I have set up my printer but it is not Printing
The first thing that springs to mind when the printer will not print is that there is a problem with the ink cartridges. However, through a process of elimination it is possible to resolve the issue and get up and running. First of all it is if your printer will not respond when you try to print a document, in the first instance check it’s turned on or that the USB cable hasn’t come loose or is disconnected. Computers connected via USB cables or a network, the printer driver must be installed on the computer you’re printing from. On a rare occasion, the printer driver may become corrupted and have to be re-installed.
This can be done using the disc supplied with the printer or by downloading the driver direct from the manufacturer’s website â this is more likely to have the latest driver for your printer. Printer manufacturers should have a page from where you can download available software for different models and operating systems. It may be necessary also to update the printer driver so that it’s compatible with a new operating system – this is what many consumers buying Windows 8 computers have discovered.
If your are unsure if your computer already has the correct driver installed for the printer you want to use you can easily check this with Windows. Go to the printer folder from the Start menu or Control Panel. Depending on which version of Windows you have, it will be named either Printers, or Printers and Devices. When you available printers, with offline open this folder it will show a list of printers grayed out. If printer you want to use is marked as âofflineâ, check and ensure it’s properly connected to your PC or network and check to the âonlineâ position. The default printer will have a green check next to it. You can change the default printer by right clicking on it and following the instructions. When you right click on a printer and click on Printing Preferences this will reveal the printer driver settings. By adjusting the printer preferences, you are able to adjust different functions, including the paper size and type, print quality, and duplex printing (if available on your printer). The printer software disc almost always includes an interface to access the printing functions, but it would be quicker to work straight from the printer driver.
When it comes to the decision as to whether to use original or compatible inkjet or toner cartridges at no point while loading printer drivers or installing software is there any reference to the type of ink cartridge you are going to choose to use, however it is likely that in some printers â HP in particular that a compatible ink cartridges might not be recognized. The vast majority of printers will accept compatibles and therefore allow you to make big savings on your printer ink.
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- Published in Ink Cartridges, Troubleshoot
What is the Difference Between Compatible and Original Ink Cartridges?
Shall I continue to pay over the odds for my ink cartridges or take a chance on using compatible inks? This is the question may of us face as the cost of running a busy home or office printer soars.
From the outset, its a good idea to explain the difference between original and compatible ink cartridges. The original cartridge is the cartridge manufactured by the maker of the printer and will be available with the manufacturers branding and packaging. Compatible cartridges are brand new cartridges manufactured by a third-party manufacturer who have no connection with the original brand supplier; these ink cartridges are in fact clones of the originals. There are also remanufactured cartridges; this was an original brand ink cartridge that has been used once before and has been taken back to the factory, cleaned, refilled and repackaged.
The first noticeable difference is the cost between the compatible and original cartridges. Just because the cost of the compatible is considerably less than the original doesnât mean that there should be a sharp drop in quality. There are some poor versions of compatible ink cartridges on the market and these should be avoided, as they donât represent a true picture of how good compatibles can actually be. Buying from a supplier with good testimonials on their website or social media page is a good way of checking product reviews. The number of copies you make will influence the cost of your printing with savings of up to 70% with compatible ink then the savings are significant. Also, what you print will affect the amount of ink that you use, are it mostly text or images that you print? Compatible ink cartridges are great for printing images, as photo printing tends to use up a lot of ink. Independent tests carried out using original ink and compatibles show that good quality compatibles are as good as originals and the print will last and not fade as can happen with poor quality cartridges.
The availability of compatibles for new printers is more of an issue. When a major brand introduces a new printer range that doesnât use their existing print cartridges, the third-party manufacturers will then have to begin the process of making those cartridges but of course this will take a little time. The older the printer the more chance there is that a good quality compatible will be available for it. Printer manufacturers are continually trying to develop ways and means of preventing end users switching to compatibles but the technology used by third-party manufacturers should ensure that the compatible ink cartridge will thankfully be around for some time to come.
