But while the printer is a nice little thing, the CD that comes with the software contained several bad things too many.

OK, it's my fault really. The wise thing to do would not have been to bung the CD in the drive and let it get on with the task. First of all, the disk took forever to install all sorts of crapware on my machine. That wouldn't be so bad, but the installation failed after 45 minutes of whirring away - it came up with a message saying it couldn't install the USB drivers because they were unsigned.

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For those of you that go through the ritual of driving to the office supply store to buy new printer cartridges, only one question comes to mind – WHY?

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Hewlett-Packard, HP to its friends, has always been a very innovative, progressive company so it should be no surprise that HP has come up with a brilliant way to reuse printer cartridges and prevent them from filling up our dumps. HP recycles non-degradable plastic printer cartridges into printerheads for their Photosmart D5460 printers.

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Recently, I replaced an ink tank in a printer and unthinkingly tossed the empty cartridge into the trash bin. Looking at the BoxLightBox Ink Cartridge Lamp from Etsy.com now, I feel a tad guilty.

Who would have thought that an expanded printer cartridge can be converted into such an interesting home decor item? Not only does it make a great conversation piece when guests swing by, it is also an innovative way to go eco-friendly. It's just a shame there aren't any DIY instructions on how to make the Ink Cartridge Lamp yourself. Instead, you'll have to drop between US$35 and US200 for one of these unique handmade pieces.

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Printer Ink is often referred to as liquid gold. It is pretty expensive and ways to save printer ink are always in high regard as they can save individuals and companies lots of money over the years. There are basically two things users can do once the printer has been bought and installed to save printer ink. The first is to optimize the layout and elements that get printed while the second is all about how it gets printed on the paper.

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Hewlett-Packard Company is focusing renewed energy on persuading customers to try out their managed print services. HP assesses a company to ascertain how many printers it uses as well as how much paper and energy it consumes annually. Included in the assessment are page counts for each machine to determine which printers are not utilized efficiently. After the assessment is complete HP suggests a set of HP printers best suited to the company’s needs. HP also provides an estimate of predicted cost savings for the next year. If after one year the company does not save the estimated amount, HP will write the company a check for the difference.

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One of the most common questions heard in office supply stores is this: “I have an old printer. Can I use remanufactured printer cartridges as replacements?” The answer is not a simple yes of no. Each printer owner has to research the subject and make up their own mind whether they want to use OEM or remanufactured printer cartridges.

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Preparing for a major launch of new inkjet printers next month, Lexington-based Lexmark International recently took a look back before looking ahead.

Later this week marks the 15th anniversary of the company's first Lexmark inkjet printer, the Lexmark ExecJet 4076 IIc.

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In an online marketing campaign, the California-based electronics giant cites its own statistics to claim that Kodak’s savings fall short of what’s promised and that Kodak has no printer cartridge recycling program.

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Businesses looking to cut costs and wanting to reduce outgoings should turn their attention to computer printing costs, says one South coast software company.

Whilst many organisations use recycled and refilled ink cartridges to save money and resources, EcoPrint Solutions Ltd of Worthing believes there are greater savings to be made by adopting a simple printing technique that will save up to 30% on printer ink and toner.

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For this one, Broida takes us through being able to get the Brother HL-2170W Wi-Fi laser printer for only $49.99. He warns us not to be surprised by the fact that a quick look at the product page will tell you that the printer is up for grabs for $69.99, a good $20 more than what Broida is sharing as the cost for the printer; it is not necessarily, however, going to be your initial cash outlay for the machine. Getting the price trimmed down to $49.99 is a deal that, according to Broida’s own words, will require you to “jump through a few hoops”.

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What we may be writing next may seem funny, but believe us when we say that these things actually happen. We are far from being neat freaks, but we are not total slobs either (at least we don’t think so!). So what we see on a couple of our favorite shows – Clean House and How Clean is Your House? – can sometimes amaze us. Okay, so our idea of kicking back to watch TV is a bit different – but hey, we found a few tips on what your printer is NOT supposed to be based on the stuff that we saw people do.

