Laser Printer Articles

The laser printer’s cartridges are more expensive then the cost of inkjet printer’s toner. However they do last longer especially if you remember to set the printer in black and white printing mode when printing black and white and only using the color mode when it is really needed. Another way to make an expensive color laser toner cartridge last longer is to keep the printer in low quality mode unless you are printing out the final document.

There are very few disadvantages to owning a laser printer in general but one of them is definitely the cost. The money that you could spend on a very high-end inkjet printer will only buy you a very low-end color laser printer with limited capacities. Color laser printers with multi-functions such as a copier and a fax all in one are even more expensive. However a middle of the line black and white laser printer is comparable to the price of a top of the line color inkjet printer.

Another disadvantage is the cost of the cartridges inside a laser printer. Sometimes the cartridges cost almost as much as the printer did which is why many people throw the entire printer out and buy a new one after the cartridge expires in year or two.

If you live in a hot or humid climate a laser printer may not be the ideal solution for you. This is because running these machines can make a room very hot. The fuser inside them, which is the device that melts the plastic granules that constitute the powder that makes up the toner onto the paper, heats up to as high as 200 degrees Celsius.

Another limitation of a laser printer is that they only really print on certain kinds of paper. If you want to print out photographs then a laser printer is not for you as they are not yet capable of printing high-resolution images. Also you cannot put photographic paper through a laser printer. For the best quality images you need to buy a bubble jet ink printer that can transfer an image onto photographic paper. The color quality that you get with a bubble jet ink printer is just as good if not better than the color quality that you can obtain with a laser printer. A high-end color printer that produces quality color images can cost as much as $3,500 to $10,000 whereas you can get a good quality ink jet printer for about $200.

Another disadvantage of laser printers is that many of them are limited by the amount of memory that they are sold with. This can sometimes limit the number of fonts that you can use. To expand the memory of your color laser printer you usually have to buy a small RAM board. This is the only reliable way to install memory so that the color laser printer can utilize a number of fonts.

The more expensive a laser printer is the faster it is. The affordable models only print out about four pages a minute. Top end models print out about twelve pages a minute but they are not really affordable for the individual.

Laser printers, especially the color laser printers, can also be heavy and take up a lot of desk space or room in the office. At the time of writing there was also no such thing as a portable laser printer. The reason that a portable laser printer has yet to be invented is because a battery does not yet exist that is small enough to provide laser printer functions with enough power so that it can be taken on the road.

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Steve Buchanan writes article for http://www.cheap-directory-submission.com/, http://www.coffeemakersguide.com/ and http://www.hondageneratorstore.com/

The “MICR laser printer” is becoming very popular. Businesses are discovering that they can save a substantial amount of money by printing their own checks on plain paper. However, to successfully do this, a business should have an MICR capable laser printer, an MICR toner cartridge, security paper and MICR check printing software.

HP laser printers are by far the most popular. In fact, most of the current HP models are capable of MICR check printing. MICR toner cartridges are available from both HP. Many third party MICR toner suppliers manufacture compatible MICR toner cartridges at substantial savings. It would take many pages to review the possible MICR printers offered by HP.

In addition to HP, Troy and Xerox also produce certified MICR laser printers. The Troy MICR laser printers are quite popular. Troy produces several different series of laser printers that are ideal for small workgroup settings. Troy printers provide high security check printing hardware and software. The Troy software makes digital signatures and logos a cinch to print on your personalized checks. Most of the Troy laser printers use both Troy and HP MICR toner cartridges

For over 20 years, Acom Solutions has provided MICR laser printers to business organizations for printing MICR laser checks. These laser printers use blank security check paper, which provides a huge cost savings and is a real deterrent of check fraud. Acom has enhanced several Xerox laser printers to provide MICR check printing at speeds of 26-45 pages per minute. Acom has been selected as the Xerox vendor of choice for certified MICR laser printers.

The following chart gives you a comparison of some of the most popular Troy and Acom MICR laser printers.

