Revised July 2015 Because of the different makes & models available, we will need to talk in...
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Transcript of Revised July 2015 Because of the different makes & models available, we will need to talk in...
Printers & PrintingRevised July 2015
FIRST THOUGHTS
Because of the different makes & models available, we will need to talk in generalities in some respects
Our emphasis remains on Inkjet printers as these are of most interest to members.
Laser printers have improved in price in recent years so we shall take a closer look this time around
WHERE TO START?
Just as when buying a computer you should think about what you want to print
A good idea to write down your needs and, at least, refine your criteria
The following are things to think about
INKJET OR LASER? Technology
INKJET: Deposits drops of ink from cartridges onto the printing material [put like this for a reason] in the required pattern
LASER: Creates the required pattern on the printing material in the form of an electrostatic charge. Powder [Toner] is picked up from a cartridge by the charge and is then heat fused onto the material
INKJET OR LASER? Basics
IF all other things are equal:▪ A Laser will produce sharper TEXT than an
Inkjet▪ An Inkjet will produce better PICTURES than a
Laser An Inkjet will – normally – have multiple
print quality modes; typically Draft, Normal & Best
A Laser usually has a single mode. This may be the equivalent of Inkjet “Normal’ or Inkjet “Best”
PRINTING QUALITY: Resolution Just like your computer screen, Printers can
have different resolution capabilities. This is usually expressed as Dots Per Inch [DPI] but sometimes as Pixels Per Inch [PPI].
Higher numbers are better – 1200 x 1200 is better than 600 x 600
May see different numbers for monochrome and colour; usually lower for colour - technology limits
Sometime just one number but stated as “Up To”. This normally means lower for colour.
PRINTING QUALITY: Other Print mode: By definition, different qualities
result Material [1]: Ink being applied “wet”, there is
a degree of absorption in “paper” materials.; in some types more than others. This produces less “crisp” edges to text. Toner is applied “dry” – the reason that Lasers print text better.
Material [2]: Need Correct type. Some are Inkjet only, some Laser only, some “multi-purpose”
Brightness: A “bright” paper looks better; especially for colour photographs
PRINTING QUALITY: Other [2]
PHOTOGRAPHY: Inkjets can use “Photo Paper” that has
the traditional look and feel of a glossy photograph
There are both “glossy paper” and “photo paper” [Staples] available for Lasers. Question as to quality with “glossy paper”
For serious photographic printing, Inkjet appears to be the best way
PRINTING QUALITY: Other [3] ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER
[OEM] OR REFILLED/THIRD-PARTY Most printer manufacturers sell their own
paper[s] and all sell their own ink or toner cartridges
These are designed to give best results when used together
The eye CAN see a difference, especially with colour photographs on Photo Paper. This may be critical to the keen photographer
Personal choice between quality and cost
PRINTING QUALITY: Other [4] When the printer is installed, a “colour profile”
setting is also installed – sometimes more than one
This is designed – in theory – to make the printed colours the same as the screen colours
In practice, this depends on paper & ink quality
May need to try different profiles and/or adjust the picture – usually for brightness.
Using profiles can be very complex & needs expert knowledge
CONNECTING OPTIONS:
WIRED: The printer is directly connected to the computer by a USB cable. It is basically dedicated to that computer. It would be unusual to find a printer without this connection.
WIRED [2]: The printer is connected to a ROUTER that has a USB connector – not all routers do! Sharing the printer with other computers is possible
CONNECTING OPTIONS: Cont.
WIRELESS: The printer is connected wirelessly to a computer with wireless capability. Sharing the printer with other computers is possible
NETWORKED: Some Printers are advertised as NETWORK READY. They can be installed as above but are designed to connect through a WIRELESS ROUTER
CONNECTING OPTIONS: Cont. NETWORKED [Cont.]: Any computer that
can access the Router can use the printer. The advantage is that “sharing” need not be
set up and the “main” computer need not be switched on – or even present!
It is unclear if a “network ready” printer needs to be installed on each computer. The Internet suggests yes, but the club’s printer installed itself on a second computer automatically. May be make/model dependent
INSTALLATION.
