How many times have you been at home and wished you had a copier? Chances are you can think of an instance when having a copier at home would have been nice. If you had had a copier you wouldn’t have had to leave the house and waste time, or even money making your needed copies.

Space

If you run a small business from home you may have the need not only for a copier and printer, but also a fax machine and scanner. If you have priced each of these items you know how expensive they can get. Buying each of these machines also takes up lots of room that you may not have.

Availability

The good news is that you can now purchase all in one printers that save both space and money. You can buy a machine that combines two, three or even all four functions into one. These machines are surprisingly small and are easy to install. You can purchase one of these machines at your local store without spending a lot of money. You may also want to check online before you make your purchase. The Internet tends to offer you a large selection at competitive prices.

Quality

When pricing these machines make sure you pay attention to any shipping and handling costs that may be charged. You also need to keep in mind the quality of the machine you are purchasing. You may need to spend a few extra dollars to get a good quality machine, but it will be worth it in the end. Whether you use your machine for running a business or even for personal use, you need a machine that is going to do its job well.

Three in One

When purchasing your all in one machine look at all your options. You can choose if you want three function or four all in one machine. Assess your needs to see which is more reasonable for you. A printer, scanner, copier tends to run around $100. The price may vary depending on the brand of machine you decide to purchase.

Four in One

If you can afford to spend a little more you can purchase a machine that includes a fax machine. If you are not sure if you will need a fax machine we suggest getting it anyway. You never know when you may need a fax machine, and it does not cost much more than the three in one machine.

Having a fax machine for a business would be helpful. Think of how much you spend to overnight documents to someone. Now think how much easier it would be to just fax them the information. Faxing the information would cost less money, and they would get it faster. Having the all in one machine would also save you time because you could do everything from home.

Gregg Hall
http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/how-to-find-printers-that-will-do-all-your-printing-jobs-in-one-machine-54146.html

Toner Spills, Clean Up and Prevention

Nothing is more aggravating then pulling the tab off of a toner cartridge and having it spill everywhere! In this article, you will learn what to do after a toner spill and what not to do. Also, we talk about prevention. This is really the object of the lesson. Preventing toner spills.

Using the Chicopee Stretch and Dust Towel These amazing yellow towels have a multitude of uses and can be used over and over again. Just stretch it and wipe up the toner spill. Use it to clean dust off of your copier, fax machine or printer, even your computer screen. Note: I am not trying to sell these towels, they just work so well! You can use a regular cotton towel if you would like.

Investment When a business buys a piece of equipment it is an investment. This investment should be cared for and maintained and it will give you many years of trouble-free use. In addition to having a qualified technician perform preventative maintenance on your equipment, I believe that the customer can play a key role in helping a machine run smooth and have a more trouble-free existence. Keeping your equipment clean on the outside and the inside can go a long way in doing this.

Big Spills Big spills may require that you call your service repair person. Some people try to vacuum the spill up but I warn against this. This is because of the small particle size of the toner. This will just blow through a standard vacuum bag and really cause a mess. A good technician carries a 3m vacuum designed for the small powder and traps it in the filter.

Toner Spills

Toner on the cover If you spill a small amount of toner on your cover and you think it’s a bit much for your Towel then I would do this. Get a piece of paper and use it like a dust pan. Use a small brush and you can just sweep it on to the paper and fold it up and throw it away in a trash can with a good liner. Afterward clean the rest with your towel.

Toner on your clothes If you get some toner on your clothes, don’t panic! DO NOT use any type of liquid to try and wipe it off. This will only make it smear and ruin your clothes. First, get your towel and hit the stain like you used to hit people with your towel at camp. Wipe the rest with a clean dry cloth and when you get home, throw it in the washer. The stain will come out.

On the Carpet If you get a small amount on the carpet go ahead and use your standard vacuum cleaner. This small amount won’t hurt anything.

Inside your Machine Use your towel to clean the paper path inside of your machine. Be careful not to break a sensor lever. You should use a flashlight to see if there are any that stick up. If you break one of these then you will need to call a repair person. Cleaning the inside is a good preventative measure. In a laser printer, paper dust and contaminates will get caught up inside the toner cartridge and lesson the life of the drum blade. This causes streaks and other problems.

Prevention

Opening Toner This is when a lot of spills occur. The manufacturers of all toners recommend that you shake it well before installation. (I am not saying not to shake it. In fact if you don’t shake it on some models it is possible that you might break the augers inside of the cartridge.) This loosens up the toner so that it flows well into your machine, but it also causes the toner to expand. When you release the tab (Only on some models) the toner will shoot out. Next time try to hold the cartridge over the trash can with a good liner. Then if any shoots out it will be in the trash can.