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- Published in Ink Cartridges
How to Choose the Right Photo Paper for your Printer
Choosing the right photo paper for your printer can make all the difference when printing, displaying and typing to preserve the life of your photos. Not all photographic paper is the same and it’s a combination of good quality ink cartridges and photo paper that give the best results. The ideal paper for your photo printing will depend on the printer you are using but you will not use the standard photo paper for images.
Photos printed on plain paper tend to look lifeless and the colours are usually very subdued, details in the highlights and shadows disappear. Plain paper will also become saturated with wet ink and this will cause it to crinkle. Plain paper is best for every day use or proofing prior to printing your finished article. A photo printer is ideal and this can use up to six individual ink cartridges black, yellow, cyan, magenta, light cyan and light magenta. An individual ink cartridge system is perfect for replacing the colours as they run out rather than replacing an expensive colour or black ink cartridge.
A middle of the road paper is available for printing documents that mix text and photos. This paper is in between the plain paper and photo paper in term so quality and will give excellent result for in-house brochures or menus and responds well to both ink cartridge and laser toner printers.
A paper specially formulated for photo printing is what is required to obtain the optimum results in photo printing. These are specifically designed to work with both inkjet and laser printers and are glossy and less porous than the plain papers. Photo paper looks and feels different to plain paper and also acts differently when it comes into contact with an inkjet cartridge. Photo paper doesnât become saturated with ink, the colours are lot more vibrant and the photo displays much more details than a standard plain paper.
The photo will also print excellent quality enlargements â the type that look as though they have come from a professional photo lab. These coated glossy paper are coated to help the ink permeate the paper properly or the laser toner to bond to the surface and prevent fading over time and discoloration. Drying time is greatly reduced and the paper is also protected from smudging and fingerprints. Canon and Epson offer a great selection of photo printers that will accept replacement ink cartridges that will greatly reduce the cost of producing quality photo prints.
- Published in Ink Cartridges
Where can I find good quality Compatible Ink Cartridges for my Epson Expression XP Printer?
The Epson Expression range of printers is proving very popular with customers and is very affordable at a cost of around Euro 80 for the all-in-one printer. The down side we are hearing is the price of the Epson XP ink cartridges. Most people would not check out the price of the ink before buying the printer and fall into the trap of buying the cheapest printer only to be caught out when they come to replace the cartridges. The Epson Expression range of printers uses the T1811XL cartridges, the codes for each colours as follows: Black T1811XL, Cyan T1812XL, Magenta T1813XL, Yellow T1814XL.
These printers will work comfortably with the compatible version of the printers and for this reason alone this range of printers becomes exceptionally good value. These cartridges are easily obtained online from the various ink suppliers in Ireland and are perfect for the home or office user.
Some people will ask whatâs the difference between compatible and refilled or remanufactured ink, The simple answer is that although the technology of every printer is very complex, Epson, Canon and Brother manufacture a printer with a built-in print head, this means that when you are replacing the ink cartridge you are in fact changing the ink tank. More often than not, printers nowadays use an individual ink tank for the each colour ink (this can be up to 10 different ink cartridges in some printers) this means that when one of the colours run out you simply replace the empty ink cartridge. This is the system thatâs employed in the Epson Expression printers. Lexmark, HP and Dell (itâs a little known fact that printers are manufactured by Lexmark for Dell), use an ink cartridge that has the print head integrated into the cartridge.
Each time you change an ink cartridge you are in fact installing a new print head into the printer! These cartridges are usually a lot more expensive due to the complex technology thatâs in the make up of the cartridge. These ink cartridges are therefore worth re-cycling because the print heads can be used several times without loss of quality. Overall, the best value ink cartridges are the ink tank replacement type that the Epson Expression printer use as they are both inexpensive and reliable as compatible cartridges.
- Published in Epson, Ink Cartridges
How can I find a printer that gives me the best value for money?
