The printers utilizing inkjet technology were first introduced in the late 1980s and since then have gained much popularity while growing in performance and dropping in price. They are the most common type of computer printers for the general consumer due to their low cost, high quality of output, capability of printing in vivid color, and ease of use. Each printer which works on inkjet technology places extremely small droplets of ink onto paper to create a text or an image.

In the personal and small business computer market, inkjet printers currently predominate. Inkjets are usually inexpensive, quiet, reasonably fast, and many models can produce high quality output. Like most modern technologies, the present-day inkjet is built on the progress made by many earlier versions. Among many contributors, Epson, Hewlett-Packard and Canon can claim a substantial share of credit for the development of the modern inkjet technology. In the worldwide consumer market, four manufacturers account for the majority of inkjet printer sales: Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Epson, and Lexmark.

The typical inkjet printer usually includes inkjet printhead assembly, paper feed assembly, power supply, control circuitry and interface ports.

The inkjet printhead assembly contains several components. One of them is the printhead which is the core of the inkjet printer and contains a series of nozzles that are used to spray drops of ink. Another printhead component is the inkjet cartridge or inkjet tank. Depending on the manufacturer and model of the printer, ink cartridges come in various combinations, such as separate black and color cartridges, color and black in a single cartridge or even a cartridge for each ink color. The cartridges of some inkjet printers include the print head itself. The printhead along with the inkjet cartridge/s are moved back and forth across the paper by device called a stepper motor using a special belt. Some printers have an additional stepper motor to park the print head assembly when the printer is not in use which means that the print head assembly is restricted from accidentally moving. The print head assembly uses a stabilizer bar to ensure that movement is precise and controlled.

One of the paper feed assembly components is the paper tray or/and paper feeder. Most inkjet printers have a tray that the paper is loaded into. The feeder typically snaps open at an angle on the back of the printer, allowing the paper to be placed in it. Feeders generally do not hold as much paper as a traditional paper tray. A set of rollers pull the paper in from the tray or feeder and advance the paper when the print head assembly is ready for another pass after which another step motor powers the rollers to move the paper in the exact increment needed to ensure a continuous image is printed.

While earlier printers often had an external transformer, most printers sold today use a standard power supply that is incorporated into the printer itself.

A small but sophisticated amount of circuitry is built into the printer to control all the mechanical aspects of operation, as well as decode the information sent to the printer from the computer. It is connected to the computer by a cable through the interface port. The interface port can be either parallel port, USB port or SCSI port. The parallel port is still used by many printers, but most newer printers use the USB port. A few printers connect using a serial port or small computer system interface (SCSI) port.

Different types of inkjet printers exist based on the method they use to deliver the droplets of ink. There are three main inkjet technologies currently used by printer manufacturers. The thermal bubble technology used by manufacturers such as Canon and Hewlett Packard is commonly referred to as bubble jet. In a thermal inkjet printer, tiny resistors create heat, and this heat vaporizes ink to create a bubble. As the bubble expands, some of the ink is pushed out of a nozzle onto the paper. When the bubble collapses, a vacuum is created. This pulls more ink into the print head from the cartridge. A typical bubble jet print head has 300 or 600 tiny nozzles, and all of them can fire a droplet simultaneously. Thermal inkjet technology is used almost exclusively in the consumer inkjet printer market. The ink used is usually water-based, pigment-based or dye-based but the print head is produced usually at less cost than other ink jet technologies.

Contrary to the bubble jet technology, the piezoelectric technology, patented by Epson, uses piezo crystals. A crystal is located at the back of the ink reservoir of each nozzle. The crystal receives a tiny electric charge that causes it to vibrate. When the crystal vibrates inward, it forces a tiny amount of ink out of the nozzle. When it vibrates out, it pulls some more ink into the reservoir to replace the ink sprayed out.

