quality prints for its output.
Nonetheless, the imaging components used for both cartridges are likely similar. Dismantling a cartridge will actually reveal this fact. This has likely to do with economics since you cannot expect a giant printer manufacturer like HP to invest its resources in the manufacture of ALL components used in the production of HP toner cartridges.

Outsourcing is the new game for manufacturers where a qualified supplier that can provide the most affordable pricing for components gets the supply reward. So consider this: The housing, printer components and print engine of HP toner cartridges are all sourced out from Canon. Cartridge design must be compatible with engine design and this explains the abovementioned supplier - buyer arrangement between Canon and HP. In retrospect, the imaging components of toner cartridges are supplied by independent manufacturers who are able to meet the operational standards and efficiencies of the printer manufacturer. As each supplier is proven to specialize on a particular supplied component, expect the ensuing product to have the best reliability rating at the least cost to the printer manufacturer.

So in a nutshell, the specialty parts supplier for OEM toner cartridges like the HP toner cartridges could also be the same source for parts built into the compatible laser toner cartridge. Below are a few of the toner cartridge components that are typically outsourced by printer manufacturers:

Developer Roller
Doctor Blade
Primary Charge Roller (PCR)
OPC Drum
Wiper Blade
Drum Shutter

Even if outsourced components are of the best quality, credit still goes to the various laboratories that provide the technical edge in the assembly of toner cartridges.

In conclusion, the imaging components used for the OEM toner cartridge and the compatible laser toner cartridge is likely the same so that no marked difference exists in the size, shape and internal mechanisms of OEM and aftermarket toner cartridges.

Compatible Laser Toner Cartridges - Why laser printer users should patronize the printer consumable?

2010-08-16T09:00:00.002-05:00

Do printer manufacturers scare tactics influence your preference for printer consumables? Recent statistics proved that it in fact affected consumer preference since only 10% of laser printer users patronize compatible laser toner cartridges. A solid 80% root for OEM toner cartridges while a few fall prey to counterfeit cartridges.

It is understandable for consumers to be wary of the inferior quality, counterfeit cartridge, but what then is behind the lagging market share for compatible laser toner cartridges? It is apparent that consumer confidence was tainted by counterfeits operating in the printer consumables market compatibles less attractive to buyers.

Did you know that both OEM and compatible laser toner cartridges could be likely using similar imaging components? This observation could be true! Many components are actually outsourced from third parties as this set up will prove to be less costly for manufacturers. In a parallel example, you cannot expect GM or FORD for that matter to manufacture all of the cars parts. Said multinational companies manufacture the engine but end up outsourcing from car parts manufacturers worldwide the starter, the alternator, the tires, the headlamps, taillights and several others. The same production set up is at work with compatible laser toner cartridges. Imaging components come from all over the world such as China, Japan, South Korea and some countries of the European Union..

Looks like outsourcing really works! The consolation being both OEM and compatible toner cartridges can assure consumers the delivery of the same level of print and yield performance. Perhaps the only difference would come with the meticulous process of putting together the loose outsourced parts because if the manufacturer does not have the facilities to support the assembly, then the end product would be affected. Printer manufacturers put premium in the assembly process because imaging components have tolerances that are accurately specified. When tolerances are not met, cartridge malfunction could likely occur. A bleeding cartridge for instance will not only cause print irregularities but could also damage the laser printer’s sensitive components.

Practically all cartridge parts are outsourced, starting from the hard plastic shell or casing, to the developer roller (magnetic roller) coupled with the doctor blade that controls the amount of toner supplied to the OPC Drum. Other components outsourced include the PCR or Primary Charge Roller that is responsible for the electrostatic potential delivered to the OPC Drum and the OPC or Organic Photo Receptor Drum with the Wiper Blade that work alongside to clean the Drum’s surface of excess toner after every printing cycle. Another component sourced from third party manufacturers is the Drum Shutter that shields the OPC Drum from direct exposure to light and sustains its potential sensitivity.

While users are advised to be wary of the purchase of counterfeit cartridges and other fake printer consumables, they can however rely on the integrity and performance of compatible laser toner cartridges to provide them with quality but affordable laser prints.

Browse LTS wide range of Compatible Brother toner cartridges and compatible Samsung toner cartridges. Just visit our site at www.lasertekservices.com

Announcing LTS’ Back to School Discount Promo!

2010-08-13T12:08:00.001-05:00

Special discounts await existing and new customers of Laser Tek Services who subscribe to the site and click on the Newsletter and Seasonal Promo Codes box.

It’s that simple! After signing up, you will receive an official welcome email and thereafter, another email with the discount coupon code you can use for the purchase of toner refill kits, compatible ink and toner cartridges, OEM consumables and other printer accessories. Sign up today and you will also receive additional discount codes throughout the year.

The Back to School Special is available for a limited period only, so we are encouraging you to sign up as soon as you can. Click the Back to School Promo for more information. You can also visit the site to sign up and subscribe to our newsletter and promo.

Laser Tek Services is one of the pioneers in the toner cartridge remanufacturing industry with over 20 years experience in the field. LTS developed and distributed (and continues to do so) a superior and affordable line of compatible toner refill kits, compatible inkjet and toner cartridges. Visit our website today at www.lasertekservices.com and browse the wide range of premium toner items compatible with Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Lexmark, Okidata, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Xante and Xerox.

NextLife Ink cartridges for Dell printers - Eco-Friendly Choice that Fits the Budget!

2010-08-11T09:00:00.003-05:00

Photo by zoovroo

The Dell NextLife ink cartridge is the product of an IT multinational corporation’s serious efforts to contribute to the upkeep of the environment. Dell Inc. not only succeeded in adapting green technology into their product lines but also extended financial relief to users of ink cartridges for Dell printers because NextLife branded printer consumables are not only affordable but also deliver additional yield compared to regular ink cartridges; resulting to more number of pages printed per cartridge.

The most commendable feature of Dell printer ink cartridges is the compatibility of its cartridge units to 70% of the most widely accepted inkjet printers.. So, whether the printer used is an HP, Canon, Epson or Lexmark, ink cartridges for Dell printers is the right ink cartridge for you.

Dell Inc. entered into partnership with NextLife, an eco-focused company and advocate of green products and green technology, to help ease the expenditures of users on Dell printer ink cartridges and other OEM cartridges. The cost of printer ink is downright disheartening given the pricing pegged at $3. The Dell NextLife ink cartridge therefore relieves users of the heavy price burden.

The main consideration for the tie-up is the end user and their desire to save on printing costs. NextLife ink cartridges for Dell printers are slightly cheaper when compared to regular ink cartridges and are devised to cover a 20% yield upgrade. Co-branding further reinforces the credibility of the consumable. The fact that it is OEM ink manufactured by Dell Inc. establishes the perception of good quality among users.

The NextLife ink cartridge by Dell is a refurbished ink cartridge unit. This makes the product eco-friendly as the impact of cartridge production is reduced when manufacturer’s recycle toner cartridges . Furthermore, these cartridges are rated 30% less in terms of carbon footprint when compared to new ink cartridges that come with a higher recycled content – 43% to 63% reclaimed materials.

Packaging for the NextLife ink cartridge is designed with high percentages of post-consumer waste - around 50%. Now that makes the cartridge’s recyclable packaging standout.

An independent study that sought to measure imaging compatibility for NextLife Ink cartridges when used with HP, Canon, Epson or Lexmark printers returned with excellent ratings plus 100% reliability for Dell printer ink cartridges. However the most compelling reason why a getting a NextLife cartridge by Dell is a must is that the printer product performs well just like the high-priced ink cartridges available in the market today. Moreover, the price difference is enough to give consumers‘a jolt in the arm once they realize how much money they can save when using NextLife ink cartridges for Dell printers in the long run.

Given the expected support of environmentalists and consumers, the initiative made by Dell Inc. will hopefully become a customary fare among major printer manufacturers. NextLife ink cartridges for Dell printers are gaining ground among well-meaning inkjet users as it strives to become one of the impetus for the preservation of the environment.

Printer Buying Guide: Consider Print Volume!

2010-08-10T08:25:00.002-05:00

Printer buyers nowadays don’t just look at the printer’s price tag as the single mitigating expense. Focus is also directed on the cost of laser printer supplies that support printer operation. Nonetheless, Small and medium businesses (SMB) also need to consider the expense component of a small scale office printing solution when used over long periods of time; instead of just finding comfort in the acquisition of a printer and laser printer supplies arrangement that conforms to the budget and printing requirements of the workplace. It is therefore necessary to invest in an office printing solution that can easily cope-up with the expanding printing requirements of a growing business. One aspect in a business solution that could push printing expenditure up is printer maintenance.

A small desktop printer for instance will not be appropriate in an office setting. This multi-function printer class is designed for occasional use only and will not be able to sustain the wear and tear of regular, heavy print volume. Looking at the printer’s anatomy, its internals consist of several mechanical moving parts that are bound to wear out faster when printer is used regularly. The parts in question are the rubber rollers of the print engine that cause paper to jam; distort images and print documents way-off center. Therefore, regular printer maintenance becomes necessary in this case which could amplify maintenance costs..

Business type printers on the other hand are designed for high volume printing, thus, printers of this class are outfitted with fewer moving parts and practically with no rubber rollers. Larger printers therefore do not require printer maintenance, servicing, repairs and parts replacement - more often, when compared to smaller printers. With most large-scale printers, the OPC Drum unit is built into the toner supply chamber so that the user can actually instigate toner cartridge refills using toner refill kits every time the cartridge runs out of toner and until the ‘end life’ of the OPC Drum. This type of cartridge design will totally eliminate printer maintenance work on the OPC Drum; a flaw with smaller laser printers where the OPC Drum is replaced on a fairly regular basis.

Small printers are also supplied with low-yield toner cartridges that can only deliver as much as 800 pages per cycle. Thus, the user needs to replace cartridges regularly. Consequently, frequent cartridge replacement raises toner consumable expenditure commensurately. In contrast, the larger printers come with high volume laser printer cartridges that can easily print 10,000 pages; to therefore reduce printer cost per page drastically. Large printers also deliver fast printout times, some at the rate of over 50 pages per minute. Now that obviously eliminates waiting time and presumably increases personnel efficiency.

When investing in a printing solution, always consider print volume requirement as a catalyst to choosing a printer.

Laser Printer Review - Epson Aculaser CX11NF

2010-08-04T11:33:00.002-05:00

When the EPSON Aculaser CX11NF Multi-function Color laser printer debuted in the U.S. market, it was basically aimed at small business users. The unit delivers decent looking laser prints at the fast print speed of 25 ppm for monochrome and 5 ppm for color texts and graphics while built with all the basic features one would look for in an all-in-one printer. Thus, it is perfect for small businesses and offices looking out for a printing solution (fax, copy, print, scan and duplex printing). Moreover, users will find the printer's price tag really enticing.

Outfitted with a standard on board memory of 128 MB, the printer should be able to satisfactorily deliver all of the tasks required. However, for more complex print jobs, the memory can also be upgraded to 576 MB so that the printer will be able to service heavy network traffic. The user will just have to open the control panel using a screwdriver and plug-in the extra RAM memory into the reserved slot. The multi-pass print engine of the Aculaser CX11NF allows color prints to pass through on each of the four-color cartridges.

Perhaps, the only drawback to the Aculaser CX11NF multi-pass printer is that the user needs to rotate the carousel (where the print cartridges are mounted) to pull out empty cartridges and install its replacement. Although said task sequence is performed through the control panel, the additional step puts forth some form of inconvenience to the user.

Since toner cartridges come independent from the OPC Drum, the cost of the replacement toner cartridges should be cheaper compared to single pass printers. Each of the four-toner cartridges with part numbers 050189 (cyan), 050188 (magenta), 050187 (yellow), and 050190 (black), delivers a print capacity of 4,000 pages based on the Industry mandated standard of 5%.

However, printer owners who may find the OEM replacement toner cartridges cost restrictive still have other options. One is to patronize EPSON compatible toner cartridges that are similar in quality to its OEM counterpart. Another is to administer cartridge refills through Epson Aculaser toner refill kits, once cartridges have dried out of toner supply. These are sensible options since both aftermarket products are priced very much lower than OEMs. Nevertheless, similar print quality and yield is guaranteed.

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Shelton Ethelbard is printer consumables proficient given his long stint in the retail of aftermarket printer consumables. View the link to learn more about the Epson CX11 compatible toner cartridge.

HP Latex Inks - Finally, Water-based, Solvent-Free Printer Inks!

2010-07-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

Printer manufacturers are migrating to a new direction in ink technology. Dubbed as the Latex Printing Technology, latex ink is water-based, odorless, solvent-free and eco-friendly just like latex house paints.

True to its word, Hewlett Packard’s Latex Printing Technology employed in the manufacture of its inkjet ink is pigmented, water-based and devised for use in large commercial and industrial applications. It is the ink of choice for the HP DesignJet L25500, HP Scitex LX600 and HP Scitex LX 800 inkjet printers designed for use in both indoor and outdoor super wide applications.

The innovative HP Latex Inks aqueous dispensed polymer or latex manifests print durability and display permanence for indoor signages and outdoor applications such as event banners and transit signage. HP Latex Inks have been specifically formulated to deal with problems concerning prints that are not resistive to the natural elements of heat and moisture, particularly for signages exposed to these elements for longer periods of time. This new inkjet ink from HP delivers vibrant and vivid images that last indefinitely, without being predisposed to fading images or peeling; as observed in other less pronounced ink technology systems.

Print images coming out of most ink based printers are usually not fully dried, so that copies are made to pass thorough a separate dryer to complete the curing process. This extra curing is necessary for the printed images to bond permanently with media; otherwise, smudges will appear and affect the visual quality of the print. However, HP guarantees that printed images coming out of its latex ink technology based color ink printers are already fully cured or dried. In fact, printed material exiting its thermal inkjet (DesignJet L25500) and wide scan (LX800 and LX600) printers pass through an internal radiant heater and forced airflow that allows fresh prints to cure and dry while still inside the printer.

Two basic print characteristics are handily crafted into the production of HP latex inks – durability and permanence. Durability is the tendency for print to resist smudge, scratch and water. These are characteristics necessary for signages indefinitely exposed to the outdoors. Meanwhile permanence refers to the ability of the print to stay vibrant and vivid for long periods of time without fading and peeling despite being subjected to extreme conditions of heat and moisture. HP further intimated that prints made by latex ink have an outdoors display permanence life of 3 years when not laminated and 5 years when laminated. Likewise, indoor display permanence can last 5 years when not laminated but is good over 10 years when laminated.

Of course, HP Latex Ink is only good to last if media used carries the same characteristics of durability and permanence as its ink supplies. Otherwise, HP Latex Printing Technology will not be as effective as it is devised to be.

What you need to know about inkjets and ink utilization?

2010-07-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

Inkjet printer ink is probably the most expensive liquid ever invented by mankind. Sold at $3,000 per liter, the substance is pricier by over 500% than the most expensive Champagne. But did you know that a good volume of total ink supply still lingers with the inkjet cartridge when the printer sensor issues a no ink warning prompt?

Yes indeed! Ink wastage is one of the enduring issues in the printing world and inkjet manufacturers have yet to come up with technology that will fully optimize ink utilization but without the disadvantages of using single color ink cartridges.

An earlier study on inkjet printer ink utilization conducted by international technical services provider TUV Rheinland disclosed disconcerting results. Findings revealed that over 50% of total ink supply is retained when the inkjet cartridge is discarded and replaced by new ink supplies. And to think that printer ink is expensive at $3 per ml. At this rate, at least $8 is wasted in the disposal of a supposedly empty 5 ml ink cartridge. The study was actually commissioned by Seiko Epson Corporation back in 2007, in response to consumer complaints regarding the vast amounts of leftover ink inside exhausted ink cartridges.

Findings intimated that ink printers on the average deliver an ink efficiency level of around 58% when utilized for photo printing and becomes underutilized when used to print business documents, particularly presentations. Moreover, it was revealed that inkjets loaded with individual color tanks are better at optimizing ink usage versus the combination or multi-ink cartridges and therefore have higher ink utilization levels..

