Printer Toner

By Bob Leduc

Simple low-cost postcards have become a valuable business tool for modern marketers. They can produce a surge of traffic to your web site or a flood of high-quality sales leads.

The following 7 tips will help you get the maximum response from postcards at the lowest cost.

Tip 1: Focus on the Mailing List

Make sure your postcards go to prospects likely to be interested in your offer …and who also have a proven history of acting on offers that interest them.

For example, send them to customers of non-competing businesses that sell to your targeted market, subscribers to publications read by prospects in your targeted market or to prospects who previously requested information about products or services similar to those you offer.

You can get all of these lists from most mailing list brokers.

Tip 2: Be a Friend

Set up your postcard to look at first glance like a message from a friend instead of like a magazine ad printed on a postcard. It will boost the number of replies you get.

A postcard that looks like a friendly message produces a pleasant emotional reaction from readers instead of the harsh emotional reaction most people have to advertising.

Tip 3: Ditch the Sales Pitch

Don’t try to close sales directly from your postcard. You don’t have enough space to provide all the information most prospects need to make a buying decision. Instead, use your postcard to generate sales inquiries.

Begin your postcard by briefly stating the major benefit(s) you offer. Then use the remainder of your postcard to motivate readers to get more information from a source where you can close sales …such as at your web site or from a phone number they can call.

Tip 4: Get Right to the Point

Postcards are delivered “ready to read”. Take advantage of this. Get right to the point to capture the reader’s attention immediately. This makes it difficult for prospects to avoid reading your postcard – especially if your entire message is brief and easy to read.

Tip 5: Go First Class

Send your postcards by First Class Mail. It costs only 23 cents in the US if make them at least 3 1/2 by 5 inches but not over 4 1/4 by 6 inches.

This gives you all the benefits of First Class Mail for just a few cents more than Standard Mail (”bulk rate mail”) …and it produces a lot more replies.

Tip 6: Watch Your Timing

Send your postcards so they arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday. The volume of mail delivered in the US on those days is usually light and your postcards won’t have to compete with a lot of other mail delivered at the same time.

Try to avoid having your postcards delivered on Monday. It’s usually the biggest mail delivery day of the week and a very busy day for most people.

Tip 7: Economize on Designing and Printing

Don’t spend a lot to design and print your postcards. Using an elegant layout with colorful graphics can be expensive and it rarely improves your reply rate – unless you are selling those services.

Simple postcards designed to look like a message from a friend can be printed on your own computer for only 1 or 2 cents per card …or you can have a commercial printer do the job for as little as 4 to 7 cents per card.

The next time you want to drive a surge of traffic to your web site or generate a flood of new sales leads – send postcards. And be sure to follow the 7 tips revealed in this article to get the maximum response to your postcards for the lowest cost.

Copyright 2005 Bob Leduc

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards …and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You’ll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

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By Michael Joseph

Your competitors’ custom printing projects have it – their marketing materials are vibrant, photo quality works of art. Even your smaller competitors with smaller marketing budgets have it. Their presentation folders and brochures, even their business cards are photo-sharp. How can they afford the photo quality results they get? Do they have a better marketing team?

Guess what – they probably just know things you don’t. They know more about emerging photo quality commercial printing than you do.

Can you get the same quality? Sure. But it comes from print vendors you might not expect – and it doesn’t have to cost more. In fact, if you find the right vendors, photo quality custom printing can cost less than traditional color printing.

How do you find these vendors and keep costs in-line? Let’s get up-to-speed on photo-quality printing. Then, I’ll offer a few tips to get you started.

What You Should Know

Photo quality custom printing is easy to understand. Printing done with a resolution of 2400 dpi or better is high photo quality. True 2400 dpi printing is what’s giving your competitor the edge. The competitor’s brochures that you envy were not printed at 1200 dpi then enhanced with software to look like 2400 dpi printing. No way. Your competitor knows better. Here are five things that your competitors know:

1. True photo quality printing is reproduction of actual images
2. Not all digital printing is true photo quality
3. Very few print vendors have true photo quality
4. Lots of print vendors “fake” photo quality
5. Most photo quality commercial printing is done on a press – not a copier

Photo Quality Printing Can Save Money

So-called photo quality printing of the past was done on digital presses, copiers and printers. These devices often require special toners, papers and press materials. Special materials mean higher costs. Enter the new era of digital presses. They print on almost any substrate and they use commonly available inks. Waterless inks are used in some digital presses which results in better ink hold out. Using common materials lowers cost. Your competitor has found vendors with these new presses.

Right now, your competitor gets better printing and pays less than you do. Here’s what you can do.

Find a Photo Quality Commercial Printing Partner

Here are some quick tips for finding a photo quality commercial printer.

1. Search the Web for “2400 dpi printing companies” – not “photo quality printing companies”
2. Learn about the presses
3. Ask the press manufacture for their customer list
4. Compare the difference of a hard copy proof versus a soft copy proof
5. Compare pricing – does photo quality cost less or the same?
6. Talk to photo quality printing press manufacturers, and ask for a list of potential vendors

Use the list above and you’ll find true photo quality print vendors who print in true photo quality output.

