CUE ORG For Better Education And Information

Printers - My Pet Peeve

The Cost of Ink

This is my third article on the subject you can read my others on my web site www.caveatemptorus.com or at www.ezinearticles.com.

I believe in free enterprise and all that but some things are beyond the pale. Ever since the advent of the inkjet printer I think we’ve been getting ripped off

A set of OEM cartridges for the average printer cost just less than $75.00 a set of refilled units on eBay go for close to $50.00. I think that’s outrageous.

It’s often cheaper to buy a new printer than it is to buy a set of cartridges, which I frequently do.

. Originally the printer manufacturers practically gave away printers; in fact a lot of them did so through promotions and rebates.

Their strategy was to sell the printers at low prices and make their money on the cartridge replacements, so they inflated the prices of the ink, This had a tendency to back fire, as they created a bootleg industry, that they are now having to compete with.

There are refilled cartridges, refill kits, so called compatible cartridges or imitations, Some of these are legitimate , and of good quality, some are not. Then there are the counterfeits with OEM labels, which some unwitting people are paying full price for. This practice is particularly reprehensible.

All of this might have been avoided had the manufacturers chosen to sell their printers and replacement cartridges at reasonable prices. I firmly believe that had the makers had set reasonable prices for the printers both they and the consumers would have been better off.

The sad part is that it is we the consumers that suffer. We not only have to live with high prices but inferior quality and considerable inconvenience.

When we use anything other than OEM products, we face warranty problems. Some of the refilled cartridges are of such poor quality they not only don’t work, they leak and can damage your printer. Some, but not all of the compatible cartridges are nearly as bad. If you have a problem printing and you’re using aftermarket ink the manufacturers won’t even give you technical support. I recently had to buy a set of OEMS to prove my printer was defective.

All so called standard cartridges are only partially filled with ink. You have to buy high yield or extended use cartridges to get full ones.
Originally when you bought a new printer you received standard cartridges, which was fine, you at least got decent yields from them.

Now they’ve come with another bit of trickery. This one isn’t new but previously they only used it on promotional printers at rock bottom prices. Now I’m informed by a reliable dealer that all new printers are now coming through with sample cartridges. Sample cartridges don’t have much ink in them so you’re faced with premature replacement.

I recently bought a low-priced printer on eBay. It was from a leading computer manufacturer. The seller did have the cartridge numbers in his ad. He may not even been aware that they were samples. I found out when I unpacked it. So if you’re buying a printer don’t assume that it’s equipped with standard cartridges, check to be sure of what you are buying.

You don’t have to be careful only on eBay, regular dealers are selling printers with sample cartridges also. They don’t advertise it. You have to ask them to find out. Again “Let the buyers beware.”

There is really no good solution to this problem Refilling is a hassle. It’s not always successful, and it can lead to damage to your printer. I think if you top off your cartridges while thy stills have a lot of ink in them and you’re careful not to over fill them it may work.

Printing in draft mode and black and white when you don’t need color will conserve ink. I used to print a lot of material that I’d read in the den; now I just read it on my monitor.

Shopping for bargain printers that cost less than the cartridge is still viable but the sample cartridge situation has complicated that scheme.

We can’t ask our congressmen to help, they’re going to be too busy fighting off the people hat want us to give the internet to the UN.

Written by: George W. cannata Author and Publisher of the web site: http://www.caveatemptorus.com

You may copy or reprint this article so long as you do not alter it in any way and that you include all links and give full credit to the author and publisher.

June 6th, 2007

RAM: Use Extra Memory to Increase Computer Speed

Of all the ways to make your computer faster, the easiest is to add more RAM. A new CPU might require changing the motherboard as well, so that socket types would match. Extra RAM only has to be plugged in. The entire process can be finished in minutes.

Often, the difference is noticed immediately. A computer that boots up sluggishly will load its operating system in a fraction of the time it previously took.

About 1 GB of RAM shows the most improvement for common applications. At this level, you’ll be getting maximum speed from most business programs, and be able to switch from one to the other with almost zero waiting time.

