The Era of Technology

Breaking the myth that after-market cartridges will destroy your printer or void your new printer warranty is what I'd like to address in this article. I have serviced thousands of businesses in person over the past nearly 20 years in the after-market print supplies industry. From companies with 1-2 employees to Fortune 100 Corporations. Some of my clients use 1 or less cartridges in an entire year, others purchase tens of thousands of dollars worth on a regular monthly basis. And all using after-market inks and toners. Before we go any farther I'd like to introduce the terminology used in the industry so that we are all on the same page. So many people I see on a daily basis react violently when I first begin talking about my product(s) and eventually, as they become educated, leave the notion that "All 'refilled' cartridges are garbage and all you want to do is ruin my printer." Like cars, and hospitals, and lawyers, and insurance sales people... NOT ALL CARTRIDGES ARE CREATED EQUAL. 1. OEM Cartridge - This is a product that is manufactured by the company that built the printer, also known as Original Equipment Manufacturer, but it is not necessarily the "best" and it most certainly is not warranted as long as a lot of other products. 2. Refilled - This refers to a cartridge (ink or toner) that was simply refilled - nothing more, nothing less. You may have seen kits you can purchase to refill your own cartridges, this is fine as long as you don't care about quality and/or potential damage to your printer. 3. Re-manufactured - This refers to a product that has gone through a reverse engineering process. In other words, it has been taken apart and certain components have been replaced along with the cartridge being refilled. 4. Generic - This refers to a product manufactured by a company that would prefer to not be known (hmmm, I wonder why that would be?). It is a knock off and may or may not be re-manufactured. Stay away from this product unless you can learn more about it. 5. Drill & Fill - Oh how I hate this junk. Someone just drills a hole in the cartridge housing (ink or toner) puts more ink or toner inside and puts a plug in it. Basically the same as your refill kit for home use, but some resellers actually buy and then resell drill & filled cartridges to unsuspecting customers. Most of the people I've run into who are frustrated about after-market cartridges ended up with this stuff because they were trying to save money, but HONESTLY didn't do ANY research and then they blindly label ALL after-market cartridges as junk and harmful to printers. Seriously folks, there are some "BUYERS" who are just as "defective" as this junk! 6. Compatible - This is a cartridge that may well be re-manufactured... the right way. A truly re-manufactured toner cartridge has been ENTIRELY disassembled, thoroughly cleaned, ALL the internal components replaced with brand new, refilled to the OEM specifications with a product equal to or better than the OEM for maximum image quality and page yield. For inks it's slightly different: the contact plates are thoroughly cleaned, micro-chips replaced, print head and interior electrostatically or chemically cleaned and then prepped for refill with the proper grade of ink to provide maximum image quality and page yield. 7. Genuine Compatible - This is a brand new cartridge made for use in a particular printer type. Here I would like to reference a brand I've been particularly impressed with, mediaSciences. This company manufactures their own Solid Ink for use in Xerox's Phaser printers, as well as building their own clear-case toner cartridges for use in Xerox's laser Phaser printers. 8. Commercial Grade - This is a product that goes beyond the typical re-manufactured or compatible products that are made on a local level. This product is built to such exacting standards in ISO-9001 factories so as to be even BETTER than the OEM product. Many times this product has a lower failure rate than the OEM and typically is warranted much longer. Now that we all know what we're talking about, in terms of product used in the various equipment, we can have a serious discussion about the new printer warranty that has so many people scared to buy anything but the brand that has the printer manufacturer's name on the cartridge itself. First, we must all realize that, naturally any printer manufacturer would write their new printer warranty to "LEAD" you to believe your warranty could be voided... after all, the printers are very inexpensive to buy - all the OEM hopes for future profits are in the consumables they hope you'll keep buying. Ink and toner is about 70% PROFIT! Second, we must understand that the new printer warranty does not emphatically state "YOU CANNOT USE ANYTHING BUT OUR BRAND OF SUPPLIES OR YOUR PRINTER WARRANTY WILL BE VOID" because that would be illegal! There's a little known law that all the OEM companies MUST abide by, the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, which basically states an OEM company cannot compel you to purchase their consumable or replacement goods with the threat of a