Printer Tips and Tricks
Use quality ink
For many tech items in life it’s possible to make considerable savings by purchasing third-party paraphernalia. Although the same logic is true of third-party ink cartridge purchases, it’s ill-advised because of how easily it can all go wrong. First and foremost, the print quality can often be reduced in third-party ink cartridges; sometimes detrimentally so. Third-party cartridges tend to also yield less print life when compared to their branded counterparts. Incompatibility issues can also occur where printers refuse to accept third-party cartridges that claim to be compatible with your specific printer model. Stick to the brand-name cartridges that were designed for your printer to avoid such potential problems.
Dust = bad
If your printer came with a dust cover – use it! Printers are delicate machines with more moving parts than anything else in your computer setup, and dust can cause problems. A t-shirt makes a fine dust cover!
Online faxing
The rise of modern society’s reliance on internet technologies has seen the logical replacement of many traditionally offline tasks. And while the sending and receiving of faxes has, in many ways, been superseded by email, there are still instances where it has its uses. But just because your printer doesn’t include faxing capabilities, doesn’t mean that you can’t use them. There are many online faxing services available today that provide you with fax capabilities so you can send and receive faxes. The best thing is that it’s all web-based, with incoming faxes being digitised and emailed to you, while outgoing faxes appear as normal for recipients.
Connectivity is key
Nowadays, many printer models offer a variety of ways for users to connect them to their computers. The most basic and common form of connection is USB 2.0: a fast and stable connection that’s native to all modern printers. Ethernet connectivity is a fantastic addition that allows for a wired network connection which encourages printer sharing across multiple computers. Wi-Fi-capable printers remove the reliance on a wired connection, while allowing the benefits of shared printing capabilities. Certain model printers allow further connectivity options by way of infrared or Bluetooth, which offers users a variety of ways to connect and print.
Shared printing
Sharing your printer on a local network can be achieved without having to make use of connectivity options such as Ethernet and Wi-Fi. Computer operating systems have taken into account the notion of sharing USB-connected printers over a local network. Recent advancements in operating system technology have brought with them even easier ways to share your printer’s functionality on a local network. Nowadays, with the latest operating system for your Mac or PC, sharing your printer is often as simple as connecting to a network. The only trick to remember is that a USB-connected printer must have its host computer switched on in order to use the printer.
Cable matters
A networked printer is most commonly setup using standard network cable. This is called Cat 6 and is widely available. Before you purchase the cabling it is a good idea to measure the distance from your router to where your PC, printer and any other networked devices will sit. This will ensure no nasty surprises when you get home only to find the cables are too short for your needs. It is also good to allow enough length to hide the cables out of sight.