INSTALLING: Installing a printer is NOT one of the things where you can charge ahead and check the manual later if there are problems!
READ THE INSTRUCTIONS AND FOLLOW THEM EXACTLY – ESPECIALLY WHEN TO POWER ON AND CONNECT CABLES
May get an installation CD or may be on-line install – or your option as to which
TYPICAL FEATURE CHOICES [1]: COLOUR: Unlikely to find a monochrome
or basic colour Inkjet anymore. Monochrome Lasers are common.
NUMBER OF CARTRIDGES [INKJET]: All will have a Black cartridge. Colour may be a single tri-colour cartridge or individual colour cartridges. In the latter case, there will be a minimum of 3 and sometimes up to 10. The tri-colour cartridge can be wasteful as must be replaced when one colour runs out
TYPICAL FEATURE CHOICES [2]:SPEED: Two aspects: Pages Per Minute
[PPM] and time for first page. Both are usually different for Black and Colour. Numbers are relative; based on typical pages. Likely only important if larger volumes are wanted
DUPLEX [DOUBLE SIDED] PRINTING: This can save on paper costs. Most printers can do this manually but some can do it automatically; useful with higher volumes
TYPICAL FEATURE CHOICES [3]:
MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY: Usually described as 3 in 1 or 4 in 1: Print, Copy & Scan [3 in 1] Print, Copy, Scan & Fax [4 in 1]
Many people find a use for Copy and Scan is becoming more commonly used
Fax need a wired connection to a phone jack and is decreasing in usage generally
LESS COMMON FEATURESMULTIPLE PAPER TRAYS: Allows
automatic selection of different paper sizesLARGE FORMAT: prints on larger paper
sizes – up to 13” x 19” [varies by make]NON-PAPER PRINTING: Most commonly
for Transfers [uses paper feed] or CD/DVD’s [special feed]. Primarily Inkjet as Laser heat cycle would destroy material [and printer]. Some special transfers for Laser but $$$$$$. Laser can print transparencies [need heat]
BUDGET
BASIC RULE: Laser – “Higher” Purchase Cost, “Lower”
Operating Cost Inkjet – “Lower” Purchase Cost, “Higher”
Operating Cost The significance of Operating Cost
[Ink/Toner - assuming paper costs are basically the same] depends on volume of use. How does this work?
CARTRIDGE CAPACITY: NOTES Cartridges supplied with the Printer are
“Starter” – very reduced quantities so not relevant
OEM cartridges are not filled to capacity Refills will give higher numbers “Out of Ink” warnings are usually premature –
and may not happen with refilled cartridges anyway
LARGE CAPACITY CARTRIDGES: Some printers offer larger capacity cartridges. These are more cost effective. Check – especially if using refilling!
CARTRIDGE CAPACITY: EXAMPLES
The following are OEM List Prices and Yields are estimations. Prices [in order] $17, $23, $32, $34
CARTRIDGE CAPACITY: EXAMPLES
LASER Black – 1200 pages per cartridge - $60 Colour – 1000 pages per cartridge - $60 x 3
Set of Toner cartridges = 4200 pages - $240
INKJET WITH XL CARTRIDGES to print the same 4200 pages needs 3 x Black + 10 x Tri-Colour - $440
It is important to understand that these are comparisons – actual usage will depend on content printed
Different makes/cartridges will have different results; the above are Hewlett Packard
PURCHASE COST
There are nearly always deals on Printers
Deals are often on models due to be replaced BUT they may well have all the features you want
Prices vary wildly!!!!! The following are examples; they do
not represent all possibilities and are not necessarily “apples to apples”
BEST PRICES: On a given day
Mono Laser: $60 Mono Laser 4 in 1: $200 Colour Laser: $200 Colour Laser 4 in 1: $320 Colour Inkjet 3 in 1: $50 Colour Inkjet 4 in 1: $80SHOP AROUND. On-Line research
lets you see full specifications. In-store staff often lack knowledge of aspects like resolution
MATERIALS
There are many “packaged” materials available – plain & coloured paper, matt & glossy card, photo paper, pre-folded card, labels, DVD labels, transfers etc.