voided warranty. Think of it like this; you buy a new car and it's time to change the oil, legally you may use Quaker State, Valvoline, PennZoil, Auto Value, Parts Plus, K-Mart, Walmart, or any other brand you want... it is YOUR CAR. The Magnuson Moss Warranty Act stops the car manufacturer from getting together with any one particular oil company in order to raise prices and force a sale, or voiding a warranty if you don't comply. The same law applies to your printer, and your toaster, and your microwave, and your DVD player, etc. That said, the buyer should be wise about the choices they make. The Magnuson Moss Warranty Act is there to protect your right to use the products you prefer and/or can afford. Now that we know your warranty CANNOT be voided, let's consider the other side of the coin. They can't void your warranty, BUT, they don't have to warrant any part of the printer damaged from you using the WRONG cartridge or a defective cartridge. This is where you should have a solid relationship with the supplier you're buying your ink or toner from. Buying cheap junk from Joe Schmoe from Cocomo off eBay just because it's cheap is asking for a problem, and quite frankly if you buy that way you deserve what you get. Still, it is extremely rare to have a cartridge actually damage or break a printer. More often than not what happens is the person using an alternative product in their machine doesn't know the first thing about their printer. So, when they call a technician to check into why it's not printing or giving some type of code all to often the technician will point to the cartridge, blame everything on it and tell the end-user it wouldn't have happened if they were using the products the technician sells. Don't even get me going on dishonest technicians - they make me sick, they're like slick used car salesmen putting sawdust in the transmission. What are some of the cartridge failures that one could experience? Streaks, smears, lines (colored or white), spots, blotches or dusting the entire page. These things happen to brand new, brand name OEM cartridges just as often as a well made after-market cartridge, but they won't damage your printer. If you notice these things, replace the cartridge with another one and contact your supplier, they should warrant it for at least 12 months or longer. Every cartridge you put in your printer should give you perfect prints, if it doesn't, replace the cartridge, and if it happens a lot - replace your supplier. What are some of the things your machine will do regardless of what cartridge you use? If you have one type of laser printer you will periodically need to replace your drum unit or assembly - that's not because of a defective cartridge, it's like replacing tires on your car... they're not meant to last forever. The other type of laser printer has the drum built into the cartridge - this should last longer than the toner so it's a non-issue. You will also need an occasional maintenance kit which should contain pick-up and feed rollers, possibly a transfer roller. The fuser is another thing that is not meant to last the lifetime of your printer and should at some point (after much use) be replaced - not replacing a fuser on an old and heavily used printer could cause serious damage and even start a fire. Scanners occasionally will need to be replaced - this is what puts the image on your drum so that it can be transferred to paper. NONE of these things come in contact with your toner cartridge, yet I've seen dishonest technicians blame the necessity for replacement on a toner cartridge. Most laser toner cartridges have a shutter which, if handled improperly, could come off inside your printer - simple fix... if you see something hanging off your cartridge DON'T INSTALL IT. Other than that, the cartridge only comes in contact with your paper, and the gears on either end of the cartridge connect to coinciding gears located inside the printer. In 20 years, and tens of thousands of cartridges, I've only had one printer damaged because a cartridge had a broken gear which caused it to jam the gears inside the printer and break what would be the equivalent of the printer's transmission. Solution? we repaired the printer at no cost to the customer. Regarding your inkjet printer - well, quite frankly, there's no drum, no fuser, no maintenance kits, there's only the cartridges, and some inkjet printers will also require printheads. Replacing a printhead is NOT a result of using a different branded ink. True, some inks are just plain garbage and they will plug a printhead, but a well made inkjet cartridge uses the same identical type of ink used in the brand new, brand name OEM cartridges and will not ruin a printhead. For those machines with changeable printheads consult the OEM website to see how many times you'll change your ink cartridge compared to your printhead. Inkjet print failures and simple fixes: (note: these are typical of ALL cartridges) cartridge won't print > maybe it's empty, if not empty the printhead may be dry, follow a good support site for cleaning cartridge prints wrong color > if it's a multi-color