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Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Canon Unveil New Pixma
Canon Unveil Pixma MX860 and Pixma MX330 by Tom Walker
Canon has unveiled two new printers that are multi-functional in nature, with copying, scanning and faxing along with document and photo printing. These printers are aimed at offices where saving space is at a premium and home offices as well.Pixma MX860 is truly professional by producing resolutions up to 9600 X 2400 dpi for both colour and monochrome. Droplet size is as small as 1 pico liter which is probably the finest in the industry. The printer comes with five individual cartridges, cyan, magenta, yellow, black and photo black to carry out printing activities. Printing speed for 4" X 6" photographs is above average at 41 seconds per photograph. The printer is mounted with a 2.5" TFT screen to view images before printing and to navigate through the menu. The printer is network ready for wired networks through Ethernet and wireless through Wi-Fi.
Pixma MX330 is a watered down version of MX860 where some features are either not present or slightly inferior to that of the former. Printing resolution is at 4800 X 2400 dpi for both colour and monochrome with a droplet size of 2 pico liters. The printer has four cartridges and the absence of a photo black cartridge is visible in the printing resolution. Printing speed for 4" X 6" photographs is at 45 seconds and the printer comes with a 1.8" TFT screen.
Both printers are capable of automatic duplex printing and copying. The auto duplex feature for copying ensures that the time spent on copying multiple documents is halved at best. Yet another feature that makes these printers worthy of buying is its ability to save scans in the correct formats. An auto scan mode can detect the kind of media that is getting scanned and saves it in the right format appropriately. A classic example could be a photograph being saved as a JPG and a document as a PDF.
The pricing on these printers are moderate. Pixma MX860 is priced at £100 while Pixma MX330 carries a price tag of £55.
About the AuthorTom Walker is a printer freak who is regarded as a subject matter expert in printer, inkjets and lasers. He makes all his printer purchases on Cartridge Save for all printer consumables
Canon has unveiled two new printers that are multi-functional in nature, with copying, scanning and faxing along with document and photo printing. These printers are aimed at offices where saving space is at a premium and home offices as well.Pixma MX860 is truly professional by producing resolutions up to 9600 X 2400 dpi for both colour and monochrome. Droplet size is as small as 1 pico liter which is probably the finest in the industry. The printer comes with five individual cartridges, cyan, magenta, yellow, black and photo black to carry out printing activities. Printing speed for 4" X 6" photographs is above average at 41 seconds per photograph. The printer is mounted with a 2.5" TFT screen to view images before printing and to navigate through the menu. The printer is network ready for wired networks through Ethernet and wireless through Wi-Fi.
Pixma MX330 is a watered down version of MX860 where some features are either not present or slightly inferior to that of the former. Printing resolution is at 4800 X 2400 dpi for both colour and monochrome with a droplet size of 2 pico liters. The printer has four cartridges and the absence of a photo black cartridge is visible in the printing resolution. Printing speed for 4" X 6" photographs is at 45 seconds and the printer comes with a 1.8" TFT screen.
Both printers are capable of automatic duplex printing and copying. The auto duplex feature for copying ensures that the time spent on copying multiple documents is halved at best. Yet another feature that makes these printers worthy of buying is its ability to save scans in the correct formats. An auto scan mode can detect the kind of media that is getting scanned and saves it in the right format appropriately. A classic example could be a photograph being saved as a JPG and a document as a PDF.
The pricing on these printers are moderate. Pixma MX860 is priced at £100 while Pixma MX330 carries a price tag of £55.
About the AuthorTom Walker is a printer freak who is regarded as a subject matter expert in printer, inkjets and lasers. He makes all his printer purchases on Cartridge Save for all printer consumables
Know Your Printer
Whether you are a large company owning many A3 colour laser printers, a mid-sized company with the odd inkjet printer or laser printer connected to each workstation or just an ordinary person at home with your “all in one” printer that can print, scan, fax, copy and scratch your back, there are ways to cut down maintenance calls. Doing some DIY maintenance on your printer, fax or copier not only cuts down maintenance calls and save you money on call-out charges (if you don’t have a maintenance contract) but can save you a lot of money over the years on cartridges wearing out before their time, cartridges discarded wrongly because you thought that the cartridge was the cause of an irritating problem, but wasn’t! Also, a printing device out of action for any length of time can have a huge impact on your business, as it sits there in the corner sobbing, awaiting the technician who decided to go home early that day, leaving your call until the following day! That’s assuming he doesn’t get drunk that evening and call in sick the next day!