The continuous inkjet method is used commercially for marking and coding of products and packages. The first patent on the idea is from 1867, by William Thomson. The first commercial model was introduced in 1951 by Siemens. In continuous inkjet technology, a high-pressure pump directs liquid ink from a reservoir through a microscopic nozzle, creating a continuous stream of ink droplets. A piezoelectric crystal causes the stream of liquid to break into droplets at regular intervals. The ink droplets are subjected to an electrostatic field created by a charging electrode as they form. The field is varied according to the degree of drop deflection desired. This results in a controlled, variable electrostatic charge on each droplet. Charged droplets are separated by one or more uncharged “guard droplets” to minimize electrostatic repulsion between neighboring droplets. The charged droplets are then directed (deflected) to the receptor material to be printed by electrostatic deflection plates, or are allowed to continue on undeflected to a collection gutter for reuse. Continuous inkjet is one of the oldest inkjet technologies in use and is fairly mature. One of its advantages is the very high velocity (~50 m/s) of the ink droplets, which allows the ink drops to be thrown a long distance to the target. Another advantage is freedom from nozzle clogging as the jet is always in use

When printing is started, the software application sends the data to be printed to the printer driver which translates the data into a format that the printer can understand and checks to see that the printer is online and available to print. The data is sent by the driver from the computer to the printer via the connection interface. The printer receives the data from the computer. It stores a certain amount of data in a buffer. The buffer can range from 512 KB random access memory (RAM) to 16 MB RAM, depending on the printer model. Buffers are useful because they allow the computer to finish with the printing process quickly, instead of having to wait for the actual page to print. If the inkjet printer has been idle for a period of time, it will normally go through a short cleaning cycle to make sure that the print heads are clean. Once the cleaning cycle is complete, the inkjet printer is ready to begin printing. The control circuitry activates the paper feed stepper motor. This engages the rollers, which feed a sheet of paper from the paper tray / feeder into the printer. A small trigger mechanism in the tray / feeder is depressed when there is paper in the tray or feeder. If the trigger is not depressed, the inkjet printer lights up the “Out of Paper” LED and sends an alert to the computer. Once the paper is fed into the inkjet printer and positioned at the start of the page, the print head stepper motor uses the belt to move the print head assembly across the page. The motor pauses for the merest fraction of a second each time that the print head sprays dots of ink on the page and then moves a tiny bit before stopping again. This stepping happens so fast that it seems like a continuous motion. Multiple dots are made at each stop. It sprays the CMYK (cyan / magenta / yellow / black) colors in precise amounts to make any other color imaginable. At the end of each complete pass, the paper feed stepper motor advances the paper a fraction of an inch. Depending on the inkjet printer model, the print head is reset to the beginning side of the page, or, in most cases, simply reverses direction and begins to move back across the page as it prints. This process continues until the page is printed. The time it takes to print a page can vary widely from printer to printer. It will also vary based on the complexity of the page and size of any images on the page. Once the printing is complete, the print heads are parked. The paper feed stepper motor spins the rollers to finish pushing the completed page into the output tray. Most inkjet printers today use inkjet inks that are very fast-drying, so that you can immediately pick up the sheet without smudging it.

Compared to earlier consumer-oriented printers, inkjet printers have a number of advantages. They are quieter in operation than impact dot matrix printers or daisywheel printers. They can print finer, smoother details through higher printhead resolution, and many inkjet printers with photorealistic-quality color printing are widely available. In comparison to more expensive technologies like thermal wax, dye sublimations, and laser printers, the inkjet printers have the advantage of practically no warm-up time and lower cost per page (except when compared to laser printers).

The disadvantages of the inkjet printers include flimsy print heads (prone to clogging) and expensive inkjet cartridges. This typically leads value-minded consumers to consider laser printers for medium-to-high volume printer applications. Other disadvantages include ink bleeding, where ink is carried sideways away from the desired location by the capillary effect; the result is a muddy appearance on some types of paper. Most inkjet printer manufacturers also sell special clay-treated paper designed to reduce bleeding. Because the ink used in most inkjet cartridges and ink tanks is water-soluble, care must be taken with inkjet-printed documents to avoid even the smallest drop of water, which can cause severe “blurring” or “running.”

Besides the well known small inkjet printers for home and office, there is a market for professional inkjet printers; some being for page-width format printing, and most being for wide format printing. “Page-width format” means that the print width ranges from about 8.5″ to 37″. “Wide format” means that these are inkjet printers ranging in print width from 24″ up to 15′. The application of the page-width inkjet printers is for printing high-volume business communications that have a lesser need for flashy layout and color. Particularly with the addition of variable data technologies, the page-width inkjet printers are important in billing, tagging, and individualized catalogs and newspapers. The application of most of the wide format inkjet printers is for printing advertising graphics; a minor application is printing of designs by architects or engineers.

