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Acquaint Yourself With ‘Computer Printers’

2008-04-29

A computer printer is a device used for printing text or images on hard copy stored in electronic form, generally on physical print media like paper. Printers are designed to support both local and network connected users simultaneously.

 
Nowadays, modern printers can directly interface to electronic devices like digital cameras. Some printers that come with non printing features are commonly known as Multi-Functional Printers (MFP) or Multi-Function Devices (MFD). It integrates various functions of multiple devices into one. Such types of printers are extremely useful for small businesses and home offices.

 
As opposed to a traditional printer, a multi-functional printer is a combination of devices like Printer, Scanner, Photocopier, and Fax Machine. Likewise, there are numerous other types of printers widely available in the market. Let’s take a look at them:

 
Laser Printer: A laser printer works in a similar fashion as a photocopier does. It has a roller which is charged with electricity. A laser beam is passed to remove the charge from portions of the roller.  The parts hit by the laser are powdered by the toner which is then transferred from the roller to the paper. Finally, the ink is baked into the paper with the help of a heater incorporated in the printer. People generally prefer laser printer because of its ability to give high quality output and high speed. 

 
Dot Matrix:  It has a print head that moves across the page. A dot matrix printer produces characters using a cluster of pins which press an inked ribbon to the paper, thereby creating a dot. Each character is made in the same way. Dot Matrix printers are relatively cheaper and durable. These qualities still attract businesses which use them as invoice printers. 

 
Ink Jet and Bubble Jet:  It works in a manner similar to a Dot Matrix Printer. However, its print head sprays liquid ink onto the page instead of pressing a dry ink against the page. Ink jet and bubble jet printers are better known as predecessors of laser printers. They produce better image quality and run faster.

 
From inkjets to monochrome and color lasers, different printers are designed to accomplish different tasks. Companies like DELL, CANON, LEXMARK, BROTHER, EPSON, and HP HEWLETT PACKARD are most preferred when it comes to buying a printer. Nowadays, computer printer support is widely available on the Internet which saves you from taking it to any expensive technician for troubleshooting.

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HP intros 25 printing solutions at one go

2008-04-22

In its largest ever commercial product launch in the printing and imaging business division, HP has rolled out 25 new printing solutions, including 10 printers, at a media briefing event in Shanghai.

The products are aimed at the SMB business segment, a vertical that is being focused strongly by vendors in the Asia Pacific region.

The additions include new color printers and multifunction devices, which the company claimed, is optimized for producing professional-quality marketing materials, business collaterals and everyday documents, quickly and affordably, in house.

"Today's launch builds upon our Print 2.0 strategy, which will allow our SMB customers to print when and how they want - in house, at retail or through a print service provider," said Herbert Koeck, vice president - Commercial Printing, Imaging and Printing Group, HP, Asia Pacific.

One of the introductions is the Color Laserjet CP1215 printer series, which at $249 is HP's lowest priced desktop color laser printer till date.

HP also introduced a new system rebrand for its ink-based Officejet line-up with printers and cartridges to offer low-cost per page business printing.

It also announced new online tools and solutions like Easy Printer Care software 2.5i which helps SMB customers who do not have a dedicated IT support team, to set-up, maintain and view the status of up to 15 printers on a network.

The Jetdirect 690n wireless network printing server was also rolled out to offer upcoming enterprise customers to share several printers to be shared on a single network using an 802.11g wireless connection.

The company is keen to dissociate the printer as a standalone device used merely for printing in the SMB segment. Instead it is positioning these machines as a complete suite of solution, which includes hardware, supplies and services, which the vendor is valuing at $103 billion globally by 2010.

The company is also betting its money on the in-house marketing opportunity, especially for the SMB, which it is estimating will be around $40 billion by 2010.

To ensure that it has the highest recall in the SMB business segment, the company will invest $300 million into a global marketing campaign which will target SMB and large customers.

It has also enhanced its Office Printing Channel Program and Solutions Business Partner Program with an accreditation, certification and test program for its 64,000 worldwide channel network.

"We have quadrupled the total contract value of HP Managed Print Services, bolstered our Print 2.0 strategy with the recent acquisition of Exstream Software and expanded our focus on imaging and printing solutions that help customers optimize their infrastructure, manage their enterprise and improve workflows," said Cruce Dahlgren, senior VP, Global Enterprise Business, Imaging and Printing Group, HP.

Worldwide HP's IPG business in 2007 grew to $28.5 million in revenue terms, which was a six per cent growth y-o-y.

Globally, it shipped one million Laserjet devices in 2008 while its Indian single function market grew from 3 lakh units in 2005 to over 6 lakh units last fiscal.

source @ CIOL Network

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What Type of Printer Is Best for Photo Printing?

