If It Prints, I'll Let You Know

We all know that we can use our inkjet printers to print photos but did you know that your printer can do somuch more than that? Did you know for instance that your inkjet printer can be used to create personalized T-shirts, calendars and jigsaw puzzles to name a few fun potential projects. Most projects require some sort of home graphics software to manipulate images but fortunately home graphics software is easy to find for no cost online if your computer does not have an adequate program.

You can easily make iron on transfers with your inkjet printer by printing your photos onto iron on transfer sheets. For this, the image must be printed in reverse so your software will need to be capable of this option. Once you have the photo printed onto the transfer sheet, there is no end to ideas for where you can iron the image….a t-shirt, a pillowcase, a pair of shorts or even jeans for the kids.

For those who enjoy the challenge of a good jigsaw puzzle, your inkjet printer can create a transfer sheet from any photo you select. Making a personalized jigsaw puzzle is similar to personalizing a T-shirt with a photo except that the transfer sheet is applied to a jigsaw puzzle “blank” contained in a puzzle making kit.

Personalized calendars make a great gift for anyone. The possibilities are limitless for this idea. Think of how much grandparents would enjoy a calendar with photos of their grandchildren to look at all year. What about newlyweds? A calendar recapping their courtship and wedding would be a meaningful, memorable gift. Pet lovers would adore seeing their pets on a calendar specially made for them. Most graphics software includes calendar template to make calendar making simple.

Make pillows for your couch using your favorite photo of kitty in her favorite spot on the couch, make a quilt for your daughter using all her favorite photos of her favorite pop star, make stickers for the kids to put on their school stuff; there is really no end to the possibilities when it comes to gifts you can make using your inkjet printer.

There are practically thousands of ways to make your office energy efficient, and several articles have been written to help the regular office worker or office manager get by. But now, we would like to present them in as simple and as straightforward as possible so you get the point without risk of confusion. Here goes.

1.    Use computers, printers and other office equipment that are backed by an Energy Star certification. In this time when the ecological impact of businesses has been growing in importance, I doubt if you’d have any difficulty finding Energy Star certified equipment.

2.    Choose LCD monitors over CRT displays. In general, choose new models over old ones. They usually are more updated and more efficient.

3.    Turn your computers and printers off when not in use. You probably heard of those old stories telling you that turning equipment on and off several times can damage them. Well, not anymore. Manufacturers have made their products more durable to withstand frequent turning on and off, thus saving energy.

4.    If you need to run somewhere for only a few minutes, you can turn the monitor off or put the computer to sleep mode.

5.    Unplug your equipment when not in use. Some devices still use energy even when turned off.

6.    Replace laptop batteries every 2 years. You may be able to save money from the cost of purchasing new batteries, but the energy used to charge an old battery can hit you hard.

7.    Don’t store fully charged batteries since this may lessen efficiency. More importantly, don’t store uncharged batteries. Keep them in half power before storing.

8.    Schedule regular equipment maintenance. Dirty or defective computers and printers may use more energy than clean and well-maintained ones.

A couple of weeks ago, Amazon removed from its Kindle e-book store George Orwell’s “1984” and “Animal Farm”. That seemed okay, right? Well, there really should be no problem with this company decision if they did not proceed to electronically remove the books from the Kindle units of customers who had already paid for them!

Amazon gave an explanation to its customers saying that it was really the books’ publisher that decided not to offer them in digital form. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Amazon is saying that the publisher simply changed its mind and because of this, they just took the copies back from the units of those who already made a complete and legal purchase of the said books. They even tried justifying their action by issuing full refunds and making an apology. Of course, this does not stop affected customers from filing a case against this unprofessional decision.

Some are saying that the books are a publisher’s property and that they can do whatever they want with them whenever. However, the point is that they have already decided to sell them in digital copies and they cannot just change their minds after. They need to undergo a long process of public information and consultation so they can get the e-books back. They cannot just delete them without asking the users. Besides, can I return the e-books I bought and get a full refund just in case I change my mind about reading them? I don’t think so, and even if I could, I would still have to complete a process where I file for a refund and give an explanation. The bottom line, Amazon people, is that there is a PROCESS!

Now I’m not wondering why Kindle prices took an early dive after its release. :(

As summer draws to a close, you may have an accumulation of photos that are ready for printing, immortalizing those fun moments, making them last. For those who would rather have a separate machine for printing those – using an adage that we have grown up with – “Kodak moments,” here are the top five printers that PC World’s Melissa Riofrio recommends for printing your summer snapshots.

Among the qualities that Riofrio says these printers have in common is the fact that they will provide you with a cost-effective way of getting those summer memories printed. They are all compact and therefore can probably easily be stashed away in the trunk for easy printing while at Grandma’s, and come with large LCD screens to allow you to conveniently and easily preview photos sans the need for a PC. And they all start at a hundred bucks.

The Epson Picturemate Dash may be a bit bulky, but according to reviews it has the ability to provide “nice-looking photos.” Printing can be accomplished easily and quickly, and the price of the machine is not bad. Another choice is the Canon Selphy CP780 Silver Compact Photo Printer, a machine that can be purchased at a cheaper price when compared to the Epson Picturemate. It will be able to produce great photos, but with a bit of waiting time. Also, if you plan on printing hundreds and hundreds of photos, you better be prepared to fork over a few extra bucks for ink and paper.

Those who prefer HP can choose between the HP Photosmart A636 Compact Photo Printer and the HP Photosmart A536. Those who would rather not wait around for photos to get printed will find the Photosmart A636 to their liking. For the rookie snapshot printer who is not willing to spend too much can make do with the Photosmart A536 and still get to enjoy decent looking prints.

The Epson Picturemate Zoom even comes with an integrated CD burner, which is why it is a bit more expensive than the other models. The feature, though, will come in handy when there simply is too many relatives to provide too many copies of photos; so you simply hand them a CD backup instead.

We were only able to share with you but one of five ways that PCWorld’s Melissa Riofrio, so we bring you the rest of the indicators that you can use to tell whether your printer is cheating you.

The second indicator is low-capacity inks. While these ink cartridges may appear cheaper at the outset than high-yield printers, the costs can accumulate over time and result in higher cost per page. This may not be as noticeable by users who are not heavy printers, but for those who have a rather substantial amount of printing to do on a regular basis, low-capacity inks will mean higher costs in the long run.

For those who, for the most part, only do regular printing that can be done on plain paper may find certain printers that require specially-coated paper in order to produce excellent results rather heavy on the pocket; these printers will force you to unnecessarily purchase more expensive paper when you can very well make do with the cheaper ones and still get great results.

Another way that your printer can cheat you is by robbing you of precious time, especially if you are someone who is constantly on the go. This really depends largely on your needs and wants; after all, there are certain print jobs that can really only turn out well if one is willing to wait, such as photo printing. But if you cannot wait, then make sure that you choose a printer that can print at a speed that is amenable to your needs.

Lastly, when making a printer purchase, try to scrutinize the paper tray. Sometimes, manufacturers try to reduce manufacturing costs by producing the paper trays on the cheap. The result is a flimsy paper tray or a paper try that either does not hold enough paper or simply stacks printed pages along with blank ones. Even if you save a few dollars up front, you may end up spending a bit more by purchasing a new paper tray once the flimsy one breaks, or waste time constantly refilling the darn paper.