A VGA to S-Video converter is used to convert a VGA signal to S-Video. This device takes a VGA signal from the computer and converts it to an S-Video signal format which can be viewed on the television. It supports NTSC, SECAM and PAL formats. They are used with PC’s, iMacs, Laptops, or desktops with video cards that have the 15-pin HD connector and with displays that accept S-Video.

The VGA to S-Video device does not require any additional software for conversion and has features which allow horizontal and vertical scaling, picture positioning, and brightness, sharpness and flicker control, thus enabling adjustment of video as required. It can be powered using the USB port on the computer; works on the principle of plug and play and can handle almost any refresh rate. In order for this arrangement to work, simply connect the computers’ VGA card output directly through the VGA input port of the converter and output the S-video connection into your display. Compact in size, this device is compatible with any operating system and can handle resolutions of 600×480, 800×600, and 1024×768. A special feature of this device is the area Zoom function which allows areas of the screen to be enlarged for special emphasis. From its single VGA input, this device can convert and transmit video to three outputs including, S-Video, RCA and VGA for simultaneous TV/CRT viewing. With these multiple outputs, this VGA to S-Video conversion device can simultaneously display on both TV screen and PC monitor. This device is used in instances where PC signals need to be converted to standard video.

A VGA to Video converter can be used to extend the life of existing equipment instead of spending thousands of dollars upgrading. A popular converter choice, they are often used in instances where video conferences or presentations need to be displayed on large screen TVs for group viewing such as in boardrooms, classrooms and training facilities. This device is also found in home entertainment applications where computer users want to take advantage of their big screen LCDs while viewing the internet, playing games or watching DVDs.

Our modern world has changed the way we do business, and technology has certainly changed the way we obtain the photo ID cards necessary for that business. Today in-house printing has replaced outsourcing. That’s because it’s so affordable, and it provides you with a great deal of flexibility. Choosing the right ID card printer for your business is important, so take some time to learn what’s available, and what it has to offer.

Choose from single sided, dual sided or laminating printers. Single sided printers are capable of quality printing on one side, in either color or monochrome. Dual sided printers offer the same quality, but they can print on both sides. They also offer barcode, magnetic strip, encoding, smart card, and more. Laminating printers offer an extra layer of protection from wear and tear. You also enjoy additional security protection, because altering these cards is very difficult. Let’s have a look at some of the most popular ID card printer manufacturers.

Fargo Printers

Fargo has been meeting the needs of business for a very long time. They always offer cutting edge technology. Yet they continue to provide an affordable product, with one of the best reputations for reliability. Fargo offers single sided printers, dual sided printers, and laminating printers. You can configure your Fargo printer to work with your photo ID software. Choose from the many models on the market.

Evolis Printers

Evolis printers offer a full range of technologies including encoding. Choose either single sided or dual sided printers. The Evolis printers have a modern design that’s sleek, and requires very little space. Evolis printers have a reputation for being very intuitive. It won’t take you months to learn all the ins and outs of these printers. Evolis is considered one of the most competitively priced printers on the market. Add easy maintenance, parts that are readily available, and excellent warranties, and you can see why Evolis should be on your short list.

Zebra Printers

If you’re looking for plenty of product choice, and printers that you can afford, Zebra printers have you covered. Besides offering some of the best print quality on the market, they also offer very competitive pricing. Zebra is continuously striving to improve its already superior product line. Choose from a complete line of single sided printers, dual sided printers, and laminating printers.

Magicard Printers

Magicard Printers have earned a reputation for offering something a little different. What makes Magicard unique is its very low price point. This makes it an attractive printer choice for a business just entering the market. It’s just as attractive for those that have been in the market for some time. That’s because they offer a full range of products from the most basic, quality, entry level printer to the top of line printer with all the bells and whistles. Print membership cards, photo ID badges, or a host of other ID cards.

Nisca Printers

Nisca offers a unique line of printers. They offer a superior line of dye sublimation printers. This technology allows Nisca printers to provide brilliant 24 bit images. There are also a wide range of models, all of which offer top notch performance and security. Nisca offers a premier name in PVC card printing technology. Analyze your company’s needs and choose a printer accordingly.

Datacard Printers

Datacard printers have a reputation for providing the highest quality photo ID badges, membership cards, and other types of ID cards. You simply personalize your printer to your company needs. Choose from a range of security features and performance levels. From the most basic printers to the most sophisticated printers Datacard has a printer for every budget.

The ID printer is a big part of your ID printing process. There are many excellent printers on the market. If you aren’t sure, which one is right for you, take a little time to do some research, and learn what the various printers are capable of performing.