Get Free Samples from Vendors

Once you do find a vendor, be sure to ask for samples. Do you see the difference in quality or more depth? If a vendor won’t give you free samples, move on to the next vendor. And take the photo quality edge away from your competitors.

About the Author

Michael Joseph is E-commerce Manager for My1Stop, a commercial printing company that provides a complete range of custom printing for presentation folders, brochures, booklets, full color labels and many other products. My1Stop utilizes time-tested print manufacturing as well as the latest photo-quality digital printing equipment and processes.

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By Anne Clarke

If you want your print job to turn out right, you need to make sure that both you and the commercial printer that you go to are speaking the same language. For example, you do not want to end up with coated paper when you wanted bond paper, right? Knowing at least a few printing terms can really help you communicate with your commercial printer. Here are a few key printing terms to learn:

Alteration: If you need to make an alteration, it means that you need to make a change of copy specification after production has already begun.

Bind: to fasten the sheets together by glue, thread, or other means.

Bond paper: durable paper of a high grade that can be used for important business forms and letterheads.

Butt: to join images without having them overlap.

Caliper: the thickness of paper based in thousandths of an inch.

Cast coated: cast coated paper has a high gloss and reflective finish.

Cyan: blue (one of the 4 standard process colors).

Dummy: a rough layout that shows what the position and finished size will look like.

Flop: the reverse side of an image.

Grain: the direction of the paper fibers.

Hard copy: what a printer puts out (soft copy would be an e-mail file).

Micrometer: this instrument is used to gauge the thickness of different papers.

Page count: the total number of pages, including all blank pages.

Ragged left: the type is justified to the right margin, nice and even, while the line lengths on the left vary. Vice versa is true for ragged right.

Spoilage: this is the planned paper waste for all printing procedures.

Trapping: being able to print one ink over another.

Verso: the left hand page of a book that is open.

Work and turn: to print one side of a sheet and to then turn it over (from left to right) and printing on the other side.

These are, of course, only a few of the many printing terms that you can (and perhaps, should) learn. But even adding just a few printing terms to your vocabulary can really help you out the next time you need to deal with a commercial printer.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching, gardening, and language. For more of her articles on commercial printers and printing terms, please visit Commercial Printers.

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By Bobby Hudson

You require a new printer but you do not know whether to buy an inkjet or a laser printer, as you are not aware of the differences between the two. Each user or organisation is faced with the dilemma while buying a new printer. Most customers operate under strict budgetary constraints and it is only normal to consider initial purchase costs and space limitations. However, it is prudent to take into consideration the long-term operating costs associated with the particular printer.

The choice of printer will, largely, depend on your requirements. Inkjet printers are usually ideal for home users who have limited text and photo printing needs. Laser printers are better suited to larger office environments with high-volume and high-quality printing requirements.

The differences between a laser and an inkjet printer are generally categorised into a few broad segments, namely, cost (initial and maintenance), speed, quality, space and networking facilities. It is also essential to understand the technology behind the manufacturing of the laser toners and ink cartridges as this is a major contributing factor towards the cost.

Difference in Technology & Networking Facilities between Inkjet and Laser Printers -

The technology used for inkjet cartridges is simpler and the parts are less expensive than the laser toners. The black inkjet cartridge has only black ink. The color inkjet printer contains two main ink cartridges, for black and other primary colors respectively. The primary colors are then divided into three compartments for cyan, magenta and yellow ink. The primary colors are consequently mixed to produce all other colors. The cartridge contains a reservoir which has compartments with metal plates and a number of tiny nozzles on the print head of the cartridge. The number of holes or nozzles depends on the resolution of the printer. It is usually 21 – 128 nozzles per color. The ink gets heated, when the current starts flowing through the metal plates, after the print command is given. The heat causes vapor bubbles to form inside the cartridge and make the ink swell up. The ink then flows out in droplets from the nozzles onto the paper in a few milliseconds. A vacuum is created (once the ink droplet flows out) which draws more ink into the nozzles ensuring a steady supply of droplets as required. This common technique is called Thermal Inkjet and the coinage of the name ‘BubbleJets’ by Canon has been due to the bubbling vapors.

The Laser toners use a more elaborate and complex technology. A powder called Toner is used by laser printers, fax machines and photocopiers to print text and images on laser and photo paper. Initially carbon powder was used but now manufacturers use disposable cartridges which can sometimes be refilled. For the laser toners, individual carbon particles are mixed in a polymer which melt in heat. This binds to the fibers in the paper. The laser printers consist of the printer toner and the drum. The positively charged toner gets attracted to the negatively charged drum. The toner is transferred to the paper by the drum. The toner contains special wax that melts and dries in milliseconds. When the toner is transferred, the fuser applies heat and pressure to make a durable image. The fuser system is made up of the hot-roll and the back-up roller.

The high-end laser printers generally come with networking facilities for you to connect to your computer network directly. This cuts down additional costs associated with networking, as is the case with ink printers. The ink printers cannot be linked to a network directly. Networking has to be via a computer, therefore more expensive.

