Printer cartridges can sometimes cost more than the printer itself. It seems crazy. It’s by far the most expensive commodity you have to purchase for a small business or home office.

If you do a lot of printing, be it for printing photographs or you just have to pump out reams of paper every day, the cost of ink can really add up. There is a way though to cut down on the costs of printing. An affordable solution is to invest in a continuous ink system. Simply put a continuous ink system replaces the standard printer cartridge with large bulk ink feeds.

There are a couple different ways to put together a continuous ink system. The first option is to buy a unit that is designed for commercial printing. These will be a bit more expensive up front than a standard office printer but you will regain the cost by being able to purchase ink in bulk.

The next option is to get an add on continuous ink system for an existing printer. There are kits out there that fit most high end printer manufacturers.  Simply replace the printer’s ink cartridge with the new bulk cartridge and plastic tubing that connects to the ink reservoir and you’re in business.

With a continuous ink system you can simply refill the reservoirs with a syringe. You don’t have to replace the entire cartridge head every time the ink gets low. Since continuous ink supplies come in their own individual color reservoir you won’t have to worry about tossing out a cartridge that may still be full of one color while another color is depleted.

Continuous ink systems are a great way for a home or small business to save money. The cost of set up is offset by the savings in bulk ink. If you’re looking for a way to cut costs and gain efficiency look into a continuous ink printer.

A printer adds an untold level of functionality to your home computer. It turns any room into a home office. With the advancements in printer technology you can do everything from print emails to full sized photographs.  Unfortunately though you can go through a lot of ink quickly and refills are expensive. You don’t want to change your printer cartridge until you absolutely have to. There are a couple things you need to know about when to change your printer cartridge.

The printer software on newer models can actually detect the ink level and tell you when a cartridge needs to be changed. To save you money though don’t change out the cartridge when the printer tells you it’s low. Instead wait until the ink runs out and then pop in a new cartridge. It doesn’t hurt to have an extra cartridge on hand.

Another way to save money is to set the print quality to the lowest setting. This means the routine emails and documents you print won’t waste a lot of ink.

One of the best ways to prolong printer cartridge life is to change your printer settings. For most home printing simple black ink is enough. Simply change the printer settings to print only in black and white. There really is no need for a full color print out of a web page recipe.

If you start to print and the quality just isn’t what it used to be it might not be that it’s out of ink. Instead the inkjet head could be clogged. Run the clean cycle on the printer a few times to see if it clears up. If after cleaning the printer it still produces streaked or faint images then it’s probably time to go ahead and change out the cartridge.

The biggest thing to remember regarding printer cartridge change outs is to do it only when the ink runs out.  You want to prolong the life of the cartridge as much as possible.

This post is a little different to the norm in that it is not about a specific ink type or cartridge but about what to do if you get printer ink on your clothes.

You know that when you are refilling a toner or ink jet cartridge then chances are it’s going to be a messy job, and you are bound to get toner or ink on your hands, clothes and probably on the desk as well. Cleaning an ink stain can be a bit of a challenge if the ink gets a chance to set.  So we thought it might be a good idea to give you a few tips for removing printer ink stains from skin and clothing.

If you have an ink spill the first thing you’ll want to do is wash your hands. You don’t want to inadvertently touch other things or wipe your hands on your clothes. Try using just regular soap and water at first to get the majority of the wet ink off your hands. Once the bulk is removed you can use a more abrasive cleaner, like what mechanics use, to scrub off the rest of the stain.

The next thing you need to do is get that ink off your clothing. If the ink is still wet try to blot as much of it up as you can with a paper towel. This will keep the stain from wicking further into the fabric and making an even larger stain.

Once the paper towel can’t lift any more ink it’s time to try cleaning the garment.  Pour some isopropyl alcohol onto the ink spot and then dab at it with a fresh paper towel. This should lift away most of the stain.

If there is still some discoloration then you can try moving up to nail polish remover, acetone. Be careful though as acetone can damage synthetic fabrics like nylon.

Your final option is to use a commercial stain remover such as Shout and then launder the clothes if they’re machine washable. For dry clean only items simply take the piece in to the dry cleaners and tell them exactly what type of stain it is. They should be able to help you out.