cartridge you probably used up one or more of the colors inside it cartridge prints white lines > something is plugging one or more of the jets, follow a good support site for cleaning cartridge prints thin colored streaks > ink can be sticky, there's probably something stuck on the cartridge printhead [pet hair, dust or fuzz, lint, eyelash, etc. acting like a "Paint Brush"] follow a good support site for cleaning If your supplier isn't knowledgeable about such things or doesn't offer a good online source for support, you should seriously consider a new supplier. So, OEM vs. After-Market, who wins? A true Commercial Grade, Unconditionally Guaranteed after-market ink or toner wins by a mile, maybe more like a hundred miles, and for many reasons: You save money You have a better warranted product You determine what to use based on your own personal preferences The savings you have will most likely pay for all your maintenance AND even replacement of your printer when you're ready for a new one You're "GREEN" - you're no longer filling the landfill with empty cartridges that can be re-used dozens of times And if you've done your homework right, you're probably also supporting American industries who build and sell these Commercial Grade products I'm proud to say that over the past nearly 20 years I've helped thousands of businesses (and individuals) save a combined MILLIONS of dollars on their printing supplies. So, whether you're printing at home or responsible for hundreds of printers at a large corporation, you can "buy right" and save you or your company a LOT of money if you're willing to put the effort forward to being an informed and educated Buyer. Written by: Dan Widdis Dan Widdis is the owner of TenPlusToner.com and TenPlusInks.com and been in the printing supplies industry since 1993 serving as Sales Associate, Sales Manager, Senior Buyer and Vice President of Sales & Marketing. TenPlusToners.com sells ONLY Commercial Grade, Unconditionally Guaranteed toner cartridges for use in laser printers, laser fax, laser MFC machines and some copiers. All toners have an unlimited warranty. TenPlusInks.com sells ONLY Commercial Grade, Unconditionally Guaranteed ink cartridges and impact ribbons for use in your inkjet printer, fax, copier, postage meter and plotter, and impact printers. All inks & ribbons have a 12 month warranty.

Are you tired of the same piano key white color of your Macbook Pro? Go crazy with all the additional designs you can add to your laptop. Get Macbook keyboard stickers, sleeves, palmguards, and many more. Owning a Macbook is no longer the luxury it used to be. With most people owning one these days, you may find it difficult to stand out among a sea of identical laptop users. Express yourself with keyboard stickers, sleeves, cases, palmguards, and other accessories. Find your inner individuality and allow it to translate on your gadget for all the world to see. The Macbook Pro's design is plain and simple, yet has an edgy feel to it. While it is already great on its own, it is normal to feel as if something is lacking with the design. When you look at the laptop, it may actually serve as a canvas for your creativity. With its single block color theme, it makes for the perfect space to fill with other hues. Here are some ways you can revamp your gadget. Stick 'Em and Press 'Em Other than being soft to touch, the spaces on each key allows for lesser typographical mistakes. Not only that, it gives each key a good frame. It is the perfect place to put stickers and introduce a bright new feel to your gadget. You can get Macbook keyboard stickers of varying designs and stick them yourself. What makes these keyboard stickers awesome is it is in your own preference how you want the result to look like. You can show your inner patriot and recreate your country's flag through the different colors available. Show your support for the LGBT with rainbow patterns, or relive your childhood days by putting cartoon character based stickers. It is all up to you how you want your gadget to look like. The Iconic Apple That glowing Apple logo behind your screen is the perfect template for your creative mind. Play with the image and introduce large stickers of famous characters holding onto the logo. It can be the classic tale of Snow White as she accepts the poisonous fruit from the wicked witch. Put the Ironman sticker over the design and have the Apple shape act as his glowing chest piece. There are just so many designs you can think of from a blank page with an apple in the middle. What's Under Your Palm? Using the touchpad can be frustrating for those who are still trying to figure things out. As your palm will rest on the right side of the pad for most of the time, it will always be in constant friction. Protect your palm and wrists from darkening with palmguards. While it is helping your hands stay cozy, that whole row of blank color is another perfect spot for various designs. Introduce nebula clouds, flags, floral or jagged patterns to your rather lifeless resting spot. Comfort and elegance goes hand in hand with palmguards installed on this panel.

OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT This is a 8051 microcontroller based project. We have developed a development board of our own using a purchased PCB and then integrating it with the required peripheral devices necessary for making this project. We make use of 6-d accelerometer for motion sensing and serial programmer for decoding the C program developed in Keil interface into the microcontroller. Just by the movement of our hand we can record the password for security purposes and then retrieve it whenever we require it. When we move our hands, a particular password is generated according to the position of the hand. Then this code is stored in the physical memory of the microcontroller. When the same user again enter the code, then it will be compared to the previously stored code and authenticate the respected user. This project will be of great help in the field of security in today's world of hackers and thieves. Features/components of this project Clock is generated using a crystal oscillator of 11.0592 mhz. Serial programmer using max- 232 and rx-232 IC's. 16 x 2 parallel alphanumeric LCD display is used to display the output. 12 volt relay is used to display the interrupts developed in the program. 100 kΩ potentiometer is used to increase or decrease the brightness of the small LCD used in the project. LED's and switches are used to ensure correct working of the circuit. 7805 and 7812 voltage regulators are also used to make the circuit voltage equal to 5 volt and 12 volts respectively. 1.5 G/2G/4G/6G 3 Axis Linear Accelerometer Module is used for motion sensing of the hand gestures. Keil 3 and Proteus 7 softwares are used for code development. The core of the project is the Philips 8051 microcontroller. Voltage supply is given by a 12v adaptor. ADC0808 is used for 8 channel analog to digital conversion. 2,3,4,8 pin connectors are used for completing the circuit Working of the Project The accelerometer is attached inside a glove which is worn by the user and act as the motion sensor. The feedback of the sensor is continuously fed to the microcontroller using the adc channel of the development board. The password is generated as a sequence of 6-9 numbers, each number generated from the motion sensor position and recorded at frequent intervals. All the possible state of the motion sensor and its equivalent number is initially stored in the memory. When the use makes his own air signature, then the numbers are fetched from the memory according to his hand gesture. These numbers makes up the personal password which is stored along with the time stamp and name of the user in the physical memory. By this process, a unique password is generated using the air signature concept for all the accessed users. Conclusion We have successfully implemented our project and satisfactorily generated a secured code using accelerometer and microcontroller along with other accessories. It recognizes ones action and then generate a unique code for a particular person which allows him/her to protect their confidential things from thieves and hackers. This project can be implemented on some open source hardware like Arduino and made available for the general public to be used in their day to day life.

Applying a website music player to some of your posts can be incredibly valuable for you. A website music player allows you to communicate with your users right from the moment they come into your page. You can introduce your personal touch, deliver any message or generate a special atmosphere via hearing as opposed to the viewing experience most people assume to find. The words, the melodies and the rhythm that you want to promote may supplement your written content, accessing the users' brains and hearts basically without being recognized. An audio plugin allows you to exhibit spectacular presentations, guided by menus and playlists that produce eye-catching appearance, which captures the people and turns the site even more fascinating to observe. One other helpful benefit of the audio plugin is the Search Engine Optimization value it provides. Search engines list the text connected to the audio player, including headline and description and a few of them even include distinct search sections for music and podcast, thanks to the high interest. Another factor that may give a boost to your search results is the audience responses in the shape of comments, conversations and return website visitors. There are a few companies that specialize in rich media products and services. Those businesses create designated software with which you can effortlessly create your very own widgets, like video galleries, podcast or a website music player. Those media platforms do most of the work automatically; they design the players' layout, make alterations, transcoding, manage hosting and delivery including all protection means and even documentation, assigning you with only a few uncomplicated tasks you need to do before you can savor the outcome of your audio plugin. First of all you must either come up with or locate the media files, you would like to display on your webpages. You receive several customization options you need to set up to match your preference and demands and most essentially, you must download an eligible audio plugin or extension that relates the method, which your web-site is built upon, such as HTML or diverse CMS including Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, Ning, TypePad and so on. Downloading an audio plugin is a fast and easy work. You only should comply with the descriptive guidelines, and you are fixed; no special abilities are involved. Downloading an audio plugin is a one-time job that should not take more than a few moments. The biggest surprise involved in this process is that the audio plugin is generally a free solution, and some media platforms even provide their remaining product and services, including the website music player, with no fee at all. Explore a number of media platforms to compare the services they provide, the prices and reliability, and start making your audio playlist. Install an audio plugin to create your own website music player. Doing so, you will engage your visitors with a stunning appearance, additional content, you will get SEO boost and bring a special personal touch. Cincopa media platform audio plugin is fast, simple and free!