In this case, the user will only have to replace the exhausted cartridge. This alone promotes environmental benefits as it entails the disposal of only 1 color cartridge, while allowing the continued use of the remaining cartridges until ink is finally used-up. Furthermore, this offers substantial cut in printing expenditures, as replacement happens only one after the other – thus totally using up all of the ink filling the cartridges.

Recent ink cartridge designs have been streamlined not only to improve print performance but also to increase ink utilization. Hewlett Packard for instance developed Latex Scitex ink cartridges that preserve the integrity of ink composition in the course of shipping, use and storage. This is made possible with the integration of vapor and air barriers in its construction. More importantly, Latex Scitex cartridge technology promotes high ink utilization; to therefore maximize the delivery of extracted ink.

Shopping for an inkjet printer to fill your photo printing requirements? Don’t just check the unit specifications. As much as possible, inspect the ink delivery system at work and the cartridge construction as well. After all, you wouldn’t want to be wasting precious dollars on the disposal of half empty ink cartridges.

The Magnetic Roller's Role in Laser Printer Image Development

2010-07-22T09:00:00.005-05:00

Photo by amberman

What is common to both toner cartridges and solar panels? Both require energy to carry out its respective operations and work efficiently. Solar panels need sunshine to store electrical energy into its storage batteries while cartridge units run on electrical energy to sustain the supply of DC voltage bias to its magnetic rollers. In the absence of solar energy, the solar panels will not be able to convey electrical energy into its batteries resulting to insufficient power supply in line with the underutilized energy storage bins. Meanwhile, the toner cartridge will not be able to supply adequate toner powder to form the raster graphic image and bond its particles on the media, to cause uneven toner delivery and consequent defects over printouts.

The magnetic rollers of toner cartridges drive printing performance because its sole responsibility is image development. Toner powder is stored with the cartridge's toner hopper and controlled by the stationary magnet inside the magnetic roller sleeve. The voltage bias controlling the magnetic roller comes from the printer’s intensity setting that releases a fair amount of toner on the OPC Drum surface. This printer function increases or decreases print density depending on the user's need while the amount of toner attracted to the magnetic roller sleeve is controlled by the pressure actuated rubber doctor blade. The static charge applied by the doctor blade on the toner particles keeps toner coat flushed to therefore allow its easy transfer to the OPC Drum's surface.

To increase the repelling action of toner particles on the positively charged areas of the OPC Drum, an AC signal is applied to the magnetic roller sleeve that in turn improves toner density and provides contrast in the printed document. The transfer charge roller reinforces the capability of toner particles to cling to paper by placing a positive charge at the back of the paper. Meanwhile, the static charge eliminator weakens the attractive forces between the drum's surface and paper. This is a vital feature necessary which allows paper to move smoothly under the drum's surface or else, thin paper will just wrap around the drum. The formed image on paper moves into the fuser assembly for permanent bonding to paper fibers.

Now that completes the print cycle. Consequently, the wiper blade automatically institutes the removal of 10% toner lingering on the OPC drum surface. Cleaning is performed by the wiper blade - aided by the recovery blade, a component that channels leftover toner into the storage chamber. The Primary Charge Roller (PCR) will then introduce an AC voltage across the OPC drum's surface that will erase whatever traces of residual image left on the drum's surface. Again, a new print cycle begins as the OPC Drum is now ready for the PCR to deliver the negative bias voltage.

Finally when confronted with a damaged toner cartridge, think of the magnetic roller inside the cartridge. Just like the solar panel, the component needs adequate energy to function well.

Disposable Toner Cartridges: Is it ‘Planned Obsolescence’ all the way?

2010-07-21T08:54:00.007-05:00

Photo by kluen

Is the manufacture of disposable toner cartridges classified as ‘Planned Obsolescence’? Most likely! Right from the start, cartridge units are produced with an fixed time line or a serviceable life. This means, that the product easily becomes out of date or obsolete up to a prescribed time – similar in concept to the expiration date for processed foods and medicines. In essence, the production theory behind consumables rests on enticing consumers towards multiple purchases - over a one-time purchase, until the product deteriorates and a replacement becomes mandatory.

The production preference called Planned Obsolescence is advantageous to printer manufacturers since this stimulates product demand. On the contrary, though this too can be prejudicial to end users. Aside from toner cartridges, planned obsolescence is evident with the printer unit itself, over expensive light bulbs, and luxury goods like cars and even infrastructure. Nonetheless, product obsolescence may not really be anti-consumer, in ways that products borne out of durability may suffer some form of consumer backlash. For instance, if mobile phones were outfitted with components that can last 20 years, will consumers be enticed to use only a single mobile phone unit for that length of time?

In response to the competitive spirit of many consumers who always pine for the latest products the market can offer, most consumer products have a set mandatory ‘end life’ of at least 5 years. In the laser printing industry, competing products have been designed to conk out after only 3 years. A shorter end life is observed in the production of toner cartridges. Cartridges have a special lockout chip implanted into its mains that prevents the reuse and refill of the unit after the toner supply dries up. To think that toner cartridge components can even outlast the printer’s life, then the product obsolescence paradigm puts laser printer users at a disadvantage in this case.

It appears that we are now living in some sort of 'Disposable Society’, where electronic products such as the laser printer only function within a definite time frame and has to be disposed off eventually. Well, this won't be a problem for moneyed users but the pricing and short tenure of consumables is of great interest for those living on a tight budget. Good thing the aftermarket came up with compatibles that users can now administer refills on empty toner cartridges using compatible toner refill kits. The availability of toner refill kits not only addressed budget concerns but has somehow contributed to the reduction of cartridges manufactured worldwide. The burgeoning volume of non-biodegradable cartridges disposed over landfills each year is one of the pressing environmental problems that has to be dealt with accordingly.

Laser printer users should not dispose their empty toner cartridges right away. Instead, make use of its latent capability and disprove the idea that it is planned obsolescence all the way.

Just Buzzing In is a weekly musing that features what's hot and what's not as buzzed in the printing community.

How to confirm if your toner cartridge is defective?

2010-07-19T10:04:00.000-05:00

Photo by duchesssa

Ever since desktop printers came into our midst, every little sort of printing trouble seems to have confounded users to no end. A few decades ago, printing was exclusive to local print shops and this prevented end users from experiencing nagging print troubles. But with printing now crossed over to homes and offices, it seems that users never fail to encounter print irregularities in the operation of modern day laser printers. The usual suspect for print defects is of course the toner cartridge, particularly if its a third party unit.

It would be good to point out however, that cartridge defects are not confined to aftermarket products. Certainly, even OEM toner cartridges have had its share of the troubles; even when the likelihood is confined to a measly 2%. Moreover, the nature of the defect is hard to decipher because laser printers have multiple components; each one predisposed to malfunction that could instigate a print defect. This renders the issues surrounding a defective toner cartridge far-reaching and complicated. Therefore, thorough assessment of the defect is necessary because OEM replacement cartridges are expensive and an error in judgement could put money unnecessarily down the drain.

Take some respite from a few tips below that can confirm if the cause of the print problem is really the toner cartridge or a malfunctioning component.

The basic and perhaps, most effective method of ascertaining the cartridge's condition is the conduct of a multi-printer test. To do this, pull out the suspect toner cartridge from its slot on the laser printer, reload it to another printer and run a test print. Note that suspect toner cartridge should be compatible for use on the second printer. If the ensuing printed page bears the distinct print irregularity reflected with output from the first printer, then it is without a doubt the toner cartridge is really defective.
However, when test prints coming from the second printer do not manifest any print irregularity, then the trouble can be pinned down to the printer. Most likely, the printing equipments needs maintenance and servicing. There are other printer components that may have caused the print irregularity such as a worn out OPC Drum, a malfunctioning fuser roller or perhaps, it is a low toner supply that could be spoiling the completion of print jobs.
Take note that light prints with the printout does not always conjure images of a defective cartridge. Toner cartridges are outfitted with brass contacts that supply electrical potential to the developer roller. So when these contacts are coated with dust, grime or grease, the capability of the developer roller to sustain the magnetic potential of toner particles also diminishes. Less toner powder finding its way into the OPC Drum's surface will of course produce light laser prints.

Always be wary of print irregularities and closely determine if such is the result of a defective cartridge. In most instances, a print defect can be resolved by simply cleaning the brass contacts of the toner cartridge. This of course does not take in the incidence of low toner supply because certainly, the cartridge would need another load of compatible toner to sustain another print cycle.

DO NOT GIVE UP so easily on what may be perceived as a defective toner cartridge. By all means, find ways to confirm it! Otherwise you will be burning dollars down the drain.

Soybean Toner - Substitute for Conventional Toner?

2010-07-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

Photo by: Baltar

Soy toner powder has been around for quite some time now. But it is only recently that a large facility such as the Ohio State University initiated its campus-wide use. This is a big boost to the Ohio State Soy Toner Alliance lead by UniPrint. Ohio State currently has in use over 7,000 printers in its Columbus campus where printer software developer UniPrint serves as the printing facility for at least half of total campus units. Around 700 printer units maintained by UniPrint will initially run on soy toner, which cover an aggregate print volume of 800,000 pages per month. International science and technology enterprise Batelle has its reigns on the development of soy-based toner powder with funding coming from the Ohio Soybean Council. The use of the bio-based toners has the full backing of the Ohio BioPreferred Purchasing Program passed by the Ohio State legislature and signed into law by Governor Ted Strictland in February. The bio-products friendly legislation mandates state institutions, which of course includes state run Universities such as Ohio State, to patronize bio-based options.

The Soy-based toner powder manufactured by Mitsubishi is 35% bio-based since it contains a concentration of toner resin made from soy beans. The AgriTone brand replacement cartridges by imaging supplier,West Point Products, comes loaded with Mitsubishi's bio-based toner powder. This development not only opened a new market for local soybean farmers but also introduced environmental benefits. The use of soy toner will prove to be convenient for recycling facilities since soybean oil is easier to remover than petroleum, which is a main ingredient of traditional printer toners. And because soy beans are renewable, this program will deliver tremendous benefits to the environment.

The soy-based printer consumable is not a new invention. In fact, it has been commonly used for the last 15 years with at least 90% of newspapers ending up switching to it. Why? Because soy-based ink increases the recycling properties of post consumer paper. Reduced ink residue on the paper pulp streamlines the recycling process and minimizes related costs that would have a significant effect on the pricing of recycled paper. Moreover, laboratory tests reveal a cleaner, whiter and brighter paper pulp recycled from a de-inked soy-based paper.

Pertinent studies point out how the complete shift to soy-based inks from the traditional petroleum-based inks would necessitate around 210 million kilograms of soybean oil (equivalent to 41.5 million bushels). Soybean oil volume of that magnitude only represents about 1.8% of US soybean production (Weisenbach 2000) – a supply initiative that soybean producers can easily fill. Unlike petroleum, soybean oil is a renewable resource. Besides, soy-based toner offers consumers a cleaner and sustainable source of toner. Moreover, toner manufacturers will not have to implement the expensive realignment and fine-tuning of existing facilities because existing toner equipment technology will be sufficient to produce soy toner.

Soy toner has come of age. And judging from consumer response and acceptance, will this eventually replace conventional toner?

Recognition for HP’s Planet Partners Program

2010-07-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

Photo by wlodi

The Society of Plastics Engineers or SPE has commended Hewlett Packards’s cartridge recycling initiatives through its Planet Partners Program. Said program is aimed at reducing plastic-based garbage that find its way into landfills annually, particularly those coming from discarded printer cartridges. The printer industry's first, the recycling program is an engineering breakthrough that fully integrates the use of post-consumer recycled plastics in the manufacture of new HP inkjet printer cartridges. So far, at least 200 million new cartridges have been manufactured using the process which is equivalent to more than 5 million pounds of recycled plastics. HP is in track to boost the use of recycled plastic in the coming year by twofold.

HP’S innovative recycling process involves the combination of multiple sources and grades of recycled plastics – like the handy everyday water bottles into technically advanced HP cartridges. The use of recycled plastic resonates to energy savings and likewise clears landfills of waste products that would otherwise rot in 1,000 years. In fact since the program started, HP has already recycled in its facility a volume of waste plastic materials that could fill more than 200 tractor trailers. According to Michael Hoffman, Senior Vice President for Supplies, Imaging and Printing Group at HP, the company's considerable investment in building a recycling infrastructure is just the beginning of what it intends to accomplish.

HP cartridges collected through the HP’S Planet Partners Program are subjected to a multi-phase, recycling process that effectively converts post-consumer plastic and metal into raw materials. HP actually combines polymer coming from toner cartridges with recycled bottled water resin, along with other compounding additives. Said formula guarantees that all recycled materials will meet HP’s high-quality standards.

Judging from the efficiency of the recycling process, recycled plastic make up 70% to 100% of HP cartridges. And because every HP product is fully tested and inspected for consistency with quality specifications, consumers can count on the cartridge's reliability. Thus, in recognition of HP’S pioneering spirit in the plastic recycling program, the SPE, a trade organization for plastic professionals awarded the most prestigious environmental stewardship plum at the Global Plastics Environmental Conference to Hewlett Packard. Furthermore, Larry Koester, VP of Communications, Environmental Division at SPE, stressed that HP’s technical contribution in the production of cartridges ‘represents an unprecedented engineering innovation. Adding further that it is a remarkable achievement developed through years of perseverance and ingenuity that is bound to make a substantial impact to the environment.

Kudos to HP for the technical excellence award presented by the Society of Plastics Engineers for its commitment to the upkeep of the environment.

Quality Assessment Testing Improves Toner Cartridge Technology

2010-07-12T09:00:00.003-05:00

Photo by duchesssa

The quality assessment testing performed on toner cartridges simply imputes how rigorous methods have been employed in testing the integrity, not only of the polymer casing, but that of the cartridge's internal components and supplied toner powder as well. With most cartridge manufacturing laboratories, at least 500 cartridge units are randomly picked to undergo thorough destructive testing. Some are selected to deliver at least 500 pages of print while others are print tested until the cartridge runs out of toner. Consequently, a team of independent experts is invited to observe the entire testing process and submit thorough evaluation to ensure that the cartridges produced meet quality standards and sustain a degree of reliability.

These tests are made to mimic varying conditions that the cartridges are subjected to in a real world situation. So why do cartridges undergo destructive testing? One scenario involves the handling of these cartridge units. Let's take it that users, even though how careful they can be, may accidentaly drop a cartridge while in transit which could break or crush the unit. Since this is probable, what do you think will happen to grams of toner powder once exposed to open air? Another scenario likewise tested is the cartridge's propensity to withstand diverse temperatures. What will happen to the cartridge unit if left inside a car in the middle of the day and exposed to extreme heat? Now what if the user forgot to close the office window and exposed the toner cartridge to the chilly night time air? Will the cartridge succumb to cold temperature? What about if cartridge has been left unused in storage for say 3 years, will the unit still be able to come up with decent prints?

The degree of reliability of a toner cartridge unit will finally be ascertained after it is subjected to quality assessment testing. Said procedure would appease users that, indeed, the consumable is worth every cent paid for. At the same time, quality assessment testing serves as the barometer by which cartridge integrity is gauged against all the other cartridges in the printer consumables market. Any unsound design lapses will drive manufacturers to correct flaws and thereby improve employed toner cartridge technology. A big portion of Research and Development money is allocated to improve cartridge capability, particularly toner development that dictates print quality and costs as well. In the end, better cartridge and toner quality implies longer end life and almost foolproof dependability for the cartridge.

Remember that toner cartridge units have undergone quality assessment testing to thus tremendously improve technology employed in its production.

Thermal Depolymerization: Can this ease the Toner Cartridge waste crisis?

2010-07-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

Even with recycling activities being deployed on all fronts, over 300 million empty and dilapidated toner cartridges still find its way into landfills annually around the globe. So with refuse coming only from printers, the pile of e-garbage has reached S.O.S. (waste crises) proportions. And since toner cartridges are built from materials that will decompose in a thousand years, just imagine how much more of these disposed printer consumables will accumulate from between now and the coming century; before the first bulk of garbage can even start to decompose. Now this garbage problem covers only toner cartridges. What about other plastic based products that are more than the printer’s refuse? Indeed, the compounding waste crisis is staggering.