When deciding on which printer is right for your company needs, ask yourself a few questions.

1. What type of cards do I want to print?
2. Do I need to print single sided or double sided ID cards?
3. Do I need barcode technology?
4. Do I need laminating technology?
5. Do I have any special needs in my ID card printing?
6. Do I need to print in color?
7. What is my budget?
8. What am I looking for in a warranty?
9. What does my ID card software recommend for a printer?
10. Which printers are comparable and which offer the best prices?

Give your ID card printer the attention it deserves, and find the printer that’s right for your business.

Printers are essential peripherals, performing a critical role as they render electronic information into tangible records or material output. You’re simply not using your computer to its fullest potential if you are unable to print reports, presentations, letters, photos, or whatever it is you need to output. Choosing a printer can be confusing, however, in today’s competitive, ever-changing landscape. This buying guide rounds out some of the more important criteria to consider before you make that all-important purchase decision.

Printing Technologies

This is the biggest decision to make before anything else. Your choice should be based on how you work and the kind of output you will be expecting from the printer.

Inkjet: Inkjet printers can deliver stunning color, so this is the way to go if you are mostly concerned with printing photos. Inkjets can be used for printing text, but the print speed is too slow if the primary purpose of the printer is document printing. To obtain more photo-realism, choose inkjets with an expanded range of colors that includes light cyan and light magenta in addition to the standard four-color CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). The extra colors deliver more subtle color gradations in blue skies and skin tones. And if you print a great deal of black-and-white photos, consider photo printers with more than one variation of black ink or with gray inks. Many photo printers use color inks to produce a composite black, resulting in a muddy tint. A second black-ink cartridge and different shades of gray help maintain a neutral tone, with the gray ink allowing for subtle shading and thus improving the quality of black-and-white photos.

Dye-sublimation: Dye-sub printers can print continuous tones and a superior range of colors that laser printers are unable to, making them ideal for more demanding graphic applications or color printing. Dye-sub prints are also less prone to fading and distortion over time than dye-based ink prints. In addition, many consumer-based dye-sublimation printers can print directly from digital cameras and also accept memory cards. They are, however, more limited in the range and size of printing media that can be used usually letter-size paper or smaller.

Laser: Laser printers are the perfect choice if you need to print large amounts of text documents. They print faster than inkjets and have a lower cost of operation over the long-term even though they may cost more to buy initially. There are trade-offs, however. Monochrome laser printers produce crisp black-and-white text but cannot be used for color printing. Color lasers deliver excellent text and graphics but are much more expensive and can be costly to maintain.

Printer Usage

Some printers are good for general printing, while others are better at specialized tasks or combine several functions into one machine.

Photo: If you take lots of pictures, consider getting a photo printer. Photo printers can be in the form of photo inkjets which can print both photos and text; snapshot photo printers for outputting small 4×6-inch prints; or professional photo printers for large, tabloid-size photos and often including network connections to enable printer sharing. Most consumer and professional photo printers use inkjet technology, while most snapshot photo printers that print 4×6-inch prints rely on dye-sublimation technology. Regardless of the type or technology that is used, the most important thing to look for in a photo printer is photorealistic quality. Everything else is secondary.

General Purpose: As the name implies, general purpose printers can be used for printing almost anything, including text and photos. Choose a general printer with a laser format if you print more text than photos; and choose an inkjet format if you print more photos than text.

Multifunction: Multifunction printers (MFPs) combine in one device several functions such as printing, scanning, faxing, and copying. MFPs cost less than buying separate stand-alone devices and cut down on the hassle of setting up individual machines. If you are strapped for budget or space, consider these all-in-one devices. Take note, however, that a malfunction with one component takes down the whole device, and individual components may not be upgradeable. MFPs are available with either laser printers to emphasize speedy text printing and the occasional graphics output; or they are available with inkjet printers for vibrant photo printing.

Environment and Applications

When deciding on a printer, think about where and how you plan to use it. The home user will have different printing needs from that of the office worker, photographer, or traveler.

General/Basic home use: Versatile, affordable printers are the best choices here, and inkjets usually satisfy the printing needs of most home users looking to output photos from their digital camera or for other light printing needs. Ink cartridges can be expensive, so look for inkjets with separate cartridges for each color. This way, you need not throw out entire cartridges simply because one color has been used up ahead of the others but replace only the ones that run out.