Remove toner with a towel underneath Another spill I see a lot of is toner spilt on the front cover of copiers and other office equipment. What I recommend is putting your towel down on your cover where the spill occurs. This is likely right under the area that the toner slides in. Then, after you’re done, take the towel away and it’s nice and clean. Something about toner, if you leave it on covers and don’t clean it, it then gets embedded in the cover because of the heat of the machine. The toner actually fuses to the cover and you can’t get it off.

Conclusion Just taking a little preventative action can really keep your machine looking and running like new.

Bill Tucker
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/dont-cry-over-spilt-toner-112377.html

Welcome to Part II of our three part series on service contracts. This article covers service contracts on high volume laser fax machines. Service contracts on high volume fax machines are much different than service contracts on a copy machines.

The difference is that fax machines are not billed by cost per copy. If you read my previous article “Service Contracts on Copiers,” then you know that cost per copy means that you are billed each time you make a copy. Fax machine service contracts are billed differently.

Understanding what is covered and what is not covered is very important to find out before you purchase a service contract on your fax machine. Most fax machine service contracts are billed annually and the supplies are normally not covered. Many service contracts do not include toner, drums or heat rollers. Many service companies will sell you supplies at a discounted rate as long as you are continuing to keep your machine on contract. They also may add an additional charge to cover circuit boards.

You can also purchase a “cleaning only contract.” You can purchase two or three cleanings or service calls per year in advance at a discounted rate. This way you keep your machine clean and if you run into trouble and you need to place a service call you will save money.

I always recommend installing a high quality surge protector on all copiers, fax machines and laser printers. This will protect your machine from power surges that could destroy your machine. Some surge protector companies have a guarantee that covers your machine if their surge protector does protect your machine against a high voltage surge.

Service contracts are similar to an insurance policy. They may or may not save you money. Many companies do not purchase service contracts on fax machines because they don’t cover everything as copier contracts do. They service their machine(s) on a per call basis. You will have to decide for yourself or your company if you will purchase a service contract for your fax machine.

Look for my next article in this series. “Service Contracts – Part III, Laser Printers.”

Bill Tucker
http://www.articlesbase.com/hardware-articles/service-contracts-part-2-fax-machines-139063.html

Most people buy a camera to take pictures – which is what it is for. Photographs of family members, portraits, landscapes, animals, magazines, newspapers, etc. are the main purposes, to either put on the Web, business purposes, or just family stuff. However, there are many other ways and purposes the camera can be used – and lots more fun.

One of the innovative ways the digital camera can be used is for many areas of education purposes. Lectures use them for discussion clarity, such as traveling to Italy or to see the inside of a chemical. Many digital photos are used for medical teaching, such as diagnosis and treatments.

Building reference collections of a chosen field or interest is an excellent way to categorize things. Photographs are used for encouraging critical thinking skills, illustrating case studies, enhancing creative skills, emphasize visual communication abilities, analyze practices, to document an event, or to access knowledge or observations.

Insurance companies use digital photography techniques for substantial savings. When their field inspectors go out for claim inspections, they take photos with their digital cameras. After this, they immediately download them into their laptop computers, tagging each photograph with text information, including the policy and claim numbers. When this is done, they send the information back through a wireless server, where the server confirms their receipt and closes down. Next case is onboard for the inspectors within minutes. Statistics show that field inspectors who use digital cameras increase their caseload by 40%, with a savings of 70% in film and developing costs.

The possibility of taking digital photos of the home, trailer, or apartment, that is either for sale or one that has been damaged, is endless. The photo will reveal the actual need for repairs or replacements to the home insurance field agent, while also providing important locations of valves, location of utilities, or the general operations of things. If the front porch needs to be repaired, with estimates from carpenters, photos can be shot of the porch, while e-mailing them to several carpenters without leaving the home. You do not have to wait for them to visit you.

They can even e-mail the estimates back after looking at the pictures. When something major has occurred to the home – a hurricane or a flood – have the inspector arrive at the damaged property. Photographs can be taken by the inspector or by the homeowner of visible damaged areas, accessible items, heating systems, central air condition systems, plumbing, etc. upon which a hard copy of the inspection report will be handed over, corresponding to the matching photographs.

Try using the digital camera as a copier or scanner, with high-resolution camera for documents, important paper work, pictures, etc. If needed, use a tripod and lots of lighting to ensure the works will be clear and legible. To remember the address, or phone number on a billboard or yard sign, you can click a digital photo.

If we tend to forget where we park our car, a photo will help us to remember. We can also shoot photos of the back portion of computers, stereo sets, etc. This will help us to have a record of the serial numbers, the jacks, and ports, looking at how they are connected.

Using the digital camera for memory work, back ups, or proof and verification adds more value to the camera. It will also take time off insurance paper work for auto wrecks, home repair, or important paperwork if lost. It is simply a matter of getting into the habit of using it for personal benefits, instead of just leisure. The digital camera is not just another pretty face!

Mike Singh
http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/creative-ways-to-use-your-digital-camera-learn-to-never-leave-home-without-it-76984.html