The Xante Ilumina 502 series: From Commercial Offset to In-House Printing

Just when you think that the office color printer is the answer to the company’s printing requirement, then comes along Xante Ilumina solutions that pushed color printing to a new dimension. Users of this particular office machine have the confidence to produce printouts with impressive color reproduction quality. Yes, the Xante Ilumina Digital Color Press is equipped with the ‘large league features’ of commercial offset printing - but on a much smaller scale.

Now corporate users won't have to shell out extra for a few hundred copies exceeding their requirements just to keep up with the run lengths of offset printers. The Xante Ilumina solutions can be a heady option with very low production cost. While this printing machine precisely captures corporate colors over printouts, print jobs are not limited to letterhead, business cards and packaging. As the printer can handle oversized and thick stock media, corporate image banners, calendars, greeting cards, fine looking boxes, table wraps, tents, t-shirts and many others can also be produced. Scan below in detail the fine features and benefits of this printing machine.

• The Ilumina 502 can print on oversized media such as a double thick cover up to paper weights of 75 gsm to 502 gsm which is normally produced only by large-offset printers.
• Cut down expenses on business printing by eliminating the need to order short run, color print jobs from offset printers (which can be expensive) as the Ilumina 502 delivers stunning, high quality printouts on a wide variety of paper in a matter of seconds to therefore not compromise the productivity of office personnel.
• With the Ilumina 502, users can produce only the number of copies required and as needed, without minding the minimum run lengths set by offset printers to reduce CPP (cost per page) and the related production schedules as well.
• The printer can handle a wide range of media from gloss and matte coated papers, super-coated and premium uncoated transparencies and even uncoated, fiber-enhanced papers of differing textures.

Just recently, Xante Corporation and Pantone, Inc. (the global authority on color reproduction and initiator of professional color standards for the print industry) inked an agreement placing the entire Xante Ilumina solutions as Pantone accredited. The accreditation puts Xante Ilumina in a class reserved only for the best in the industry.

Does it ever occur to you that the cost of a set of CYMK Ilumina replacement toner cartridges is a little more than $1,000? Those working on a tight-string budget can opt to refill empty Xante cartridges with a compatible Xante toner refill kit instead of replacing it with brand new cartridge units. Retailed for three-quarters less than the OEM cartridge, refilled cartridges deliver the same print quality and yield as its OEM counterpart.

How to Clear Paper Jams?

Let us suppose that you've got deadlines to beat and reports to submit when suddenly in the middle of printing, the laser printer jams. In instances such as this one, the normal reaction would be to bellow in frustration and to vent one's anger on the equipment over the delay its malfunction has caused. But then such action is counter-productive. On the contrary, one must keep his cool and thresh out what ever triggered the paper jam in the first place.

There are several factors that could push a printer to jam. In most cases, the user have no control over it. Find below 2 of the most common causes of paper jams. For a more detailed discussion on the causes of paper jams, refer to our previous post Paper Jams: Why paper gets stuck inside the printer?

1. Paper type, quality and moisture content that renders the media to crease easily


2. Worn out rollers that have lost its tendency to pick-up and move paper in the course of printing

Clearing the Paper Jam
Always maintain a clear, focused mind when attempting to retrieve the paper from where it jammed and determine the best solution possible. Never rush when pulling out jammed paper because failure to retrieve the entire sheet could result into more serious problems once paper has been ripped into smaller pieces. Below are five steps adapted from PC Support Tips.com that could help the user clear paper jams.

1. Initially pull out whatever paper is left with the printer intake and paper supply trays.
2. New generation printers are supplied with removable paper intake trays. Pull out the paper tray for an easy inspection of the jammed section of the printer.


3. Now remove the toner cartridge and drum unit from the printer. Doing this will provide easy access to the jammed paper.


4. Open the printer's sheet-feed back door to inspect the extent of paper obstruction. This step is applicable for laser printers designed with a straight paper path.


5. After discerning the nature of the paper jam, start pulling the jammed paper out gently. Consider applying force evenly on the entire width of the paper to avoid tearing. Remember that the entire sheet should be removed as a single piece.

After removing the jammed paper from the printer, check further for any debris (paper clips, staple wire, hair clips) that may have triggered the jam.

Before reloading the toner cartridge back to the printer, determine if the cartridge has sufficient toner supply. If not, then use a compatible toner refill kit to replenish toner supply. You have just completed clearing the printer of jammed paper, plug the printer back and start printing.

5 Tips for First Time Toner Refill Kit Buyers

Nowadays, access to a horde of consumer items has been streamlined and made simple through the Internet. With just a few clicks on the computer keyboard, consumers can expect ordered goods shipped at their doorstep the following working day.

But before placing an order and paying the bill, consumers must take precautionary steps prior to consummating an online transaction such as the purchase of a toner refill kit. Below are a few tips recommended to help you with your purchase. Let us use the Brother TN-04 toner refill kit (compatible with Brother HL-2700cn and MFC-9420cn printers) as illustration.