Home office: An MFP may be a great device to have in your home office, especially if it comes with an automatic document feeder that can process multipage documents unattended. Extra onboard memory increases efficiency and allows for processing of larger graphics and documents with ease. And if scanning and photocopying are important to you, get an MFP with a higher resolution.

Photography: Photo printers are the obvious choice if printing photos is your main thing. Choose either the smaller, snapshot photo printer that produces 4×6-inch prints; or choose larger-sized, professional photo printers that are capable of delivering tabloid-size 11×17-inch prints even up to full-bleed 13×19-inch prints that include a border to allow room for registration marks.

Text printing: If printing large amounts of text is what you’ll be doing most, monochrome standard laser printers are your best bet as they can turn out page after page of crisp text fairly rapidly. These printers are ideal for printing black-and-white text and simple graphics, so you may need to get a separate inkjet or photo printer in order to print color photos unless you wish to invest in the more expensive color lasers that can print both black-and-white and color documents.

Small network: A workgroup laser printer can be what you need if your home office or small office is built around a network. Workgroup lasers pack faster print speeds and have more memory to handle multiple print jobs. They also offer more advanced handling capabilities such as larger trays, and may offer duplex (double-sided) printing, sorting, and stapling. More expensive than standard laser printers, the majority of workgroup lasers are monochrome designed for printing text and simple graphics.

Traveler: For the businessperson on the go and looking to print, portable printers provide the solution with their compact size (small enough to fit into a briefcase), light weight (less than 5 lbs.), and handy power (operates on batteries or with a car charger). Newer models can print wirelessly making it a non-issue if you forget your USB cable at home. Some portables offer great extras such as a sheet feeder for automatic page feeding, are able to handle transparencies and envelopes, and even support an optional scanner cartridge that replaces the ink cartridge and turns the printer into a scanner. Portable printers are more expensive and print more slowly than standard printers, but convenience is what you’re paying for.

PC-free printing

With something called PictBridge support, photo printers do not need to be connected to PCs to be able to print photos. PictBridge is a standard adopted by manufacturers of printers and digital cameras for PC-free printing, allowing photos to be printed straight from the digital camera to the printer by simply connecting them through a USB cable as long as the printer and digital camera are compatible. A variation to this idea is the ability for printers to read memory cards directly from a digital camera or other image-storing device by simply inserting the cards into designated printer slots.

Once the camera is connected to or the card is inserted into the printer, photos can be reviewed in a number of ways, depending on the printer model. Some may feature a built-in LCD screen that allows shots to be reviewed, edits to be made, and the ones to be printed chosen directly from the screen. Other models may let you create an index sheet similar to a contact sheet in film printing so you can mark the ones you choose for printing and rescan the sheet. Other printer models let you decide which shots you want to print straight from the digital camera. Many types of memory cards are available on the market today, so make sure the printer accepts the kind used by your camera for you to enjoy card-direct printing of photos.

Paper Handling

Paper is obviously an important issue in printing. Here are some important tips on paper handling for printers:

When buying a printer, make sure that it’s equipped to accommodate all the paper sizes and types that you’ll be using. If you need to print on heavy stock, for instance, make sure the printer can handle the heaviest paper you use. For this purpose, a printer’s paper path can give an indication of how it handles paper: Inkjets generally use straight-through paper paths, while lasers use S-shaped or U-shaped paths. Generally speaking, the straighter the path, the thicker the media that can be used. However, the curved paths typical of laser printers also makes it possible to have more flexible configurations for input and output trays.

Using the correct type of paper will also make a difference to your printing. Inkjets can print on a variety of matte or glossy photo paper, but make sure you choose the right kind of paper for your printer to obtain optimal print results. For example, matte papers are suitable for both pigment and dye-based inks, while luster finishes are generally more suitable for dye-based inks.

In terms of size, most inkjets and lasers can handle printing of letter and legal sizes. If you need to print larger prints, however, consider a printer that can handle sizes like 11 by 17 inches. You may also consider getting a printer with multiple paper drawers if you’ll be switching between different paper sizes on a regular basis. For a laser printer, multiple output trays, duplexing (double-sided printing), collating, and automatic stapling can be additional useful features.

If you plan to use third-party paper, make sure it works well with your printer. Before you buy a large quantity of third-party paper, try a few samples by printing the same photos on both the printer manufacturer’s paper and the third-party paper, and then compare the results.

