Chris Pirillo » ink http://chris.pirillo.com News and Reviews! Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:40:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 © chris@pirillo.com () chris@pirillo.com() Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. chris@pirillo.com No no http://chris.pirillo.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpgChris Pirillohttp://chris.pirillo.com 144 144 A Word of Caution Concerning Printer Ink Cartridgeshttp://chris.pirillo.com/a-word-of-caution-concerning-printer-ink-cartridges/ http://chris.pirillo.com/a-word-of-caution-concerning-printer-ink-cartridges/#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:05:22 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=14740 A Word of Caution Concerning Printer Ink Cartridges is a post from Chris Pirillo

After reading my article about generic print cartridges, Teebo was moved to write to me about his experiences. He taught me a few things that even I didn’t already know… and hopefully you’re about to learn something, as well. Here is what Teebo had to say:

There are two types of ink cartridges today: one is a complete cartridge which includes a print head, the other is only an ink reservoir. The advice I was given when I bought my last printer was to buy one whose cartridges contain the print heads. That way, each time you buy a new ink cartridge, you’re getting a brand new print head.

My previous printer had the print heads built right in to the printer itself, not on the ink cartridges. One day, the print heads failed. I called customer service, and was told that it wasn’t worth it to fix the machine. They said I was better off buying a new one! I was so unhappy with their response that I DID buy a new printer – from a different company! I made sure to purchase one that uses ink cartridges that include the print heads.

Every time I buy new ink, I get new print heads. I never have to worry about them failing again. Generic cartridges don’t come with print heads, of course. My recommendation is to not buy generic ones… but to simply take your name-brand ones in for refills to save yourself money. These work great for home use. When the print heads finally do fail on the ink cartridges, simply throw them out and buy new ones. This is going to save you a lot of money, and a lot of headaches.

Excellent advice! Thanks, Teebo, for reaching out to help others refrain from making this same mistake!

]]> A Word of Caution Concerning Printer Ink Cartridges is a post from Chris Pirillo

After reading my article about generic print cartridges, Teebo was moved to write to me about his experiences. He taught me a few things that even I didn’t already know… and hopefully you’re about to learn something, as well. Here is what Teebo had to say:

There are two types of ink cartridges today: one is a complete cartridge which includes a print head, the other is only an ink reservoir. The advice I was given when I bought my last printer was to buy one whose cartridges contain the print heads. That way, each time you buy a new ink cartridge, you’re getting a brand new print head.

My previous printer had the print heads built right in to the printer itself, not on the ink cartridges. One day, the print heads failed. I called customer service, and was told that it wasn’t worth it to fix the machine. They said I was better off buying a new one! I was so unhappy with their response that I DID buy a new printer – from a different company! I made sure to purchase one that uses ink cartridges that include the print heads.

Every time I buy new ink, I get new print heads. I never have to worry about them failing again. Generic cartridges don’t come with print heads, of course. My recommendation is to not buy generic ones… but to simply take your name-brand ones in for refills to save yourself money. These work great for home use. When the print heads finally do fail on the ink cartridges, simply throw them out and buy new ones. This is going to save you a lot of money, and a lot of headaches.

Excellent advice! Thanks, Teebo, for reaching out to help others refrain from making this same mistake!

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/a-word-of-caution-concerning-printer-ink-cartridges/feed/ 16 InkJet Printer Helphttp://chris.pirillo.com/inkjet-printer-help/ http://chris.pirillo.com/inkjet-printer-help/#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:05:58 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/01/03/inkjet-printer-help/ InkJet Printer Help is a post from Chris Pirillo

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So many people get frustrated when their printer messes up, and end up just buying a new one. Here are some tips to help you keep your printer humming along in perfect shape.

