Choosing the Right Paper for Your Project

Choosing the right paper type can sometimes be confusing as there are numerous different types and brands of paper on the market today. Choosing an ink cartridges for your printer maybe relatively easy as you can only select the cartridge that will work with your printer but the paper you print your project on is important an can affect how your finished item is perceived. It can be a good idea to request a sample from your paper supplier if possible and run a few test sheets out first.

Different types of paper have different finishes. It’s the surface texture that makes the papers feel different when they are handled.

1. Wove or Smooth paper - This paper has a smooth uncoated surface.
2. Laid - This paper is made with textured lines and has a ribbed feel to it. It's popular for business stationery such as letterheads, business cards, compliment slips and envelopes. This can be a more expensive item and can be used where quality is of importance. Test your printer will work with laid paper and that the ink cartridge will print evenly on the surface.
3. Linen - This is of a similar nature to Laid paper. It too has the textured lines but in a much finer detail. This quality paper actually has 'linen' feel to it and again is a firm favourite with businesses trying to create a good impression with their clients. Again, like the Laid paper, it would be a good idea to run a test sheet through your printer to make sure the printer will accept the paper and the ink cartridges will print on this paper.
4. Laser Guaranteed Paper - This is general everyday laser printer paper that is guaranteed to work with the laser printer. Laser guaranteed means that the printer is guaranteed to accept the paper and the toner ink will print onto the paper.
5. Coated paper - Coated paper has been coated with a wax finish and a sample should be tried if possible before purchasing large quantities of it to make sure your printer accepts it.
6. Uncoated Paper - A dull and unreflective paper and can feel rough' to the touch.

Another factor to consider is the weight of the paper. Of course this will depend on your printer. If you are using a standard inkjet printer that accepts standard ink cartridges it's likely you will be limited to a maximum of 120gsm. The specs of the printer will give you the maximum weight that you may use effectively. A laser printer that uses laser toner ink will usually permit you to use heavier weighted paper but not card. Print on anything heavier will usually require the services of a professional commercial printer.

First Published at PrinterInkCartridges.ie

How to Dispose of Our Empty Ink and Toner Cartridges

While we all use smart phones, tablets, PC’s and laptops there is no getting away from the fact that we need to print our documents. But before we start to print it is always a good idea to see how we can save costs and be kind to the environment at the same time. This will involve a combination of the paper, ink and toner we use. A simple way to reduce our carbon footprint while printing and our selves save some money on our ink cartridges is to print by duplex. This feature is available on some printers allowing us to print both sides of the paper at the same time. Also, if your printer has a feature that automatically removes blank pages then this will save you more as well. In the past I have given tips on saving money on your ink and toner but closer inspection of the features of your printer before you buy it will give you a better chance of saving money and doing your bit for the environment.

Another thing to consider is the ink and toner that you actually put on the paper. Toner ink is a powder that is used to create the text and pictures on your document. In the early days of course it was a simple carbon powder substance very messy to handle. In later years the carbon was mixed with a polymer to improve the print quality. In laser printers the toner ink is actually melted with heat in the printer and fused to the paper, opposed to the liquid printer ink contained in an inkjet cartridge. The toner ink cartridges of today are housed in sealed units and you are not encouraged to fill them yourself but rather to take them to a recycling centre.

What should we do when we run out of printer ink? Well, if we are intending to buy replacement ink cartridges we should also think about what we are going to do with the empty cartridges. There are millions of ink and toner cartridges used each year and statistics suggest that 95% of them go to landfill. Here are some more statistics taken from the United States where surveys into the impact on the environment have been taking place.

1. It can take about 5 litres of oil to produce a new laser toner cartridge.
2. In the USA, it is estimated that 8 ink cartridges are thrown away every second.
3. In North America, estimates put the number of ink and toner cartridges discarded in Landfill each year at around 350 million.
4. A typical laser toner cartridge will take up to 400 years to decompose in the earth.