Different quantities of packaging often available
Correct type: Some are Inkjet only, some Laser only, some “multi-purpose”
Brightness: A “bright” paper looks better; especially for colour photographs
MATERIALS
Some materials can be used on both sides – most papers, card stock etc.
Other materials – photo paper, labels, transfers – can not & care is needed to feed correctly
MATERIALS: Size
The limiting factor is the maximum width that the printer can accept – mostly 8 ½”
Can, of course, be longer in the other dimension
Some programs [e.g. Word] can change the orientation – others [e.g. PowerPoint] can not
MATERIALS: Size
In most programs, size can be changed at printing time BUT better to do it within the work as may change appearance
Size is selected in different places in different programs – this is Word
In some cases size must be selected at print time
MATERIALS: Size
Some built in print functions like envelopes and labels also guide as to how and where the item is to be fed plus orientation and “which side up”
The “options” button will give a list of standard sizes and also permits a custom size
MATERIALS: Size
Label printing does NOT permit orientation change; always “portrait”.
Hence maximum width of printer applies
The “options” button will give a list of standard sizes and also permits a custom size
USING YOUR PRINTER
DEFAULT PRINTER: Windows always sets a default printer. This is usually the last physical printer installed. See the Meeting Notes on our web site re Control Panel on how to change Defaults & understand Virtual Printers
DEFAULT SETTINGS: All printers have a number of options [e.g. print quality] as default values
All default values are used automatically UNLESS you specify otherwise at print time
USING YOUR PRINTER: Note
When using some programs – especially Office – default settings are, to an extent, duplicated. That is, they can be set up in two places
GETTING READY TO PRINT
Make sure the printer is switched on Make sure you have enough “paper” When using materials that do not
occupy the full width of the printer: double check that the material is correctly positioned.
Failure to do this may spread ink/toner on the working parts of the printer. This can damage the printer and will certainly spoil printing for some number of copies!
GETTING READY TO PRINT
Click FILE>PRINT and you see something like this:
You see the default printer, the default settings & the places to change defaults
Wording may differ between makes and programs – e.g. Printer Properties or Preferences
PRINTER SELECTION
Note the drop down arrow
If the printer you want to use is not shown as the default, select [click] from the drop down list
PROPERTIES: Sample Laser set up
PROPERTIES: Sample Inkjet set up
PRINTER SETTINGS: Quality
Lasers normally only offer one print quality setting
Inkjets normally offer 3 print quality settings. Ink usage varies by as much as 60% across these settings - “draft” quality is enough in many cases - $$$$$$$
PRINTER SETTINGS: Materials
Correct material type selection [glossy or plain paper, card etc.] is critical to feeding properly. The feed mechanisms adjust according to the setting
Lasers are more sensitive to paper weight due to the heat process; especially in duplex printing. Paper weights are usually found on the packaging.
DUPLEX PRINTING
Duplex – two sided printing – is both a presentation option and a money saver
Some printers can handle this automatically.
Those that do not can usually be set for manual duplexing - print one side then manual re-feeding. Care as to paper orientation
Care re “flip side”. How do you want to turn the pages? Match with Portrait/Landscape
QUICK PRINT ICON
The “Quick Print” icon will always use the default settings and will always print one copy only
OTHER MONEY SAVERS
Print only what you need
Choose from: Specific page or
pages Highlighted
selection Options will vary
depending on which program you are using
DO I NEED TO UNINSTALL MY OLD PRINTER?
This is not essential. If the new one is set as the default then the old one is ignored
May want to just to keep things tidy May have an uninstall built in –
check the All Programs Menu - or may need to download from manufacturer
Often will not work properly from Control Panel>Programs & Features.
RE-INSTALLING
There may be a time when you have to re-install your printer
It is essential to uninstall first. It must be done as described in the previous slide.
An improper uninstall will usually prevent the re-install
MUST follow the proper install procedure again – so keep the instructions!
