How does a Laser Printer work?

I came across these informative videos on how a laser printer works. It really breaks it down for the user and the seller of printers and consummable supplies. Thought I would share them with you:

Here is how the black monochrome laser printer works:

Here is how a colour laser printer works:

These are good training videos to share with your sales staff so that they having a working knowledge of how these products  - actually work.

And what should you recommend to your customer? A Laser or an Inkjet printer? Here is a 2 minute "Coles Notes" version of the pro's and con's of both.

For more information on supplies for laser or inkjet printers, go to: http://www.genuinesupply.ca/home.php

The Next Big Thing in Ink & Toner

There's a revolution brewing in the world of inkjets and it's all about speed.

 HP has begun introducing its next generation of colour inkjet printers and they have the feel of a colour laser. In fact if put side-by-side, you would have a hard time discerning which printer is a laser and which one is the inkjet.

The HP Officejet Pro X range of single and multi-function devices are an affordable and compact inkjet. They print at speeds that rival colour lasers. According to HP even when printing at the lower ‘General Office’ quality level, it can reach a speed of 70 pages per minute (ppm).

In a tradtional inkjet, the page must be stepped through the printer, a little bit at a time while small heads traverse it, spraying ink onto the page. HP’s new range of printers use stationary heads which cover the width of the page, coating the page with ink as it moves without pausing underneath. This is similar to "Memjet’s" revolutionary waterfall heads. Take a look at what a Memjet printer can do - it's ground breaking technology and far ahead of what we think of as an inkjet printer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6Z7RqRH3QQ

 

HP has employed its own in-house technology to produce fast, high speed, colour inkjet printers and they are doing so at a price that is affordable to the consumer. HP is aiming to bring to the market an affordable inkjet printer that is high speed and can compete toe-to-toe with the colour Laser competition. These printers have fewer moving parts than an equivalent laser and they are lighter - plus they are comparable in size to a medium size laser printer. They generate little heat and need little ventilation. The printers themselves are controlled by a smartphone-sized colour touchscreen display with a few touch-sensitive buttons, making it easy to use.

For those of us interested in the "supply" end of this business, I have good news for you. Genuine Supply Source has begun carrying some cartridges for these printers - thereby providing the dealer and the consumer an alternative consumable  source for these new-age printers. Currently GSS is stocking Fuzion high speed ink cartridges for the HP970XL and the HP980, with more to come.

So keep an eye out for these printers in the marketplace and as always, provide your customers with alternative, cost-effective supplies from Genuine Supply Source.

 

 

 

 

If I use a non-OEM Laser cartridge in my printer - will it void my printer warranty?

Many of us know that remanufactured or compatible toner cartridges are an inexpensive replacement for cartridges used in HP, Brother, Lexmark and Canon printers, but many consumers don't use them because they are afraid they will void their printer warranty. Is using recycled or compatible cartridges illegal or against the law? Will inexpensive printer cartridges cause you to legally lose your printer warranty?

The marketing departments at top printer companies have been trying to scare their customers away from using non-OEM printer cartridges for years. "They don't work," they might say or, "Remanufactured cartridges will break your printer." Why would big companies like this say such things if there weren't a legitimate reason? Well, there is a reason why big printer brands want to discourage you from buying refilled or remanufactured ink and toner cartridges, and it's a pretty obvious one. If you buy ink and toner from generic aftermarket third party manufacturers, you won't need to buy the more expensive printer supplies from the company that made your printer, meaning they lose money and profits.

I started out in this business with Ko-Rec-Type in 1988 and my main focus of business at that time was printer and typewriter ribbons. Every week I would hear from someone that compatible ribbons would damage the equipment. However as the years passed and fewer of these machines were being introduced and the business was transitioning to ink and toner, these issues faded. To the point where the quality of these products were never questioned. Why? Because the OEM manufacturers were no longer interested in the ribbon business and had stopped with their "fear" messages about the quality of non-OEM ribbons. In essence - they had already made their $$$ on the aftermarket supplies. The quality of the ribbon products from KRT were no different than they were in previous years - yet the previous concerns were gone.

Printer companies will definitely try to talk you out of buying remanufactured ink and toner cartridges, but they will never outright tell you that you can't. Buying recycled and compatible cartridges is not illegal. In fact, thanks to the Magnuson Moss Warranty Improvement Act, it's actually against the law in the US for printer brands to void your printer warranty for buying or using compatible printer cartridges. The Magnuson Moss Warranty Improvement Act is an actual US law that protects consumer rights in regards to manufacturer warranties, including desktop inkjet and laserjet printers. (“Magnuson Moss Warranty Improvement Act United States Code Annotated Title 15 Commerce and Trade Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties 15 Sections 2302.” ) Here's an excerpt from the law that specifically applies to the use of generic or third party parts in name brand appliances.

“No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer's using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name.”

 

Using remanufactured or compatible printer toner cartridges is legal and cannot invalidate your printer warranty, no matter what the brand.

 

 

For more information on Ink, Toner and Ribbon products - visit the Genuine Supply Source website at: http://www.genuinesupply.ca/home.php . Feel free to contact me directly if you would like more information.

 



 



Annual COPA Golf Tournament - The Social Event of the Season

Well another June and another just completed Canadian Office Product Association (COPA) Golf tournament. 156 Golfers, representing approximately 50 companies participated at the prestigious Lion Head Golf and Country Club in Brampton, Ontario.

This is always a fun day. A chance to renew long-standing friendships and introduce yourself to new colleagues. I always look forward to this day. While I am not much of a Golfer and play infrequently - this, in my opinion, is the best day of the year for our industry.

My 4-some consisted of Dave MacMillan of Genuine Supply Source, Dan Cookney of Guild Stationers and Kirk Austen of Frid & Russell (L to R). While we were far behind the winning 4-some, Kirk did manage to win the "closest to the pin" competition with a beauty shot that landed about a foot from the hole at #15 on the Masters course.

 

 

My highlight? Well this looks better than the result.........another one for the squirrels.

I have always thought that COPA should consider holding similar tournaments in other parts of Canada -  perhaps Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax would be good choices?

If you missed the tourney - you really should consider joining this event for next year. Get in touch with COPA and ask them how you can participate?

Speaking of COPA - is your firm a member? COPA diligently serves our industry with a number of excellent programs that can help save your company money while providing you with valuable industry data and networking opportunities. Here are just a few of the services that they provide:

• COPA Monthly White Papers: Business Reports on the state of the industry
• COPA Product Guide: Sourcing Information for dealers and vendors
• Exclusive Corporate Savings
• Courier programs
• Group Health and Dental plans
• Cell Phone plans
• LTL Freight programs
• POS Solutions
• Human Resource solutions
• Fleet & Gas cards
• Conference & Webinar services
• EDI solutions
• Health & Safety programs
• Employee Savings programs
• Esso Gas card
• CAA Discounts
• Hotel and Travel Accommodation programs
• COPA Awards program - recognizing OP industry leaders
• COPA Scholarship program - providing industry bursaries for tomorrow's leaders
• Networking Program
• COPA Breakfast Speaker program
• Total Office Trade show
• Annual Stars Gala & Silent Auction
• Annual Golf Tournament

Myself? I have always taken advantage of the COPA networking opportunities. They have been a great venue for me to expand my industry knowledge and contact base. I have never left an event without a new idea or a new contact. If you don't participate in these events, you really are letting opportunities pass you by.

For more info on COPA - contact Sam Moncada at smoncada@copa.ca