Technology in the works that is aimed at de-clogging landfills of e-garbage is called Thermal Depolymerization or TDP for short. The patented process involves the treatment of organic matter with heat and pressure that eventually produces by-products typically used in the manufacture of fertilizers. By products include oil (mixture of motor oil and gasoline), gas (methane, propane, butane) and powdered carbon (raw material used in the production of toner cartridges), among others. TDP is really worth a second look. Toner cartridges, when subjected to this type kind of recycling process, are free of waste materials by-product; except for water that is reused to complete the loop.

Polymerization is defined as a process that bonds together single monomers (molecules) such as hydrocarbons and amino acids to form synthetic plastics such as polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These polymer products are used extensively in hospitals, schools and homes. Thermal depolymerization is the reverse of polymerization in a sense that disposable plastic is converted back to its original form. Natural depolymerization will most likely take several millennia to occur. TDP technology meanwhile completes the process in as little as under an hour. The process of depolymerization is not complex. It commences with the feeding of post consumer plastic into industrial grade grinder (mixed with water) that would reduce the polymer to bits. Heat and pressure is then applied to break molecular bonds and turn them into simpler components.

The resulting slurry enters the next reactor where pressure is dramatically reduced to rid it of water, calcium and magnesium (extracted as a valuable by-product). Finally, the distillation process that employs higher temperatures splits the hydrocarbons into (1) gas vapors (a mixture of methane, propane and butane) that are contained to drive the depolymerization equipment; (2) liquid oil (similar in context to motor oil and gasoline); and (3) powdered carbon used as primary raw material in the manufacture of plastic based devices. Excess materials are then processed as agricultural fertilizers. In the end, 100% material recovery is experienced, and the only substance emitted by the process is water vapor.

So, can polymerization ease the burgeoning toner cartridge waste crises? Judging from the efficiency of the equipment, the answer could only be a YES.

Why Apple Inc. is no longer selling Printers?

2010-07-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

Photo by Anders Ljungberg

Why would Apple Inc. abandon the manufacture and distribution of laser printers? It is evident that the consumer electronics giant has placed more interest on other hardware products from its line of Macintosh PCs, the iPod, iPhone and the recently released iPad. But why does Apple Inc. no longer pursue the production of laser printers that would have supported its own line of personal computers?

Well, to put it more bluntly, there is no money in producing printers and revenues could only be optimized through the supply of peripherals such as the toner cartridge, which would only be possible if the manufacturer produces its own print engine. Apple Inc. never dirtied its hand on the design and supply of the printing equipment and its peripherals.

Unknown to many, Apple Inc. actually distributed laser printers for a decade (80s to 90s). Apple Computer, Inc. probably wanted to ascertain the availability of high quality printers to support its own line of Macintosh PCs. The now defunct LaserWriter was the first printer released by Apple Computer, Inc. in 1985 to be later succeeded by faster and cheaper models outfitted with Ethernet connectivity and better print resolution. Back in the 80’s, the printer's operating system was so scrappy that units had to be supplied with graphic printer drivers. This necessitated users to be meticulous in their choice of printers and therefore sought out proper channels to get a compatible model. The void in hardware and software compatibility was later on solved by Hewlett Packard and other independent printer manufacturers.

Macintosh users are likely aware that Apple branded printers was manufactured using borrowed technology. Apple’s dot-matrix line ImageWriter was a repackaged C Itoh printer and its inkjets StyleWriter either run on Canon print engines or were rebadged HP printers. Meanwhile, the LaserWriter shares a few components with the HP LaserJet and prints through the Fuji Xerox engine. Some printer parts were however developed by Apple.

Come to think of it, Apple Inc.’s move to discontinue its printer lines makes a lot of business sense. Had the company persisted, problems would still arise in the supply of replacement parts. Moreover, Apple Inc. would have to maintain reasonable inventory, expand product lines and track the supplies and services required for particular printer models. Consequently, the company will need to establish retail outlets that would require additional investment in manpower and large repair spaces.

Unless Apple Inc. has a new edge and thought provoking print technology shacked somewhere, it will never be enticed to venture into printer production again. Besides, there are already hundreds of printer models out in the market that promises to be compatible with any MAC applications systems – at no extra cost to the company. So, the adage If you can’t beat the system, might as well join them! applies and the only winning proposition is not to produce printers anymore.

In the end, the only reason could really be tied to the economics of manufacturing and distributing printers.

Just Buzzing In is a weekly musing that features what's hot and what's not as buzzed in the printing community.

Plug & Print Technology - HP's New Printing Window

2010-07-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

Photo by msuvaydas

Is your laser printer consumer friendly? What makes a laser printer a consumer friendly unit? By definition, the term consumer friendly in the world of printers denotes an out of the box printer that hardly poses too much hassle to the user. Now that involves an easy installation and instruction sequence that won't make the head spin. Just like when dining out, diners sit down and heartily eat without undergoing any form of instruction from the dining facility. Without any fuzz at all, the diner simply pays after dining is consummated. This is the basic tenet employed in the design of Hewlett Packard laser printers that has now been integrated into the new Plug and Print Technology. Said technology was developed primarily to to help users follow through what used to be an intricate printing process.

The new HP Print and Plug Technology offers a new dawn to laser printing. Much like talking to friends over the phone, the user will simply have to pull out the printer from the box and place it over a flat surface (probably beside an electrical outlet); plug the printer and using the USB Cable, connect the printer to the USB terminal of a netbook, notebook or PC before switching the unit on for the turn out of test prints. The setup process takes about 2 minutes to complete and thereafter printouts can commence. Gone are the days of CD ROM installations that necessitate the user to follow a series of rigid instructions pertinent to printer settings and configuration.

HP has practically ironed out all the extra dents and curves with the introduction of the Plug and Print technology - the first ever in the printing industry. The new technology will be a welcome addition to the home or office equipment fleet that endeavors to streamline basic print jobs. Of course when the printer runs out of toner, the user will still have to open the printer and replace the empty toner cartridge. Better yet, users can institute refills on the empty cartridge using toner refill kits to cut down on consumable expenditure.

It has been observed that innovations for the laser printer are long overdue. Laser printing technology has thrived with consumer consciousness for the last 25 years and is now due for a conscientious overhaul. It is possible though that a new printer technology is in the offing or laser printers will continue to evolve with drastic innovations. The introduction of the HP Print and Plug technology could spin off dramatic changes with the features integrated with the laser printer. This would definitely create a more promising printing future if other printer manufacturers would follow HP’S lead. By then, laser printers will be much more easier to operate and thereby increase user efficiency tremendously.

As HP opened year 2010 with the new Plug and Print Technology, expect other printer manufacturers to follow suit.

Redesigned LTS Website: Now Live!

2010-07-02T13:44:00.003-05:00

In an effort to improve the online shopping experience of buyers of compatible printer consumables, Laser Tek Services, Inc. recently unveiled its redesigned website. Now visitors of http://www.lasertekservices.com will be greeted by the more compact features of the new site. While LTS management has opted to retain the simple, minimalistic structure and color components of the previous site, the redesigned site now sports a more streamlined look.

Organized in 3 columns, the main wrapper serves as product gallery and display section for selected items on the website. Meanwhile, functional sections such as the product category menu, specials, information and best sellers among others are well distributed with the site’s two (2) sidebars.

The product category menu has been properly organized not only according to compatible brand but also as to consumable type. Now you won’t have any trouble searching for compatible drum kits, toner refill kits, toner cartridges etc. The new site is really user friendly that visitors will not have a difficult time searching products, viewing prices and checking out for a purchase.

Laser Tek Services, Inc. is a leading reseller of compatible toner refill kits and other related consumables. Moreover, it is a trusted name in the cartridge remanufacturing industry given its more than 10 years track record of distributing quality compatible consumables to laser printer and inkjet users.

Visit the redesigned LTS site today and check out the new items to form part of its product lines: Xerox 7760, C3535, C250 and 790 toner refill kits and compatible toner cartridges; HP P1102 and P1606 toner refill kits; QMS 4650 and 7450 toner refill kits, compatible drum units and compatible toner cartridges; and Dell 2335 toner refill kits and compatible toner cartridges. Happy Shopping!

Smart Toner Cartridges: The Product of Smart Engineering

2010-06-29T09:00:00.003-05:00

When the factory installed OEM starter toner cartridges that come with a new laser printer dries out, users will always want a perfect replacement. But how do we define a perfect toner cartridge replacement? Well, the best gauge is likely print quality, which could be rated to either match or exceed the print performance of the OEM cartridge. Second on the list is print yield coverage where cartridge is expected to deliver the same volume of prints as the OEM cartridge is rated; based on the industry mandated page coverage of 5%. Furthermore, the replacement cartridge should not succumb to toner leaks or else it would put in too much strain on printer components. Nonetheless, the most important consideration is the pricing of the cartridge which ought to be affordable to a wide range of laser printer users with differing budgets and buying preferences. All of these cartridge features can only come from products of fine technology because smart engineering will naturally produce smart, if not perfect toner cartridges.

What makes a toner cartridge smart or perfect?

Toner cartridges that provide users perfect printing experience are equipped with components that pass or exceed quality standards and likewise meticulously manufactured to guarantee long, trouble-free printing operation.

If the laser printer is the single pass type, then the Organic Photo Conductor (OPC) Drum is built-in with the designated toner cartridge and serviceable life of integrated OPC Drum should at least be 4 times over that of toner powder supplied with the cartridge. The idea is anchored towards economy because users cannot be expected to replace the OPC Drum every time the cartridge runs out of toner. Most likely, users will resort to the use of compatible toner supplied with toner refill kits in an effort to reduce printing costs.

The life of the cartridge largely depends on the capability of the Primary Charge Roller (PCR) and magnetic roller to provide the required electrical potential and maintain adhesion of toner to the OPC Drum. These components must pass a proprietary, multi-stage process so it can deliver more consistent printouts.

Wiper blades, doctor blades and sealing blades work in conjunction with other cartridge components to convey toner efficiently. Each blade must be tested and examined thoroughly. Components that come 1/10,000 of an inch off the specification must not be used.

Toner cartridges are protected with seals to prevent toner leaks, courtesy of two foam strips; one on each end. Toner leaks could be avoided if the seal (usually made of absorbent material) installed is designed as a full gasket; therefore allowing contacts on all 4 sides; unless the cartridge is split in half. An additional factor that makes a cartridge truly perfect is a customized toner formulation that not only serves as the vehicle for image production, but also acts as lubricant to the OPC Drum for optimum performance.

REMEMBER that only fine engineering and technical innovation can produce the perfect equipment, toner cartridges included.

HP CP2025 Compatible Toner Cartridges: Satisfies Cartridge Reliability Quotient

2010-06-28T03:14:00.000-05:00

If the laser printer is used for business, toner cartridge reliability problems take up a substantial amount of employee and technical support work hours that could affect workplace productivity and raise operating costs as well.

Cartridge reliability problems can be thought of as a deal breaker as these not only imply wasted personnel hours but also results to additional printing expense in line with the reprinting of poorly printed copies and several wasted media. A faulty cartridge can spike up operating costs to overrun its potential benefits. Therefore, it becomes mandatory for businesses to raise the office cartridge reliability quotient in order to reduce printing expenditures and maximize profitability.

What are the factors that embody cartridge reliability quotient? Certainly, these would not just involve cost factors!

Cartridge design technology ensures that it can deliver the desired print quality and reliability performance. All devices in the cartridge (including toner powder) are programmed for optimal and dependable performance. This way, the cartridge works seamlessly with printer hardware and paper.
The cartridge manufacturing process observes stringent laboratory standards to assure that vital imaging components - the cartridge reliability, PCR, Doctor and wiper blades, and seals will function properly over long periods of printing.
Cartridge testing is conducted based on ISO guidelines that meet or exceed design specifications. HP for instance performs comprehensive sample tests on a cartridge to the tune of 100,000 pages per week.

An example of a reliable cartridge is the HP Color LaserJet CC532A, the yellow toner cartridge that loads the HP LaserJet CP2025 & CM2320. While the cartridge unit exhibits total dependability, its price tag is one big downside. Imagine paying as much as $140 for an OEM toner cartridge rated 2,800 pages at 5% coverage? Said pricing is expensive not only for homebased businesses but also for small enterprises with larger printing budget. Even though the cartridge comes with a high yield rating, getting a replacement cartridge each time the OEM dries up its toner supply can be somewhat of a financial burden.

Many users nowadays turn to compatible toner cartridges from the aftermarket to replace the exhausted OEM toner cartridge. The HP Color LaserJet CC532A CP2025 Yellow Compatible Cartridge retails for less than $62. Despite its low pricing, prints delivered are crisp, clear and professional looking just like what the OEM toner can generate. Note that supplied compatible toner powder and cartridge housing was manufactured based on the specifications of the OEM toner and build quality of the OEM cartridge respectively. Moreover, yield rating of 2,800 standard pages (or even more) based on 5% page coverage is still achievable.

Quality toner powder plus dependable cartridge construction delivers unparalleled printouts that maintain substantially a high toner cartridge degree of reliability.

Material Properties of a Laser Printer's Fuser Roller

2010-06-24T09:00:00.006-05:00

It is for a fact that good laser prints follows a fully operational fuser assembly that is in good condition as well. Well, that is if the conventional fuser unit can deliver heat ranges from between 180 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature at which toner can successfully melt and bond to paper fibers. But what substances make up the fuser that allows it to withstand immense heat while being durable enough to contain the abrasive properties of paper or media?

Two materials or substances have been identified, the silicone and fluoroelastomers. Both materials exhibit the physical properties necessary for fuser rollers to perform seamlessly over long periods of printing.

The polymer coating outfitted with fusers include certain grades of silicone rubber that resists high heat. Said coating must work in conjunction with elastomers to provide satisfactory release properties. Otherwise, toner particles will stick to the fuser surface without the release agent and ultimately result in poor quality prints.

This is however easier said than done because the mentioned substances are really expensive. Silicone and other additives cost at least $100 per kilogram. But the most daunting task of all is the application of these substances into a circular fuser housing that could really hike up the cost of the fuser assembly.

Earlier technology employed in the application of coating to the fuser's surface involves spraying the polymer directly into the fuser surface by molding it into the fuser. Recently, the thin coat flow coating technology is gaining ground. Said technology relatively uses minimal raw materials; is almost solvent free and could be used to coat fusers of varying sizes. The previous process of electro-statically spraying polymer into the fuser housing is not environment friendly as it involves at least 30% solvent mixed with 70% polymers. Moreover, the entire process is not only difficult to follow through and requiring expensive equipment but is also labor intensive and accrues a lot of waste materials borne of over spraying.

Molding polymers on the other hand is more simple as it only requires a cardboard molder set in place where polymer is injected into the formed cavities. It is then cured typically in a press for about 5 minutes at 1,500 degrees Celsius or one and a half hours at 65 degrees Celsius. Thin coat flow coating promotes even polymer thickness and could really be thin to as much as fractions of a millimeter (0.25 mm). This technology has been used extensively in the polyurethane industry to provide thick coatings to spinning surfaces and is proven to be cost effective. Indeed, the technical innovations introduced in the production of conventional fusers has produced eco-friendly and cost responsive laser printers.

Knowing the Fuser Assembly’s physical and material properties could give users the edge in understanding the intricate role the fuser play in the electro-photographic (EP) printing process.

Fastest Laser Printer: Can Compatible Toner keep up with its speed?

2010-06-22T09:00:00.003-05:00

From its particle size, formulation and fusing temperature, compatible toner has been expertly engineered and laboratory tested to replicate the physical properties of the OEM toner. Moreover, compatible toners undergo the same manufacturing processes guaranteed to deliver basically the same print quality and yield expected from the OEM toner. So how does the third party invention fare with the fastest laser printer in the market today? Can toner refill kits also be used on the cartridges of the IBM Infoprint 4100?

