Do you save money using a Franking Machine for Post?

With postage prices due to increase very soon, the potential savings of using a franking machine postage service become more attractive.
Over the last few years we have leased a franking machine from one of the main service providers in the United Kingdom because potential savings of between twenty percent could not be ignored.  Unfortunately we found the system to be unworkable due to it causing extra paperwork and lost time.
One of the main problems we found was topping up the machine with credit!  It should be a simple procedure where you transfer money from your bank account to the service provider.  Initially we were given a one thousand pounds credit limit which only lasted a couple of weeks (Reduced to five hundred pounds duting the last credit crunch!).  When this was exhausted, to keep using the service we were required to pay back the thousand pounds plus add credit to our account.  We would transfer the money via a BACS transfer or cheque (Debit card payments were not accepted).  After the transfer had been actioned we had to call customer services so that they could locate the payment.  On more than one occasion our payment could not be found by the first operator, resulting in a second or third call until we spoke to a competent person.  The credit would then be added to our account.  We then would move on to the next step which was dialling up the data centre on our franking machine to download the credit.
Once the machine is topped up with credit it can be plain sailing.  Every time you print a label and stick it on a parcel you are saving money.  Significant savings are made on small packets and parcels.
Come the end of the month you receive several invoices containing charges for machine rental, top up charges etc.   The billing is very confusing and impossible to understand.  In fact even employees of the service provider company struggle to make sense of them!  In my opinion it is confusing by design so that they can make more money by added charges and possible mistakes!  You just give up in the end trying to understand what is going on!
It is important to negotiate with the service provided in the beginning to get a lower monthly rental and service charge because their are more charges that do not become apparent in the beginning without reading the small print.  One of these charges is for updating the postal rates on your machine which can cost fifty pounds (If you complain you may get a 50% discount).  Another is the monthly connection required to update the machine software.  Ink cartridges for the franking printer can cost forty pounds when purchased direct from the service provider, and if you are a frequent user of the service you will need a new one every four to eight weeks.
These added running costs really start to eat away at your margin of saving and taking into consideration the amount of time wasted topping up your account and machine; not to mention the complicated billing, any savings made are just not worth the hassle!  The extra administration required removes your focus from your main function in the business, adding unnecessary stress to a modern day work place.
These days we buy ordinary stamps from the post office.  When we apply them to the parcels we must remind ourselves of how much administration time and hassel we are avoiding, and not focus on the actual higher cost of the stamps.
Compatible franking machine cartridges can be purchased from http://www.printercartridges.net/

