What Plotters Are Environmentally Friendly And Why?

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Environmentally friendly plotters are those that are energy efficient and reduce the impact that they have on the environment. Such plotters also tend to produce less heat and reduce cooling by a substantial amount, thereby providing a more pleasant work environment. Most eco-friendly plotters are Energy Star compliant, which guarantees that they have met strict energy efficiency guidelines without sacrificing performance or productivity.

The average maximum ozone emissions of OCE eco-friendly plotters are about one-tenth that of other conventional printers. In addition, most of these printers utilise recycled paper. Over a period of sixty months, using 4,500 square feet of recycled paper saves 38 trees, 877 gallons of oil, 9,200KWH of energy and 15,750 gallons of water. Below is a look at various brands that offer environmentally friendly plotters.

How to Compare Between Different Panasonic Toner Cartridges

Be it toner cartridges, which are manufactured by Panasonic or the cartridges of any other company, the technique to compare the different cartridges is same. In fact, you can apply the same procedure to compare the printer cartridges belonging to different brands. However, it’s better to draw a comparison between similar products. It’s a bit unusual to compare two things, which are of different nature. 

Now, the question arises, how to compare between two things of the same kind. Say, for example, if you want to compare the printer toner cartridges of Panasonic, then first you need to understand the purpose for which you are thinking of buying that product. Then, think of what are the features that you are looking for or if there is any specific feature, which you want the cartridge to be featured with. These decisions need to be accompanied by the decision about how much you want to spend on a cartridge for your printer. And the final step involved within this process is to choose a few Panasonic printing cartridges, which fulfill the criteria set by you. Now, you can compare among them to select the one that you think is the most appropriate for your needs. 

The best way to draw a comparison among them is to compare those products online. When you visit any site with an intention to purchase toner cartridges, you will have to browse through the different such cartridges stocked and sold by that site. The advantage of this is that, while browsing, you might come across information like if that site is offering any sale on a particular toner cartridge or they are providing any mass discount on all of them and many more such information. This will help you in choosing a product that, according to its original price, was exceeding your budget but was perfect for your requirements.

Now, once you have chosen your desired Panasonic cartridges from the list of products available there, you can draw a comparison among them by clicking the “Compare” button on the site. This will provide you with a detailed comparison among those chosen cartridges of Panasonic toner. The comparison, generally, highlights the unique features of each of the products that are followed by the generic ones. The price of the cartridge is one of the most important things, which every product comparing list is featured with. In addition to these, the comparison even lets you know whether that product is in stock when you are drawing the comparison.

 The image of the product on the comparison list contributes to your decision making for choosing a particular product as well. Each and every piece of such information is shown under the specific name of each product chosen by you. After comparing among the ones chosen by you initially, if you want to reject any particular cartridge then you can simply do so by clicking on the “Remove” button provided there. To add more toner cartridges to the comparison list, you need to follow the process mentioned earlier. 

Summary: Drawing a comparison between the different Panasonic toner cartridges includes an easy process. The best way make to do so is to compare the varied products online.

Apple Laptops Vs HP Laptops

Apple's laptops have come of age with many of their laptop models reaching the top of the market share. They have excelled especially in terms of design with beautifully thin laptops that seem more of a lifestyle product than a technical one. As the one to beat in terms of design, it was only a matter of time before another laptop manufacturer would try to match Apple, which is what HP have done with their HP Envy line of laptops against Apple's MacBook Pro. For this match-up we'll take a look at the HP Envy 15 and 17 against the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch and 17-inch laptops for a head-to-head analysis of both contenders.

Design:

Apple is without a doubt the originator of the aluminum unibody chassis school of design. The advantages have been discussed by many as the better rigidity makes the Apple MacBook Pro laptops lighter, tougher and thinner than the usual plastic. In short, both the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch and 17-inch laptops look like high-end lifestyle pieces of art, rather than computers. However, after several generations of the same look, this can get rather dated and there are no other options asides from the usual silver or white lid. The black bezels do bring a bit more contrast but its nothing that hasn't been seen before.