Yes indeed! Nonetheless, compatible toner manufacturers have since then shied away from the production of toner for the IBM speed monster. Demand for IBM Infoprint toner refill kits is not economically feasible versus the regular desktop laser printer despite the fact that the high-speed printer market has developed into a billion dollar industry with its record sales of $6.1 billion in 2005.

The new high-end laser printer model can easily print 330 pages per minute (ppm). At this rate, paperback such as Gone With the Wind by author Margaret Mitchell can be printed, cover to cover, in merely 40 seconds. A regular desktop laser printer with an effective speed of 22 ppm can finish the job in more or less an hour's time. But then again, the 330 ppm print speed does not come cheap. The basic IBM Infoprint model has a $500,000 tag price while the spearhead model comes at a million dollars. The printer's footprint is also enormous as it takes up the size of a Ford Escape SUV (sports utility vehicle), but only half as thick.

When it comes to toner consumables, the IBM 4100 is equipped with extra large toner cartridges that deliver a print capacity of 85,500 pages based on a 5% Industry standard. Users will need at least $350 to replace an empty cartridge with a brand new OEM cartridge. Users though can turn to the aftermarket for IBM compatible toner cartridges or a refurbished and refilled OEM cartridge that are retailed several notches below OEM pricing.

The fact that compatible cartridges and refurbished OEM toner cartridges for the IBM Infoprint 4100 is available reinforces the belief that indeed third party toner products can ably cope with the demands of the fastest printer in the Industry.

First Page Out: There is More than Meets the Eye

2010-06-21T09:00:00.006-05:00

Photo by marcino

Most users hardly consider the laser printer's First Page Out feature. Instead, users take full notice of a printer unit's speed in pages per minute of PPM as a primary consideration to purchase. The truth of the matter is that preference should rest on the First Page Out feature because this reflects the laser printer's quick response performance. More should be expected from the initial page turnout if the printer is used in a networked office environment.

It is seldom for office personnel to send bulk print jobs of say 100 pages at a time to a networked printer. Most likely, print jobs cluster to around 5 copies forwarded at a time; unlike small print shops that cater to volume printing where ppm speed is necessary. While ppm would be of much use to print shops, the same will not be as effective in offices where print requirements are intermittent and far in between.

There is really more to a printer's First Page Out than meets the eye because response time between lasers printers will most likely vary. To serve as basis for comparison is the quick response time of each laser printer towards delivering an initial 5 pages of documents after being in standby mode for some time. Let me cite the findings of QualityLogic, an independent research study group that reported how a printer's First Page Out truly reflects total print time. The color laser printer's HP Laserjet 4700n and Lexmark C782n are used as example. See table below.

Laser Printer	Pages per minute (PPM)	Warm Up Time (seconds)	Print Time (seconds)
HP Laserjet 4700n	31	10	25
Lexmark C782n	40 (monochrome) 35 (color)	11	72

Note that reflected Print Time involves the initial print out of 5 pages following standby mode.

Laser printers, just like any other mechanical equipment require warm-up time to rev its engine, carry out programmed tasks and deliver the expected performance rated by manufacturers. Just like cars, warm-up time is critical to delivering 0 to 100 mph performance in matter of seconds.

The difference in print time between the HP and Lexmark laser printers only proves that no 2 printers can deliver similar quick response time. More importantly, there is no guarantee that the printer with a faster ppm can outperform the printer with a slower page turnout time as comparison between the HP and Lexmark printer disclosed. Nonetheless for print jobs over 100 pages, the ppm will reveal the rated performance speed level.

The laser printer’s quick response time is critical in an office environment. Note that workplace efficiency is somehow affected when the laser printer is remiss in delivering print outs. So when scouting for a new color laser printer, pay close attention to the printer’s ‘ First Page Out quick response feature because there is more to it than meets the eye or the regular laser printer user's perception.

How to Save on Printing Costs? Cheaper Consumables NOT Reduced Print Jobs!

2010-06-21T06:33:00.004-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/listener42/ / CC BY 2.0

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) call for a more consolidated approach to printing by embedding print management solutions to its laser printer units by password protecting access to units; to networking a printer across a workgroup and to more sophisticated applications such as the “Follow Me” document technology.

This establishes leaner printing operations for most organizations which not only reduces hardware costs but more importantly toner and paper usage; as printing has become more restrictive given authorization to access, increased accountability per department and intensive tracking of print jobs. After all, according to Samsung in an article by Peter Judge, the cost of printing eats up at least 1/5 of the IT budget of most organizations.

Saving resources or simply cutting print jobs?

OEMs may dub this as clear cut solutions to business printing, but then again said technique is just a workaround antidote to the cost of OEM printer consumables. The hefty prices of retail toner cartridges is a sad fact that many laser printer users have to contend with; including home users who are not predisposed to pertinent print management devices bundled with new laser printer units.

Given the equation of cheaper printers = expensive consumables; it is only imperative for users to reduce print jobs and save on printing costs. Indeed, there is wisdom in the prudent use of printing resources; and new printing technologies likewise allowed businesses to cut corners by around 15% to 20% on their budgets. But the cost-saving features of new laser printers would pale in comparison to the cost savings derived from the use of compatible toner.

Solution from the printer consumables aftermarket

Consequently, independent or third party manufacturers of printer consumables have introduced genuine cost solutions to the printer consumables market. Despite the beating from OEMs in the form of lawsuits for independent manufacturers and threats of voiding printer warranties for users of third party consumables such as compatible toner cartridges and toner refill kits, the toner cartridge remanufacturing industry endures to this day; as the industry is able to competently respond to the needs of laser printer users for quality, decent prints at prices within reach. While the purchase of an OEM retail cartridge can cost you say $100, you can get the same decent prints for 30% less from a compatible toner cartridge and as much as 80% off when you opt for a toner refill kit.

With compatibles and compatible toner, users are empowered to optimize resources and meet print requirements efficiently while generating huge dollar savings in the process. Most likely, laser printer users will have to contend with the ridiculously high retail pricing of OEM consumables. But at least now, they know they have an acceptable option at their disposal.

Dissecting the Laser Printer’s OPC Drum

2010-06-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

The OPC or Organic Photo Conductor Drum is the heart and soul of a laser printer. This is one component that makes laser printing really possible. The process of electro-photographic (EP) printing requires the OPC Drum to play host to the negatively charged raster graphic image routed by the laser scanning assembly. How the OPC Drum accepts and retains the electro-static charge can be determined by inspecting the materials and substances applied to the Drum's surface.

The term Organic simply indicates that the OPC Drum is coated with biodegradable materials that will not in any way cause harm to the environment. The drum's coating is made up of petroleum substances such as carbon based chemicals. These are photoconductive polymers extracted from by products of fossil fuel refining activities. Manufactured from organic compounds, OPC Drum coatings are classified as non- hazardous and can therefore be used extensively in various printing applications, particularly that of the laser printing equipment. Earlier released photoreceptors such as the Arsenic Triselinide (As2Se3) and Selenium Tellurium (SeTe) Drums were considered hazardous.

What is the physical make-up of an OPC Drum ? Basically an OPC Drum has an aluminum substrate that helps provide electrical conduction as well as structural and mechanical support; though it does not play an active role in the EP printing process. The Drum coatings comprise of 3 layers, as follows:

The Undercoat Layer (UCL) provides adhesion between the substrate and the innermost photoconductive layer that prevents unwanted charge leakage. Just like the aluminum substrate, the UCL does not support the EP process.

The Charge Generation Layer (CGL) serves a critical function to Drum performance as catalyst to print speed. The CGL is ultra thin by as much as one micron (human hair is 50 microns in comparison) and actually determines the color of the OPC Drum.

The Charge Transport Layer (CTL) is the transparent, outermost coating that is around 20 to 30 microns thick. The CTL allows the laser beam to pass through the CGL that gauges the Drum’s light-sensitivity aspect and primarily determines charge acceptance and transport. This layer also dictates Drum Life since it comes in contact with toner powder particles, paper, developer roller, the wiper blade, ozone and other totally abrasive agents that consequently affect wear characteristics, durability and resistance.

Learning the physical composition of the OPC Drum will favorably orient users over its sensitive nature. Consequently this will discourage printing practices that will shorten the effective life of OPC Drum components.

Radiant Fusing: The Latest Upgrade to Laser Printing Technology

2010-06-15T09:00:00.002-05:00

Photo by lockstockb

The conventional fuser assembly of the laser printer utilizes both the heat and pressure rollers to complete the bonding of image to paper or media. Contact with rollers increases the likelihood of image distortion in media; particularly if uneven lateral tension is applied. More often, image distortion is caused by dirty or worn out rollers that are evident with ageing printers.

In worst cases, uneven media tension (lateral) is also the precursor to the dreaded paper jams. However, paper jams seem to have lost its stream following the entry of single pass print engines. But just as the printing Industry is about to rest on its laurels, technology called Radiant Fusing comes out and requires thorough assessment if it can indeed help printing substantially.

Radiant Fusing Technology as introduced by OCE’ USA promises to further improve the fusing activity of the laser printer. Conventional laser printer fusing devices entail media to pass through rollers in order to receive a tantamount of heat and pressure necessary for proper bonding. Radiant fusing is entirely different since this technology programs media to pass through a grid of wires – just like the bread toaster – and lets radiant heat properly fuse toner and bond its particles to paper fibers. The absence of rollers completely prevents instances of image distortion.

Radiant fusing utilizes radiant energy, the natural source being the sun. Nikola Tesla pioneered the use of the sun’s radiant energy through various inventions and medical devices. In laser printing, the use of radiant energy promises to be a jolt in the arm as it improves. Among the top features of laser printers running on radiant energy include the following:

Fast Print Turnout. The grid of wires can actually jumpstart heating, so heat delivered is instantaneous and needs no waiting time.

Sharper Printouts. Resolution loss, dot size deprivation and line vagueness in printouts are prevented as the fusing setup allows radiant heat coming from the grid of wires to melt toner accurately on the media.
Reduced Energy Consumption. The grid of wires heat instantly to reduce, if not eliminate the waiting time in the release of the initial printout; particularly during standby or sleep modes.
Fan-less Operation. Radiant fusing heats and cools off instantly so that the laser printer no longer require noisy fans to sustain reasonable temperature inside the printer.

Low Maintenance. Since radiant fusing operates at lower heating temperature, said technology reinforces component durability and consequently reduces maintenance and replacement costs; thus, resulting to the extended life of the laser printer.

Radiant fusing technology was initially used in wide format printing for the generation of Architectural applications and specifications, Engineering drawings, Construction instruction manuals and other related documents that require extensive accuracy and fast turnout speed. As radiant fusing enters the realm of desktop laser printing, it is definitely bound to make a few ripples. Printing Technology never sleeps and we should not be caught napping!

Just Buzzing In is a weekly musing that features what's hot and what's not as buzzed in the printing community.

LED Printer Versus the Laser Printer

2010-06-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

Laser light pulses travel really fast at the rate of nanoseconds but the pulse-flashes emitted by the Light Emitting Diode (LED) bar surpasses its speed. Consequently, LED printers can produce printed pages much faster than laser printers. So what then is behind the speed advantage of LED over laser technology in the context of printing? The design of the LED printer's scanner accounts for the variance in speed.A single laser device is employed to scan laser printer images while over a thousand diodes emitted by the LED printer performs the scanning function. It is now a case of 1 versus several thousands and by sheer numbers alone, LED will outmaneuver laser printers in any given instance.

Laser Technology. Raster image (in the form of dots) emanating from the server is relayed to the laser scanning assembly and projected to the rotating Organic Photo-Conductive (OPC) Drum; one dot at a time. Imagine a laser printer capable of producing 1,200 dots per inch. How many more dots will be required to print an entire row of dots in an 8 inch paper breadth? Moreover, how many rows of dots are needed to complete the vertical scanning and printing of all raster graphic images of a single page document?

For a square inch image, 1,440,000 dots are needed to produce a solid print on paper. Consequently, more is required if the image covers the entire breadth of a page. Laser pulses from the scanner of a laser printer must be outrageously fast to be ableto churn out say 47 pages per minute of hard copy documents.

LED Technology. LED Printing is different because instead of laser light beams, light emitting diodes are arrayed on the scanner to deliver light pulses. While laser scans one dot at a time, LED devices scan one row of dots at a time. This implies that for a square inch of print on paper, LED diodes will only scan the raster graphic image 1,200 times (1,200 dpi resolution) versus a laser beam that will perform scanning 1,440,000 times. Therefore, the disparity in dots delivery will obviously favor the LED Printer.

Resolution Limitations. LED technology is technically inferior than laser technology with regards to output resolution. LED printers can only deliver at most 600 horizontal dpi resolutions. Although LED can scan at faster speeds, it will be technically impossible to pack 1,200 diodes into every linear inch of scanner length. Vertical dpi resolution however does not pose the same technical difficulties because scanning will be dependent on the print engine and how fast the diodes can blink.

Laser printers meanwhile are not hampered by technical limitations because its technology can conveniently deliver on its promise of producing 1,200 dpi x 1,200 dpi resolution for printed output. Perhaps, what holds back the laser printer's performance is the print engine that may not be able to match the scanner's speed. If media cannot move synchronously, this will affect vertical dpi resolution but not the horizontal dpi resolution. So for the 600 dpi x 1,200 dpi skew resolution of a LED printer, printout quality can definitely not match those delivered by the laser printer.

So when print speed is priority, LED printers will be a good buy. But if it's quality print output you are looking for, laser printers will work best for you.

Unraveling the Printers Unique Laser Scanning Unit

2010-06-08T09:00:00.003-05:00

Photo by comx

Laser Printers use light beams to scan the latent image formed on the rotating OPC Drum or the photo conductor drum. Scanning is possible because the document stream coming from the computer or the server is first transformed into a raster graphic image composed of dots. Each dot is relayed to the OPC Drum through the laser beam delivered by the scanning unit. The process of scanning actually replicates the action of electron beams employed with Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) television sets of the past; where electron beams pass through a series of filters to form the images on the TV screen that is discernable to the naked eye.

In the case of laser printers, laser beams (instead of electron beams) precisely controlled by electrical signals coming from the computer is directed towards the collimator lens and unto a spinning polygon mirror (scanner) that in turn reflects the light beam. Thereafter, the reflected light beam from the laser scanner is redirected and passes through the scanning lens systemfor fine tuning prior to actual scanning of the OPC Drum. The so called laser printing technology guarantees high precision dot for dot imagery on the focal plane and dot generation at a uniform pitch that produces better printer resolution.

The laser printer scanning unit is composed of several moving parts that make it more vulnerable to mechanical component failure. Of important consideration is the spinning hexagonal shaped polygon mirror that is rated at around 13,000 rpm (revolutions per minute) and must rotate accurately at all times; otherwise precision imagery could not be completed. Moreover, the polygon mirror is prone to paper and toner dust contamination. So as it spins, it is probable for unwanted substances to coat the super-sensitive surface which ultimately results to the produce of light, faded prints. The polygon mirror therefore requires constant maintenance check and must undergo periodic cleaning to achieve quality printouts at all times.

NOW that the myth surrounding the Laser Scanning Unit had been unraveled, users will now be more tolerant towards the maintenance requirement of its components.

***

Laser printers can print fast at speeds of over 50 pages per minute (ppm) but also need toner cartridge replacement all the time. The pricing of OEM toner cartridges, more often than not, is not within the reach of most consumer budgets. The106R00655 cartridge of the Xerox Phaser 7750 laser printer for instance costs $365 to replace.But if users are not too skittish, they can always try refilling empty toner cartridges with the use of compatible toner supplied with toner refill kits. The 4 pack Xerox Phaser 7750 toner refill kit is retailed for only $75 and is guaranteed a yield of 22,000 printed pages and print quality just like that of the OEM toner.