A Comparison of Troy and Acom MICR Laser Printers

MICR Laser…… PPM…. Pgs/Mo.. Input Capacity… First Page Out…. Toner Yield*

PHASER 4500…… 36…. 150,000… 700 sheets….. < 8 seconds…. 18K

DOCUPRINT N4525.. 45…. 250,000… 1050 sheets….. 4 seconds (ready)…. 30K

Troy MICR 1320… 22…. 10,000… 250 sheets….. < 10 seconds…. 6K

Troy MICR 2420… 30…. 75,000… 250 sheets….. < 10 seconds…. 6K

Troy MICR 4250… 45…. 200,000… 500 sheets….. < 8 seconds…. 12K

Troy MICR 4350… 55…. 250,000… 500 sheets….. < 8 seconds…. 12K

Troy MICR 8150… 32…. 150,000… 1,100 sheets….. < 14 seconds…. 20K

Troy MICR 9050… 50…. 300,000… (2) 500 sheets < 8 seconds…. 35K

* Yields based upon thousand pages per 5% toner coverage on letter size paper

The Phaser 4500 and DocuPrint N4525 laser printers are available from Acom Solutions.

The Troy MICR Laser printers are available from Troy group.

If you want to save as much as 75% on the cost of printing checks, check out an MICR laser printer today.

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Larry Andrew is an educational consultant, author and publisher of http://www.1st-in-micr-toner.com. Learn how to purchase MICR toner cartridges at huge savings.

The choice between the purchases of many different types of printers can be a challenging one. As sophisticated technology continues to change the landscape of the office environment, it becomes more and more difficult to determine the best course of action when choosing an appropriate printer. The laser printer, one of the more popular types of printers, has a variety of benefits that sets it apart from its counterparts.

As its name suggests, a laser printer employs the work of a laser beam to complete the printing process; the laser – like a camera of sorts – captures the image to be printed. The information is then printed by the toner cartridge which is standard to the laser printer. While other printers utilize liquid ink in their toner cartridges, a laser printer works with a powder ink that makes for a pristine and sophisticated result. The laser printer, free from ink and, therefore, free from smearing, produces a high resolution, and much more professional looking product than many other printers.

Office environments often turn to the laser printer for exactly this reason and are confident they can trust the laser printer to give them consistent professional results. And when, as is often the case in offices, multitudes of documents are printed at one time, the laser printer more than holds up to this increased need, leaving you free to concentrate on other things.

For a more creative work environment that relies on the printing of graphics and color photos, the laser printer continues to maintain its popularity. As office needs change, the laser printer keeps pace, elevating its technology almost yearly to match the demand for high resolution, photo quality copies.

Because of its price, the laser printer is often relegated to the office, rather than chosen for home use. But either way you use a laser printer, you will undoubtedly find its quality and reliability to be unmatched.

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For easy to understand, in depth information about laser printers visit our ezGuide 2 Printers.

Cleaning a laser printer, fax, or copier of laser toner can be easy, provided you know what you’re doing and use the right tools. This article will share with you some simple tips to help you clean your laser printers of laser toner like a pro.

A word to the wise: Before I begin, I’d like to stress that this article is intended only to assist you with basic cleaning of the laser toner from your laser printer. If you’re unsure of your ability to perform any sort of printer maintenance, or if performing such maintenance will void the printer’s warranty, you should contact a qualified service professional.

Some safety issues: Though laser printers come in various shapes and sizes, they all use laser toner (that messy black powder). While cleaning your laser printer, the last thing you want is to have laser toner in your lungs or on your skin. The tips provided in this article should help reduce the chance of you being bathed in laser toner while cleaning your printer.

Laser toner particles are so fine that they can take more than fifteen minutes to settle if they become airborne, make that hours if you have fans or air-conditioners circulating them through an office. To avoid inhaling laser toner particles, try to keep the air in the cleaning area stable and leave the printer area for several minutes after cleaning. When you return, move slowly, open all windows, and begin vacuuming any laser toner from the floor, tabletops, and so forth.

Another dangerous area common to all laser printers is the fuser-roller compartment. The fuser roller gets extremely hot during the printing process and is usually covered for safety. Burns can occur, however, if you accidentally uncover and touch the roller. I recommend that you leave your printer off for at least one hour before cleaning it of laser toner.