If you want to do video editing, 3-D animation, CAD, heavy duty gaming, and other sophisticated apps, get all the RAM your computer can hold. Video file sizes can be gigantic, so get your computer the memory it needs to handle it all. Plenty of RAM means your hard drive won’t have to work as much, shuttling parts of monster files about.

Perhaps the best thing about RAM is that it’s relatively cheap. Often, $50 or less will buy you a new module, depending on the type of RAM your computer requires. Keep an eye out for rebates, and loss-leader sales that big suppliers make available.

Michael Quarles is the author of Building a PC for Beginners.

May 25th, 2007

Hard Disk Drives: 3.5″ or 2.5″? (Part 1)

2.5″ (9.5mm) hard drives have been slowly increasing in demand over the past few years. Prices usually push the consumer into a buying decision, but there are many other factors which have contributed to the desire for 2.5″ computer systems. First, let’s take a look at some of the myths that 2.5″ drives have associated with them verus their 3.5″ sizes, and include a few not-so-mythic factors.

The Myth Of The 3.5″ vs. 2.5″ HDD

2.5″ drives are smaller, making the data information more susceptible to failure.

Not true. While it is true that initial production of 2.5″ drives were problematic, so were 3.5″ drives when they were initially released. Remember the IBM RAMAC series? Many of you probably do not. This was the first “hard disk” system. In 1959, we had 50 disks, each 24″ in diameter, continuously spinning at a speed of 1200RPM, capable of storing 6MB of data (a staggering 12MB if your company opted for the double-capacity versions). The size of this thing? 400-sq ft space required, and only 6,200lbs.
Just imagine those back in the early 60’s, being told by yours truly that someday a 3.5″ diameter hard disk, weighing less than a few pounds, would be supporting 300GB, and rotating at speeds of 7200RPM…and being housed in an enclosure no bigger than a cigar box.

Back in the 60’s I would have probably been called a Communitst, a spy, and even a witch, and put on trial. At the least, I’d be in a psychiatric facility in an arm-less jacket, dictating articles to my nurse to be posted on websites.

I’m kidding. Ok, let’s look at some of the myths…

3.5″ drives are faster than 2.5″ drives.

Depends.
As long as the Data Density and the Spindle Speed are the same, then yes, a 3.5″ drive will probably out-perform a 2.5″ drive. Why? It’s due to the physical size of the drive itself, and well talk more about it in the next few sentences. Even with all things being equal, there is no guarantee a 3.5″ drive will perform better. But it is possible–just like it’s possible a 2.5″ will perform better.

We have a term called Sustained Data Transfer Rate (aka, STR). This rate is most often used in reviews of hard drives, and while I don’t see a problem with using this figure in reviews as one of the many specs, I frown on people who use this figure as the exclusive overriding factor of a review. It can be very misleading. It’s kind of like using the spec of the tires of a car, to indicate how the car takes a corner. It’s just rather simplistic to say that better tires make for better cornering. The driver of the car (in our case the software of the computer) also needs to factor into the cornering performance. The engine of the car (in our case the processor, motherboard, RAM, etc.) also plays a part.

And now let’s add another fact. Areas on the outer part of the hard disk read faster than the inner areas of the disk. When you factor in all of these variables, STR doesn’t seem too reliable, does it. There are so many variables which dictate and determine a spinning hard drive, moving thousands of revolutions per minute, there’s just not an easy way of guaranteeing to the end user, a particular spec rating is going to be consistent.

3.5″ drives are more reliable than 2.5″ drives.

Not true. All things being equal (for example assuming both drives have no defects) 2.5″ drives generate less heat than a 3.5″ drive. It’s simple physics. The drives are smaller, smaller moving parts, which leads to less heat build-up. The less heat a drive experiences, the longer its life will be. Obviously, this is assuming the drive had no defects originally. Worse-case scenario, 2.5″ drives will last just as long as a 3.5″ drive.