Inkjet Printer Buying Guide - Pros and Cons for the Consumer
Submitted by bigshop
Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Epson and Lexmark are responsible for the majority of inkjet printer sales and printer supplies in the global consumer market. If you have plans to buy an inkjet printer, this article will definitely help you in arriving at the right choice.What are the different types of inkjet cheap printers available in the market?Basic Inkjet Printers: If you need to print web pages, spreadsheets and text documents, a basic inkjet printer that uses CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and key) or black ink will best suit your needs.Inkjet Photo Printers: To create higher-quality photo prints, use six-color inkjet photo printers with CMYK ink as well as light cyan and light magenta. Do you want to print photos directly from your digital camera? Go for inkjet photo printers with an LCD preview screen, PictBridge to transfer images directly from your digital camera over USB and media card slots compatible with the memory cards you use in your digital camera. Portable Inkjet Printers: You should select a printer that weighs less than 5 pounds if you travel a lot on business.Inkjet Multifunction Printers: This printer allows you to print, scan and copy, all at the touch of a button. However, you will you have to compromise a little on quality. Printers with faxing capabilities are also available.What is the maximum printing speed of an inkjet printer?The speed of an inkjet printer is measured by the number of pages it can print per minute (ppm). A standard inkjet printer has three levels of quality settings: draft, normal and best. The speed decreases if you want high quality outputs. Manufacturers test the speed of a printer by printing basic text at the lowest quality setting, If you plan to print at normal quality settings, the real speed is likely to be about half the speed stated by the manufacturer. If you often print graphics with your inkjet printer, speed is an important factor. Based on your printers system configurations, print mode, page coverage, document complexity and software, print speeds vary. In a standard inkjet printer, print speed for black text differs between 1 to 28 ppm. For color photos and graphics, speeds range from 1 to 20 ppm. What resolution is good for quality printing?Another area you have to concentrate on is print resolution. Printers are identified as being of good quality if they feature print resolutions in excess of 1440 dots per inch (dpi). The maximum color resolution that an inkjet printer generally has is 2400 x 1200 dpi. Some high-end models have up to 4800 x 1200 dpi. Look for a resolution of least 600 x 600 dpi for text printing and a minimum of 1200 x 600 dpi for graphics and photos. It is important to remember that the quality of output does not depend upon the resolution alone. It also depends upon the inkjet system used by the manufacturer and the colour management system.In what way can memory capacity and memory card slots assist you? Memory capacity should be a major factor when buying an inkjet printer because the built-in RAM cannot be expanded. You should check how much RAM is included with the printer you intend to buy. Basic models have 768 KB of RAM while the standard photo model comes with at least 8 MB of RAM for printing high-quality images. Several inkjet printers feature memory card slots that support CompactFlash, Smart Media, Memory Stick, Secure Digital/MultiMedia Card and XD-Picture Card as well as other more advanced memory cards. Before buying a printer, confirm that it can read the memory cards that you already own. Are you looking for a printer to share?If you want to share a printer with other computers over a home or business network, you should check to see whether it has a wired or wireless connection. Inkjet printers connect to your computer through a USB or FireWire (IEEE 1394) port. Today, many printers use Wi-Fi technology to print wirelessly. Some models of inkjet printers are network-ready right out of the box, while others come in standalone and network-ready versions. The most expensive option is an inject printer that support a network add-on. However, this model may be more economical in the long run if you want to share the printer with other people.What is the paper handling capacity of the printer?The paper handling capacity should be of great concern to you if you print frequently or in bulk. In such cases, search for a printer that can hold a large quantity of paper at a time. Many inkjet printers have paper trays that take up to 250 sheets. Inkjet printers with ship paper trays can handle only 100 or 150 sheets and envelopes. Few business-oriented models feature option of additional paper trays. Which type of printer cartridge is better?Every standard inkjet printer comes with four ink colors based on the CMYK color method. Normally, the cyan, magenta and yellow inks are packaged in individual containers within a single cartridge. A separate cartridge with black ink is also included. Today, most professionals use three types of inks for their inkjet printers. Solvent inks are low in price and used for producing vehicle graphics, billboards and banners. UV-curable inks dry quickly and are mainly used for good images. For better color and durability, dye sublimation inks are preferred. While purchasing an inkjet printer, find out which type of ink cartridges it takes and ensure that replacement of these cartridges is easy. Also check whether you can replace individual ink cartridges or you have to replace the entire bunch at once.Which are the inexpensive head designs for inkjet printers?Every inkjet printer has either a fixed or a disposable head design. The fixed head design is built-in and lasts for the entire life of the printer. Most inkjet heads feature micropiezo technology for precise dot placement. With this fixed design, you do not have to replace the head every time the ink runs out. The disposable head design comes with ink cartridges. You will have to replace both the cartridges and print head once the ink is exhausted. What are the consumables in an inkjet printer?Many models of inkjet printers have detachable drums, printer ink cartridges, developer units, fusers and a few other components which need occasional replacement. Combining all these consumables into one cartridge is the best approach. Replacing an integrated cartridge is less expensive when compared to the expense of replacing individual consumables at a time. But if one component fails in an integrated cartridge, then you have to replace the cartridge itself. Also, find out the cost for per-page printing as it differs among cheap printers. The per-page printing cost can be calculated by dividing the price by the evaluated output of a cartridge. If inkjet is not for you, consider laser printers.