It’s impossible to tell just by looking at the cost of a set of ink cartridges, or by looking at the price of a printer that’s on special offer, whether you are going to get good value for money when it comes to the number of pages you print.
The value for money is really calculated by the number of prints you are able to produce from each full set of ink cartridges. Some of the cheaper cartridges may only produce a few prints, and work out expensive in the long run.
A good way to calculate the value of the printer before buying is to calculate the cost of the printer ink and the number of pages you are able to print from a set of cartridges. This should help you to find the best value printer to buy. The cost of ink cartridges in Ireland generally is reducing for the home and business user but only if you make the switch to compatibles.
Typically, an inkjet printer whose printing costs are calculated to be more than 55% more than the average cannot be the best value buy irrespective of how well they print. So if you do your homework on the running costs of the ink cartridges the printer uses you can be sure that youâre getting a good printer that wonât end up costing you 2 fortunes in ink.
Another reason a printer can sometimes seem expensive to run is because some ink will be lost when cleaning blockages. If a long amount of time is left in between printing the printer may automatically clean its print heads the next time you have a print run. The cleaning procedure itself will use ink â sometimes a large of ink can be used up if an ink cartridge is refusing to print properly. Printer manufacturers claim that automatic print-head cleaning procedures are necessary to ensure you get the very best prints every time, but independent tests have discovered that when it comes to print-head cleaning, some printers go through more ink cartridges than others.
The printer running costs should include the cost of the ink used for head cleaning. Independent test have shown that the most wasteful printers can use up to 500% more printer ink when leaving time between print jobs, and therefore having to run the head cleaning procedure. This is compared with printing an equal number of pages at one time. The former will dramatically increasing printing costs.
- Published in Ink Cartridges
What is the difference between compatible and original inks?
As more and more people are looking to make the switch to using compatible ink and toner, here is some useful and helpful information to help make that decision.
When our attention starts to focus on at the cost of ink cartridges the first thing that strikes us is the difference in price between original and compatible ink cartridges and why is the difference so big in some cases. Another way of asking the question would be âare compatible ink cartridges as good as the originals?â The original brand ink cartridge is manufactured by the brand that makes the printer so every cartridge they produce should be of the highest quality and suited to that particular printer. The compatible cartridges are in effect clones of the originals; ink cartridges that are manufactured not by the original brand supplier but by a third party. These 3rd party manufacturers are careful not too infringe any copyright or patent of the original but at the same time make they compatible and usable with your printer.
For the home user and general office user the compatible ink cartridges are more than adequate to suit your needs. The only time you are likely to notice a difference in the quality may be in the printing of photo print outs where the colours are crucial but for most of the time this isnât necessary. Within this same framework some colours may tend to fade after a period of time again only noticeable on colour photos that you may be printing out for resale. For general every day use, the compatible ink cartridge should work fine and give great savings for the heavy user.
Another version of the âcompatible ink cartridgeâ is the remanufactured ink cartridges. Not everyone understands the difference between these and their compatible cousins. The remanufactured ink actually contains the print head which means that every time your replace the cartridge you are replacing the print head. Brands such as HP, Lexmark and Dell all produce ink cartridges that use this system and these cartridges carry a lot of technology within them and this makes for good recycling value as the print heads will last way beyond the life of the ink in the cartridge when you first buy it. These cartridges are also refillable in a local refill shop and should work without too many issues. On some occasions though, after the cartridge has been refilled, the printer will know that it has been used before and try to reject the cartridge.
The savings to be had by using the compatible and remanufactured ink are too great to ignore and everyone should try it at least once to see if their printer can run for a fraction of the original cost.
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- Published in Ink Cartridges
Do not bottle your recycling this Christmas!
Recycling is an excellent way of saving energy and conserving the environment. UK households produced 30.5 million tonnes of waste in 2003/04, which means17% was collected for recycling (source: defra.gov.uk). This figure is still quite low compared to some of our neighbouring EU countries, some recycling over 50% of their waste. There is still a great deal of waste which could be recycled that ends up in landfill sites which is harmful to the environment. DID YOU KNOW up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled and 1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours. After Christmas, set recycling as one of your New Year resolutions!