Wireless Printers for Tablet Ipad Iphone Android Mobile Smartphone Devices

We are regularly being asked which printers are compatible and offer support for mobile devices such as ipad, iphone and Android tablets.  Brother, Epson, HP and Lexmark currently lead the way, offering many models which support wireless communication.  However just because a printer has a WiFi capability, it does not mean that it is compatible with mobile gadgets!  Quite often extra software is required to make the link between the two pieces of equipment.  There are software applications (apps) that make successful communication possible. Apple use something called AirPrint, and Epson iPrint.  There is also Google Cloud Print for printing from your cloud based apps on the go.
Compatible printers for AirPrint are as follows...
Brother DCP-J525N, DCP-J525W, DCP-J725DW, DCP-J725N, DCP-J925DW, DCP-J925N, Brother MFC-J280W,  MFC-J425W, MFC-J430W,  MFC-J432W, MFC-J435W, MFC-J5910DW, MFC-J625DW, MFC-J825DW, MFC-J825N, MFC-J835DW, MFC-J955DN, and MFC-J955DWN.
Canon MG5310, MG5320, MG5330, MG5340, MG5350, MG5370, MG5380, MG6210, MG6220, MG6230, MG6240, MG6250, MG6270,  MG6280, MG8220, MG8230, MG8240, MG8250, MG8270, MG8280, Canon MX431, MX432, MX434, MX435, MX436, MX437, MX511, MX512, MX513, MX514, MX515, MX516, MX517, MX712, MX714, MX715, MX892, MX893, MX894, MX895, MX897.
Epson Artisan 730, Artisan 837, Epson EP-804A, EP-804AR, EP-804AW, EP-904A, EP-904F, ME Office 940FW, PX-1600F, PX-1700F, PX-B700, PX-B750F, Stylus NX430, NX530, NX635, Stylus Office BX535WD, BX630FW, BX635FWD, BX935FWD, Stylus Photo PX730WD, PX830FWD, Epson Stylus SX440W, SX445W, SX535WD, TX435W, TX730WD, WorkForce 545, 645, 7510, 7520, 845, P-4011, WP-4015, WP-4020, WP-4025, WP-4511, WP-4515, WP-4521, WP-4525, WP-4530, WP-4531, WP-4535, WP-4540, WP-4545. 
HP Deskjet 3050A J611, 3070A, HP Envy 100 e-All-In-One D410, 110 e-All-In-One D411a, HP LaserJet P1102w Printer, P1606dn, Pro 100 color MFP M175nw, CM1415fn Color MFP, CM1415fnw Color MFP, CP1025nw, CP1525nw, HP LaserJet Pro M1212nf MFP, M1213nf MFP, M1214nf MFP, M1216nf MFP, M1217nfw MFP, M1536dnf MFP, Officejet 6500A e-All-In-One E710a, 6500A Plus e-All-In-One E710n, 7500A Wide Format e-All-In-One E910a, Pro 8500A e-All-In-One A910a, 8500A Plus e-All-In-One A910g, 8500A, Premium e-All-In-One A910g, 8600A e-All-in-One Printer N911a, 8600A Plus e-All-in-One N911g, 8600A Premium e-All-in-One N911g, 5510 e-AiO B111a, 5514 e-AiO B111h, Photosmart 6510 e-AiO B211a, 7510 e-AiO C311a, D110a, eStation C510, e-All-In-One B210, C310, Fax e-All-In-One C410a,  Wireless e-All-In-One B110, HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275.
Lexmark C792, C925, C950, OfficeEdge Pro4000, Pro4000c, OfficeEdge Pro5500, Pro5500, Pro715, Pro915, Lexmark X548, X792, X925,  X950, X952, X954.
We currently supply compatible ink cartridges for the following printers that are compatible with AirPrint...
Brother DCP-J525N, DCP-J525W, DCP-J725DW, DCP-J725N, DCP-J925DW, DCP-J925N, Brother MFC-J280W,  MFC-J425W, MFC-J430W,  MFC-J432W, MFC-J435W, MFC-J5910DW, MFC-J625DW, MFC-J825DW, MFC-J825N, MFC-J835DW, MFC-J955DN, and MFC-J955DWN.
Canon MG5350, MG6250, MG8250.  Details available from http://www.printercartridges.net/

Epson Stylus SX445WE Printer Compatible & Refillable Cartridges

The new space saving SX445WE, a member of Epson's new Small-in-One range, offers-effective printing, scanning and copying with the flexibility of Wi-Fi connectivity, PC-free printing and smart-navigation touch-panel technology.
A major consideration for many before buying a printer is how much the ink will cost!  Fortunately we have premium quality compatible printer cartridges available for this machine at https://premium-inks.com/collections/epson-compatible-ink-cartridges/products/set-compatible-cartridges-epson-t1295-wf-3520dwf-wf-7525-wf-7015-wf-7515 and also the special refillable cartridges with auto reset chips at... https://premium-inks.com/collections/refillable-cartridges/products/non-oem-refillable-cartridges-epson-t1291-t1292-t1293-t1294-400ml-ink-syringes
Details of our bulk refill ink and syringes are also available from our main website at http://www.printercartridges.net/

Stock Clearance Very Low Cheap Discount Prices on OKI C5500 C5600 / Xerox Pahser 6110 / Epson Aculaser C1100 / Samsung CLP 300 etc.

We are currently looking to make space for new stock and need to clear the following items.  We have researched on-line prices to ensure that they are the cheapest currently available.  These products are offered at a very low price and stocks are very limited, so act quickly to secure a good cheap purchase!

2 Sets of OKI C5500 C5600 C5700 C5800 Colour Toners...

Set Xerox Phaser 6110 6110MFP 6110VN 6110N 6110VB 6220 6220MFP

Dell 3000 / 3100 CN Toner Cartridges...

Epson Aculaser C1100 Compatible Toners...

OKI C3100 C3200 C3200n C5100n C5150n C5200n T Compatible Toner Set...