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HP's revamped Envy 15 and 17 laptops on the other hand take on exactly the same aluminum unibody chassis but now offer black and gray colored lids. Apart from this everything else looks to be almost a carbon copy of the Apple MacBook Pro. This includes the placement of the LED backlit keyboard and the trackpad to the chiclet style keys and the black bezels around the screen. The Envy 15 is a bit heavier at 5.7lbs compared to the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch's 5.5lbs.

Features and Specifications:

The HP Envy 15 starts off with a dual-core Intel Core i5-2430M processor running at 2.4GHz while the base model for the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch has a quad-core Intel Core Core i7-2675QM processor running at 2.2GHz. Both feature a 500GB hard disk drive but the HP Envy 15's hard disk drive spins at a faster 7200RPM. The HP Envy 15 also packs in a 15.6-inch screen with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution against the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch's 15.4-inch screen and 1440 x 900 resolution. Both have slot loading super multi DVD drives for recording and playback.

However, going up the model scale the highest-end HP Envy 17 sports a full HD Radiance 3D display along with a Blu-ray drive and the ability to display stereoscopic 3D using active shutter glasses. Apple have made it clear that they will never put in a Blu-ray drive while the specifications for the Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch laptop are not that different from the higher-end Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch model.

The HP Envy 15 also puts in two speakers with a subwoofer along with integrated Beats audio compared to the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch's standard speakers. Connection-wise the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch still has an edge over the HP Envy 15 with its Thunderbolt port but the HP Envy 15 makes up for this with support for Intel's Wireless HDMI or WiDi along with HP Wireless Audio so you can connect up to compatible wireless audio speakers.

Performance:

Starting out from the base models, the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch easily trounces the HP Envy 15 laptop but this is to be expected from the better Intel quad-core processor. On the higher-end models, the HP Envy 17 does a much better job compared to the 17-inch Apple MacBook Pro. However, the HP Envy 15 does offer smooth playback of full HD 1080p video something that the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch laptop cannot do despite its more powerful hardware. The HP Envy 15 also sounds better, as the Beats audio and built-in subwoofer help to elevate the audio quality. While both trackpads look the same, the glass-covered trackpad on the Apple MacBook Pro is by far more comfortable and responsive. Battery life is also much better on the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch laptop with a battery life on a single charge of more than 7 hours compared to the HP Envy 15 laptop which only gets about 4 hours or so.

Operating System and Software:

Unlike the HP Envy laptops, the Apple MacBook laptops are all using the latest incarnation of Apple's operating system: OS X Lion, which offers new levels of intuitive computing, better support for the hardware and enhanced overall performance. It also comes with award winning software to help make movies, manipulate multimedia and do more with less. The HP Envy laptops on the other hand are using Windows 7 operating systems and are usually loaded to the brim with HP branded software that are more generally known as bloatware. There is also no guarantee that the HP Envy laptops will be able to run Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system that will debut with laptops designed to run the operating system at maximum efficiency.

While you can do more with an Apple MacBook Pro laptop out of the box, you have fewer choices in terms of software, especially in games. With the HP Envy 15 on the other hand you can get a copy of the latest game and run it with ease. You can run these games off the Apple MacBook Pro using a Windows emulator but you can also expect a drop in performance as well.

Price:

Apple's products are generally more expensive than the norm and this also applies to the Apple MacBook Pro laptops. Even the base model Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch laptop retails at $1799.00 from the Apple Store while the HP Envy 15 can be had at $1249.99 or so (depending on where you buy it). This $500 price difference is nothing to sneeze at and can go quite a long way to making up for the lack of good software out of the box. On the other end of the spectrum, the highest-end HP Envy 17 3D retails for about $1599.00, which looks like chicken feed, compared to the Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch laptop's $2499.00 price tag.

Bottomline:

All things considered, the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch laptop is a much better buy compared to the HP Envy 15 as it provides a better deal in terms of performance, usability and battery life. Most users buying a laptop at this price point are looking more for the usability and ease of use than pure performance. However, gamers or those looking for more features and performance would do better with a higher-end HP Envy 17 laptop as compared to an Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch laptop as the capability to display smooth full HD 1080p makes more sense with a Blu-ray drive.