With the growing concern for the environment over recent years and the ever increasing trend of âgoing greenâ, recycling has been brought to the forefront of our minds with questions of how we, as individuals, can do âour bitâ to help the cause and the small amount of help that you can give will go a long way but we need moral support and constant praise for the help that we are providing. It often seems that unless we raise millions of pounds or recycle half of Hackney, nobody bats an eyelid. Well, all this is starting to change as we see the face of small efforts being nationally recognised. Letâs Recycle has introduced a new category in their national âAwards for Excellenceâ to recognise community achievements such as these across the nation â âThe Best Community Recycling Initiativeâ. There are many other ways you can do your bit for the environment. Cycle to work- with the summer coming up and the weather will be getting better, why not cycle to work instead of taking the car? You will save money, reduce air pollution and keep your heart healthy by exercising! Go Solar- solar power (also known as solar energy). This technology will obtain usable energy from the light of the sun. This is a great investment and you will notice the difference in your monthly bills in the long run.
Switch to compatible ink cartridges. Compatible ink cartridges are being used more and more now as they are getting more known. They are nearly half the price of the originals and work just as well, sometimes even better. If you work in a busy office you could save a good amount of money or even if it is just for home use. Help us save the environment and switch to compatible ink cartridges!
Here at PrinterInkCartridges.ie we have a wide range of compatible ink cartridges and toners with brands such as Epson, Lexmark, Canon, Brother, HP and many more. We have great offers on multi-pack deals with an exceptional service with super-fast delivery. Also check out our other blogs which are full of useful tips and information. Check out our products today and Go Green!
- Published in Christmas, Ink Cartridges, New Year Resolution
A New Years Resolution Saving You Money
Can’t think of a New Year’s resolution for 2014? Why not begin by saving money and make the switch to compatible ink cartridges for your printer. If you’re a regular use of your printer can you calculate how much you have spent on ink and toner in 2013? For the busy home user using original brand ink cartridges this cost could run into hundreds of Euros, especially if you have students who need to print out their projects, in what seems like, every other week.
For example, if you were to buy Epson genuine brand T1285 ink cartridges at their best price online you could expect to pay somewhere around âŹ40 plus postage and packing. If you source the compatible version of this ink you should expect to pay about âŹ10! As well as this, you are likely to receive a FREE cartridge AND if youâre really lucky, a FREE gift! These savings are too big for you ignore and as the economy picks up and we all get busier then the need to print more will increase. This can equate to a sizeable saving if you were to purchase 10 sets in a year (not unreasonable for a busy family or a small office), âŹ400 for 10 sets of original brand and âŹ100 for compatible cartridges. If you take the same equation to a busy office using inkjet cartridges where perhaps their early ink bill is around âŹ1000 the saving made switching to compatible are certainly significant.
Ink and toner budgets in the office of any size of business are something that should be addressed regularly in an effort to make savings. Laser toner is most popular for those busy offices that produce large quantities of printed matter. This can be a strain on the finances but the solution again is there if you make the switch to compatible ink and toner. There are some online suppliers that will offer FREE toner ink to those who buy full sets of compatible or remanufactured laser toner ink.
Perhaps you feel your original brand printer ink is too expensive and the savings on the compatible version arenât really that significant (this can be the case, especially of you are using a HP Printer). You may be deciding to change your printer completely as you have had it for a while and it gives you problems from time to time anyway. A useful tip when looking for a replacement printer is to contact your trusted ink supplier and ask them to recommend what new printer would work best with compatible ink cartridges. They should be able to advise you which printers respond best to using compatibles and those to avoid as they maybe have issues accepting the compatible ink cartridges.
This is one New Yearâs resolution thatâs easy to keep and will surely save you money in 2014.