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Samsung takes its printing hardware, supplies and software to market through a network of valued reseller partners. Based on industry standards, the Printer Partner Programme aims to help Samsung’s channel partners achieve profitable growth, by providing the best possible products, support and service to businesses.

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The company plans to introduce three series, 12 models in all, under the imageRunner Advance brand. The monthly production target for the entire line is 12,000 units. The copiers are to debut in Japan first before being sold globally.

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We have talked about making changes to our printing habits to save on cash and using our printers to generate even more savings. But how about actually using our printers as a revenue-generating device? And no, we are not talking about printing your own greenbacks, although there are those who have certainly done so and (almost!) got away with it.

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Samsung has launched a 0% financing scheme for its business-focused printer portfolio in the UK. The offer launched with participating Samsung resellers in the UK and Ireland at the start of June. Samsung plans to roll out the initiative to more countries in Europe in the near future.

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After making the decision to cut on office supply expenses, there are more decisions you need to do. You can choose to save on paper, save on energy, or save on your printer ink and toner costs.

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Kodak, just like any other company in any industry one might be able to think of, is experiencing rather challenging times. Among the things that it had to do is to suspend dividends and cut jobs, and while there are signs that things are taking a turn for the better, chances are a complete turnaround will not happen until 2011.

An article on the Wall Street Journal features conversation with Eastman Kodak Company head honcho Antonio Perez, where he touches on, among others, Kodak’s plans for weathering the storm and what they have on hand right now that may help them achieve their goals.

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Consumer Alert: There are three things you need to know about remanufactured ink and toner cartridges:

1. They are not inferior in quality to new Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) products. (In fact, in 1997, the US EPA stated that remanufactured products are “as good as new.”)
2. Using a remanufactured or any cartridge other than that of the OEM will not in fact void the printer equipment warranty. (Not that manufacturers didn’t try. They did but the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975 specifically states that a warranty may not be voided because of the use of aftermarket products.)
3. Buying them will typically save you money and selling spent cartridges will typically make you money.

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We know that we have provided you with tips here and there on making the most out of your printers, but now may be a good time to remind old readers about taking care of your printer – as well as share these tips with our new readers.

During these difficult times, we should not only think about spending money wisely but also think about what we can do to avoid unnecessary expenses. Sometimes, little things that we sometimes take for granted can go a long way.

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What does having a home office and all the equipment that goes with it – something that is now more of a necessity than it once was – have to do with a visit to the Emergency Room?

Apparently, a lot. A report published yesterday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine indicated that between 1994 and 2006, the number of visits to the hospital emergency room due to injuries from the use of computers and the other equipment attached to it – not the least of which are printers – increased sevenfold. Not surprisingly, most of these injuries occurred among children under 5, the demographic that also had the highest rate of increase.

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Several years ago, it was considered a luxury to buy good quality printers. This has dramatically changed over time since printers are now quite affordable and most of them keep on adding new features. The question now is whether it makes sense to repair an old printer or just simply buy a new one.

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Dell has launched an "InkSave" program, where consumers can return used ink cartridges for an automatic replacement.

The model seems similar to that used by Netflix, where customers return movies using a prepaid envelope, and receive the next preferred movie on their list.

InkSave is similar: Dell's printers ship with a pre-filled ink cartridge installed, and a spare. When the original ink cartridge is exhausted, the Dell customer simply returns the original cartridge in the prepaid envelope, and Dell sends the customer a new one. The customer is automatically billed for the new cartridge, a Dell representative said in a blog post.

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Hewlett-Packard new Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart aims to decouple the printer from the personal computer and connect it directly to the Internet. The idea is to make printing of routine Web-based documents such as airline boarding passes, coupons and photos simple and efficient. But is the Web-connected printer an automatic hit? Don’t bet on it, particularly from a B2B channel perspective.

Here are six reasons the Photosmart is nothing to get excited over, and why it’s longterm future is likely limited.

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Zink, a company that has developed a portable inkless printer, will today announce the finalists for its Zero Boundaries design contest. People and companies have been competing to find the best way to make use of Zink's inkless printing technology--we've written about Zink here and here--and I had the opportunity to participate in judging the competition.

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