Dots Per Inch (DPI) Resolution: The True Measure of Print Quality

2010-06-07T09:00:00.006-05:00

Photo by shlomaster

DPI resolution. Imagine a laser print on paper that is one square inch in size. Under a resolution size of 1200 DPI x 1200 DPI , the printer’s scanner can accurately pack 1200 dots on a single horizontal row that is 1 inch wide. Depending on how fast paper or media moves, 1200 dots in a single column file (also1 inch in length) can be generated vertically as well. The finished print is sharp, smooth and no longer grainy because of the 1,440,000 (1,200 multiplied by 1,200) dots that comprise the 1 square inch image. Images set with high Dot Per Inch (DPI) resolution differ from a 300 x 300 DPI or a 600 x 600 DPI (lower resolution sizes) image because dots generated are far in between that reduces print intensity, resulting to images that are dull and absurdly grainy. The process of converting images into a raster graphics image composed of dots forms part of the electro-photographic (EP) printing process.

Electro-Photographic Printing Process. Images coming from the server are converted into a raster graphic image represented by dots and then projected unto the rotating Organic Photo-Conductive (OPC) Drum. Toner powder is literally sprayed into the dots formed on the OPC Drum where media moving along the paper path force toner particles to cling to its surface and complete image resolution. Thereafter, the material moves into the fuser assembly to properly bond toner powder to paper fibers before moving out of the exit rollers as a finished, hard copy document.

Before EP printing can commence, the OPC Drum surface should be set with a positive polarity because the dots projected by the scanner carry a negative charge. Toner powder inherently carry a positive charge. Therefore, only negatively charged dots will electro-statically allow toner powder to cling; thus completing the latent image created unto the OPC Drum. This is where the toner’s physical properties and quality comes in. Conventional, jet-milled toner powder particles have jagged edges that reduce the possibility of particles to roll over freely unto the negatively charged dots.

During the early years of EP printing, toner powder particles manufactured range from 8 to 12 microns resulting to print quality that is grainy, rough and easily flakes out. The advent of chemical toner powder produced by way of Emulsion Aggregation (EA) Technology produced toner particles that are smaller than 3 microns in size and practically with conical or spherical edges; improving toner adhesion and therefore reducing waste. Said toner technology made it possible for DPI resolution to reach the 1,200 DPI plateau when it used to hover only between 300 to 600 DPI under the a conventional jet-milled toner.

Dots per inch (DPI) resolution dictates printout quality. As such, it is not only OEM toner powder that can produce high resolution prints since high quality compatible toner produced by third party manufacturers and packaged in toner refill kits can likewise deliver similar print quality as the OEM toner when loaded to a high DPI resolution laser printer. In the end, the true measure of print quality is DPI or dots per inch resolution.

SAMSUNG CLP610: Budget Laser Printer Meets Compatible Toner Refill Kit

2010-06-03T09:00:00.003-05:00

Color laser printers have ceased to be an equipment for offices and the affluent few. For as little as $300, a unit can already be purchased in the market. Being budget-priced however does not mean low-end because some models priced at this category deliver printouts at fast speeds, lower cost per page (CPP) and even higher duty cycle. This is the void Samsung CLP610nd color laser printer has endeavored to fill. A single pass color laser printer relatively intended for users with modest budgets, the printer promises to be both a performance wizard and cost miser that would help minimize color- printing expenses while delivering unequalled print quality.

Unlike other printers of this class, the Samsung CLP610nd has a built-in duplex feature for automatic printing on both sides of the paper. This would provide significant reduction in color printing expenses, particularly on transparencies, through years of operation. Moreover, the 128 MB onboard memory can be expanded to 384 MB since the printer's motherboard is outfitted with a parallel slot where a 256 DIMM (dual in line memory module) can be added. The increase in onboard memory allows the printer to cope-up and churn out color prints containing intricate details. Samsung rated the CLP610's speed at 21 pages per minute (PPM) for both color and monochrome prints.

Replacement cartridges are available at $119 for the monochrome cartridge and $129 each for the color cartridges. The monochrome toner cartridge (CLP K660B) comes rated with a yield capacity of 5,500 pages at 5% coverage. Meanwhile, the 3 other color cartridges (CLP C660B, CLP M660B and CLP Y660B) are expected to deliver 5,000 pages also at 5% coverage. For these cartridge costs and expected yield in printed pages, the CPP is pegged at 10.2 cents for color and 2.4cents for monochrome documents. This CPP may not be the lowest in the Industry, but when complemented by its automatic duplex system, certainly the CPP could really be significantly lowered.

If the Samsung CLP610 toner refill kit is used to replenish the toner supply of empty Samsung cartridges, can it support the printer's speed and performance? Of course! Compatible toner supplied with the kit is manufactured along similar processes as the OEM toner. By that, toner performance and yield in printed pages is hereby guaranteed to duplicate the OEM toner. However, compatible toners are distributed at a much lower price, unlike OEM toner cartridges (bundled cost $506). The rainbow pack toner refill kit is available for only $153.95 while each of the 4 color replacement toner are retailed for $48.95. Moreover, toner refill kits cuts toner consumable expenses down even further, as Samsung toner cartridges can withstand 3 to 4 subsequent toner refills.

Wants crisp, laser print quality and performance at a much lesser cost? Get a Samsung CLP-610 toner Refill Kit.

Does your Printer rate well with the BUZZ METER?

2010-06-01T09:00:00.002-05:00

Photo by exian

When it comes to color laser printing, the buzz meter always provides users timely information and feedback on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), the latest development in print speed based on output pages per minute (PPM), cost per page (CPP), and updates on state of the art printing technology such as the single pass array. The list goes on and on.

Despite the advancements in printer technology, the buzz meter critiques about the rising cost of OEM consumables, particularly toner cartridges. This seems to have defied common perception since printer manufacturers are investing a big chunk of R&D dollars into the design and production of toners and cartridges in order to minimize related costs.

No one would likely be delighted to be charged a hefty $365 for a replacement toner cartridge. It is likely that the latest innovations in printer technology has ensued the sharp rise in toner consumable pricing.

The single pass print engine design for one literally stretches the cost, not only of the printer upfront, but that of the replacement toner cartridge as well. While toner cartridges for multi-pass color laser printers are devised to be stand alone units, single pass cartridges integrate the OPC Drum into the unit. Therefore when toner supply of the cartridge is depleted, the user will also have to replace the OPC Drum.

The sad part about this new cartridge set up is that the OPC Drum can last up to 3 to 4 times the expected life of OEM toner supplied with the cartridge. Say for a high yield cartridge rated 22,000 pages at 5% page coverage, the paired OPC Drum can withstand at least 80,000 pages. This is a yield disparity that is hard to bear, particularly for users working on a tight budget. Despite the odds, users can always turn to the aftermarket for solutions. Know that empties can be reloaded with a fresh shot of compatible toner supplied with toner refill kits and reused for another cycle of printing.

The truth is, compatible and OEM toners are manufactured along the same lines of composition, particle size and technology, resulting to similar print quality and yield. Users can actually administer 3 to 4 refills to coincide with the expected ‘end life’ of the OPC Drum. So to keep the buzz meter in check, take note of how toner refill kits offer substantial reduction in toner consumable expenses and TCO while improving CPP output.

The Buzz Meter rates a printer more accurately and how the production of high-yield OEM toner cartridges should keep color printing expenditures within tolerable levels. Does your printer rate well?

Just Buzzing In is a weekly musing that features what's hot and what's not as buzzed in the printing community.

HP Smart Install Technology - An upgrade to the Energy Star?

2010-05-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Photo by clix

Just when consumers think of laser printers that carry an ENERGY STAR rating as the ‘end all’ in terms of energy efficiency, HP introduced the Smart Install technology. Under an Energy Star classification, printers are programmed to automatically switch from printing mode to standby mode in between print jobs. This mechanism helped minimize energy consumption since all of the unit's electrical devices are shut-off when the unit is on standby mode; except for the fuser assembly that continues to consume energy.

The fuser assembly needs to be continuously warmed up in order to respond immediately to incoming data stream. This way, print speed will not be compromised, particularly for prints produced following the standby phase. However if print jobs come far in between, an Energy Star rated laser printer switches to sleep mode which further cuts energy consumption. At sleep mode, the electronic device activating the printer is the only mechanism consuming electrical power. This energy use sequence eventually reduces energy consumption by as much as 30% to 35% that is already significant when printer is used in an 8 hour cycle. When the printer is in sleep mode, it takes a longer time to laboriously print a document because the fuser assembly cannot jumpstart heating. Thus initial print speed retards right after the printer is activated from sleep mode. For this limitation, Hewlett Packard has developed a solution through the release of its SMART INSTALL Technology.

With SMART INSTALL, energy use is curtailed by as much as 72% that is lesser by more than twice the average consumption for Energy Star classified laser printers. The SMART INSTALL Technology is really a breakthrough in printer energy efficiency design – a moniker for the most energy efficient laser printer on the planet. The heart of the new technology is HP's Auto-On / Auto-Off device that intelligently monitors printing activity. The device automatically activates the laser printer from OFF mode once data stream is forwarded to the printer unit; consequently adjusts power setting and automatically turns the printer off once print activity ceases.

The potential reason why SMART INSTALL technology is integrated into the system is HP’S advanced fuser heating element. HP has consistently developed a heating element (fuser) that rapidly heats-up and technically brings heating time to almost nil. Therefore, when the printer is activated from OFF Mode, print jobs are automatically printed without any observed waiting time. The ultimate result is maximum reduction in energy use.

In the end, laser printers operating under the patented HP SMART INSTALL Technology are more energy efficient than Energy Star rated printers.

Laser Printing Technology Harnessed to Fight MALARIA

2010-05-28T09:00:00.005-05:00

Photo from naturegirl78

Laser technology employed in the manufacture of laser printers is so precise that ensuing images over printouts duplicate the original. Laser printers utilize the same basic laser scanning device that is used to track down mosquitoes even in mid-flight and shoot them down. This is according to Nathan Myhrvold, Microsoft’s former chief technology officer in a demonstration at the annual Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) Conference in Long Beach, California. The first ever laser based mosquito anihilator is manufactured from an assortment of parts coming from laser printers, digital cameras and projectors, and is now readily available in stores and shopping stalls.

Of real importance is the manner by which the printer’s laser mechanism can actually pinpoint raster images on the OPC Drum with great precision and at blinding speed. When such technology is used to annihilate Malaria-causing mosquitoes, it is so effective that eradication is at the rate of 50 to 100 mosquitoes per second. And given the very low manufacturing cost for these laser devices, the state of the art mosquito annihilator would only cost less than $50. A slow motion recorded video demonstrating how the laser based mosquito annihilator operates revealed that as the insect flew, an unexpected light beam hits it, and consquently disintegrates parts of its carcass into a cluster of smoke. The sequence was so fast and death was instantaneous that as the insect fell, its wings even continued to beat.

Actually the software used according to Myhrvold detects the speed and size of the insect and analyzes it before taking a course of action. Therefore, the device will reject a butterfly or human being for that matter because of the variance in size and movement. However, the device is programmed to react and blast its powerful laser only on female mosquitoes that happen to be slightly bigger than the male and likewise flaps a bit slower. It is actually the female mosquito that bites and carries the deadly Malaria parasite. So, if bed nets are the low-end solution to fight the deadly disease – the laser device is the high-end counterpart. The laser based mosquito annihilator is likely the potent tool to shield residences, schools and even agricultural fields from parasitic attacks and even serves as substitute to health damaging pesticides.

The many uses of laser technology only goes to show that laser printers not only benefit from it but other well-intentioned applications as well such as health care. When laser technology first came out in the early part of the 19th century, it carried a reputation of devastating power. Only to be tamed later on and used successfully in all facets of endeavors that benefit mankind. The eradication of Malaria is one positive application that when laser technology is harnessed productively could help alleviate the sufferings of many.

The "Little Extras" Means A LOT in Color Laser Printing

2010-05-27T09:00:00.002-05:00

Photo by wagg66

In our present state where offices rely heavily on electronic communication to transmit data and do business, clutter of office equipment is evident. Office equipment includes fax machines, printers, scanners, PCs and all other mechanisms that add to the physical disarray in an office setting. So in almost all offices, the shift to multi-function printers (MFPs) has become a necessity not only to reduce equipment count and minimize footprint but also to save in the process of procurement as well. A multi-function printer is the all-in-one equipment that serves as the network printer, the document scanner and the fax machine.

When inter-office printing volume is high, the printer must be integrated with ‘little extras’ to reduce user intervention in the course of producing printouts; unless the office is intending to hire additional personnel just to monitor printer operations. Most likely, nobody in his right mind would be interested to shoulder that additional cost. Here are 2 of the ‘little extras’ in laser printers that would surely help businesses save funds while raising its green credibility rating as well since these additional features help reduce paper waste and minimize energy consumption.

Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). This is a feature of MFPs that allows the user to place stack of media on the printer's loading tray that will then be used successively and one after the other, during printing, document scanning and fax messaging. The ADF is an important feature that saves a lot of man hours as this effectively dispenses with the need to manually load the printer with paper for every page of printed document. Moreover, the ADF normally prints in tandem with high-yield OEM toner cartridges like the monochromatic106R00652 cartridge of the Xerox 7750 (rated 32,000 pages for its $170 counter price) that further increase reliability. The ADF is a basic functionality that has made laser printing very convenient and cost efficient.

Duplex Printing. This feature adds more teeth to the office green rating as it reduces a lot of paper waste. Duplex or double sided printing is a special feature that allows users to print on both sides of the media which cuts paper consumption into half. The systematic reduction of paper usage while printing significantly redounds to lesser number of trees cut for paper manufacture and lesser CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions into the atmosphere during production which therefore makes a lot of sense for the environment.

Nevertheless, users mindful of the hazards of toner cartridge production to the environment never put more strain to the fragile ecological balance. Instead, empties (empty toner cartridges) are refilled to exploit the component's printing capabilities. The Xerox 7750 toner refill kit for instance is sold for only $75 and carries with it the same print quality and yield inherent in OEM toner cartridges. At a cost difference of 66%, the use of toner refill kits becomes a tangible option, and because Xerox OEM toner cartridge components can last 3 to 4 refills, substantial savings is generated in the process.

Indeed, the little extras means a lot to color laser printer users as it streamlines the printing process and related costs.

What's in store for Single Pass Color Laser Printer users?

2010-05-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

New generation color laser printers are equipped with single pass print engines, the latest breakthrough in laser printer design. This actually represents an improvement in printer technology, where all the 4 color cartridges simultaneously supply toner powder in one stroke, and allows paper or media a single pass to complete image development. Under the old multi-pass technology, paper goes through 4 passes (one pass for each of the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Monochrome toner cartridges). The single pass print engine technology guarantees the performance benefits below, though at a cost that is more hefty than the multiple pass units:

10 Times the Speed. Multi Pass color laser printers can only deliver printouts at 4 ppm (pages per minute) which reduces overall office efficiency if printer is used in a network of PCs with recurrent requirements for printouts every now and then. Personnel will literally have to wait in line for documents to be printed. Not with a single pass color laser printer such as the Dell 3000dn laser printer as the unit can deliver printouts at the speed of 47 ppm, both for color and monochrome prints. The print speed delivery actually ensures ‘no waiting time’ as personnel will only have to send the documents to a central server and printouts become ready as one moves from the table to the printer.

Double the Fun. Color printing becomes fun for single pass laser printer users because said technology not only reduces the incidence of paper jams to zero but likewise substantially improved color print quality. Printers of this type are equipped with high yield OEM toner cartridges like the Xerox 106R00652 monochrome toner cartridge that carries a yield capacity of 32,000 pages based on the 5% standard coverage. And to complete the fun, users can always conduct refills on empty cartridges using toner refill kits and spend only $75 for each refill without sacrificing print quality and yield in printed pages if the cost of the OEM toner cartridge is expensive at $170.

Get Ready for the Cost. The only downside to a single pass laser printer is the high cost of consumables and maintenance. The new technology may have improved efficiency but it also added to the cost burden. Single pass laser printers come integrated with 4 OPC drums and 4 laser scanning assemblies for each of the 4 CMYK cartridges and an ITB (Image Transfer Belt). This alone raises the cost of the color printer upfront. Furthermore, OPC Drums are now built integrally into the toner cartridge to improve print quality so that when the unit dries of toner, the user also needs to replace the OPC Drum. While the cost of stand-alone OEM toner cartridges for multi pass printers cost way below $100, the coupled ‘single pass’ OEM toner cartridges are offered at $365, like the Xerox 106R00653.