About the Author
Bob Shanty has been researching and writing articles that help shoppers shop online and make more educated buying decisions on cheap printers for online mega store BIGshop for years. For more articles by Bob please visit http://www.bigshop.com.au.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
HEALTH CARE FOR YOUR COMPUTER
Call It ‘Health Care for Your Computer’
Submitted by emsi
Decatur, GA – One minute a small business is humming along - the next, one computer can’t print, another is stalled from spam, and a third won’t stop flashing an error message. A small business can be startled with I.T. bills that range from zero dollars a month – to thousands of unbudgeted dollars.The new trend is paying up front for the security of knowing your computer will not stumble when you need it. Many computer consulting firms nationwide are now offering what the industry calls “Managed Services,” a sort of health insurance for small business computer needs. For a flat monthly fee I.T. gurus like Chip Reaves handle all regular maintenance and take care of any computer problems. “Technology consulting firms like ours used to get paid when computers broke down. Now, more and more, our franchise owners are telling us clients prefer to pay a predictable monthly bill to keep computers healthy.”Companies that are large enough to have I.T. departments can deal with the occasional computer crash, but businesses with 25 or fewer employees tend to contract out their computer repair and maintenance.“Those smaller businesses are actually the ones that can least afford to have computer trouble,” says Reaves. “Little guys really depend on all their staff being productive all the time. We fix everything from virus infections to server crashes.” His company, Computer Troubleshooters, is the world’s largest provider of Managed Services and offers a unique ‘No-Downtime-Guarantee.’“It’s actually a much better service,” says Reaves. “Instead of getting paid when your computer is broken, your local I.T. guy gets paid to keep it from breaking. We have an incentive to keep the business problem free. It’s better karma,” he laughs.New technology doesn’t just mean more computer components to break. New advances mean more ways to keep the small business up and running. Some technology consulting firms are able to install software so that I.T. service is paged when the computer system gets too hot, or gets infected. “Sometimes, we know before the client does. We’ll call up and say, ‘Hey, I see your back computer isn’t hooked into the network,’ and they’ll go check and say, ‘Hey, your right!’”Small and medium sized businesses, like the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center operated by Darrell Keating, find it more cost effective to pay I.T. repair companies to keep their computers working, rather than pay when they break down. “The best part…is that we don’t see enough of them – this is meant as a compliment. Monitoring is done from their ‘home office.’”Reaves says small companies are wasting valuable time on computer issues. “We want to eliminate computer problems so that our small businesses can stop worrying about when their next computer problem will be and, instead, let us show them how they can enhance their businesses with new technologies.”