2008-04-17

If you're printing only 4-by-6-inch photos, consider a snapshot printer. They use either dye-sublimation or inkjet print technologies. They take up little space in the home or office, and they're often portable.

To print larger sizes of photos, or to print text documents as well, you'll need a desktop inkjet printer.

Here's a list that correlates a camera's megapixels to print size:

  • 2 megapixels = 1200 by 1600 pixels = 4 by 5 inches
  • 3 megapixels = 1536 by 2048 pixels = 5 by 7 inches
  • 6 megapixels = 2400 by 3000 pixels = 6.5 by 10 inches
  • 10 megapixels = 2592 by 3872 pixels = 8.5 by 13 inches
  • 12 megapixels = 4368 by 2912 pixels = 9.7 by 14.5 inches

Models with four or more colors of ink generally produce the best quality. For top-quality black-and-white photo printing, look for a model with several shades of gray and black inks.

Most color lasers produce photos that are adequate for many uses, such as real-estate brochures, car insurance claims, and missing-kitty fliers. Many models now let you use glossy paper that helps their images look more like real photos. However, they still lack the color accuracy and print resolution to rival inkjet printers.

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Useful Inkjet Printer Tips

2008-04-10

If ever there was a time for printers to fail us, it would be the holiday season when we need them most. Even if you haven’t turned on your printer in months, chances are you’ll be printing everything from photos, to greeting cards, to recipes. ‘Tis the season.

Here are some tips you might want to keep handy for Printer Support :

Turn your printer on and off if there seems to be a problem. This sounds like a low-tech solution, but the printer will often reset itself if you power it off and on. To do this don’t just shut off the power strip. You’ll have better results if you use the on/off button on the printer because it enables the reset and properly parks the printer head.

If your prints are too light or contain white spots or horizontal lines, you may have a clogged print head. This is especially likely if you haven’t used your printer routinely. Most printers have a “clean the head” option that you can read about in the manual or online.

Use the paper and ink that your printer manufacturer suggests. You’re less likely to encounter paper jams and poor print quality. This is especially true for printing photos. While some third party papers and inks work ok, others do not. You’ll have to do some experimenting.

Run the basic test-print page. Most printers have a built-in diagnostics program to help you troubleshoot. Typically, running a test page involves pressing a button or two as you turn on the printer. For more on the test-print page. Many printers also use a combination of indicator lights to help you pinpoint the problem. You can check these on the manufacturer’s web site. Here, for example is Epson’s printer blog .

Manually cancel a print job by selecting Printers from the Windows Control Panel. If you have numerous printers, then select View Installed Printers. When the Printers window opens, double-click your printer’s icon. You will see a list of current print jobs. Right-click the job you want to cancel and then select Cancel Printing.

When printing photos remember that pixels have a relationship to the size of the print. The average printer has three settings: “Draft,” which is optimized for images 150 pixels per inch; “Normal” (oftentimes the default) which is optimized for 300 pixels per inch; and “Best” which is optimized for 600 pixels per inch or higher.

Clean your inkjet printer cartridge heads regularly. Most printers come with a set of tools for cleaning and aligning the heads. Common wisdom suggest running these once a month, though I suspect most people don’t do that.

Keep the inside of the printer clean using tweezers and/or compressed air to clear out the debris and paper snips from inside your printer.

Check for the latest printer driver. If you’re experiencing problems visit your printer manufacturer’s web site and download the most current printer driver. The driver tells your printer how to talk to your computer and newer drivers are typically improved versions.

Let prints dry thoroughly, especially photos. Remove prints from the printer’s output tray before they stick together. Let them dry for at least one hour; some manufacturers suggest letting them dry for a full 24 hours to be perfectly safe.

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Printer is Printing Slowly is it Spooler Problem

2008-04-04

A print spooler is software that temporarily stores print jobs on the computer hard disk or in memory until the printer is ready to print them. If you have been waiting an unusually long time for a document to print, or if you see an error message about the print spooler, spooler subsystem, or spooler resources, you might need to change and then restart the Print Spooler service on your computer.

To do this, we recommend that you save your work, and then restart the computer to restart the Print Spooler service. If you do not want to restart the computer, try these steps instead.

To change or restart the Print Spooler service and Printer Repair

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.
1. Open Administrative Tools by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Administrative Tools.

2. Double-click Services. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

3. Right-click the Print Spooler service, and then click Properties.

4. On the General tab, next to Startup type, make sure that Automatic is selected.

5. If the service is not already running, under Service status, click Start, and then click OK. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

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