Printer Specs and Key Features

Printers feature various specifications, so navigating the spec sheet intelligently requires familiarity with what each specification entails according to the printing technology involved or for the type of usage planned for the printer.

Resolution: For laser printers, 300 dpi is adequate if all you need is to print black-and-white text, but choose at least 1200 dpi for photorealistic grayscale or color printing. For inkjets, choose one featuring 1200-dpi or higher resolution with a droplet size of 4 picoliters or smaller for sharp, clean output. With photo printers, resolution varies according to technology: Output at 300 dpi by photo printers using dye-sublimation technology is comparable to photo printers using inkjet technology outputting at 1200 dpi or higher.

Speed: Speed ratings vary greatly, and the print speeds cited by manufacturers usually refer to printing in draft mode or at the lowest resolution. For laser printers, a more accurate way of measuring actual print speed is to time just how long it takes from the minute you hit “Print” to the time that it takes the printer to warm up, spool the job into the print queue, and for the printed output to finally come out. For inkjets, print speed is not one of its stronger suits; so don’t be overly concerned with this spec.

Memory: Extra memory will come in handy for laser printers to enable them to handle large graphics and documents more easily. Check the maximum upgradeable memory allowed for your printer, if it features a hard drive with similarly upgradeable memory, and if the printer can use generic memory or needs the manufacturer’s brand. In the case of inkjets, memory is built-in and not upgradeable, but this is not an issue inasmuch as processing occurs on the side of the computer so there’s no need for large amounts of installed RAM to begin with on inkjets.

Connectivity: Most printers today no longer support the older parallel connection but feature instead USB 1.1 or Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0) either of which should work fine with USB computers. For printers to be used on a network, it will need to have an Ethernet port to enable printer sharing. For more flexible printing options, you may want to look for printers with infrared input/output ports that allow wireless printing from notebooks or other devices with infrared ports. And if high-speed or long-distance printing is what you need, consider printers with a FireWire port.

Consumables and cost per page

The purchase price of the printer is just the beginning of its overall cost because over time, the hidden cost of ink or toner, paper, and parts will add up. These “hidden costs” are the consumables; dividing the total cost of consumables by the number of pages that can be produced from the consumables gives you the cost per page. Laser printers offer the lowest cost per page, using relatively inexpensive toner and normal-weight, uncoated paper. On the other hand, cost per page for inkjets can be four or five times as much, depending on how much ink you use and the cost of the paper normally more expensive, coated, glossy paper for higher-quality color output. The tank configuration for inkjets should also be taken into consideration. Inkjets with a single cartridge for the colored inks will incur higher replacement costs because the cartridge must be replaced as soon as one color runs out even if the cartridge still contains plenty of ink for the other colors. To save costs, get an inkjet with separate cartridges for black and each individual color.

Print Quality

All the specs and fancy features in your printer won’t mean a thing if you don’t have good, solid print quality whether of text or photos to back it up.

Text: Text should be smooth and crisp. At the smallest font sizes, the individual letters should be clearly readable, and they should not bleed into one another. Medium-size fonts should have no fuzzy edges, and the largest fonts especially bold ones should be filled with solid black, not a muddy brown or bluish tone. You should also be able to see well-formed and well-rounded counters (the openings) in letterforms; if you don’t, it’s usually a sign of the printer laying down too much ink. (Remember, however, that inkjet printers will display some wicking on plain, 20-lb. paper, as the ink bleeds along the paper fibers.)

Graphics: For color printing, look for gradients or areas where a color goes from dark to light. Color should transition smoothly, and you should not see any color banding, where distinct bands progress from dark to light. On a test page, you will likely see a gradient bar that goes from black to white through a series of progressively darker gray shades; the transition from shade to shade should be smooth without a noticeable line. Also, look for a nice balance of colors in color-graphic printing something that’s not overly saturated nor flat and washed out.

Photo: A good photo print should like the original photo. Colors should be accurate and balanced, vivid but not oversaturated. Good detail should be present in all areas, with no jagged lines or pixels or any other visual artifacts. Good contrast should exist between shadow and highlight areas not muddy or flat and without color. You may not always be able to tell the difference from one great print to another, but almost everyone can recognize a bad print when they see one. Trust what you see.