I know, you’re thinking “How does this guys mind work?” Well, to be honest, I have been a technician for over 22 years. I started out as a trainee fax engineer in 1986. Back then there were only the thermal fax machines that appeared to be filled with heat sensitive toilet paper. They used a crude heating element to heat the paper in the right places to create the image. Well, they worked ok and the image was ok, but upon storing your curly-copy, you would notice the image started to fade and of course would go dark if you left it in sunlight! So working on a beach in the Bahamas was a bit of a no-no. I can just picture all of you around my age reminiscing the years when all office equipment used to turn yellow with the nicotine in the air. Keyboards dusted with cigarette ash!! Bring back the glorious past!! Yeah right! Anyway, back to the matter at hand.
Then, as inkjet (according to HP) and bubble jet (according to Canon) became a more popular technology, thermal faxes and printers began to decrease in popularity. At this point it became necessary for faxes to become printers and printers to become faxes, and while they were at it, somebody decided to also cancel the need to find a spare port for the scanner and glued one on to many printer/fax devices. Wow, brilliant, we all thought. Not so! It is great when all works fine, but if your printer stops working, so does your copier, fax and possibly even your scanner if it’s an electrical problem. Now, we have a multitude of products each designed to meet a need relating to usage volume which would vary from business to business and from business to individual to individual (wow, I’m even making up my own language!).
I know, you’re thinking “How does this guys mind work?” Well, to be honest, I have been a technician for over 22 years. I started out as a trainee fax engineer in 1986. Back then there were only the thermal fax machines that appeared to be filled with heat sensitive toilet paper. They used a crude heating element to heat the paper in the right places to create the image. Well, they worked ok and the image was ok, but upon storing your curly-copy, you would notice the image started to fade and of course would go dark if you left it in sunlight! So working on a beach in the Bahamas was a bit of a no-no. I can just picture all of you around my age reminiscing the years when all office equipment used to turn yellow with the nicotine in the air. Keyboards dusted with cigarette ash!! Bring back the glorious past!! Yeah right! Anyway, back to the matter at hand.
Then, as inkjet (according to HP) and bubble jet (according to Canon) became a more popular technology, thermal faxes and printers began to decrease in popularity. At this point it became necessary for faxes to become printers and printers to become faxes, and while they were at it, somebody decided to also cancel the need to find a spare port for the scanner and glued one on to many printer/fax devices. Wow, brilliant, we all thought. Not so! It is great when all works fine, but if your printer stops working, so does your copier, fax and possibly even your scanner if it’s an electrical problem. Now, we have a multitude of products each designed to meet a need relating to usage volume which would vary from business to business and from business to individual to individual (wow, I’m even making up my own language!).
Copy Quality Problems When Printing
LINES ON COPIES
Your scanner will most likely have a glass bed as well. Clean this with a glass cleaner to prevent unsightly marks on your copies. To one side of the main glass bed, you may see a small strip of glass known as a “slip glass” perhaps because the documents from the document feeder need to slip across it to be scanned individually. If there is even the slightest mark (sometimes not visible to you in the case of glue) then you will see a line down your copies. Clean the slip glass with a glass cleaner as well before calling out anyone. If there is no slip glass visible then don’t worry, it’s ok, it just doesn’t use one. Remember, if your device has a fax machine, the scanner glass being dirty will send faxes with lines on them.