The new single pass print engine improves print speed by up to 10 times, raises printing fun, but also renders the cost restrictive. Well if budget allows, single pass laser printers will surely fit the bill of users with discriminating requirements for printed output.

Monthly Duty Cycle: Can your laser printer really print that much?

2010-05-25T09:00:00.004-05:00

Photo by cinz

In a meeting held by a conglomeration of laser printer vendors, Buyer’s Laboratory Information (BLI) and Testing Advisory Committee (TAC) is one in the belief that a printer’s monthly duty cycle is grossly overstated. A case in point is the Xerox 7750 which comes with the recommended ‘monthly duty cycle’ of 150,000. This however is otherwise confusing since the rated capacity does not in fact reflect reality. Should the user consistently push the printer to its optimum capacity then this would result in frequent maintenance work and servicing. Equipment subjected to this type of use will certainly not endure the three-year lease in equipment life.

THE FACT, as discovered by BLI’S reliability test process states that it is not possible for a printer to consistently deliver the rated capacity under a normal eight-hour day. The sad truth on the other hand is that laser printers that cannot deliver the rated capacity daily cannot be expected to perform just as much on a monthly basis. The root for the computation of a printers monthly duty cycle is indeed murky; although it is evident that this represents the amount of work delivered by the printer monthly. The monthly duty cycle for any printer however is not the potential volume of prints that it could possibly produce. Here is an analogy. For a vehicle that comes rated with a 200 miles per hour (mph) velocity, the driver is of course not expected to be constantly pushing the accelerator pedal flat on the floor 8 hours a day, 30 days a month. While it is true that the vehicle can run 200 mph, it is seldom for the driver to cruise at the maximum velocity.

This also holds true with color laser printers. Although the rated monthly duty cycle can be harnessed when the need arises, users seldom print at the rated capacity volumes. On the average, only 10 percent (10%) of the printer's rated capacity is reached. This reflects just how a 150,000 ‘monthly duty cycle’ unit like the Xerox 7750 laser printer is utilized to deliver only as much as 15,000 pages of documents in any given month. At this monthly rate of 15,000 pages, the laser printer will not suffer rapid component deterioration; thus servicing and maintenance costs will indeed be lower and a longer end life for the printer can be expected. Color printers under the Xerox 7750 line come with a monochrome toner consumable rated 32,000 pages at the standard coverage of 5% in anticipation of high volume print jobs. Thus with a high yielding toner cartridge, lesser uses intervention becomes necessary during printing, particularly during times of heavy print load.

Biodegradable Plastic: How it can expedite the decomposition of toner cartridges?

2010-05-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

Photo by e-magic

The battle lines for the containment of garbage has eluded mankind since the civilization started with the Egyptians. The sad part however, is that the modern world have created materials that may take centuries to decompose which ultimately become a burden over dumpsites and landfills later on. No effective garbage disposal system has been in place since burning still happens to be the most relied upon method for reducing the volume of trash, just like in the days of antiquity. This practice of course releases fumes and gases to the atmosphere and consequently poses inherent risks to human health while causing severe pollution to the environment. A case in point are the millions (around 110 million to be exact) of toner cartridges that form part of the e-garbage in the United States annually.

Toner cartridges do not easily decompose. Printer manufacturers made OEM toner cartridges from plastic, a lightweight material that could easily be produced to fit the nuances of a laser printer. Plastic in cartridges is part of a chemical family of polymers that are composed of chains and chains of molecules that are bound together and bombarded with units of carbon atoms. This molecular chain provides the material inherent stability (high molecular weight) that cannot be broken down into simpler components. Therefore, it would take like 500 to 1000 years for plastic to fully decompose when left in landfills. And since the United States discards 110 million cartridges annually, that amount of rubbish could create a pile of garbage as broad as Texas in just a few hundred years.

Scientists in the field are unanimous in saying that the only way to putrefy a plastic material is to revise its chemical composition by way of polymerization / synthesis or simply put to use antioxidants. Consequently, antioxidant level in plastic dictates the rate of degradation or the breakdown of long carbon chains into smaller components. The manner of breakdown for molecular chains is called Anaerobic Biodegradation - a process that allows microbes to break the polymer chain into simpler components of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and facilitates its absorption into the environment. Plastics that decompose through Anaerobic Biodegradation are called biodegradable plastics which will hopefully be used more in the future to rid the gargantuan pile of empty toner cartridges filling landfills.

Actually the use of biodegradable plastic has been implemented with bags and drinking vessels used in supermarkets and shopping centers nationwide. This move is a really noble contribution by various manufacturing giants to help curb pollution and help the environment sustain its the fragile balance. In fact, San Francisco, California already lobbied for the exclusive use biodegradable plastics in the drive to rid the city of questionable trash.

Next time your toner cartridge goes empty, don't discard it immediately. Instead, exploit the maximum capability of the cartridge with the use of toner refill kits. This way, you save on printer consumable expenses while helping the environment as well.

Brother HL 3040cn Laser Printer: Speed and Connectivity at a Modest Price

2010-05-19T09:00:00.009-05:00

Printer manufacturers often highlight the physical design and footprint of the equipment released to the printing market. While aesthetics and space saving features are fine attributes that add value to the investment, this is only good for stand-alone PC and printer configurations as workplaces nowadays require connectivity and just can't rely on printers that would perform haplessly when networked with several other PC and printer peripherals. Not the Brother HL 3040cn LED (Light Emitting Diode) laser printer. The innovative unit peer-to-peer bridges both worlds of aesthetics and sensible network connectivity. When connected via configuration, the printer can be used directly over the network or as a shared printer where printing jobs are first directed towards a central server.

Basically the HL 3040cn comes with a single line LCD window located at the front panel. The data light meanwhile flashes when incoming print data is being routed. The printing process is really easy as the paper tray and its components are retractable from the front of the unit.

It should be mentioned that this laser printer employs the straight paper path technology which reduces drastically incidences of paper jams. But then again, before loading toner cartridges, shake the cartridges slightly to loosen-up any clump toner inside the cartridge; open the panel housing the cartridge and load each of the 4 (CYMK) color toner cartridges on its respective slot. Remember to remove the protective seal on each toner cartridge before loading it to the printer.

First time users of the HL 3040cn LED printer should note that this unit does not connect to the Wi-Fi set-up directly but can be made compatible to the local network. Once the network printer software finds the printer, installation of the driver should proceed without any of the glitches reported for other printer brands. Also bundled with the HL 3040cn software installation is a Status Monitor utility that delivers firmware updates and error messages by default and is used to access the log and troubleshoot printer problems as well.

The HL 3040cn deliver printouts at the fast speed of 17 pages per minute (ppm) for both monochrome and color prints. Output delivered is crisp and razor sharp yielding 1,500 pages for cyan, yellow and magenta, and 2500 pages for the monochrome cartridge at the standard 5% page coverage. All these for a less than $300 price tag. The bundled cost of the four OEM toner cartridges meanwhile is not expensive at a little more than $200. But a user on a shoestring budget can opt for compatible toner refill kits that is retailed for three quarters less than the OEM.

Straight Paper Path Technology: How it speeds up laser printing?

2010-05-18T09:00:00.004-05:00

Photo by liewcf

Laser printers have always dazzled consumers because of the speed by which the machine turn out laser prints. Add the superb quality of the printouts, then you have the perfect printing machine that any office truly deserves. However just like any mechanical run equipment, the printing equipment has its own share of performance irregularities. In the case of the laser printer the most notorious mechanical failure is the tendency for paper fed to jam in the course of printing. This can be expected because the movement of paper inside the printer follows a ‘snake like’ pattern, particularly with critical turns that require precise roller synchronization.

The latest print engine design adapted by the Industry is the ‘straight paper path’ technology that ultimately makes paper jams irrelevant. This breakthrough technology feeds the media (paper) along a single, straight path that directs the paper's movement from its entry at the loading tray and to its exit at the rear panel of the laser printer. The media movement is so simple and direct, and in fact increases print speed to double that of conventional laser printers. The HP LaserJet 2100 is a classic example of a laser printer running on a ‘straight paper path’ technology. The presence of a rear output bin virtually eliminated the occurrence of paper jams.

Probably the only drawback to the HP 2100 is that the user retrieves the printed document from the rear end of the printer, which is really inconvenient since that would require additional rear space for the printer. But aside from the rear opening, everything else is in fine form including the C4096A OEM toner cartridge, which incidentally costs only $98.99 to replace and delivers 5,000 printed pages at the Industry mandated 5% coverage. Besides, the quality of printouts is guaranteed because it uses the HP Ultra Precise toner formulation that provides sharper texts and graphics. Moreover, the HP 2100 prints with the HP patented Resolution Enhancement Technology (RET) that adjusts accurately the size and locations of each dot on the page, resulting in smoother angles, curves and edges.

However if the user opts to cut back on laser-printing expenses, the HP LaserJet 2100 toner refill kit can aptly fill the void as an equivalent alternate consumable. The compatible toner refill kit comes retailed for only $10.95 and delivers similar performance as the OEM toner in terms of print quality and yield in printed pages. The compatible toner is manufactured and laboratory tested along the same fronts as the OEM toner which assures users that the toner would perform just as well.

So, if a fast and dependable laser printer is a major requirement, pick the HP LaserJet 2100 that comes featured with the ‘straight paper path’ technology.

Of Toner Powder, Laser Printer Emissions and the Ideal Location for Laser Printers

2010-05-17T09:00:00.027-05:00

Photo by The Artifex

Toner powder per se is non-toxic. Therefore, the material is deemed non-hazardous to laser printer users who come in closer contact with it. However in the process of laser printing, as the fuser melts toner at 200 degrees Celsius, fumes and gases are emitted. Experts claim that the inhalation of these gases can cause minor inconvenience to the person operating the laser printer. Therefore it is in the best interest of all users for laser printers to be located in an area where gases and fumes can be contained.

Not So Hard Hacts
No clear reference to any health problem has so far been linked to the inhalation of compound gases (styrene, xylenes, and ozone) produced in the process of laser printing. Scientists who undertook the study concluded the following:

That the ultra fine particles examined are similar in size to particles found in cigarette smoke;
Hewlett Packard, manufacturer of HP 1200 laser printer, mentioned in a parallel study that there is no clear evidence linking printer emissions to health hazards;
That the emitted particles (styrene, xylenes, ozone according to a study commissioned in Japan) are not in a way related to toner;
That the same particulate emissions can also be produced by household appliances such as the bread toaster for instance;
That exposure to a lot of contaminants in indoor air may not be good, but the effect is often quantified to exposure amount, duration, and toxicity of the emitted particles.
That inhalation of these fine particles could result to respiratory irritation to severe illnesses like cardiovascular problems.

It is rather difficult to conclude that particulates coming from the laser printer pose a major health risk because plastic dust, with pigments from carbon black (toner substances), is similar to diesel exhaust.

Ideal Location for Laser Printer

The area intended for the laser printer must be thoroughly thought of and planned as this could affect the physical movement of personnel in the office.

The laser printer must be placed in a large and thoroughly lighted area where there is good airflow.
The laser printer must not be exposed to direct sunlight as this could increase operating temperature and eventually produce damage to the printer.
Direct sunlight could penetrate the innards of the printer and affect the output quality of printout. Do the same for toner cartridges like the HP C7115A as light could affect the integrity of photosensitive toner powder.
Position the laser printer away from large photocopiers and heaters as static electricity from these equipment could cause print quality problems.

Understanding Paper Jams Much Better

2010-05-14T09:00:00.001-05:00

Photo by stuartpilbrow

The media (paper) transport system in a conventional laser printer comprises of 5 major processes, as follows:

1 Pick-up

2 Image Registration

3 Laser Imaging

4 Fuser or baking and

5 the Printed Document

As it moves along printer components, paper is handled by 2 or 3 sets of rollers per component that ascertain the precise movement of media. Any mishandling caused by a defective roller increases the possibility of paper to curl or wave which eventually causes chronic paper jams. It is apparent that laser printer manufacturers recognize the likelihood of paper jams in the course of laser printing. That is why optical sensors are laid out along the critical turns where paper jams can actually happen to inform users about the location of the paper jam for easy retrieval.

But why do paper jams really happen? The real culprit behind any paper jam is a non-uniformed lateral tension applied on the media. It is a design prerogative for rollers handling the paper (media) to run on the same linear velocity. This is probable only if driven by a central gear train that will synchronize the speed of all rollers. However, this is not possible because use of the printer delivers part tolerances on the rollers. It is likely that material differences and varying characteristics of wear and tear of the roller and gear train render the linear velocities to vary to a certain extent at any given time.

For example, if the output roller operates at a slower linear velocity than that of the fuser roller, then the fuser roller will deliver more paper than what the output roller can handle. What happens thereafter is that media will succumb to distinct deformation such as waves, crimp, curls and wrinkles. If the speed disparity is great, then paper jams occur. This disparity in linear velocity between the output and fuser roller alone will cause media to buckle-up or fold at the printer’s paper exit area. And since media coming out of the fuser assembly is still hot due to the high temperatures and in plastic form at that, any deformations will come out as permanent.

This phenomenon termed media deformation becomes more visible as the size of the media increases from size A (11 inches long) to size B (17inches long) which could also be the precursor of a paper jam. This problem however, involves only the rollers that could not be resolved with the replacement of the toner cartridge or refill of its toner supply using a toner refill kit.

Why do paper jams occur? Remember that paper jams are only caused by a not fully synchronized component roller that needs maintenance cleaning at the very least, and replacement at the most.

EAHG Toner - Generate High Quality Laser Prints Even at the Fastest Print Speeds

2010-05-13T09:00:00.005-05:00

Photo by Viernest

It took some time before the print speed of laser printers could reach the 50 pages per minute or ppm plateau. Toner technology could not match the rapid advances made on print engine design which therefore explains the lag. The culprit behind this delay is the awfully longer time it takes for toner particles to fuse and bond permanently to paper fibers. So in effect, printer manufacturers had to retard print speed to accommodate the fusing process and allow it to run its normal course while preventing toner from flaking or smearing. However with the development of the EA-HG or the Emulsion Aggregate High Gloss toner by Xerox in the late 90’s, laser printing turned a different route.

Unlike the conventional jet-milled toner, the EA-HG is entirely different because toner particles are literally grown amidst a controlled environment. This resulted to the produce of more refined toner particles measuring a smaller diameter across (around 3 microns) and exhibiting very low fusing temperature as well. The low toner fusing temperature offered printer manufacturers the gateway to increase print speed without sacrificing print quality. It used to be that when users opt for the speedy printout of documents, they too have to accept the concession of generating only average print quality or draft copies of the document. A classic example is the Xerox Phaser 6360dn that can deliver color printouts at 42 ppm. Although it is considered the fastest, experts assert that output given the print speed still could not match print quality.

For the moment though, the fastest desktop color laser printer is the Dell 2130cn. Nonetheless, the unit is not designed for round the clock printing in an office with say a dozen or more employees, unlike its Xerox counterpart. The Dell speed monster delivers single sided documents at the rate of 47 ppm and 37 ppm for duplex printing. As an added impetus to users, Dell not only exceeded print speed limits, but improved print quality as well. The COLORBYDELL is a total print quality solution that delivers exceptional color diffusion, image sharpness and excellent print quality for printed output. Dell therefore guarantees that at the speed of 47 ppm, all printouts henceforth will bear exceptional color print quality.

Toner Refill Kits like the rainbow pack (CMYK) Dell 2130 will not be left behind for long since third party manufacturers have produced its own version of the emulsion-grown toner. Price still happens to be the biggest difference since a toner refill kit 4 pack compatible with Dell 2130 cartridges is retailed for only $53.95 against the bundled OEM cartridges at $536. The OEM Dell 330-1437 (cyan) for example delivers a yield of 2,500 pages based on a 5% standard coverage similar to its toner refill counterpart. The OEM costs $139 compared to the refill toner at only $15.95 and with both exhibiting parallel print quality, this makes toner refills the sensible option.