A VGA signal can be converted to Composite Video or S-Video using a VGA to S-Video Converter. S-Video has the ability to separate the brightness and color signals thereby maintaining the image quality and providing excellent detail still allowing for crisp and clear VGA signals to be viewed on the television after they have been converted. These devices support NTSC, SCEAM and PAL video formats. Even though a computer has a single VGA port, with the help of this device it can convert and transmit video to three outputs including, S-Video, Composite RCA and VGA additional viewing options. It can also display simultaneously on all three video outputs if necessary.

A 110-220VAC @ 50-60Hz auto switching adapter provides power to this VGA to S Video Converter. Requiring no additional software for conversion, this device has features which allow horizontal and vertical scaling, picture positioning, and brightness, sharpness and flicker control. It can thereby enable adjustment of video as required. Working on simple plug and play functionality, all a user needs to do is to connect the computers’ VGA card output directly through the VGA input port of the converter and connect one of the outputs to the appropriate display.

The images displayed are as clear as those viewed on the computer. This device supports resolutions of 600×480, 800×600, and 1024×768 and can handle almost any refresh rate. The VGA to S-Video conversion device is compact in size and compatible with most operating systems. These converters are equipped with a menu control function to allow screen adjustments, and onboard buttons to allow for PAL/NTSC switching. FCC as well as CE certified, these devices have a special zoom function through which specific areas of the screen can be enlarged. People who wish to hook up their computer with a home theater or make power point presentations on the television make use of these converters. Due to the numerous benefits of connecting a computer to the television, such as extending the life of your existing equipment, this VGA to S- Video Converter remains popular.

There are many factors to consider when making a decision on which CD printer to purchase for your business. This article will touch on a few of the basics like choosing the right printer manufacturer, cost of CD printers, inkjet or thermal, productivity, speed and durability. Part 2 of this article will dig in deeper on the basic criteria listed above as well as on more advanced points like print quality, color matching, unique printing on each disc, total cost of ownership, used DVD / CD printers and buying from a reputable dealer.

For the purposes of this article I’m focusing on just DVD / CD printers, not duplicators with printers that can print and/or copy CDs and DVDs at the same time. I will save that topic for a future article.

The goal of this article is to give you a basis for making the best decision when purchasing a CD printer so you get it right the first time. In this economy, you can’t afford to make the mistake of buying the wrong printer for your CDs and DVDs. Spending money on the wrong CD / DVD printer for your needs and wasting time figuring it out is both frustrating and a misuse of your company’s resources.

The research for this article was acquired over 13 years of selling, using, testing, supporting, and repairing CD and DVD printers. My experience is with mid-level and high-end professional disc printers, so these tips may not be relevant for potential purchasers of entry-level hand feed on-disc printers that sell for $300 or less. Sub $300 disc printers clearly have a niche, but for professional CD printing needs they tend to have high consumable costs, poor technical support, slow print speeds and in many cases poor print quality.

<strong>Tip #1 – Start with the Big 3 Manufacturers</strong>

Rimage, Microboards and Primera have been in the CD printer and duplicator manufacturing business since it’s infancy. In my estimation they have over an 80% market share of the CD / DVD printers sold in the world. The “Big 3″ are the leaders in their respective print technologies and offer the most stability in the disc printer marketplace. These three manufacturers are in a better position to be in business and support you than their less stable competitors in the coming months and years. They also have proven technical support and post-warranty support that is superior to the other manufacturers in the CD / DVD duplication and printing market.

<strong>Tip #2 – Cost of the CD / DVD printer – Inkjet or Thermal</strong>

Costs vary widely, but the main defining points are the type of print engine technology employed in the printer – inkjet or thermal transfer, and whether or not the CD printing system is manual or automated. Inkjet based CD / DVD printers are less expensive than thermal transfer CD printers. A good automated inkjet printer costs $2500, while a good color thermal transfer CD printer costs $8500 or more. Disc capacity and software features also play a role in cost. Part 2 of this article will dive in deeper on the pros and cons of inkjet and thermal based printers.

<strong>Tip #3 – Automated or Manual?</strong>

Choosing between a printer that you manually hand feed the CDs or DVDs, or picking a automated CD printer with a robotic arm or mechanism that moves and prints the discs for you is a big decision in regards to upfront costs, labor, and productivity. Good hand-fed manual disc printers start at $699, whereas an entry-level automated CD printer with a 20-disc capacity costs about $999. Larger and faster automated systems that hold as many as 300-discs can cost up to $9500. So how do you decide which is best for you?