Hewlett Packard is one of the few computer companies out there that can trace its roots back to before the computer was invented. In fact the first HP product was produced in a garage bringing new meaning to the term garage mechanic. The company has shown a remarkable ability to innovate and not only keep up with but lead the way in technology advances. The history of HP printers though doesn’t start until the 1980’s.

In 1984 HP  revolutionized the printer market with the introduction of inkjet printers.  These machines were singularly responsible for changing the entire printer market. Inkjet printers replaced the noisier and less precise dot matrix printers. They paved the way for home use printers.

In 1988 HP introduced the deskjet printer. It became the standard for printers for years to come.

In the 1990’s HP focused more on its inkjet technology. It moved beyond black and white printing to full color printing. For the first time businesses could print quality documents in house, significantly cutting expenses for businesses around the world.

By the late 90’s HP was still innovating. They introduced the first all in one printer. This innovation helped lower business costs even more as now printers could take on the role of copy machines as well leading to more office integration.

In the 2000’s the company further cemented its role as a world leader in printers with the introduction of multiple full color high quality printer lines. These printers could use six different ink jets and 4800 dpi quality.

Hewlett Packard has come a long way from a single simple garage.  They’ve consistently innovated the field of printing. Who knows what their next products will be. With this kind of history behind it you can be sure that if you purchase an HP printer you’re getting a quality product with years of research behind it.

Printer ink is a necessity for any home or office. It seems sometimes that the ink can even be more expensive than the printer was. There’s something really wrong with that. If you end up using original manufacturers ink cartridges then you’ll end up paying a lot more money than you have to. There are a few ways to cut down on your printing costs. Here are a few tips for getting the cheapest printer ink online.

The first thing you’ll need is the make and model of your printer ink cartridges. Just because you can find the cheapest ink doesn’t mean it will work with your printer.  By getting this info you can start looking at after market retailers. You can typically find printer cartridges made by secondary companies for a fraction of the cost or original manufacturer parts. It’s a great way to save money and they snap into place just like a factory original.

Your next option will take a bit more work on your part. You can look at refilling the cartridges yourself. The first thing you want to do is a little research online to find out if you have cartridges that can be refilled. If so then just purchase a refill kit and when it arrives do it yourself.

If the above seems a little daunting to you then you can look for refurbished cartridges. With these you don’t have to deal with the hassle of refilling them yourself. Someone else will sell you a refilled cartridge. You won’t have to worry about spilling ink all over your desk either. In fact some companies will offer a recycling program so that you can just ship your old cartridge back to them.

Whether you choose to buy refills, refill yourself or buy from an after market company there are plenty of ways to save money on printer ink if you just shop around a bit online

While Lexmark printers seem like they’ve been around for ages in fact they weren’t created until 1991. The company was originally a subsidiary of IBM. They offered Lexmark for public sale in 1994 and the company took off after that. It’s become one of the biggest sellers of printers in the world.

Lexmark is a recognizable brand name. What’s less commonly known though is that the company is a major printer producer for other computer companies.  For instance Lexmark makes Dell printers. Their primary business model is of a third party manufacturer rather than as a direct sales company.

Lexmark has always been a leader in innovation. They produced the first inkjet printer that was available for under $100 and built the first production stand alone photo quality printer.

Lexmark has a wide product range from ink jet printers to more commercial grade toner based systems. It even offers dot matrix and photo reproduction options. A Lexmark printer can be scaled to fit any home or business need. You can go from the smallest single page printer up to commercial all in one machines.

Lexmark is truly a world wide company with offices in major developed countries and roughly 13,000 employees. It’s based out of Lexington Kentucky.  With the level of sales Lexmark generates it’s a Fortune 500 company.

Printers have come a long way from the lowly single function tractor feed dot matrix job that took up an entire corner of a room. Now any home can turn into a small office for under $500. Lexmark is one of the companies leading the way in this evolution. Their printer lines can fit any home or personal need. This is a company that’s come a long way from when it was just a research and development project at IBM. If you’re looking for a printer then Lexmark probably has a product suited for you.