This article is brought to you by Ethan Simmons, a senior contributor at Honest-Laptop-Reviews.Com

Computer Hardware Familiarization Part-2.

The computer hardware that we need to be very familiarize is the hard disk drive or hard drive or HDD. Currently all hard disk drive out there that is available in the market is already in SATA type drive. Although some hard drive that still carry the old EIDE or IDE type remains. The one characteristics of the Hard drive is it's size, where in today's standard will fall on the 320 gigabytes or 500 gigabytes. Also if you want bigger size than the standard one then drive size will be entering the Terabytes zone where after the 500 GIG size the next one is ONE TERABYTES.

For a quick info SATA drive is faster in terms of data access and transmission compare to the IDE type drive.

The Hard Disk Drive or HDD

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SATA connector and IDE connector

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Another important component is the PSU or Power Supply Unit. The power supply distribute the needed electrical supply for each different components of the computer hardware.

The Power Supply Unit

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More computer hardware components on my next post.

Maximizing the Efficiency of Your Printer.

A printer is one of the most useful gadgets that we attach to a computer. It simple allows us to reproduce things so that we could touch them.  You can use the printer at work to create reports or other professional documents. At home you can use your printer to reproduce pictures or just to print text files. Regardless of the application, there are many useful tips and advices that will enable you to derive maximum benefit from the printer and documents created with the help of it. Whatever printer you would use – laser or ink jet, color or black and white – there are many different ways to get the most out of your printer.

We know that dot-matrix printer cost a lot to buy but there ink is very-very cheap. Also dot-matrix printer can have a longer lifespan compare to other type of printer. The following is some advice on how to maximize the use of a printer especially the ink jet type.

  

Using the genuine item for your printer parts and supplies is one way to ensure consistently a high quality. It may seem that it is cost-effective to buy toner made of recycled raw, or re-manufactured cartridges, but a comprehensive consideration of factors when making a deal actually saves money in the long term. Also ink residue could build up in the long run inside the printer’s mechanism if you continue to use refilled ink instead of the original ink

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Using the original, approved by the manufacturer, consumables and spare parts for equipment increases the reliability and print quality that ultimately allows you to save time, money and effort. Often the original ink cartridges and supplies come with a full guarantee for the entire duration of their application.

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It may be that the bulk purchase will save you money because it is often given an additional discount for purchase of multiple quantities of cartridges and other consumables.

It is worth considering how quickly you’ll be using purchased supplies, because the quality of the ink may degrade over time. If you buy multiple cartridges simultaneously, while having some leftovers, do not forget to first expend those that were purchased earlier.

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When it comes to ink consumption, among other ways of saving money it may be mentioned the use of the function “draft” on your computer or laptop as long as you’re not ready to print the final document. When you use the “draft” – less ink is spent that helps save money. In the program Microsoft Word “draft” version can be found by selecting the “print” menu “file” and then “print options”.

If you do not print color documents, it makes sense to set up your printer to black and white version of the print, as colored ink is usually more expensive than black. Web sites are often printed with color by default, but if you configure the printer for black and white print, it will save ink and money. If necessary, you can easily switch to color printing.

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To check your work, while avoiding the unnecessary printing of documents, you must use the command “Print Preview”. Double-sided printing, when the printer permits such a regime, also saves on paper costs.

Printing of documents only when they are really necessary for you saves money and put into practice the respect for the environment. Try to do the checking and proofreading on screen, printing out, if possible, only the most important final drafts of documents.

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This also applies to situations when you need to print one page of a multi-page document: remember that there are the printing options that allow printing only certain pages, so using these functions can extend the lifespan of cartridges for the printer, as well as other minor tweaks.

Nowadays the world has turned into the world of the Internet technologies where computers and printers are its inalienable part. Advantage of this opportunity to save your time and money.

Canon i-Sensys MF4570dn Mono Laser Mfp Printer and Belkin Bitronics Auto Switch Reviews

Here are two reviews of a brilliant printer and switch I recently bought for my small business, they have made my life so much easier and I would recommend them to anyone.