Samsung CLP-300 300N CLX-2160 2160N Toner Kit...

and finally...
OKI Compatible B4400 B4600 Series Black Toner Cartridge
https://www.printercartridges.net/

HP 364 HP 364XL Ink Cartridge Refill Kit by Inktec Black and Colour

We are pleased to announce a new product for refilling the popular Hewlett Packard HP 364 black and colour standard and high capacity cartridges used in the following printers... HP Photosmart B8550, B8553, C5380, C5383, C5390, C6300, C6380, D5460, D7560 HP Photosmart Premium All-In-One C309, C309g, C309h, C309n, HP Photosmart Premium Fax C309a, HP PhotoSmart All-In-One HP Photosmart B109a All-In-One, B109c,  B109f Special Edition, B109n, B109q Wireless, B110a, B110c, B110d, B110e,  B8550, B8553, C5380, C5383, C5390, C6300, C6380, D5460, D7560, Plus All-In-One, B209, B209a , B209b, B209c, b210, b210a, b210b, b210c, b210e, C309, C309g, C309h, C309n, C309a, Fax e-All-In-One C410b.
Inktec HP 364 HP 364 XL Ink Cartridge Refill Kit - Black
HPI-7016D InkTec Refill Kit for HP 364 / HP364XL Black Ink Cartridges (Not Photo Black). Kit contains... 2 x 20ml plungers of black ink, matched to the HP original ink, 2 x refill clips, to attach to the ink cartridges during refilling, 1 refill clip for HP364 (violet insert), 1 refill clip for HP364XL (green insert), protective gloves, and full instructions.
Inktec HP 364 HP 364 XL Ink Cartridge Refill Kit - Colour
HPI-7018C InkTec Refill Kit for HP 364 / HP364XL Colour Ink Cartridges. Kit contains... 1 x 20ml plungers of each cyan, magenta and yellow inks, matched to the HP original ink, 3 x Refill clips, to attach to each ink cartridge during refilling, protective gloves, full instructions.

These products can be purchased direct from our website at... https://www.printercartridges.net
We also stock bulk refill ink and empty refillable cartridges for these models at... http://www.printercartridges.net/

Epson Stylus Office B1100 A3+ Printer with Premium Inks Compatible Ink

We recently received a new stock of Epson Stylus Office B1100 printers that offer A3+ size printing.
We are now offering these at a reduced price due to the fact that a local customer has purchased the original genuine Epson ink out of them. Instead the printers now come with Premium Inks branded compatible ink which we recently tested with the aforementioned model machine.
On Saturday we loaded one of the units with the high quality compatible ink which we sell at... https://www.printercartridges.net

We test printed some Van Gogh paintings and was extremely impressed with the quality achieved by the machine in conjunction with our ink!  Using A4 Matt and A3 Photo Glossy paper the end results compared well against earliar prints performed by the R1400 machine.  In fact I personally prefered the B1100 prints to the ones produced by the more expensive R1400 machine, even if print speeds were slower.

More details of these products are available from http://www.printercartridges.net/

New HP Printer Manufacturing facility will produce 40 Million Inkjet and Laserjet printers each Year

HP have agreed to build a new manufacturing facility in Chongqing, China to produce Inkjet and Laserjet printers.  The factory located in South West China will take three years to complete and will also eventually manufacture 150 Million Inkjet cartridges each year.
Chongqing is fast becoming the Information Technology hub in China with Acer and Asus already having bases there.  HP already own a desktop and notebook manufacturing plant in the area.

New refillable compatible Epson T7011-7014 , T7021-7024 , T7031-703 4 Inkjet Cartridges with ARC.

We have received test sets of these new refillable compatible cartridges to replace T7031-T7034 (standard capacity), T7021-T7024 (high capacity), and T7011-T7014 (ultra-high capacity) for use in Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4015DN / 4025 / 4035 / 4025DW / 4515DN / 4525D/ 4525DNF / 4535DWF / 4545 DTWF printers!
This set has been sent to a loyal customer who will trial the product over the next few days.  In particular we will be testing the auto resetting chip to make sure it is recognised correctly and that it resets itself on an artificial cycle.  As soon as we are happy with the quality we will order stock and make them available at the following links... https://www.printercartridges.net/printercartridgesstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=116
Bulk ink and syringes can be purchased from http://www.printercartridges.net/