Next time, when met with an empty Dell cartridge, don’t hesitate to use the toner refill kit counterpart. Be rest assured, its compatible emulsion-producer can match any print speed, even at 47 ppm. Now, users can produce high quality printouts without having to deal with longer printing times.

HP and the “All In One” Toner Cartridge

2010-05-11T09:05:00.006-05:00

The laser printer is a brainchild of Gary Starkweather at the Xerox facility in Webster, New York (1969). The invention of this toner-based printing equipment changed the way people thought of mass printing. However, it used to be that Xerox distributed only laser printer types that catered to large corporations and establishments which made laser printing restrictive to most consumers. It took 15 years before Hewlett Packard (HP) launched its LaserJet models in 1984 that truly made laser printing almost affordable to regular consumers. Thus, the HP LaserJet is the prototype of laser printers we are using today and this is made possible with of the development of the ‘all in one’ toner cartridge.

The ‘all in one’ toner cartridge actually initiated the mass production of desktop printers as this made the replacement of toner consumables so convenient. Said toner cartridge concept embodies all the imaging components found inside the cartridge. In fact HP, was so successful in the desktop printer and ‘all in one’ cartridge segment that by May 2006 the LaserJet has reached a milestone of 100 million units delivered worldwide. Just to support the consumable requirements of LaserJet users, HP is obliged to manufacture at least a billion OEM toner cartridges annually. Consequently, use of the ‘all in one’ toner cartridge has its downside from exorbitant production costs to the ill effects manufacturing has on the environment.

Due to the hefty pricing of OEM toner consumables such as the toner cartridge, other options were developed by third party manufacturers to extend the printing capacity of empty OEM toner cartridges, instead of immediately serving it to landfills after it has run out of toner supply. Thus, the aftermarket for toner consumables opened – and the most sought-after market toner product is the compatible toner refill kit. Say for users of the HP 3005 laser printer, the immediate purchase of a replacement cartridge for a toner supply exhausted Q7551A (standard yield) or Q7551X (high yield) cartridge and its likely trip to the dump site can be precluded with the administration of refills on its empty toner chamber using the the compatible toner supplied with the HP 3005 Toner Refill Kit. This practice translates to big savings as the toner refill kit is retailed for only $23.95 versus the $215 price tag of a brand new replacement cartridge.

Despite its affordable pricing, compatible toner powder supplied with the kit delivers similar print quality and yield of 13,000 pages based on a 5% industry standard page coverage, just like the OEM toner. The price difference between the OEM cartridge and compatible toner is around 89% and considering that 3 to 4 subsequent refills could actually be administered on an empty cartridge, bigger savings can generated up to the ‘end life’ of the cartridge.

So, what made laser printers so popular? The obvious answer, the development of the HP ‘all in one’ toner cartridge to load the LaserJet line of laser printers.

Epson Stylus Photo PX810FW: The flagship all-in-one Inkjet Printer

2010-05-11T00:17:00.006-05:00

Photo by Darwin Bell

Current trends reveal that while the color laser printer industry is moving towards the release of more affordable and innovative units, the Epson Stylus Photo PX810FW InkJet priner is not. Traditionally, InkJet printers are priced way, way below most color laser printers but the PX810FW is sold with a price tag of over $400. And to think that some color desktop laser printers are available for $300, certainly a more expensive InkJet printer will be a puzzle to most users. Well, here’s the catch.

The Epson PX810FW is at present the most advanced and feature integrated photo-printer designed for home use. With its black, sleek look, the printer easily blends with any office environment. But a central feature of this top-of-the range equipment is the ability to view (in full lucid colors), edit, and print color documents directly from a memory card using only the touch control panel. This functionality allows direct printing from PictBridge matching cameras and an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software devised for scanning. And with Epson brand photo paper, high-quality photos and images are already within reach or can be stored directly into compatible CD’S and DVD’S.

A key component to the stunning print output delivered by this powerful inkjet is Epson’s Micro Piezo print head technology. Said technology when utilized with the Epson Clara Photographic Ink assures the production of life-like images with sharp and vibrant colors that even exceeds photo laboratory quality. Images produced using the Epson Clara Photographic Ink are warranted to last 98 years when placed in a photo frame and over 200 years when slipped inside a photo album. On the side of ink consumables, the printer uses individual ink cartridges so that the user will only have to replace the cartridge running out of ink without affecting performance. This ink replacement sequence gives due advantage to the user as it will substantially reduce expenses on consumables.

In terms of print speed, the PX810Fw is a character reserved only for laser printers because in ‘draft mode’ the unit prints text at the rate of 17.1 pages per minute (PPM). Although at this PPM rating, the printouts appear a little faint, darker and more comfortable results can be achieved at the speed of 7.4 PPM; that is when activating the ‘best mode’ printer function. When doing duplex printing or double sided printing, the print speed drops to only 4.2 PPM. While typically adequate, this could not be considered fast enough as a practical choice.

Just how the Epson Stylus Photo PX810FW all-in-one InkJet printer affects users preference? The cost and features of the printer will ultimately justify its ‘eye watering’ cost.

Why does Newsprint easily discolor?

2010-05-07T10:11:00.007-05:00

Photo by ImageAbtraction

Why indeed does newsprint media discolor when left exposed to the elements? The is due to the wood compound called lignin, the natural substance that binds the cellulose fiber together in trees. Lignin is sensitive, easily degrades and turns brown when exposed to sunlight. This is the reason why paper processed through the mechanical pulp method easily discolors and the best example is the cheap and non-archival paper we all know as the newsprint. Moreover, trees contain as much as 30% lignin and therefore when not treated properly succumbs to discoloration, a paper character that is not suited for hard copy documents.

The methods used in pulp preparation affect the quality of paper and every paper mill conforms to set processes to produce the type of paper ordered for distribution.

Chemical Pulp Process. Wood chips from storage bins are directly fed into a digester and mixed with chemicals such as caustic soda and Sulfur. The mixture is then pressure cooked to remove the substance lignin which affects the color quality of paper. This process can be coined as energy self-sufficient since practically, all timber by-products are utilized to provide energy to the pulp mill power plant. The only drawback to the chemical pulping process is the resulting low fiber yield since the procedure can only deliver fiber yield from between 50% to 60%.

Mechanical Pulp Process. Logs are debarked and cut into uniform lengths of 2 meters and placed between 2 huge rotating steel disks with teeth. Adding hot water action, the process literally tears the wood apart and reduces it to a pile of wood fibers. Logs can also be made to move against grindstones, a process that produces a by-product called the ground wood pulp. Either way both mechanical pulp processes can recover a yield of at least 90%.

Newsprint is manufactured using the mechanical pulp process and is not made to undergo the chemical process of extracting lignin from the tree cellulose fiber. Along with the high fiber recovery rate of the mechanical procedure, the inferior quality of newsprint in contrast to white paper with virgin components makes sense.

Given its fiber quality, the newsprint of course would not be able to meet the required specifications for media intended for laser printing. Besides, if newsprint can resist lateral shear during printing, output will still be marred with print defects that could not be resolved even with a sufficient supply of toner powder.

New LTS Toner Refill Kits for Ricoh Aficio AP3800 and more!

2010-05-06T09:00:00.011-05:00

For this post, we are featuring new Ricoh compatible kits available from Laser Tek Services’ (LTS) line of toner refill kits. Leading the pack is the Ricoh Aficio AP3800 Toner Refill Kit which comes supplied with high grade compatible toner powder stored in 4 color-specific bottles. Compatible toner powder can be used to refill empty Ricoh OEM cartridges 885372 (monochrome), 885373 (yellow), 885374 (magenta) and 885375 (cyan), and recycle these for another cycle of printing. LTS recommends refilling cartridges for up to 3 times. Check our site for a complete list of laser printers compatible with this refill product.

The Ricoh Aficio AP3800 Toner Refill Kit retails for only $122 for the rainbow pack while individual kits are sold for less than $35 a piece. OEM cartridges for the AP3800 are distributed with a counter price of $114 for the monochrome unit and over $200 for the colored cartridges. Refilling your cartridges with compatible toner powder is really a budget saver! Refill packages also include a funnel cap, toner wipes, a pair of gloves and an illustrated instruction manual.

Also available from LTS are toner refill kits compatible with another set of discontinued laser printers, particularly Ricoh Aficio CL1000, CL3000, CL3500, CL4000, CL7000 and CL7200.

So if you want to continue using the basic connectivity and superb print speeds of Ricoh multifunction color laser printers without putting a dent on your pockets each time the toner cartridges of these printer units conk out, we suggest taking the aftermarket route and sampling the cost and user benefits of Ricoh toner refill kits. Be rest assured; it would only take you 5 to 10 minutes to refill an empty toner cartridge.

How the toner cartridge completes the laser printer imaging system?

2010-05-05T08:46:00.029-05:00

Photo by Makenosound

The imaging system of a laser printer is a toss-up between the OPC photoreceptor drum and the laser scanning assembly. After the image is formed on the OPC drum, toner powder is introduced simultaneously. Through the action of static electricity, toner literally jumps into the paper media and the whole (paper and toner) thing moves into the fuser to permanently bind toner to paper. The laser printer component responsible for supplying a sufficient amount of toner to the photoreceptor drum is the detachable toner cartridge.

Toner powder supplied with the toner cartridge is composed of substances such as the magnetic oxides of iron and minute amounts of carbon black, which operates as colorant. These substances are then encapsulated or mixed in styrene (the binder resin). Styrene is a major toner component which comprise of as much as 50% of the different toner formulations available in the market. New generation toner cartridges are devised with electronic based sensors that work with the laser printer in providing information regarding toner level, print quality, and general toner cartridge function. Moreover, the sensor system of a toner cartridge incorporates an encoder wheel working in sync with a rotating beater blade responsible for feeding toner into the metering system.

Toner cartridges manufactured by OEMs include components such as a wiper and or/doctor blade. The doctor blade serves to control the release of toner on the surface of the rotating developer roller and provides steady electrical charge. Toner powder coming out of the doctor blade is in turn transferred to the surface of the photoconductive drum, along with the latent image to be printed. During the course of printing, small amounts of toner powder left on the photoreceptor drum has to be removed and deposited on the waste toner chamber before the drum rotates anew to begin a new cycle. If not cleaned thoroughly, print defects will likely manifest over printouts.

In the case of the Ricoh 400963 monochrome toner cartridge, excess toner is collected and given a new electrical charge similar to the charge of toner particles nestled inside the toner chamber before it is recycled and reused. The process of recycling toner powder is repeated after each printing cycle until recycled toner can no longer accept any electrical charge, which normally happens when the toner cartridge is already low on toner which legibly appear as toner dusts over printed documents.

Most print defects are due in part to low toner supply or totally empty toner cartridges. This can be resolved by reloading a replacement toner cartridge. You could also follow the practice of prudent laser printer users which involves the refill of empty toner cartridges with a compatible toner refill kit. As such, the Ricoh CL-3000 black toner refill kit for the Ricoh 400963 cartridge is retailed for only $27 and yields 5,500 pages on 5% page coverage just like its OEM counterpart.

Lexmark C770 Toner Refill Kit: Cuts Network Color Printing Expenses by 70%!

2010-03-22T09:00:00.017-05:00

Depending on workforce size, a typical office layout might just need only a single network laser printer to serve intermittent color printing requirements. The Lexmark C770 is one such printer. Designed with a powerful 800 MHZ processor that directs the series of information coming from networked PCs, the printer is also supplied with onboard RAM of 256 MB. Should network complications transpire in line with limited memory status, RAM can be expanded up to 768 MB. And since a network of this magnitude regularly handles severe traffic information streams, the manufacturer included a 40GB hard disk as an option to increase capacity of its storage bank.

Nevertheless, the most important consideration in the aspect of network color processing is the maintenance of the color laser printer, particularly that of its consumables. The bundled toner cartridges designed for the Lexmark C770 laser printer is retailed at $1400. Each cartridge comes with a rating of 6,500 pages at the standard page coverage of 5%. Therefore, an office that requires monthly cartridge replacement would have an annual toner consumable expenditure of as much as $16,800. Despite the exorbitant pricing, one positive aspect would be the minimal Cost Per Page (CPP). CPP for OEM color cartridges is pegged at 12 cents and 2.6 cents for the monochrome cartridge. By industry standards, said CPP readings are already tolerable and much cheaper when compared to the charge of offset printers if print jobs are outsourced.

Establishments with limited printing budgets won’t go easy on the pricey OEM toner cartridges and would therefore consider cheaper options available from the aftermarket. A cost effective option would be the refill of OEM cartridges with compatible toner in order to sustain print jobs. And since the manufacture of compatible toner has reached the stature of OEM toner, disparity in print output and yield in printed pages has ceased to exist. Therefore with toner quality out of the question, any cost-conscious user will certainly pick a toner refill kit that is obviously cheaper by 74% over an OEM toner cartridge.

The cost of the rainbow pack toner refill kit is only $370.95 and the package already includes 4 reset chips – one each for the C, M, Y and K cartridge. The monochrome compatible toner kit retails for only $95.95 while the color kits are sold at $99.95 each. Since OEM toner cartridge components are designed to take a beating, the unit can survive 3 to 4 refills and printing cycles which would generate more savings for the user; given that the CPP for refill kit printouts is further reduced to only 0.6 cents – both for color and monochrome prints. In contrast, the counter price of the C7702KH monochrome toner cartridge is $230 while the CMY cartridges are sold at $415 each. And if one considers the multiple refilling feature of toner cartridges, then a dollar bonanza awaits the user at the end of the cartridge's serviceable life.

Next time your OEM toner cartridge runs out of toner, refill the unit with compatible toner supplied with the Lexmark C770 toner refill kit to substantially reduce office network color printing expenditure.

Color Printing FAQs for the Xerox 7760dn Laser Printer

2010-03-19T10:51:00.007-05:00

Although most color laser printers are now retailed around lower cost parameters, the price can still be restrictive that buying a unit actually requires careful assessment. If a color laser printer is intended for office use, a network printer with sufficient onboard memory and designed for easy connectivity, efficient paper handling and reliable print speeds will prove to be ideal. The mentioned bundle of features will be useful to a workplace environment where the laser printer unit is typically shared by departments and among employees. A color laser printer that would not be able to accommodate the expected information streams will practically contribute to reduced workplace efficiency and productivity.

Let us look into the capabilities of the Xerox 7760dn color printer if its features are well suited to an office environment through a set of FAQs or frequently asked questions.

Does unit cost commensurate to its features and functionality? The Xerox 7760dn currently retails for around $4,500 and based on its design and performance specifications, the printer could perfectly fit any office environment. The only drawback to this unit is the cost of its consumables, particularly the 4 color toner cartridges that load the printer. Given its bundle price $730, getting a replacement for 4 empty toner cartridges can really be budget restrictive.

Nevertheless, this dilemma can be easily resolved through the use of a toner refill kit. Instead of purchasing brand new cartridges each time these disposable consumables run out of toner supply, what the user can do is institute refills on the empty cartridge using a third party manufactured toner powder a.k.a compatible toner. The Xerox 7700 toner refill kit consists of 4 bottles of compatible toner powder that are intended to refill the 4 color cartridges. The monochrome cartridge is rated 12,000 pages while the 3 color cartridges are expected to yield 10,000 pages based on the 5% industry coverage – just like the OEM toner. Consumabe cost is basically lower at $182.95.

Can the printer unit’s published print speed adequately serve the print requirements of a small - medium size workplace? By all indications, the printer can likely deliver the print speed necessary to moderate waiting time in between print jobs and sustain desired efficiency and productivity levels as well. The 7760dn churns out color printouts at the speed of 35 ppm (pages per minute) while monochrome prints are served at the rate of 45 ppm.