If your printer is a laser printer/copier this line can be caused by the cartridge or drum. If your machine has a drum and cartridge it would be the drum. If it has just a single cartridge unit then the drum would be an integral part of the cartridge. Read the manual in the problem solving section where it will tell you how to remedy such problems. There will most likely be places also marked in green or blue that you can move in order to clean something. Usually, there would be a handle that you pull out. There would be some type of cleaning pad attached that you may not be able to see, that cleans a roller or wire as you pull it out. If you’ve tried all those things and the line is still there then, if you are shrewd enough to have another cartridge around, install it to see if the line disappears (this is often what the engineer that you called out may do in his elimination process!). If it works you’ve found your problem. If it doesn’t re-package the spare cartridge making sure it’s back in its foil wrapping with as many of the things that you pulled off of it, back on it as possible.
If you have a inkjet or bubble jet printer then feint lines can be cause by the individual print heads located on the cartridges themselves or the combined print head used in machines where the cartridges just store ink with no pint head on them. Print heads are also referred to as “Nozzles” and most inkjet machines have nozzle cleaning programs in them. Some are more effective than others. If your individual cartridges have the “copper coloured” print heads on them then you can try to clean them with an alcohol based cleaner if the cleaning program does not help before replacing them.
POOR COPY QUALITY
Copy quality can be affected by many preventable issues. A common one, for printers and copiers, is damp paper. Paper should be kept in a cool, dry place. Not flung anyhow under the copier. Not only does paper collect moisture from the environment, it also can become malformed if stored incorrectly. Ideally, if your machine takes a full ream, wait until the paper tray is empty before refilling and then empty a fresh ream of paper into the machine. If it does not then try to make sure you keep the paper in its original wrapping as this has protective elements in it (if you purchased a good quality paper). Damp or malformed paper is also a common cause of paper jams too. Of course, poor quality consumables is a common cause of poor copy quality. Ask others who may be using a similar machine to yours for advice on what cartridges they use and their performance. Cheap is not always best and if cheap cartridges leak inside your machine, they could cost you the whole printer.
Your scanner will most likely have a glass bed as well. Clean this with a glass cleaner to prevent unsightly marks on your copies. To one side of the main glass bed, you may see a small strip of glass known as a “slip glass” perhaps because the documents from the document feeder need to slip across it to be scanned individually. If there is even the slightest mark (sometimes not visible to you in the case of glue) then you will see a line down your copies. Clean the slip glass with a glass cleaner as well before calling out anyone. If there is no slip glass visible then don’t worry, it’s ok, it just doesn’t use one. Remember, if your device has a fax machine, the scanner glass being dirty will send faxes with lines on them.
If your printer is a laser printer/copier this line can be caused by the cartridge or drum. If your machine has a drum and cartridge it would be the drum. If it has just a single cartridge unit then the drum would be an integral part of the cartridge. Read the manual in the problem solving section where it will tell you how to remedy such problems. There will most likely be places also marked in green or blue that you can move in order to clean something. Usually, there would be a handle that you pull out. There would be some type of cleaning pad attached that you may not be able to see, that cleans a roller or wire as you pull it out. If you’ve tried all those things and the line is still there then, if you are shrewd enough to have another cartridge around, install it to see if the line disappears (this is often what the engineer that you called out may do in his elimination process!). If it works you’ve found your problem. If it doesn’t re-package the spare cartridge making sure it’s back in its foil wrapping with as many of the things that you pulled off of it, back on it as possible.
If you have a inkjet or bubble jet printer then feint lines can be cause by the individual print heads located on the cartridges themselves or the combined print head used in machines where the cartridges just store ink with no pint head on them. Print heads are also referred to as “Nozzles” and most inkjet machines have nozzle cleaning programs in them. Some are more effective than others. If your individual cartridges have the “copper coloured” print heads on them then you can try to clean them with an alcohol based cleaner if the cleaning program does not help before replacing them.
POOR COPY QUALITY
Copy quality can be affected by many preventable issues. A common one, for printers and copiers, is damp paper. Paper should be kept in a cool, dry place. Not flung anyhow under the copier. Not only does paper collect moisture from the environment, it also can become malformed if stored incorrectly. Ideally, if your machine takes a full ream, wait until the paper tray is empty before refilling and then empty a fresh ream of paper into the machine. If it does not then try to make sure you keep the paper in its original wrapping as this has protective elements in it (if you purchased a good quality paper). Damp or malformed paper is also a common cause of paper jams too. Of course, poor quality consumables is a common cause of poor copy quality. Ask others who may be using a similar machine to yours for advice on what cartridges they use and their performance. Cheap is not always best and if cheap cartridges leak inside your machine, they could cost you the whole printer.