First, estimate the number of discs you will need to print per week, per month and per year. Factor in any growth in that number quarter over quarter or year over year. I have found that many organizations under-estimate their usage projections because they fail to take into account that other departments or employees will need the services of the new CD printer as well. Second, determine if you will have intense peak periods of CD or DVD production. Many organizations need to produce discs only 1 once a week or month, but need all 100 or 500 in a few hours or just one day. Third, determine what is the value of your time. Do you have the time to put each disc in the printer by hand, or is your time or that of your employee better spent doing something else?

<strong>Tip #4 – Speed</strong>

A question I get over and over again is how many discs per hour or day can a CD printer print? The speed at which a CD or DVD is printed depends on a few factors. (1) Print coverage, (2) the resolution chosen in the printer driver, and (3) the actual printer itself. For example, an inkjet printer that prints a CD label with a small color logo, just a few lines of text, with the print driver set at a lower resolution, can print 200 CD’s per hour. That same printer may only have a print throughput of 50 CD’s an hour with a full color edge-to-edge graphic and the print driver set to the highest resolution.

To a lesser degree the same holds true for thermal CD printers. The Rimage Prism thermal CD printer will have greater throughput with less print coverage, but will not suffer as drastic a drop off in throughput while printing a graphic with more print coverage like inkjet printers do. Interestingly, the Rimage Everest thermal printer has the same disc per hour throughput with one line of text in the graphic label as another artwork featuring 100% print coverage. The Rimage Everest III and Everest 600 printers will each print about 65 discs per hour regardless of print coverage.

<strong>Tip # 5 – CD Printer Durability</strong>

Generally disc printers that are made out of plastic are less durable than those made out of metal. Most inkjet printers that I have used and tested over the years are made mostly of plastic components whereas most of the thermal printers are made from metal parts. That being said we have had good success and our customers have had success with Primera and Microboards inkjet printers with an average useful in-service life of 3-5 years depending on how the users treat them. We have some Rimage Prism thermal printers in our CD / DVD production room that are well into their 10th year of service. As a footnote, these thermal and inkjet CD printers have had scheduled cleanings and parts replacement over the years.

<strong>In Conclusion</strong>

Begin your DVD CD printer research with the three major manufacturers – Rimage, Microboards, and Primera. Forecast your daily, monthly and yearly CD and DVD printing needs and determine whether a manual or automated printer makes more sense. Look at both inkjet and thermal options, while keeping in mind your budget and how long you would like the CD printer to last. If you do not have the budget for the CD printer that best fits your needs, try looking for a good used printer or you may find that outsourcing your CD and DVD duplication and printing to a professional service company makes more business sense.

By Syed Abdul Samad

by : Denny

If you are looking for slow computer solutions a registry cleaner is designed to ward off problems that you might not even be aware of when it comes to your PC. Registries are storage of information within a computers operating system. As they imply, registries register all the processes and functions. Think of the registry as a journal that records all of the processes. Regardless of whether they are automatic or multi-tasking background processes, they are all registered.

A registry cleaner will rid your computer of undesired processes. Aside from viruses, you may simply have some outdated processes hogging computer memory without you even knowing about it. Even if they are not viruses, the results still leave much to be desired. Your PC will slow down and error messages may begin appearing. Soon enough, your antivirus software may fall victim and start having trouble identifying viruses.

Here are a handful of issues that using a registry cleaner can help to fix and provide slow computer solutions.

#1 Errors: Registry cleaners will fix most errors. Therefore, your computer will run faster and crisper than ever before. Many other errors may have simply crept into PC programs you have installed yourself long ago. Many PCs try to run programs that simply do not exist anymore, this is because of errors in the registry.

#2 Avoiding Crashes: If you choose to utilize a registry cleaner, it’s much easier to avoid a system crash. You don’t want to lose all of your data in a moments notice, especially if it’s not backed up on another storage device. You can avoid this headache by using a registry cleaner and removing errors.

#3 Check Up on Self-Downloading Internet Programs. The web is full of adware, spyware, and other programs that will download themselves to your computer. Spyware are programs that will monitor all activity on your computer. Adware hide themselves in pop-up windows and unwanted spam messages. Many of these corrupt programs drift past even the highest quality antivirus programs. However, a registry cleaner will find them hiding in the registry.

Downloading and running a free registry scanner will detect all these errors fast and provide slow computer solutions that will have your PC running like new again right away.

By Jane Joyner

By Hans Kristian Anderson