If It Prints, I'll Let You Know

I was browsing through myofficeportal.org when I chanced upon the article “Where to Find Manuals for Old Dell, Lexmark, Samsung and HP Printers”. I couldn’t help but smile; this was something my roommates and I had to deal with more than once.

We were manual-less on two separate occasions, for two different reasons. Remember that printer we picked up at a garage sale? Well, we got a printer, power cord, cable for connection to a PC – and not much else. We got the thing for next to nothing, so who were we to complain? So we found ourselves with a manual-less old printer that we had to figure out for ourselves.

The second time around, we knew we had a manual. It was, however, nowhere to be found. In the years we have been here in the U.S., we must have moved like five different times. We figured that manual may either be stuck in a box in storage somewhere, or it may have fallen into a corner in one of our apartments. Needless to say, we were, once again, stuck with a manual-less printer.

What, indeed, do you do when you find yourself in this situation? Your first stop will be to check the printer manufacturer’s website. They normally have a section where printer owners can download the manuals of their different printer models, including old ones. This is the option we took both times we had to do it (talk about not learning your lesson!). In our case, we had an old Epson (our garage find) and an HP (the one whose manual got lost somewhere). We were able to find both without any problem.

You can also try checking out computer stores, or simply check out other websites on the Internet. Old printer model manuals can be sourced from there, too.

Now, the one thing we didn’t do was the article’s last advice — scan your manual and collate it into a PDF file. It may take a little bit of work, but it does save you the hassle of frantically searching for the hardcopy of the manual, which can easily be misplaced. Just don’t delete it by mistake from your PC. Else, you again end up without a manual for your printer. :D

Nowadays, businesses think just as much about retaining and cultivating existent business partners as they are about attracting new clients. This is the way to survive these trying economic times, and the only way to do it, of course, is to deliver quality work.

This is exactly what MicroPRINT is trying to do. MicroPRINT is a Waltham, Massachusetts-based printer that provides a full range of printing services that includes high resolution scanning and image manipulation, large format printing and high-end, color-managed digital printing. They produce training manuals, catalogs and large format graphics, among others. The company boasts of the ability to provide customers with high quality prints, quick turnaround times and excellent customer service.

In order to keep existing customers and increase their market share, MicroPRINT has chosen to use Xerox technology. The company recently acquired and installed the Xerox iGen4 press with XMPie personalization software to complement their existing iGen3 press and Xerox DocuColor 242 Digital Color Printer. Their Xerox fleet has resulted in the company’s ability to produce full-color booklets, brochures and manuals more efficiently. The ability to produce around the clock led to the company’s competitive edge by being able to offer shorter turnaround times.

Image quality of prints was improved significantly through the combination of Xerox iGen4 and XMPie software’s color excellence and automation features. The iGen4 runs at amazing speeds and automated the otherwise tedious task of color profiling, which increased color stability over time. These improvements led to MicroPRINT’s capability to be the printer of choice for customers who place value on high image quality and complying with tight deadlines.

With the installation of Xerox technology, MicroPRINT expects to satisfy even more their existing clientele. In addition, it has opened up new business opportunities by being able to add to their existing printing services. MicroPRINT’s customers include advertisers, publishing companies, educational institutions and medical organizations.

There is another way for people to print green, especially those who operate small businesses and have high demand for excellent quality prints at low costs. We did a feature on online printing and how it can help sustain businesses and give them that competitive edge without the expensive investment. Now, we will share how taking that route can lead to contributing to the Green Movement.

Online printing company Just Push Print based in Greensboro, North Carolina, gave their customers the option to print green online, in response to an increasing interest in availing of products and services that contribute to saving the environment. Just Push Print, through its parent company Phase 3 Communications, produces prints that adhere to the sustainable forestry practices and environmentally responsible procurement procedures of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).

Now, Just Push Print customers not only get to enjoy high quality colored printed materials conveniently supplied over the internet, they are also assured that these materials are produced in an environmentally responsible printing plant.