Can the printer unit efficiently handle print traffic emanating across different users in the workplace? Now that would depend on office size. Certainly, an office with about a dozen personnel would have a different print volume requirement versus one that runs a 100 personnel office. For the latter, a single Xerox 7760dn unit will not be able to handle the high volume of PC streams expected from its larger workforce. In this case, 2 or 3 printer units are likely needed.

What is the print capacity of the Xerox 7760dn? The unit’s monthly duty cycle of 150,000 pages at 5% coverage rightly fits an office with a monthly print volume of say over 100,000 pages.

Given the favorable responses to the above FAQs, potential buyers can now lay to rest contentions about the 7760dn’s capability to operate more than satisfactorily in an office setting.

Courtesy of Xerox Corporation

Quality Toner Plus Good Fuser Equals Excellent Laser Prints

2010-03-17T09:00:00.002-05:00

Laser printers are designed with several components working in sync to deliver the laser printouts that appeal to most consumers. Each printer component contributes to the entire printing process. The laser scanning assembly transforms information originating from the PC into dots. The OPC drum forms the image while the mechanical components move the paper. But what dictates printout quality is the make of toner particles supplied with the cartridge and the fuser assembly that bonds toner to paper.

What is quality toner? This refers to toner manufactured on the merits of sound substance formulation; properly controlled particle shape and size, and low melting points. Quality toner also passed stringent laboratory tests to guarantee the expected yield and print performance. Toner powder formulation for the OEM HP CC364A toner cartridge and the HP P4015 toner refill kit falls under the category of “quality toner.” And since compatible toner powder is manufactured based on the same set of standards as the OEM toner i.e. weight properties, particle shape, melting point and water based emulsion technology – then expect both toners to deliver similar print quality and yield of 24000 pages at 5% coverage.

What is a good fuser? The fuser assembly outfitted with the laser printer generates the temperature required to melt toner powder and allow it to bond with paper fibers. When the fuser assembly is categorized as “good,” a permanent bond with paper is produced and toner will therefore not peel off or rub off from the final print. Therefore, it is really important that the fuser assembly can generate heat that alternates from 180 degrees Fahrenheit to as much as 210 degrees Fahrenheit. If heat is lower than what is specified, this will result to half baked toner particles peeling off from the medium. Now if heat is over the mandated limit, paper can get scorched and break into splinters. Critical to the laser printer’s operation is the heating element that should reach the specified temperature range rapidly to match the print engine's speed and a sane thermistor that regulates the heat emitted effectively. Moreover, the fuser assembly must be durable enough to last extended periods of printing.

When laser printing, be sure to pick the right “quality toner” whether from OEM sources or from the aftermarket such as the compatible toner supplied with the toner refill kit. Likewise conduct an efficiency inspection of the fuser assembly. Quality toner plus a properly functioning fuser assembly will produce the desired prints.

Top 3 Considerations When Buying a Laser Printer

2010-03-15T09:00:00.021-05:00

What do users look for in laser printers? Interested buyers of color laser printers ought to consider the unit’s TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), the prevailing cost of OEM consumables and if its toner cartridge can be refilled with compatible toner. Now in case the printer unit satisfactorily meets the buyer’s TCO preferences along with consumable and refill considerations, then a sale will likely proceed.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is foremost in the minds of several laser printer buyers and this is typical to one scouting for a color laser printer. TCO is the sum of the printer’s acquisition cost and the total cost of consumables required to sustain the printer’s operation throughout its serviceable life. The effective life of the printer usually covers 3 years and at that point, the unit will only require minimal servicing as its components have not yet reached the maximum design limit and are therefore expected to still run smoothly. Present day laser printers run on similar print engines; therefore, the uptake of print performance across several printer brands is no longer of consequence to discriminating buyers. This puts forth a less brand conscious market that is more TCO-focused.

Printer consumable pricing is next in the buyer’s agenda. Color laser printing is really expensive and since cartridge replacement frequency is dependent on regular print volume, the cost of the OEM replacement toner cartridge is an important consideration. What should be ascertained is the user’s operating budget – if finances can handle the purchase of bundled CMYK cartridges and the aggregate spending on consumables for the entire lifetime of the printer. The Lexmark C710 color laser printer for example would require the shell out of $1,100 each time the set of 4 cartridges need to be replaced. The monochrome toner cartridge is retailed for around $132 while the color cartridges are retailed at $325 a piece. All cartridges are rated 10,000 pages at 5% page coverage.

Last in the user’s preference list is the physical make up of the toner cartridge. Getting a printer unit with a cartridge that is so easy to refill makes so much sense since compatible toner will be loaded into the cartridge’s toner chamber once it runs out of toner supply. The presence of a fill hole will render the refill process smooth and easy. Simple economics dictate this preference as the Lexmark C710 toner refill kit rainbow pack retails for only $120.95 and since compatible toner delivers print quality and yield similar to the OEM toner; this then becomes the most sensible alternative. Moreover, OEM toner cartridges can last 3 to 4 toner refills. As such, cartridge replenishment gives users substantial savings at the end of the cartridge’s lifecycle.

What factors swing a user’s preference for a laser printer? There are 3 considerations – TCO, consumable pricing and compatible toner refill kits.

Toner Refill Kits Work In Tandem with the Clean Air Act

2010-03-12T09:00:00.002-06:00

Why was the “Clean Air Act” enacted? The primary reason for its endorsement is to curb air-pollution and provide a cleaner air. Each one of us can help in the drive for a cleaner environment. If driving a car, see to it that it is fine tuned always to reduce the emission of harmful substances. Now for some of us who are laser printer users, recycling empty OEM toner cartridges is a sure way of reducing air-pollution. Recycling delays the disposal of empty cartridges into landfills and dumpsites. At the same time, recycling minimizes the manufacture of toner cartridges that pumps CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere during the production process. The vicious cycle that ultimately harms the environment can be minimized if each one of us contributes in a little way.

How large is the contribution of OEM toner cartridges to air pollution? The manufacture of 100 OEM toner cartridges can generate a ton of CO2; roughly the volume of pollutants pumped by a Boeing 747 in its extended flight to Manila, the Philippines from Los Angeles, California 7,307 miles away. The United States alone discards 110 million OEM toner cartridges annually - equivalent to over 1 million tons of CO2 that pollute our air-environment. And to think that only about 10 million OEM toner cartridges are recycled annually, the ease out of CO2 pollution generated by the printing industry is still a long tedious process.

Hewlett Packard, the biggest printer manufacturer, likewise delivers the most number of discarded OEM cartridges. The CC364A/X cartridge of the HP P4015 is one good example. If the user can perform multiple refills using compatible toner (up to 3 refills as recommended) on the empty cartridge, the unit's capacity could reach almost 100,000 pages, way above its 24,000 pages rating at 5% page coverage. This gives users substantial print savings because the equivalent toner refill kit is sold for only $35.95 including the reset chip. With the use of the refill kit, the user has delayed the disposal of the cartridge 4 times over; notwithstanding its effect on cartridge manufacturing and disposal. If say 100 users of the HP CC364A cartridge decide to use toner refill kits, said act would translate to the reduced production of about 400 toner cartridges annually and around 4 tons of CO2 prevented from hitting the atmosphere.

At the end of the day, what the toner refill kit user enjoys are all the plus factors to laser printing – savings on printing expenses, OEM quality prints and yield and reduced e-garbage while lending a hand to the implementation of the “Clean Air Act.”

Understanding the Laser Printer’s Print Engine

2010-03-10T09:00:00.001-06:00

The print engine of the laser printer is the mechanical part composed of different moving components. It is responsible for moving paper (medium) from one component to the next in the process of printing. However to print accurately, the print engine is aided by devices like the controller boards, RAM and several software integrated into the unit by the its manufacturer. It is no longer an Industry secret that different printer brands actually run on the same print engine as manufacturers now utilize the technology and expertise of other companies to supply the printer unit's print engine. A perfect example would be HP and Canon laser printers. The laser printer lines of both OEMs are outfitted with a similar print engine which renders its toner cartridges interchangeable.

Think of your laser printer the same way you look at your car. Just like any other vehicle, the laser printer also comes with a print engine that dictates its capacity in terms of speed and performance. For instance, Toyota Motors USA developed several car models that run on a particular engine design under the hood. The same way with laser printers, over 500 models have been devised in the last decade using just 10 or so print engine designs. This information is relevant to the user on the lookout for a laser printer. Different printer brands may run on the same print engine but then again, the cost of its replacement OEM toner consumables significantly vary e.g. Canon toner cartridges retail at a much lower price than HP cartridge units.

In terms of engine performance, consider how a small four-cylinder gas engine works inside a sports car and what it does when placed under the hood of a mid-sized car. Naturally the sports car will accelerate and deliver higher speeds - being small, lightweight and not to mention the unique transmission and gear ratio plus several other features engineered for the sports car. On one side, the mid-sized car will be able to carry more passengers and may even be packed with luxury features but will not perform at par with the sports car. This will prove that two laser printers using the same print engine will also perform differently.

The same can be observed from the supply of OEM toner consumables as one brand may be more pricey than the other. Although the 2 printers have an identical toner cartridge design, quality of toner supplied with the cartridge varies. If Hewlett Packard thinks that supplied toner with its cartridges is superior, nobody can question the pricing of their OEM toner cartridges. But the barometer for toner cost is the compatible toner supplied with toner refill kits. The HP CP3525 compatible toner refill kit (black) is retailed for only $40.95 and delivers the same print quality and yield of 10,500 pages as the OEM toner. Again this will show that toner cost is really low considering that both toner products pass the same stringent production processes and laboratory tests.

In the end, the balance between consumable cost and printer performance still determines the true worth of a printer - not just the print engine.

What’s all the fuzz about Toner Dust?

2010-03-08T09:00:00.001-06:00

In 2006, a laboratory report discussing the emission of toner dust from the laser printer was circulated. Said publication started the debate on health and related safety issues confounding office personnel exposed to toner particles. In response, a number of offices enclosed and isolated the laser printer while designating only select personnel to operate the machine in order to avoid toner dust from contaminating the workplace. Although the report was yet to be verified by another round of tests, it already created a sense of uncertainly for millions of laser printer users.

What started out as a scare was finally revealed as farce and unsubstantiated today. Recent studies conducted by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut (WKI) in collaboration with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia revealed that what was often detected as ultra fine particles emitted by the laser printer is not toner dust but volatile organic compounds. Adding more teeth to these findings is a simple experiment wherein a laser printer was made to run continuously without toner and paper. The experiment resulted in the discharge of similar, organic compounds which therefore concludes that toner and paper do not contribute to the release of volatile compounds - instead, the compounds originate from the printer unit itself.

The study further indicated that in the course of printing, the laser printer generates high temperatures which affect the various substances used by the different printer components. Extreme heat causes the evaporation of volatile substances integrated into printer components such as paraffin and silicone oil which combine to form nano-particles. The formation of ultra-fine, volatile compounds can also be produced from heating, particularly when performing domestic chores like cooking, baking and using the bread toaster. Findings from the WKI and QUT study finally laid to rest questions about the laser printer and its potential of becoming a health hazard.

The toner scare was actually what pushed various printer manufacturers to develop new generation laser printers that operate at lower temperatures (so as not to trigger the emission of volatile compounds) and produce less noise while rated as energy efficient. Concurrent with this development are advances on toner powder production. Toner particles now fuse at low temperatures to reduce waste produced in the printing process. Third party toner manufacturers likewise are not far behind as they have also produced compatible toner used in toner refill kits as a feasible alternative to the OEM toner. The toner consumable market is now a healthy mix of OEM, compatible and remanufactured toner cartridges and toner refill kits such as the Lexmark C710 that is suited to duplicate the performance of its OEM toner counterpart.

So, what is the fuzz about toner dust and laser printers is all in the past and never to haunt

In House Printing: Take the Xante Ilumina 502 and Toner Refill Kit Duo

2010-03-05T06:28:00.004-06:00

As the US business climate is gradually showing signs of recovery, big name corporations are now working to rebuild their financial infrastructure. One important issue affecting any U.S. business entity involves corporate printing expenditures that could eat up a decent share of operational expenses. Corporate printing expenditures take a leap in the production of inter-office memorandum, reports, and marketing materials that would likely hit an astounding figure if not handled prudently. Before the economic downturn, print jobs such as marketing brochures, product packaging, and even business cards have been outsourced. But in line with reduced economic activity, companies are turning towards ‘In-House Printing’ as a way to manage printing expenses.

In-House Printing becomes necessary as businesses are just starting to rise from the ashes and could therefore not really afford to stock up on brochures, packaging and several other collaterals. Most businesses often produce printed materials on an as-needed basis. To this end, in-house printing becomes a sensible option. In line with this urgent need, the Xante Ilumina 502 Digital Color Press can effectively fill the void and deliver astonishing printouts on any medium of up to 502 gsm and along affordable cost parameters. This is a proven fact, because whether a print job involves 50, 100 or even 1,000 pages; the cost per page (CPP) stays the same with the Xante Ilumina 502 - unlike local printers where CPP drops only once a particular print volume is reached. This makes the total cost of the print job restrictive.Another approach that could drastically pull down printing expenditures is the use of Xante Ilumina toner refill kits. Compatible toner supplied with toner refill kits replenishes an empty cartridge's toner supply. The simple refill procedure can help extend the serviceable life of a Xante Ilumina cartridge by up to 3 print cycles.

The bundled cost of the OEM monochrome and color toner cartridges is a little over $1,000 for an expected yield of around 15,000 pages at the industry yardstick of 5% coverage. Meanwhile, the rainbow pack of a 100% compatible toner refill kit is available for only around $300. This cuts color printing expense by as much as 70% without sacrificing print quality and yield. Ultimately, the use of toner refill kits on an empty 502 OEM cartridge will prove beneficial for business entities shifting towards the use of the Xante Ilumina Digital Color Press.

In the end, shifting to compatibles such as the Xante Ilumina toner refill kit for in-house print jobs is one practical way of managing burgeoning business printing expenditures.

How SMBs can benefit from toner refill kits?

2010-03-03T09:00:00.001-06:00

Small and Medium Business (SMB) entities cannot survive without a laser printer to back up their day to day print requirements. But unlike large businesses that belong to the top 500 corporations, SMB’s usually operate with a limited budget and could hardly cope up with escalating printing costs. And with OEM toner cartridges slowly eking up in costs, this puts undue pressure on the SMB unit’s budget for business printing. Luckily, they can now turn to the aftermarket for printer consumables for more affordable options.

One of the most practical consumable to be released by the aftermarket is the toner refill kit. Not only is the consumable affordable, it also allows printing to continue without even purchasing a new cartridge unit. Instead, compatible toner powder is loaded into the cartridge’s empty toner hopper.

Can compatible toner compare to OEM toner in terms of print quality? We Americans are a stickler to fine equipment and accessories, and that includes printer consumables. Products with questionable quality will definitely not sell in the US; more so if this impacts print quality and yield coverage in the case of laser printer consumables such as the toner cartridge. The fact that toner refill kits are competitive in an 80 billion printing industry is a testament to our penchant for taking only the best. The men and women who crafted the manufacture of good quality and yet affordable printer peripherals truly deserves our gratitude.

As of writing, the aftermarket for printer consumables (that includes toner refill kits of course) has already captured around 20% market share and has moved at least 7 billion dollars in the printing industry. This figure is on the rise as more and more laser printer users are becoming dependent on the quality and yield performance of compatibles. It also helps that compatibles are at least 60% cheaper than its OEM counterpart; thus giving business users more elbow room to spend saved funds to finance their going concerns.

The hard facts are portrayed in the refill of an empty Samsung ML-1710D3 toner cartridge which loads the ML-1710 laser printer. The genuine cartridge is retailed at $80 for its rating of 3000 pages at 5% page coverage. The compatible Samsung ML-1710 toner refill kit on the other hand is available for only $8.95 and duplicates in every way the print and yield performance of the OEM cartridge. And because Samsung tolerates toner refills on its cartridges, the unit is designed with a fill hole for refill convenience.

So for SMBs out for a great deal on printer consumables, cross the line and move in with Samsung toner refill kits to experience more financial flexibility.