1. Note TN-04 cartridge details. It is necessary for users to be familiar with pertinent specifications of the product - from the cartridge part number, laser printer model to its gram weight and yield rated 10,000 pages at 5% coverage (as per OEM cartridge); in order to expedite the purchase and a compatible toner refill kit can be issued.
2. Transact only with trustworthy retailers. To determine the reputation of a retailer, users can browse the vendor's website (if they operate one) and look for indications - company registration number, complete office address and availability of customer service representatives who will entertain after sales inquiries. If the vendor retails through Amazon, eBay and other online marketplaces, there are also methods by which to verify track record.
3. When an online retailer has been determined as reputable, inquire about toner specifications. Ask about gram load details and the number of pages that will be produced. Make sure that toner specifications match OEM rating.
4. Inquire about the refill kit's contents. All tools necessary for a successful refill must be complete. A Brother TN-04 toner refill kit should come supplied with a bottle of fresh toner powder, latex gloves, toner wipes, funnel cap and an instructional manual. Other cartridges require a reset chip. Hence, it is important for users to ensure that the kit being purchased comes with the chip.
5. Verify if there is a need to purchase a refill tool. Unlike the TN-04 cartridge that comes designed with a fill hole, cartridges from other brands require users to create a hole on the cartridge's polymer casing to expose the toner chamber and allow toner replenishment as well. Thus, it is necessary for users to ascertain beforehand if a refill tool is necessary since the device is not bundled with the kit.

Be vigilant when making an online transaction. Observe the abovementioned measures so that a 100% compatible toner refill kit can be made available at your disposal and at the soonest possible time.

A Look at the Brother ‘At Your Side’ Recycling Program

Brother International Corporation (BIC) has organized a responsible recycling program through its ‘AT YOUR SIDE’- corporate aphorism. The program aims to encourage Brother equipment and peripheral consumers to recycle used components such as empty toner cartridges by returning it back to BIC for proper recycling and disposal. Some of the returned printer peripherals are remanufactured while other metal and plastic components are broken down, reprocessed and used as raw materials for the manufacture of other printer parts.

To seal this noble intention geared at preserving the environment, BIC designed its recycling facilities to conform to ISO 14001 (International Organizations for Standardization) guidelines and consequently addressed pertinent environmental management concerns. The ISO is a series of standards that are relevant to environmental management systems. In fact, Brother selected five R’s as keywords intended to encapsulate the company’s environmental activity – REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE, REFORM, and RECYCLE. This environmental program rightfully serves Brother’s stature as an environmentally responsible corporate citizen.

The Brother ‘AT YOUR SIDE’ recycling program accepts used laser printer toner cartridges and users are encouraged to deliver properly packed, empty printer cartridges to the different pick-up points designated around the country. Another option is to forward used consumables by mail (free of charge) using shipping labels that can be printed from Brother's recycling page on its website. Note however that unlike HP and Staples, Brother does not provide incentives, cash rewards or tax rebates for every toner cartridge returned.

Recycling at the personal level is easy with Brother consumables since all Brother OEM toner cartridges are provided with toner fill holes. Once the toner cartridge runs dry, a user will only have to open the fill hole by flipping the hopper plug off the toner chamber and pouring in fresh toner powder supplied by a toner refill kit. Now the refill process can be performed 3 to 4 times until the cartridge has reached its maximum effective print cycle. By then, the consumable can be forwarded to the Brother recycling plants for appropriate disposal.

Brother laser printer users have the distinct advantage over other printer users since the BIC takes proper care of its consumers by providing them not only user-friendly products but environmentally fine-tuned equipment as well.

What you need to know about Post Consumer or Recycled Paper?

A decade ago recycled paper did not fare well in the mainstream, particularly with laser printer users. The quality of paper fibers constituting recycled media obviously did not meet the standards of most users to thus merit its low patronage. For one, paper dust particles teeming in recycled paper consequently affected the quality of printouts.

A sizeable build up of paper dust over the feeders and rollers of printing equipment can cause malfunctions while the grainy and abrasive surface of recycled paper expedited the wear and tear of printer components. Moreover, recycled paper fibers absorb too much moisture, affecting toner adhesion to paper and causing paper to crease easily which is the precursor of paper jams.

Well, these were all true when Ronald Reagan was still president. Since then, paper manufacturing technologies have improved a dozen times over and recycled paper - also known as post-consumer paper has now attained level status with virgin paper.

In fact in a few States such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, SC and Massachusetts among others; the Federal Government now puts more preference on the use of recycled paper over those produced with virgin paper components. This is in line with the government’s thrust to conserve our shrinking resources. Although trees used in making paper like Oak, Maple and Pine are renewable reserves, still it takes around 20 to 30 years to grow a replacement that is eligible for use as paper material. Cutting trees incessantly just to serve paper requirements swings the ecological balance to dangerous levels, thus prudence needs to be exercised and recycling used paper is seen as the most viable option.

In order for paper to be classified as post-consumer paper it must pass certain criteria that are related to a laser printer’s specification in terms of speed, fusing temperature, paper surface quality and texture. Set criteria are listed as follows:

• It has the highest post-consumer content.
• It does not contain chlorine or chlorine derivatives.
• Paper component does not include old growth timber content.
• Paper is produced in mills that comply with substantial environmental regulations.
• Recycled paper can be used sparingly on laser printers.
• Cost per ream of recycled paper is competitive or even lower than virgin paper.

An example of recycled paper that passed the mentioned criteria is the Badger Envirographic, a 100% post consumer paper.

Print quality is not only dependent on laser printer media. Certainly, a sufficient supply of toner powder contributes to the enviable performance of the laser printer. Always remember though that recycling begins with laser printer users; so that when an OEM toner cartridge runs out of toner, a compatible toner refill kit is within reach to resolve the issue.