Update: We ordered two similar sets of cartridges from two different manufacturers for the above printers.  One of the sets was found to be completely successful, however the second set would not reset the ink counter after one cycle.  We will be ordering a limited supply of the working version which will be available very soon from our website.
Successful Set Test Report: 
These cartridges were filled with ink using 10ml capacity syringes.  Because these large reusable cartridges hold more than 80ml of ink; a larger filling device is recommended.  There are bigger syringes available which hold more ink and will save time and potential mess.
The cartridges were inserted into the new Epson printer and were recognised immediately with perfect results.  We left the printer performing a long print run and we are pleased to say that results were consistent with no fading or banding.
Note:  Do not leave the small colour plugs in the air filter chamber as this will stop ink from flowing!

New In: Refillable cartridges for Ricoh GC31BLACK GC31CYAN GC31MAGENTA GC31YELLOW

Now in stock and available for £49.95 are the set of empty compatible refillable gel cartridges for Ricoh GXE2600 GXE3300 GXE3300N GXE3350N GEX5050N GXE5500 GXE5550N GXE7700 printers.  Designed to replace OEM codes GC31BLACK / GC31CYAN / GC31MAGENTA / GC31YELLOW, these plastic cartridges come with a chip resetter to reset ink levels.
They are easy to refill (no special tools are required) and the capacity of each tank is a massive 80ml.
Buy from our website at http://www.printercartridges.net/  Direct product link is https://www.printercartridges.net/printercartridgesstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=116&products_id=1627

HP Lightweight Paper will suffer from Inkjet Bleed-through on heavier printing.

HP are to introduce (Spring 2012 - North America / Late 2012 - Europe) a new lightweight everyday A4 paper rated at just 60 grams per square metre.  There aim is to reduce the environmental impact of their current product by 22 percent.  A lesser amount of raw material and energy will be required to produce the product, and transportation and storage costs will be reduced.
We think that this is a good idea for certain applications such as invoices and packing slips, however we feel the product may be unsuitable for general purpose printing.  If too much ink is applied to thin paper the colour can bleed or seep through to the other side; known as bleed-through. It is therefore important to use the correct paper for the type of ink coverage required to eliminate bleed-through issues.
We have found that even 80 gram thick paper is susceptible to such problems, and customers of our Louth computer shop usually opt for 90 or 100 gram thick A4 paper reams which produce better quality double sided results.  However the common mainstream 80 gram standard paper will continue to dominate the market place as the vast majority of our customers only print on one side of the sheet.
Larger organisations may find a place for this new product, which will enable them to lower their carbon footprint.  It is doubtful however that 60 gram paper will become common-place for home and small business printer users.  The current 80 gm standard works satisfactory with most inkjet and laserjet printers on the market today.
For details of our Louth, Lincolnshire store please visit http://www.printercartridges.net/

Epson Stylus Photo R1400 Printer and Premium Ink Compatible Cartridges Produces Impressive Results

At our Louth office we unpacked a new Epson Stylus Photo R1400 yesterday.  Instead of using genuine Epson inks I installed Premium Inks Compatible Ink Cartridges to replace (T0791 Black, T0792 Cyan, T0793 Magenta, T0794 Yellow, T0795 Light Cyan, T0796 Light Magenta).

Set up was very easy for this machine.  I just plugged in the USB cable from my laptop to the R1400 printer after installing software from the provided CD.  It took a while for the CD to install, but after a re-boot we were up and running very quickly.

The supplied Epson software includes an Easy Photo Print Utility.  With this you simply have to browse for the image you are printing, then select the paper size and type.  To begin with I used the automatic factory settings and printed some classic Van Gogh paintings on A4 Jetplay matte inkjet paper 190 g/m2 paper.  The first print was of the Café Terrace at Night, painted in mid-September 1888.  The first thing to catch my attention were the oil brush strokes that seemed almost to add an extra dimension, standing proud of the paper!  Important to also note the dynamic range of colours produced by the Epson R1400 in conjunction with the Premium Inks cartridges.

Today (07/05/12) I experimented with A3 size Sumvision 260 gram glossy photographic paper.  I decided to select a powerful image of a Peacock featuring vivid iridescent blue-green colours.  Again the results were impressive, however I think they would have looked better on a high quality matt paper; and although the resolution of the source picture was high, on closer inspection the clarity and definition of the image are not 100%.