Shocking statistics I know, but what can we do about it in Ireland? Firstly, we can think about how we are able to dispose of our ink cartridges when they are empty. Secondly, instead of throwing into the bin for landfill we can collect them and when we have enough gathered we can make the trip to our local Council amenity/recycling centre. There are containers in all refuse sites that will accept used ink and toner cartridges. If we all start this practice today, we can surely make a difference to our own carbon footprint.

First Published at Printerinkcartridges.ie

Top 20 Tips on Buying a Google Cloud Printer

1. Google Cloud Print is the revolutionary technology that connects your printer at home or in the office to the internet.
2. One of the many advantages of this is the ability to share your printer with other people. This could be friends or colleagues anywhere in the world.


3. The people you share your printer with will be able to print direct to your printer from Google Cloud giving you instant access to a hard copy business report or personal message.
4. Google Cloud Print works on your mobile, Ipad, Tablet, PC or any other mobile device you might be using.
5. To get the best from Cloud Print, Google recommend that you use a Cloud Ready printer. This basically means you don’t have to have your printer connected to a PC as it will directly connect to the web.
6. There are several leading brands of Cloud Printer available at the moment. Among these are Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, HP, Kodak and Samsung.
7. Looking at the printers and the ink they use of importance, it’s all very well having the latest Cloud Printer but is it expensive to buy and run?
8. Looking at Canon in the first instance, there are currently 3 models that are Cloud Print Ready one of which is the Pixma MG8250. It’s possible to buy this for as little as €65 online.
9. The ink cartridges used in the MG8250 are the Canon CLI525 colours and CLI526 Black. The beauty with these ink cartridges is that they are available as compatibles and will certainly save you money, up to 70% off the original brand cartridges in some cases.
10. Epson have more varied selection of Cloud Ready Printers available, again it would be wise to check out the cost of the ink and toner before purchasing the printer.
11. The Epson SX535WD printer comes in at around €175 with great features such as double sided printing. The other important thing to remember is that the Epson T1295 ink cartridges are available as compatibles and can be bought for as little as €10 for a set of four.
12. Kodak also produced a range of Hero and ESP printers that are Cloud Print Ready. The Kodak Hero 7.1 printer is moderately priced at around €80 online and works extremely well with the compatible Kodak 10B and Kodak 10C ink cartridges.
13. As with any of the printers listed above, while it’s easy to get carried away with the Cloud Print Ready feature it’s of equal importance to calculate the cost of the ink cartridges the printer will use in it’s lifetime and can you switch to compatibles when you buy your first set of inks.
14. Of course the Cloud Ready printers are not just available for inkjet printers but are also available for laser toners too. This will be of more interest to the busy office where it’s just not economical to have an inkjet printer.
15. The same rule of thumb for compatible ink and toner should apply here; for example, Brother supplies the HL 5450 Cloud Ready Printer that uses the TN3380 toner ink. This toner is available in both original brand and compatible and once again this is where the savings are made.
16. If you need a new printer and thinking of going down the route of Cloud Ready Printers then do your research.
17. First of all check out the ink cartridges the printer uses and if they are readily available as compatible.
18. Secondly, is it laser or inkjet you require, weigh up the possibilities that you might print more if you are sharing your printer with friends or colleagues.
19. Thirdly, check out all the prices for the printers and printer ink online, don’t just buy the first one you see in your local store.
20. Life is moving fast for all of us and mobile compatible printing is just one tool to help us keep up.

First Published at Printerinkcartridges.ie

20 Reasons to Shop Online for Low Cost Toner Ink

1. The price of original brand laser toner ink has reached an all time high and more and more home and business users are turning to online shopping to source the best price.