About the Author
Chip Reaves is the National Director of Computer Troubleshooters. To help pay for his studies in computer science at Georgia Tech, Reaves began fixing computers for local businesses in the late 1980’s. The part-time work quickly became a full-time business, with Reaves establishing Chiptech in 1992. Reaves was surfing the web when he discovered Australia- based Computer Troubleshooters in 1998, and by 1999 he had negotiated the rights to operate CTS in the US, a move than has lead to over 500 franchise locations nationwide. Reaves is also on the board of directors of two local charitable organizations. Chip Reaves’ website can be found at www.comptroub.com
Submitted by emsi
Decatur, GA – One minute a small business is humming along - the next, one computer can’t print, another is stalled from spam, and a third won’t stop flashing an error message. A small business can be startled with I.T. bills that range from zero dollars a month – to thousands of unbudgeted dollars.The new trend is paying up front for the security of knowing your computer will not stumble when you need it. Many computer consulting firms nationwide are now offering what the industry calls “Managed Services,” a sort of health insurance for small business computer needs. For a flat monthly fee I.T. gurus like Chip Reaves handle all regular maintenance and take care of any computer problems. “Technology consulting firms like ours used to get paid when computers broke down. Now, more and more, our franchise owners are telling us clients prefer to pay a predictable monthly bill to keep computers healthy.”Companies that are large enough to have I.T. departments can deal with the occasional computer crash, but businesses with 25 or fewer employees tend to contract out their computer repair and maintenance.“Those smaller businesses are actually the ones that can least afford to have computer trouble,” says Reaves. “Little guys really depend on all their staff being productive all the time. We fix everything from virus infections to server crashes.” His company, Computer Troubleshooters, is the world’s largest provider of Managed Services and offers a unique ‘No-Downtime-Guarantee.’“It’s actually a much better service,” says Reaves. “Instead of getting paid when your computer is broken, your local I.T. guy gets paid to keep it from breaking. We have an incentive to keep the business problem free. It’s better karma,” he laughs.New technology doesn’t just mean more computer components to break. New advances mean more ways to keep the small business up and running. Some technology consulting firms are able to install software so that I.T. service is paged when the computer system gets too hot, or gets infected. “Sometimes, we know before the client does. We’ll call up and say, ‘Hey, I see your back computer isn’t hooked into the network,’ and they’ll go check and say, ‘Hey, your right!’”Small and medium sized businesses, like the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center operated by Darrell Keating, find it more cost effective to pay I.T. repair companies to keep their computers working, rather than pay when they break down. “The best part…is that we don’t see enough of them – this is meant as a compliment. Monitoring is done from their ‘home office.’”Reaves says small companies are wasting valuable time on computer issues. “We want to eliminate computer problems so that our small businesses can stop worrying about when their next computer problem will be and, instead, let us show them how they can enhance their businesses with new technologies.”
About the Author
Chip Reaves is the National Director of Computer Troubleshooters. To help pay for his studies in computer science at Georgia Tech, Reaves began fixing computers for local businesses in the late 1980’s. The part-time work quickly became a full-time business, with Reaves establishing Chiptech in 1992. Reaves was surfing the web when he discovered Australia- based Computer Troubleshooters in 1998, and by 1999 he had negotiated the rights to operate CTS in the US, a move than has lead to over 500 franchise locations nationwide. Reaves is also on the board of directors of two local charitable organizations. Chip Reaves’ website can be found at www.comptroub.com
THE TECHNOLOGY OF DVD MEDIA
The Technology Of DVD Media
Submitted by robertoms2003
A Digital Video Disc or DVD is one of the most popular forms of storage media nowadays. It is an optical disc and mainly used to store videos. However, data in any form can be stored on a DVD. The dimensions of a DVD are generally the same as a common compact disc but the amount of data that can be stored is six times greater. The different variations of DVD are based on the way data is being stored on it. A DVD-ROM has pre-written data that can only be read. A DVD+R and DVD-R are the ones on which the data can be written only once; and on a DVD+RW the data can be written and erased more than once. The lasers used to read DVDs are typically of 650 nm wavelength. The terms DVD-Audio and DVD-Video discs are DVDs with suitably structured and formatted audio and video content respectively. Other types of DVDs are called DVD-data discs. The term `DVD` is used for an unofficial full form `digital video disc`. However, it was officially announced that it stands for `digital versatile disc`. A typical DVD has a 4.7 GB storage capacity. These discs are one sided and single layered i.e. the data is stored only on one side of the disc and only at one level. The size is enough for a high quality 133-minute movie. The double sided and dual layered DVDs can store about 17 GB of data in any form. The capacity dwarfs a compact disc easily.The writing speeds on a DVD vary from 1350 KB/s (1 x) to 26 MB/s (18 x to 20 x). For a CD, the speed 1 x means only 153.6 KB/s. Initially, the burning or the duplication of DVD was an expensive work and required skilled persons to do it. Today, the process of writing on a DVD has become a piece of cake and any one with a little knowledge of computers can do it at a click of the mouse. Producing DVDs requires certain authentication. Also, certain processes and rules are needed to be followed to handle their production. Present day markets are full of illegal and fake DVDs. Especially in Asia, Africa and Brazil. So, certain security measures are applied to check this illegal business. Copy prevention techniques are used that prevents illegal replicating of the original disk. A DVD-Video is standard for storage of video content on the media. Typically the format in which video is stored in the DVDs is MPEG-2, 16:9 aspect ratio videos. The resolution used are 720*576 (PAL) or 720*480 (NTSC) at 25 or 29.97 FPS. The audio on the disc is stored in DTS (Digital Theatre System) or AC-3 (Dolby Digital) formats. However, a number of other resolutions and formats are also supported. Other features like selectable language in subtitles, menus, multiple audio tracks and more than one camera angle is also supported by DVD-Video. The DVD-Audio format is used to deliver high-quality audio content. A number of channel configuration choices (like from mono to 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound) at a number of sampling frequencies are offered by the DVD-Audio. The higher storage capacities enable it to store a considerable higher amount of music or a much higher audio quality. Although the DVD-Audio has higher technical specifications, the debate on whether the audio enhancements that are being included are actually distinguishable or not in a typical listening environment is still on. There are a number of possible successors to the DVD. The strongest being the Blu-Ray Disc. Others are Maxell`s HVD (Holographic Versatile Disc) and the 3D optical storage discs that are being developed actively.