In the afternoon I purchased a Wilkinson 20" x 16" plastic wood effect glazed picture/photo frame incorporating a cream mount.  The opening was almost too wide (on the shortest sides) to comfortably seat the A3 print, however with some careful maneuvering this was achieved.  There was an inch of play on the length meaning we lost a couple of centimetres of the image behind the mount.

A nice gentleman came into the shop today looking to purchase a R1400 printer after seeing the unopened box in the window last week.   I informed him that we only had one unit left and this had been used for demonstration purposes over the last couple of days.  After seeing the prints it had performed, he wanted to purchase it.  So I no longer have an R1400 printer to play with which I am a little sad about.

I have just ordered a cheaper Epson B1100 A3+ printer that I will put to the test later this week.

Compatible cartridges for the Epson Stylus Photo R1400 are available from http://www.printercartridges.net/

We are looking for a cheap reliable supplier of real light wood picture frames to house A4, A3 and A3+ prints.  If any readers can recommend a seller then please reply to this blog.  Thank you.

Refillable Printer Cartridge Troubleshooting Guide (Ink Flow Problems / ARC Chip Not Recognised)

There are several checks that you need to perform if you are experiencing performance issues with refillable cartridges.  Here are some of the most common problems and solutions.

Problem: No ink is coming out of the cartridge.
1. Make sure that you only have one rubber stopper / bung inserted in the cartridge.  Do not block the air filter hole as this will stop ink from leaving the cartridge.
2. Inside many refillable cartridges is a spring, that when pushed up opens a valve.  This is usually located at the bottom where the ink should come out when entering the printer nozzles. If you insert a syringe (without needle) and push it up, this will open the value and you will be able to suck a small amount of ink into the syringe.  This will create a siphoning motion and hopefully sustain a proper flow of ink.  You then remove the syringe while maintaining pressure, not allowing any ink to go back into the cartridge. Replace the cartridge and run a head cleaning cycle or two.
3. If after performing the above troubleshooting techniques ink is still not transferring on to the paper, then you may have a blocked nozzle or print head.  You may need to use cleaning fluid to clear blockages.  We recommend you purchase special head cleaning cartridges.  We stock these for various printer makes and models including for Brother, Canon, Epson, and HP at.. https://www.printercartridges.net/printercartridgesstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=222  You could also use the refillable cartridges you already have by filling them with cleaning solution.  Please refer to our cleaning cartridges instructions for more details.
4. If you cannot clear the blockage then you will need to buy a new printhead (for certain Canon and HP printers), but this could prove more expensive than buying a new printer! You will need to decide whether you like the printer enough to keep it and that it offers superior quality and cheaper runing costs to newer models.  For Epson and Brothers printers that contain a fixed printhead you may be forced to replace the printer!  This is very common practice in these modern times of recycling!

Problem: One or more of the cartridges are not recognised by the printer. (Replace Cartridge Error / Cartridge needs replacing / Wrong black or colour installed etc.)
1. For models that contain a smart-chip it is necessary to have the correct version installed.  Make sure that you have the correct cartridges for your printer.  Please see our full range at.. https://www.printercartridges.net/printercartridgesstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=116
2. If one cartridge is not recognised then try removing it and carefully wiping the chip.  Then re-install and try again.
3.  For Canon and Epson models, try taking out all of the refill cartridges and unplug the printer at the wall socket.  After one hour has passed plug it back in and re-install all of the refillable cartridges to see if this has solved the problem.
4.  For Brother printers unplug the printer at the wall for one hour before trying again.  This should reset the memory.  Brother cartridges do not contain a chip so cartridge information is estimated by the machine.
5. Some printers do not like a mixture of special refillable cartridges with ARC auto reset chips and ordinary OEM or compatible microchips.  You will need to install the complete set of reusable ink tanks for them to be acknowledged.
6. The latest type of reusable cartridges for use with Epson printers (Stylus Color S22 SX125 SX130 SX225W SX235W SX245W SX420W SX425W SX525 SX525W etc.) features a small battery.  If the cartridge does not reset automatically you may need to perform a manual reset.  This can be performed by touching the two copper pins on the chip at the same time with a metal piece.  If your version does not contain these pins then you will need to remove the battery to reset it.

For more hints and tips visit our main website at http://www.printercartridges.net/