As with all electrical equipment, make sure that the power cable is unplugged before you begin any work.

Here are the basic tools you need to clean the laser toner from the laser printer:

-Vacuum
-Compressed can of air
-Wash cloth
-Mask
-Cotton Swabs
-Isopropyl Alcohol (99 percent pure)
-Paint Brush (soft bristle, about a half-inch wide)
-Latex gloves (optional)

Compressed air:
You can buy this in any department store or office supply store. Ranges in price from $3.00 to $10.00 per 10 oz. bottle. Use adequate ventilation please.

Mask:
You’ll want to prevent laser toner particles from entering your throat and lungs. While laser toner inhalation has not been proven to cause serious health problems, respiratory tract irritation can occur with exposure to large amounts of laser toner dust. Laser toner can also contain potentially hazardous compounds, such as styrene, ethyl benzene, and xylene isomers. Use a mask that filters both odors and fine particles, such as the ones used for painting and sanding. You can usually find these at local hardware stores.

Cotton swabs:
You can use the regular cotton swabs found in your local drugstore or those made especially for cleaning printers. The printer swabs come with six-inch-long sticks.

Isopropyl alcohol:
Do not use regular rubbing alcohol. Either use chemicals that are specifically designed to clean the heads of VCRs, cassette tapes, tape drives, and the like or use 99 percent pure isopropyl alcohol, which evaporates without leaving any residue.

Paint brush (soft bristle, about a half-inch wide):
This is used to brush out toner from tight crevices. Since bristles may fall out during the cleaning process, pull out any loose ones before you use the brush. I don’t recommend using toothbrushes.

Latex gloves (optional):
These must fit tightly on your hands since you want to maintain skin sensitivity. Drugstores usually sell them in boxes of 100. This is to keep your hands clean but if you don’t have them you can just wash up with soap and water afterwards.

Okay, let’s begin cleaning that laser printer of the laser toner. Now that you have the tools, it’s time to unplug the laser printer, let it sit for one hour, and then follow the steps below:

1. Put on your mask and latex gloves if you have them.

2. Open the printer and gently remove the laser toner cartridge or laser toner bottle.

3. Use your wash cloth and wipe the laser toner cartridge. Place the laser toner cartridge aside.

4. Use your vacuum to remove spilled laser toner from within the printer’s internal compartment. Try to prevent the vacuum’s nozzle from actually touching any of the printer’s internal surfaces.

5. Use your paintbrush to remove laser toner from any crevices. Use gentle motions and vacuum as necessary.

6. Many laser printers use very fine wires (called ‘corona wires’) that are often exposed. If your printer has such wires, take care to avoid vacuuming or brushing them. Breaking a corona wire can be a costly mistake. Dip a cotton swab into isopropyl alcohol and gently run it along the length of the wire. Also be sure to clean the underside of the wires. Never apply pressure.

7.Reinsert the laser toner cartridge, close the printer, reconnect the power cord, and you are done.

Avoid using the wash cloth inside the printer. Though you can use the wash cloth to clean the inside, I do not recommend it. There are many sharp points that can tear the cloth’s fiber and leave loose strands inside the printer.

OEM vs. Remanufactured Laser Toner Cartridges Although many people buy OEM Name Brand laser toner cartridges, little do they know, they really are remanufactured! Can you believe it? Seriously folks, why spend many more dollars on OEM’s when you can get THE SAME quality laser toner cartridges for half or less than half the price? When you buy an OEM laser toner cartridge, just look at the box! It says “Made of new and recycled materials”. The OEM companies want you to send your laser toner cartridge back to them , so they can remanufacture it , and sell it back to you as new! Buying remanufactured laser toner cartridges saves the environment. Millions of laser toner cartridges get dumped in landfills every year. So, please, save the environment,and save your money!

Happy Cleaning!

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Rafael Nunez is responsible for all product quality at Alchemy Toners, Inc. Find out how to get money for your empty laser toner cartridges while saving money and the environment by visiting: http://www.alchemytoners.com