About the Author
This article can be accessed in portuguese from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/multimidia.phpRoberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br
Submitted by robertoms2003
A Digital Video Disc or DVD is one of the most popular forms of storage media nowadays. It is an optical disc and mainly used to store videos. However, data in any form can be stored on a DVD. The dimensions of a DVD are generally the same as a common compact disc but the amount of data that can be stored is six times greater. The different variations of DVD are based on the way data is being stored on it. A DVD-ROM has pre-written data that can only be read. A DVD+R and DVD-R are the ones on which the data can be written only once; and on a DVD+RW the data can be written and erased more than once. The lasers used to read DVDs are typically of 650 nm wavelength. The terms DVD-Audio and DVD-Video discs are DVDs with suitably structured and formatted audio and video content respectively. Other types of DVDs are called DVD-data discs. The term `DVD` is used for an unofficial full form `digital video disc`. However, it was officially announced that it stands for `digital versatile disc`. A typical DVD has a 4.7 GB storage capacity. These discs are one sided and single layered i.e. the data is stored only on one side of the disc and only at one level. The size is enough for a high quality 133-minute movie. The double sided and dual layered DVDs can store about 17 GB of data in any form. The capacity dwarfs a compact disc easily.The writing speeds on a DVD vary from 1350 KB/s (1 x) to 26 MB/s (18 x to 20 x). For a CD, the speed 1 x means only 153.6 KB/s. Initially, the burning or the duplication of DVD was an expensive work and required skilled persons to do it. Today, the process of writing on a DVD has become a piece of cake and any one with a little knowledge of computers can do it at a click of the mouse. Producing DVDs requires certain authentication. Also, certain processes and rules are needed to be followed to handle their production. Present day markets are full of illegal and fake DVDs. Especially in Asia, Africa and Brazil. So, certain security measures are applied to check this illegal business. Copy prevention techniques are used that prevents illegal replicating of the original disk. A DVD-Video is standard for storage of video content on the media. Typically the format in which video is stored in the DVDs is MPEG-2, 16:9 aspect ratio videos. The resolution used are 720*576 (PAL) or 720*480 (NTSC) at 25 or 29.97 FPS. The audio on the disc is stored in DTS (Digital Theatre System) or AC-3 (Dolby Digital) formats. However, a number of other resolutions and formats are also supported. Other features like selectable language in subtitles, menus, multiple audio tracks and more than one camera angle is also supported by DVD-Video. The DVD-Audio format is used to deliver high-quality audio content. A number of channel configuration choices (like from mono to 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound) at a number of sampling frequencies are offered by the DVD-Audio. The higher storage capacities enable it to store a considerable higher amount of music or a much higher audio quality. Although the DVD-Audio has higher technical specifications, the debate on whether the audio enhancements that are being included are actually distinguishable or not in a typical listening environment is still on. There are a number of possible successors to the DVD. The strongest being the Blu-Ray Disc. Others are Maxell`s HVD (Holographic Versatile Disc) and the 3D optical storage discs that are being developed actively.