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- Published in Ink Cartridges, New Year Resolution
The Difference between a Compatible and Original Ink Cartridge
Some people are unsure as to what the differences are between compatible (sometimes known as third party) and (OEM) original brand ink cartridges.
- Cost
The difference in cost is the first issue with compatible ink cartridges when they are compared to original brand. In some cases the cost of a compatible cartridge can be as much as 70% less than that of an original brand. The differences in price between original brand and compatible laser toner can still be as much as 50% but is typically around 30%. - Are compatibles as good as original cartridges?
The print output you get from using compatible ink cartridges in terms of volume should be at least that of the original brand. Many compatible cartridges are filled to capacity unlike their original counterparts and will out-perform in terms of which lasts longer. The price difference then becomes the main concern if you are able to get the same or more printing form a compatible inkjet cartridge. A good way to decide if the quality is satisfactory is to carry out an experiment using photo gloss paper. If you have original brand cartridges in your printer print a selection of images onto the photo paper over a period of time and display them in your office or somewhere you can see them regularly. When that ink has run out, choose a set of compatible ink cartridges and run a series of the same photos on the same paper and pin them up alongside those The difference between a printed using the original brand cartridges. The results should tell you whether the difference is enough to make want to make the switch to compatibles. Of course for everyday printing that doesnât involve the printing onto photo paper itâs very likely that the compatibles will be sufficient to do the job. - What is the difference between compatibles and refilled/remanufactured ink cartridges?
Although the technology behind the different types of printers that use ink cartridges is extremely complex there is a simple reason why some printers use compatible and some use refilled ink cartridges. Canon, Brother and Epson all manufacture printers with a built in print head. Therefore, when you replace the ink cartridge you are in effect replacing the ink tank. When one colour runs out you simply replace the empty colour cartridge. HP, Lexmark and Dell manufacture printers that have the print head integrated into the ink cartridge. In this case, every time you replace a cartridge you replace the print head too. These cartridges are more expensive as a rule, as they have more technology built in. They are also more likely to be refilled, as the print head is good for more use without any loss of quality.
Compatible or refilled/remanufactured ink cartridges will always give you the best value and make your printing more economical. Perform a test today and see if you can make the switch and save.
- Published in Ink Cartridges
How to Print your 2014 Calendar using Free Ink Cartridges in Galway
2014 is just around the corner and we would all like to give all our friends and family a personalised calendar as a gift this New Year. Well, it doesn't have to be expensive to print your own calendar despite what you might think. The cost is usually split between the paper and the ink cartridges. The ink is probably the biggest outlay but if you shop clever for your ink cartridges in Galway then you might actually be able to print the calendar for free!
Putting the calendar together means you need 113 images in total. Thatâs one for every month and one for the cover â if you choose to have one. The images could be family photos or possibly some local scenic shots of Galway, if they are your own then you have no copyright issues with the printing of them. If you download any images from the internet be careful that you donât infringe any copyright issues by using them. In total you will need 13 sheets of A4 paper if you decide to print one image and one calendar month on each page. The photos will use the biggest amount of ink during your printing and if you can get your ink for free then this wonât put you off.
The calendar months are available online for 2014 and you can download them either in Microsoft Word format or as a PDF file. The Word file would probably be the best choice, as it will enable you to edit the file as you go along. For example, you might like to insert a family memberâs birthday as a reminder for loved ones.
You can source cheap ink cartridges in Galway locally or you can go online and find some of the good deals that will offer you free ink cartridges when you buy a full set of inks. Printer ink in Galway is readily available in many outlets but you may find that you have to go online to discover the best prices and free ink.
The average price of a Galway ink cartridge is probably no different to that in Dublin but sensible online shopping could mean that you get your ink for the calendar for absolutely nothing. So this Christmas, make a point of seeking out your free ink cartridges in Galway and deliver your personalised calendars to all your friends and family.
- Published in Ink Cartridges, Ink Cartridges in Galway