This is more than just an assurance that the company is using recycled paper, according to Just Push Print President Norman Brame. Certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative entail meeting 113 indicators which show the company’s full commitment to sustainable forestry practices.

Aside from a commitment to sustainable forestry practices, the company also uses environmentally-friendly low-VOC soy-based inks and deploys chemical-free plate processing that removed the use of water in the pre-press process. Low-VOC products assist in improving the indoor air quality for the safety of employees since it emits fewer fumes.

By choosing to print online, Just Push Print consumers inadvertently contribute towards saving the environment. Also, the consolidation of printing jobs from several consumers to one outsourced service provider leads to less energy consumption.

Newspaper printers who have acquired Kodak print technology have something to smile about. Not only are these printers experiencing a reduction on costs, which is very important during these tough times, they are also experiencing improved efficiency and image quality.

Battlefords Publishing Ltd. News Optimist of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, acquired a digital solution that is composed of the Kodak Trendsetter News 70 Thermal Platesetter with Kodak PF-N Non-Process Plates, Kodak Prinergy EVO Workflow and Kodak Preps plus Imposition software. The goal for the purchase was to increase automation and save on energy costs. Through the Kodak technology, Battlefords’s process became more economical, efficient, and environmentally-friendly since it was able to eliminate the use of chemicals and film from the process.

In the case of San Diego Daily Transcript, it was improved image quality, reduced operating costs and improved efficiency that prompted the purchase of Kodak technology. It opted for the Kodak Trendsetter News 50 Platesetters with Kodak PF-N Non-Process Plates, Kodak Preps Impositions software, Kodak Printergy EVO Workflow and Kodak Staccato screening. Their chosen technology solution meets their needs, providing a compact footprint on top of cost effectiveness.

The installation of the new equipment at the San Diego Daily Transcript is to be completed this month, and the newspaper expects an annual savings of up to $36,000 annually. The elimination of film and developer as well as a number of steps in their printing process is expected to reduce production time and increase efficiency. The test runs revealed improved image quality and the entire process is now more environmentally friendly.

Another newspaper that has the Kodak advantage is the Union Democrat in Sonora, California. It attributes its recent success to the decision to convert to Kodak solutions. The newspaper received Best of Show honors in the Inland Press Association’s 2009 Print Quality Competition for black-and-white reproduction in the ‘Under 15,000 Circulation’ category and was declared Runner-up in the color category.

Dimension 3D printers announced last week that they were reducing the prices of its Elite and 1200es 3D printers. This will be welcome news for computer-aided design users, as 3D printers can be rather expensive. The price reduction on some models can be as much as $10,000 and applies to the Elite, the SST 1200es (with Soluble Support Technology) and BST 1200es (with Breakaway Support Technology).

The price reduction of the brand’s more popular models is part of owner Stratasys, Inc’s long-term commitment to provide the market with excellent quality 3D printing technology at more affordable prices, according to Stratasys’ Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Americas Jon Cobb.

Stratasys also announced the discontinuation of the production of its Dimension 768 Series 3D printers. Owners of models in these series, though, need not worry as parts and materials will still be available.

The price reduction completes the restructuring of the price range for Dimension 3D printers, following the introduction of the uPrint Personal 3D printer last January, the cheapest product offering from the company. The goal was to be able to have a variety of prices and feature sets that meet the needs of the company’s design and engineering customers.

Dimension 3D printers by Stratasys offer computer-aided design (CAD) users a cheap and networked option for building functional three-dimensional models from the desktop. Dimension 3D printers build models layer by layer using ABS plastic.

Stratasys, Inc. is a company based in Minneapolis whose main business is the manufacture of additive fabrication machines for the prototyping and the manufacturing of plastic parts. The company has a patent for and owns the process that creates functional prototypes as well as manufactured goods from a 3D CAD program.