Preventing Paper Jams
Firstly, and I know this is pre-purchase advice but important. If you want a multi-feed document scanner on your device, lift up the feeder cover and check the size of the rollers. There should be a rubber pad and at least one roller to feed. Sometimes there are 2, 3 or 4 rollers (the best system but hard to find on home products). If there is just a pad and roller and the roller is less than about half an inch, it will be more likely to malfunction. Particularly with multiple documents which is why you bought it.
PREVENTING DOCUMENT AND PAPER JAMS
If you have a document feeder then periodically clean the pad and rollers either with WD40, soap and water or a standard rubber cleaner. Soap and water is safe and will not harm the rubber but do not make the cloth soaked. Just a damp cloth will do as you don’t want to damage the electrics. To be safe unplug the device from the mains. But always use the on/off switch before unplugging it.
Similarly, make sure the printer switch is switched to “off” before switching it on from the mains. A voltage surge on power up could damage the power supply unit, or more. This procedure can only be done if you have a machine with feeder access. So try to buy a machine that has or you will need to pay £60 - £80 for someone to come and clean your rollers.
Similarly, the paper used for printing has rollers that pick it up. Try to find a printer where these paper pick-up rollers are accessible to the user and perform the same cleaning on them too. Generally, the rollers will become dirty before wearing out so try cleaning them before replacement. Many printers have user serviceable parts where you can change the rollers yourself. They would normally have a blue or green handle or markings to indicate this.
Also, damp paper can cause paper jams. If your printer or photocopier is frequently jamming, try removing the paper stack and flipping it over so it prints on the opposite side. This tends to affect the higher speed machines where timing is crucial. I’ve solved many jams just by doing this – that will be a hundred bucks please! In the document feeder previously stapled documents can be a nightmare to many feeders, try feeding the paper from the opposite end to where the staples were and please, make sure the staple have actually being removed!! They can seriously damage your machine in so many ways.
Make sure you fan out fresh paper before loading as well because it helps remove any static causing the paper to stick together and resist separation in the machine causing jams. If you’ve just printed some documents out try to let it cool down (if they came from a laser machine) before fanning if you want to scan them using a document feeder.
PREVENTING DOCUMENT AND PAPER JAMS
If you have a document feeder then periodically clean the pad and rollers either with WD40, soap and water or a standard rubber cleaner. Soap and water is safe and will not harm the rubber but do not make the cloth soaked. Just a damp cloth will do as you don’t want to damage the electrics. To be safe unplug the device from the mains. But always use the on/off switch before unplugging it.
Similarly, make sure the printer switch is switched to “off” before switching it on from the mains. A voltage surge on power up could damage the power supply unit, or more. This procedure can only be done if you have a machine with feeder access. So try to buy a machine that has or you will need to pay £60 - £80 for someone to come and clean your rollers.
Similarly, the paper used for printing has rollers that pick it up. Try to find a printer where these paper pick-up rollers are accessible to the user and perform the same cleaning on them too. Generally, the rollers will become dirty before wearing out so try cleaning them before replacement. Many printers have user serviceable parts where you can change the rollers yourself. They would normally have a blue or green handle or markings to indicate this.
Also, damp paper can cause paper jams. If your printer or photocopier is frequently jamming, try removing the paper stack and flipping it over so it prints on the opposite side. This tends to affect the higher speed machines where timing is crucial. I’ve solved many jams just by doing this – that will be a hundred bucks please! In the document feeder previously stapled documents can be a nightmare to many feeders, try feeding the paper from the opposite end to where the staples were and please, make sure the staple have actually being removed!! They can seriously damage your machine in so many ways.
Make sure you fan out fresh paper before loading as well because it helps remove any static causing the paper to stick together and resist separation in the machine causing jams. If you’ve just printed some documents out try to let it cool down (if they came from a laser machine) before fanning if you want to scan them using a document feeder.
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