Are you allowed to use a compatible cartridge in your printer?

A common question is if you are allowed to use a compatible / remanufactured cartridges without voiding the printer warranty.

The answer to this question is Yes. You are allowed to do this which is also very clearly stated in the Magnusson-Moss Warranty act issued by the Federal Trade Commission. The printer makers cannot force you into only buying their cartridges, it’s up to you as a consumer to make the choice on what you want to buy.

The use of compatible cartridges WILL NOT VOID your printer warranty. It is illegal for the manufacturer to prevent you from using inkjet/ toner cartridge from other sources than the original manufacturer. You are the consumer, and you have a choice.

In the United States this is stipulated in the "MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT" passed by the US Congress.

Green Printing

You can print green and keep the "green" attitude while accomplishing your printing needs. In addition to using sustainable printing materials, as well as keeping the green attitude alive while commercial printing, it takes a lot of effort on your part and your printer's as well to have an eco-friendly printing process. But it is also worth it when you see that it is not only more affordable sometimes, but you also add to the sustainability of our planet for the sake of our children.

Being green is also one way to market effectively to your target clients. You can make them interested in your business when they see that you are involved in helping the environment become more sustainable. By promoting the "green revolution" in your printing practices, many of your target clients will most certainly respect you for it and even be encouraged to help you cause by buying your eco-friendly products.

So here are simple and easy ways to help you print green.

1. Go for recycled paper.
2. Look for papers made from sustainably harvested fiber.
3. Choose a printer that is also eco-friendly.
4. Use vegetable inks.
   Check if your printer can apply inks that are soy based. By using vegetable inks in your print materials, you avoid damaging the environment with petroleum-based inks that are often traditionally used in most standard printing projects.

The future of printing

To print out a document, you rely on your local operating system, which must have a driver installed for the printer you intend to use. Printing gets more complicated when you want to print something from a mobile device. This is why Google is working on Google Cloud Print, a service that enables any application (web, desktop, or mobile) on any device to print to any printer.

Google wants users to be able to print to legacy printers via Google Cloud Print. This is accomplished through the use of a proxy, a small piece of software that sits on a PC where the printer is installed. The proxy takes care of registering the printer with Google Cloud Print and awaiting print jobs from the service. When a job arrives, it submits the print job to the printer using the PC operating system’s native print stack and sends job status back to the printer.

If print jobs are handled in the cloud you won’t need drivers, and most of the problems users have with printing from devices like smart-phones and tablets will be solved.

Buying compatible toner and ink

Expect big savings if you buy a compatible cartridge instead of the printer makers expensive original cartridges. There are compatible ink cartridges and toner cartridges that not only meet, but that actually exceed the specifications of the equipment manufacturers. These cartridges are brand new and provide you with toner or ink that will produce the high-quality prints you've come to expect - without compromising the parts or lessening the lifespan of your printer.

You have to find a reputable supplier of compatible toner and ink cartridges. The Internet is the best place to start. When you do, you'll feel more comfortable with taking the plunge and buying something other than the pricey cartridges available at your local office supply store. You'll be surprised that you can save a ton of money - as much as 85 percent!

List of reputable suppliers of compatible toner and ink cartridges

www.a0supplies.com
www.shopintoday.com
www.compatibletoners.nl
www.qtoner.us
www.inkt.nl

Who Needs Large-Format Printers?

Most of us are not that familiar with large-format printers. That is because we do not typically find large-format printers in homes. They are specialized printers used for special purposes, such as in engineering, in art and photography, in advertising, in manufacturing and in other fields.

So who needs large-format printers? Anyone who requires really large prints would find these printers necessary, but here is a short list of them.

1. Advertising agencies.
   Many advertising agencies need large-format printers to create presentations for their clients. They would use it to create samples for advertising campaigns that they can show their clients.
2. Art and photography studios.
   Today, art has made a marriage of convenience with technology. Works of art are now being created using computers. Large-scale art made with computers or at least scanned would naturally need big printers.
3. Museums.
   The scholars working at the museums cannot definitely use an original piece to work with in whatever research or study they are doing. So instead, they recreate these works of art with large-format printers.
4. Schools.
   New technologies are used in teaching kids these days and it is now necessary to create stunning teaching aids with the help of big printers.
5. Real estate firms.
   Real estate firms need to keep the properties they are selling up for display wherever they station themselves. These displays attract customers, sometimes enough for them to snap on a property.
6. The military.
   The military has done away with paper maps and instead print them on fabric using large-format printers. These textile maps are more durable, easier to work with, and do not get easily torn or damaged by creases.
   
7. Law firms.
   Even law firms need large-format printers. Pictures paint a thousand words and lawyers may need big and pretty pictures when they try to convince a jury with graphic evidence to win a case.

There are many reasons why different companies need large-format printers. They are truly special printers for a special purpose, which is why specialized companies need them. But who knows; with the growing versatility of printers these days, it is not impossible to find a large-format printer in the home in the future.