2. Printer ink is now more expensive than champagne or a major brand perfume when the volume of the ink cartridge and perfume bottle is compared like for like!
3. The choice of suppliers that are now available online selling ink and toner mean you are sure to get a better deal than if you shop locally. Toner ink is now such a big part of the expense of running any busy office that price comparisons should be checked out on a regular basis.
4. The choice of using compatible toner ink is more readily available online and often coming with a money-back guarantee giving the user added protection especially if you have any concerns about using replacement ink toner.
5. Online shopping for ink and toner is generally very secure and you can generally check out the security of the site by the professional appearance and security logos that are displayed.
6. On-line toner ink will usually be available for next day delivery with most online stores carrying all the top brands including, Samsung, HP, Brother, Xerox and Canon to name but a few.
7. The compatible ink will usually carry more toner ink than the original cartridges, this is because the third party manufactures are able to fill the cartridges to the top and not half or two thirds fill them like the original brand manufacturers often do.
8. Multipack offers are usually of great interest to consumers buying online and this is where the online buying comes into it’s own. There are many online suppliers offering free toner as part of their multipack deals and this in turn helps lower the cost of buying a full set of ink toner cartridges.
9. The answers to any issues you might have with toner ink can be resolved by finding the answers online. Some suppliers will have a question and answer section on their website that may help you resolve any compatibility issues you may be having with your cartridges.
10. Rewards are common with online suppliers there are usually good incentives from them to buy your toner cartridge from them on a regular basis.
11. When you are registered with the supplier you may opt to receive emails informing you of special offers and other deals that my help you make further savings on your ink and toner.
12. Seasonal offers such as Halloween or Easter may bring free gifts for those of us who buy online and as we all know, anything we get for free can only be a good thing. This is essential a marketing strategy showing their appreciation for you business.
13. The savings to be made buying toner ink online can be up to 70% compared to original brand. Savings on this scale are not available on the high street in your local town.
14. High quality compatible toner ink from online suppliers that is regularly tested and manufactured to the same ISO standards as the original brands.
15. Printers and other print related products are very often sold at competitive online prices by the same suppliers who supplier the toner and ink.
16. Compatible ink and toner cartridges sold with the printers are more likely to be recognised by that printer than those that are not.
17. 24 hour shopping, it may seem like an obvious advantage but it’s easy to order from your own home at 10 o’clock at night – one less job to do the following day.
18. Order and let the online supplier do the rest, the ink will turn up at your door, and all you have to do is sign for it.
19. Online suppliers like to send you reminders every few months; this is handy and might just remind you to order your ink before your run out.
20. You can recommend to a friend or colleague the big savings that you made shopping online for your ink and toner and pass the information on so others will get the same benefits.

First Published at Printerinkcartridges.ie

Ink or Toner - Which is More Suited to You ?

When it comes to choosing a new printer, many people are unsure whether to purchase an inkjet or laser toner printer. The main difference between ink and toner printers is the volume and type of printing that is to be produced by either printer. For example if you are producing reports in an office have very little use for colour in your printing then it is likely that a mono or black ink toner printer will suit your needs better than a printer that uses colour cartridges. Laser printers are available that will print only in black and the toner ink for them can be bought at a reasonable price if you consider using compatible toner ink.

Toner cartridges in Ireland are widely available on-line at greatly reduced prices and can result in businesses saving themselves quite a lot of money on an annual basis. Of course there are colour laser printers too that will print full colour and the toner ink for these will come in four cartridges black, cyan, magenta and yellow. The colour laser printer is for the heavy user who needs to print out colour documents and again these printers will produce high volume output at speeds much faster than inkjet printers. The cost of these laser printers and the toner ink they use will far outweigh the cost of a simple inkjet printer but will be more economical in the long run.

The inkjet printer is more suited to the home user who produces lower volumes of printing. This may be for a family with children attending school who need to print out documents on an ad-hoc basis. These printers are low cost initially to buy and again can be cheap enough to run if you concentrate on using good quality compatible ink cartridges. Likewise for the toner ink, using good quality compatible laser toner cartridges will save up to 40% off the cost of an original brand cartridge. An inkjet printer will typically produce 250 -300 pages at approximately 5% coverage per set of ink cartridges.

A laser printer will print thousands of pages depending on the model and of course this will be reflected in the cost. There seems to be a throwaway society now for most consumable items and unfortunately the inkjet printer seems to be falling into that category. It’s no longer viable to have an inkjet printer repaired, as the cost of replacing it will certainly be less than buying a replacement printer. In the case of a laser printer, the cost of the repair is likely to be less than the cost of replacing the printer.

First Published at Printerinkcartridges.ie