The laser printers are larger in size than the inkjet printers. The latter is, therefore, space saving and ideal for the home and small office users.

Difference of Quality & Color between Laser and Inkjet Printers -

Since Inkjet Printers spill out tiny droplets of ink to print, the resolution is lower than the laser printers. Laser Printers printer better quality text, as their resolution is higher. High resolution also helps the laser printers create precise fonts without fuzzy edges. However, the cost-effective inkjet printers are usually recommended for inexpensive color printing. These can print high quality text, large photo prints, graphics, banners and greeting cards at less than half the price of a color laser printer. Nevertheless, it should also be seen if the cost of ink and paper suits your maintenance budget. Laser printers are capable of producing good quality prints on all kinds of printing paper but the inkjet printers will require inkjet paper to produce good quality prints without any fuzzy edge brought about by ‘bleeding’.

Difference in Speed between Ink and Laser Printers -

If laser printers lose out to their inkjet counterparts on account of price, they are way ahead when it comes to speed of printing. Users who need large volumes of printing also prefer the laser printers. Laser printers are more suited to general office use than the inkjets. The least expensive laser printer can print around 10 to 15 pages per minute. The inkjets are usually rated on the speed of draft or quick printing mode, which is suitable only for proofreading purposes. The HP Deskjet 5650, which is a fast color inkjet printer, prints at a speed of 21 ppm Black, 15 ppm Color in the draft mode. However, the speed drops considerably when high quality black text is printed and it also takes longer to print a letter-sized quality photo.

Difference in Cost between Ink and Laser Printers -

The most important factor governing the choice of a printer is – cost. The cost can have two sub-categories – initial cost and operating cost- – which finally becomes the deciding factors in a purchase of a consumer item. The inkjet printers have a low initial cost but a higher maintenance cost when compared to the high initial purchase cost and low operating cost of a laser printer. The price of a monochrome laser printer can range from $ 130 (e.g. Brother HL2040) to over $ 3,000 (e.g. HP Q3721A Laserjet 9050) and the price range of color laser printers can be from $ 350 (e.g. Samsung CLP 510) to over $ 6,000 (e.g. HP Q3717A Laserjet 5550hdn). Conversely, the cost of color inkjet printers can range from approximately $ 35 (e.g. HP 9067A Deskjet 3930) to $ 2,000 (e.g. HP C7791D Designjet 130NR). However, laser printers are a better option for long-term office use. They are designed to handle high volumes and have a higher capacity of ink or toner. The ink cartridges require to be replaced often if you print a considerable amount regularly. The toner cartridges, though more expensive than the ink cartridges, hardly need to be replaced. This lowers the total cost per page. The out put of laser printers is good even on cheap paper whereas inkjet printers require special inkjet paper for quality output and this also depends on the grade and type of paper being used.

Cheap recycled or third party ink or toner cartridges are readily available in the market, the use of which reduces the maintenance cost to a great extent. However, you have to be careful while buying these when producing high quality photos and also be sure that the use of these does not cancel your warranty. Since ink cartridges of some new inkjet printers contain computer chips, you may not be able to use recycled or third party cartridges for that particular printer.

Keeping the above factors in mind, it is advisable to calculate the total cost of ownership before purchasing a printer. The initial purchase cost of an inkjet printer may be low but the cost as consumables like paper and ink may exceed your budget. The slow speed and variable print quality of the inkjets are also deterrents. Laser printers are definitely a better buy when the requirements are that of high print quality, speed, high volume and low operating cost over a long period of use.

Bobby Hudson is the writer of all articles for Databazaar.com, an online retailer of printer supplies and storage media and other guide sites. She is also a free-lance web-designer and technical writer.

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By Jimmy Sturo

CD laser printers are quite expensive, so it’s only right that you shop around before deciding on a brand. But watch out – price is not everything. A CD laser printer with a cheap price tag may cost you more money in the long run.

Budget printers are cheap for one major reason – they come with very few pages of toner. Most low-cost printers have only 2,000 pages or less, meaning that you have to replace the toner more often than you would in a more expensive brand. Toners can cost as much as $800. If you buy a cheap CD laser printer for $600 and then pay $800 for additional toner pages, you are really spending $1,400. So if you expect to print a large volume regularly, investing in a high-end printer with more toner pages and lower running cost per page may be more sensible.

Budget CD laser printers typically have less built-in memory, so they may have a harder time printing heavier images (or worse, be unable to print them). If you have to print high-resolution designs, go for CD laser printers that have around 320 MB. Such printers can easily process difficult images without missing a dot and even print watermark images. They’re very useful not just for CD printing, but also for professional-looking posters and flyers. Many CD laser printers feature two-sided monochrome printing – if you need such a feature, expect to pay a little more. Also check if it can be adapted to allow sharing via Ethernet connection. This is very important if multiple users share the unit.

CD laser printers for office and commercial use need to have hardwearing casing if they are to last years of use and abuse. They should have a manual paper feed, so that they can be used if the auto feeder breaks.

CD Printers provides detailed information on CD Printers, CD Label Printers, CD Cover Printers, CD Ink Jet Printers and more. CD Printers is affiliated with CD Replication Companies.

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