Regular readers may recall the story of Charles Walling, the retired Seattle warehouseman whose struggle to get his printer to work with Windows Vista was documented in our story marking the Microsoft operating system's first year on the market.

Well, it's working now -- but not without some help from a Windows test manager.

The underlying problem reflects the huge changes Microsoft made from Windows XP to Windows Vista, and the need for hardware makers to adjust. At the same time, the experience may provide a good reminder for PC users making an upgrade.

Here's the back story: After the article ran, I received e-mails from a couple of people inside Microsoft who were curious about the cause of the problem. With Mr. Walling's permission, I directed them to him. Tom White, test manager for documents and printing in Microsoft's Windows Experience group, visited the Walling household on multiple occasions, figured out what was wrong, and ultimately got the printer to work.

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According to a new survey released today, about 60 percent of the Canadian workforce is making personal use of their office printer.

The survey, conducted by Angus Reid Strategies for Samsung Electronics revealed that a large majority of Canadians who work in offices with high volume laser printers aren't using them for memos and work-related e-mails, but rather for personal letters, color photos, and even *gasp* resumes! The study breaks down the percentage of people that print out random documents:

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As we've said before in these reviews, the main things you're paying for with a higher-priced laser printer are speed and duty cycle. The new Epson Aculaser M4000N, which has a hefty street price of a smidgen under £700 (a list price of over £1,000) - is rated at 43ppm. It should also be up to printing 200,000 pages per month, should you need them.

This is a big printer, designed for heavy workgroup use and Epson has done its best to stop it looking like a big square box. Most of its edges are curved, with a deep depression in its top surface to allow for large print jobs. There are two paper trays as standard, with the main one capable of taking 550 sheets, over a ream of paper. The second feed tray can take a further 100 sheets of special media, giving a total capacity of 700 sheets, as standard. A second 550-sheet tray can be fitted underneath, as an option.

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Is your old printer ready to bite the dust? Have you been searching high and low for the best inkjet printer for the money? Search no further. The printer you are looking for is the new Canon PIXMA MP530 All-in-One Inkjet Printer. I would recommend it to anyone.

The ease of installation and the ability to follow the software instructions was amazing! It only takes minutes to install. The print quality of the Canon PIXMA All-in-One definitely rivals the most expensive laser printers. A special bonus is that the new Canon printer can print double-sided copies.

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A true evolution of our past-generation of photographic printing technology, Epson's latest 24-inch professional wide-format printer incorporates forward-thinking designs, with a newly enhanced 8-color ink technology, resulting in a final print of uncompromising quality.

Epson UltraChrome K3™ is the standard by which all other professional level ink technologies are judged. Now enhanced with our breakthrough new Vivid Magenta pigments, our newest-generation ink technology requires only eight colors, including a three-level black technology, to significantly raise the quality levels for professional color and black-and-white prints.

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File the HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer ($549.99 direct) under pleasant surprises. In theory, it's the next-generation replacement for the Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer, a model that printed good, but not great, photos and suffered from several limitations. In reality, it has much more in common with the pricier HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer, our Editors' Choice for high-end photo printers. In particular, the B8850 matches the B9180's superb output quality, which is enough by itself to make the B8850 worth a look. But the resemblance runs deeper.

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Korean giant Samsung is aiming to become an "alternative" brand in the printer market in the Philippines, according to one of its executives.

Acknowledging the dominance of rival HP in the local market, Samsung Philippines hopes to make a dent as it markets printer products that are 30 to 40 percent cheaper than the top brand, according to Cathy Pacia, newly appointed general manager of the information technology team in Samsung Philippines, in an interview.

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InfoPrint Solutions Company, the joint venture between IBM (Stock Price Web Site Related Articles Google) and Ricoh ( Web Site Related Articles Google), today unveiled its latest continuous forms digital output solutions, the InfoPrint 75 and InfoPrint 100. These new printers bring additional depth to the recently upgraded continuous forms product line. The InfoPrint 4100, a next-generation digital publishing and production output solution, has been enhanced to include advanced controller technology that will drive the uptake of color across the industry.

The InfoPrint 75 and InfoPrint 100 laser printers are designed with the needs and demands of companies who print client invoices, direct marketing mailings, labels and distribution center picking slips in mind. As each document is required to remain in page sequence, these continuous forms printers provide high throughput and integrity ideal for these environments.

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Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment, today introduced the Aficio® SP C420DN color laser printer. Designed for businesses in color-intensive environments, the SP C420DN combines high productivity printing with speed and a simple user interface to provide a low total cost of ownership.

The Aficio SP C420DN offers one of the lowest costs per page of any printer model in its class, and features both high-speed printing and top- quality image resolution. Users are able to print color or black-and-white images at a rate of 31 pages per minute (ppm) and produce crisp business documents at up to 1200 x 1200 dots-per-inch ((SEE THIS)). In addition, users can print images and photos quickly and easily without a PC by plugging in any PictBridge™ enabled digital still camera into the interface port. The 4- line LCD control panel also allows users to check supply levels or access menu options in a few short steps, streamlining the process.

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HP Middle East celebrated the 20th anniversary of the HP Deskjet printer, the world's top-selling printer brand.

Relied on by more than 240 million customers around the world, the HP Deskjet-branded printer continues to outsell all other inkjet printers on the market 20 years after its first introduction.

'Twenty years after its first introduction, the HP Deskjet continues to deliver on its original value proposition of quality, reliability, affordability and ease of use,' said Sherifa Hady, Consumer Business Manager, Imaging and Printing Group, HP Middle East. 'We are thrilled by this achievement because it represents a very strong endorsement from our customers all over the world. Deskjets have successfully brought printing closer to consumers worldwide, making it the world's most loved printer."

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