  • Check the ink. Many printer manufacturers have made it very easy to tell which ink goes where using a variety of numbers, colors and shapes on the ink cartridge and its caddy. Yet even the best of us have been known to put them in wrong. Check to make sure the color cartridge is in the color caddy and the black and white one is in its proper caddy. Make sure it is for the proper printer model as well. But one thing people fail to realize is that ink cartridges DO go bad and have expiration dates printed on them. I discovered this was a real issue when many of the departments at my school decided to save a few bucks by using recycled and refilled ink cartridges exclusively. When many of our Ink jets started functioning strangely, I checked the ink after exhausting all other efforts. Sure enough they were using recycled ink in a cartridge that expired 2 years ago! I popped in a new, brand name (albeit, pricier) cartridge and the issue was fixed.
  • Do the power hokey pokey. I developed this routine over time to the point where many of my users now know it by heart and can fix the issue themselves, though I am still trying to work it into a song. Sometimes, an ink jet (or any printer for that matter) just needs a good reboot. In the same way that rebooting your computer seems to fix almost anything. Hold the power button down on the printer while it is on. While holding it in, unplug the printer’s power. Once the printers power is unplugged, continue to hold in the power button for 5 or 6 seconds. After about 10 or 15 seconds of doing nothing, plug the printer back in and press its power button. This solves an amazing amount of issues. An even easier solution that works many times in certain situations is to just unplug the printer from its power source and plug it back in. Some buildings (like the one I work in) are grounded very poorly. After a good southern thunderstorm in an Alabama summer, it seemed like half of my ink jets simply didn’t turn on no matter how hard one might press the power button. Unplugging the printer and plugging it back in seemed to discharge some sort of mysterious static electricity “bubble” that prevented it from getting power. I can’t explain this in anyway, I just know it has worked many times.
  • Learn to speak printer-eese. Many times, the printer simply tells you what it wrong with it with a series of lights. You just need to learn to decode the message. Most printer manufactures list what these lights and their blinking sequences mean on their website. Finding out what these lights mean can help you realize that the problem may be nothing more than a sheet of paper jammed up inside the printer. The website will also tell you or even show you illustrations on how to correct the issue.
  • Saving the worst of last; Reinstall the latest printer drivers. Yes, it’s that age-old trump card than any computer tech throws down when all else fails. But seriously, printer drivers can become corrupt for any number of reasons, and uninstalling your printer and installing the latest drivers (found at the manufactures website) can do nothing but good things for you, even if this doesn’t fix the problem at hand. Many times the problem can be fixed just by popping in the CD that came with your printer. If your CD ROM is set to auto play, the CD should give you the option to uninstall or even reinstall the drivers. You won’t get the latest drivers, but you will get the original drivers your printer came with, and the ones it was using when it worked properly.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> InkJet Printer Help is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

So many people get frustrated when their printer messes up, and end up just buying a new one. Here are some tips to help you keep your printer humming along in perfect shape.

  • Check the ink. Many printer manufacturers have made it very easy to tell which ink goes where using a variety of numbers, colors and shapes on the ink cartridge and its caddy. Yet even the best of us have been known to put them in wrong. Check to make sure the color cartridge is in the color caddy and the black and white one is in its proper caddy. Make sure it is for the proper printer model as well. But one thing people fail to realize is that ink cartridges DO go bad and have expiration dates printed on them. I discovered this was a real issue when many of the departments at my school decided to save a few bucks by using recycled and refilled ink cartridges exclusively. When many of our Ink jets started functioning strangely, I checked the ink after exhausting all other efforts. Sure enough they were using recycled ink in a cartridge that expired 2 years ago! I popped in a new, brand name (albeit, pricier) cartridge and the issue was fixed.
  • Do the power hokey pokey. I developed this routine over time to the point where many of my users now know it by heart and can fix the issue themselves, though I am still trying to work it into a song. Sometimes, an ink jet (or any printer for that matter) just needs a good reboot. In the same way that rebooting your computer seems to fix almost anything. Hold the power button down on the printer while it is on. While holding it in, unplug the printer’s power. Once the printers power is unplugged, continue to hold in the power button for 5 or 6 seconds. After about 10 or 15 seconds of doing nothing, plug the printer back in and press its power button. This solves an amazing amount of issues. An even easier solution that works many times in certain situations is to just unplug the printer from its power source and plug it back in. Some buildings (like the one I work in) are grounded very poorly. After a good southern thunderstorm in an Alabama summer, it seemed like half of my ink jets simply didn’t turn on no matter how hard one might press the power button. Unplugging the printer and plugging it back in seemed to discharge some sort of mysterious static electricity “bubble” that prevented it from getting power. I can’t explain this in anyway, I just know it has worked many times.
  • Learn to speak printer-eese. Many times, the printer simply tells you what it wrong with it with a series of lights. You just need to learn to decode the message. Most printer manufactures list what these lights and their blinking sequences mean on their website. Finding out what these lights mean can help you realize that the problem may be nothing more than a sheet of paper jammed up inside the printer. The website will also tell you or even show you illustrations on how to correct the issue.
  • Saving the worst of last; Reinstall the latest printer drivers. Yes, it’s that age-old trump card than any computer tech throws down when all else fails. But seriously, printer drivers can become corrupt for any number of reasons, and uninstalling your printer and installing the latest drivers (found at the manufactures website) can do nothing but good things for you, even if this doesn’t fix the problem at hand. Many times the problem can be fixed just by popping in the CD that came with your printer. If your CD ROM is set to auto play, the CD should give you the option to uninstall or even reinstall the drivers. You won’t get the latest drivers, but you will get the original drivers your printer came with, and the ones it was using when it worked properly.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/inkjet-printer-help/feed/ 16 Save on Printer Toner and Inkhttp://chris.pirillo.com/save-on-printer-toner-and-ink/ http://chris.pirillo.com/save-on-printer-toner-and-ink/#comments Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:04:44 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/10/08/save-on-printer-toner-and-ink/ Save on Printer Toner and Ink is a post from Chris Pirillo


Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

http://live.pirillo.com/ – My round table gang and I came up with a few tips to help you save on expensive ink for your printers.

Three of my friends joined me for this discussion: Kat, SC_Thor, and Wirelesspacket.

Wirelesspacket works in the commercial printing industry. He definitely is against using off brand cartridges, or refill kits. The ink just isn’t as good, and honestly doesn’t last as long. I’ve noticed that as well, and always recommend using the manufacturer’s brand for your particular printer.

Another thing you can do is to change your print layout. Print using Economy mode, instead of the default basic mode. This will save you a lot of ink in the long run, and you won’t really notice any difference in the quality.

When it comes to “practice” printing for color brochures and documents, always print your tests out in black and white. Of course you’re going to want at least one test run in full color. But when you’re just checking the layout and things, use black and white. Colored ink is not cheap!

Lastly, make sure to buy a printer with separate cartridges for color and black ink. This will save you a lot of money, as well.

What other tips and tricks do you have for saving ink cartridges and toners? How do you save money?

Want to embed this Save on Printer Toner and Ink video in your blog? Use this code:

Formats Available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4) Flash Video (.flv) MP3 Audio (.mp3)

]]> Save on Printer Toner and Ink is a post from Chris Pirillo


Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

http://live.pirillo.com/ – My round table gang and I came up with a few tips to help you save on expensive ink for your printers.

Three of my friends joined me for this discussion: Kat, SC_Thor, and Wirelesspacket.

Wirelesspacket works in the commercial printing industry. He definitely is against using off brand cartridges, or refill kits. The ink just isn’t as good, and honestly doesn’t last as long. I’ve noticed that as well, and always recommend using the manufacturer’s brand for your particular printer.

Another thing you can do is to change your print layout. Print using Economy mode, instead of the default basic mode. This will save you a lot of ink in the long run, and you won’t really notice any difference in the quality.

When it comes to “practice” printing for color brochures and documents, always print your tests out in black and white. Of course you’re going to want at least one test run in full color. But when you’re just checking the layout and things, use black and white. Colored ink is not cheap!

Lastly, make sure to buy a printer with separate cartridges for color and black ink. This will save you a lot of money, as well.

What other tips and tricks do you have for saving ink cartridges and toners? How do you save money?

Want to embed this Save on Printer Toner and Ink video in your blog? Use this code:

Formats Available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4) Flash Video (.flv) MP3 Audio (.mp3)

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/save-on-printer-toner-and-ink/feed/ 6 How to Handle Remote Tech Support <em>Using <a href="http://www.gotoassist.com/chris">GoToAssist</a> is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party. </em> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMThttp://gotoassist.com/chris/ http://gotoassist.com/chris/ Network Tools for Windows You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">SolarWinds ipMonitor</a>: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">Download your free trial today</a>. Or, try their <a href="http://www.solarwinds.com/products/freetools/">totally free tools</a>! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase <a href="http://store.solarwinds.com/s.nl/sc.16/.f">ipMonitor 9.0</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome Get Your Own Web Site Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">GoDaddy</a> includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">code CP2</a> at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order. <p>Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">CHRIS7</a>, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">GoDaddy.com</a>.</p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a> or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> and/or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ Coupons for Online Shopping <p style="color: red">This feed is fueled by Lockergnome <a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/buy/">Online Shopping and Coupon Codes</a></p> <p> Before you shop next time, see if we have <a href="http://coupons.lockergnome.com/">a coupon</a> first. </p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMThttp://coupons.lockergnome.com/ http://coupons.lockergnome.com/