About the Author
This article can be accessed in portuguese from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/multimidia.phpRoberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br
HISTORY OF COMPACT DISC MEDIA
he History Of Compact Disc Media
Submitted by robertoms2003
A typical CD will have a diameter of just 12 cm and about 80 minutes audio data can be stored on it. Smaller CDs are also manufactured for storing single songs (called CD singles). They are 8 cm in diameter and can store 24 minutes of audio data. The major research and development work was done by Phillips and Sony. One of the first CDs came in market way back in the year 1982 and till date, remains one of the most popular mediums of audio recordings. In 1979, Phillips and Sony started off a joint working group in order to design a successful digital audio disc. After a year`s work and lot of experiments and discussions, the compact disc was invented. No single person can be said to have invented it, a large group collectively invented the compact disc. In August, 1982, the first CD for commercial purposes was manufactured in a Phillips factory in Germany. The first music title that was released on a CD was `The Visitors (1981) by ABBA`. Soon after, in October of the same year, the CD players from Sony also reached the markets. The event is often called as `the Big Bang` in the field of digital audio. The new concept was an immediate hit in the market. Consumers were enthusiastic about the quality of the audio on the CDs. The price of CD players sank really fast, as a result of which, the popularity increased even more. A Compact Disc is a 1.2 mm thick polycarbonate plastic disc weighing around 16 grams. To make the surface reflective, a very thin layer of aluminum is applied on one side of the disc. A film of lacquer is also applied to act as a protective shield. The label is printed on the other side using normal printing methods like offset or screen printing. The data is stored on a CD in form of an array of tiny indentation called pits that are encoded in a spiral track. A pit is just 500 nm wide and 100 nm deep and the length varies from 850 to 3500 nm. The areas between two pits are called lands. The CDs are much more durable than the precious formats of audio storage. However, they can be damaged a little from the environment factors and daily usage. The data is a lot closer to the label side, so more damage occurs if scratches are made of the label. The logical format to store audio data on a CD is a 2-channel 16-bit PCM encoded data at a sampling rate frequency of 44.1 KHz. The sampling rate was chosen directly as a result of the sampling rate theorem of double frequency needed in recordings. With some more calculations, the exact sampling rate of 44.1 KHz was decided.The CDs are available in a number of different variations. Some of them are: CD Text - Compact Disc that allows for the storage of information like song name, artist, album name as text along with the standard audio data on the CD. CD Graphics - These contain additional graphics data on the CD. They run normally on a normal CD player, but can output graphics data when played on a CD+G player. CD ROM - ROMs or Read Only Memory, as the name suggests are for the CDs from which data can only be read. Video CD - Video CDs or VCDs are CDs with video data. Photo CD - it was designed by Kodak for storing photos digitally in a Compact Disc. They were able to store more than 100 images when first launched. CD + RW - these are CDs on which data can be written, erased and re-written more than once.
Submitted by robertoms2003
A typical CD will have a diameter of just 12 cm and about 80 minutes audio data can be stored on it. Smaller CDs are also manufactured for storing single songs (called CD singles). They are 8 cm in diameter and can store 24 minutes of audio data. The major research and development work was done by Phillips and Sony. One of the first CDs came in market way back in the year 1982 and till date, remains one of the most popular mediums of audio recordings. In 1979, Phillips and Sony started off a joint working group in order to design a successful digital audio disc. After a year`s work and lot of experiments and discussions, the compact disc was invented. No single person can be said to have invented it, a large group collectively invented the compact disc. In August, 1982, the first CD for commercial purposes was manufactured in a Phillips factory in Germany. The first music title that was released on a CD was `The Visitors (1981) by ABBA`. Soon after, in October of the same year, the CD players from Sony also reached the markets. The event is often called as `the Big Bang` in the field of digital audio. The new concept was an immediate hit in the market. Consumers were enthusiastic about the quality of the audio on the CDs. The price of CD players sank really fast, as a result of which, the popularity increased even more. A Compact Disc is a 1.2 mm thick polycarbonate plastic disc weighing around 16 grams. To make the surface reflective, a very thin layer of aluminum is applied on one side of the disc. A film of lacquer is also applied to act as a protective shield. The label is printed on the other side using normal printing methods like offset or screen printing. The data is stored on a CD in form of an array of tiny indentation called pits that are encoded in a spiral track. A pit is just 500 nm wide and 100 nm deep and the length varies from 850 to 3500 nm. The areas between two pits are called lands. The CDs are much more durable than the precious formats of audio storage. However, they can be damaged a little from the environment factors and daily usage. The data is a lot closer to the label side, so more damage occurs if scratches are made of the label. The logical format to store audio data on a CD is a 2-channel 16-bit PCM encoded data at a sampling rate frequency of 44.1 KHz. The sampling rate was chosen directly as a result of the sampling rate theorem of double frequency needed in recordings. With some more calculations, the exact sampling rate of 44.1 KHz was decided.The CDs are available in a number of different variations. Some of them are: CD Text - Compact Disc that allows for the storage of information like song name, artist, album name as text along with the standard audio data on the CD. CD Graphics - These contain additional graphics data on the CD. They run normally on a normal CD player, but can output graphics data when played on a CD+G player. CD ROM - ROMs or Read Only Memory, as the name suggests are for the CDs from which data can only be read. Video CD - Video CDs or VCDs are CDs with video data. Photo CD - it was designed by Kodak for storing photos digitally in a Compact Disc. They were able to store more than 100 images when first launched. CD + RW - these are CDs on which data can be written, erased and re-written more than once.
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