 

Belkin Bitronics Auto Switch 4 Port

Belkin produce some of the highest quality routers on the market for both businesses and consumers. With nearly 30 years experience in manufacturing consumer electronics they are a global leader in connectivity solutions. 

One of the great things about Belkin is they’re unparalleled range of Switches which are not only stylish but also easy to set up and of the highest quality. I have recently installed the belkin bitronics auto switch 4 port to enable me to switch between several different printers and scanners. The 4 port Belkin Auto Switch provides support for any parallel port device allowing for a simple and quick set up.

As well as supporting any parallel port device the Bitronics Auto Switch is plug and play so there is no need for any software installation. All you have to do is plug in your devices and you’re ready to roll. Each switch also comes with a limited life time guarantee as well as a 2m parallel cable.

Canon i-Sensys MF4570dn Mono Laser Mfp Printer

Canon are known for their quality products especially digital cameras and camcorders but they also make fantastic printers especially the iSensys range. The iSensys range are perfect for small and medium sized business users especially if you’re looking for full colour laser output.

Canon i-Sensys MF4570dn Mono Laser Mfp Printer

The i-Sensys MF4570dn Mono Laser Mfp printer is compact and network ready perfectly capable of producing double sided prints. This high quality and highly efficient printer can also handle envelopes, cards as well as labels. 

This MFP printer also has a built in fax machine, scanner and photocopier covering all your business needs. 

Author Bio

Alex Smith is a technology blogger with a strong interest in technology deals especially HP cashback promotions.

Dealing with All the Deals: From an Online Review to an HP Coupon

There are so many different types of televisions, mp3 players, and laptops available to consumers. Sometimes it seems like there should be a channel dedicated to all the different types of TVs you can pick up. Should you buy one with HDMI capabilities, one that is LCD, or one that is Plasma? And while we're at it, what the heck is HDMI? Which brands should you trust? There are also so many “deals” out there, how can you be sure you're getting a bargain? And if you use an HP coupon to buy a new laptop, will it really save you? Fortunately for you, there are a few web sites that make shopping surprisingly easy and give you the satisfaction of knowing that you are truly paying a fair price. 

The last thing you want to do is give someone a Christmas gift that turns out to be a flat screened, Blu-Ray capable, fancy shmancy lump of coal. The best way to ensure that this does not happen is to do your due diligence before making the purchase. Before you ever step foot in a store, search for something on eBay or do research on a company's products. You will want to know what you are looking for. Ask yourself what you're trying to buy. Are you willing to pay for a television that is HDMI equipped (by the way, "HDMI" stands for "high definition multimedia interface," which basically means it makes your movies and TV look awesome). Do you want a television that has Blu-Ray capabilities? Do you want one with 3D capabilities? What kind of special limitations do you have for the television? Make note of what features you want, and be sure you're not paying for features you won't use.

Next, look at a site like Consumerreports.org or Ratings.net. The latter site allows users to create reviews of products they've purchased. Look up the product you are interested in, and see how each brand stacked up in each of the areas that are important to you. Is the HDMI connection located in an inconvenient place? Was it impossible to get an actual human on the line for customer service?

Of course, price is going to be a point of interest to just about any shopper, so once you figure out what brand you believe to be the most reliable, figure out which stores sell that brand's products the cheapest. There are many websites that are dedicated to scouring the internet to find the best discounts on the best products. Take advantage of one of these sites to help you in your quest for quality savings.

If you know what you want, and you know how to utilize the resources at your fingertips, you can find the best deals on everything from DVD players to dishwashers. The only trick is to know what you want, who is the best at providing that, and where to find the best price for it. With those few tips in mind, you can start saving right now!

This is a guest post from Ryan. Ryan is a writer with the Blog Content Guild. He enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, and playing with his dog Crash.

Computer 101

One may ask a question What is a computer? and the answer to that depends on how do you look at things, the computer, basically it has screen which display the information, it has a keyboard and mouse to access and manipulate this information and a main system unit where all the information is store and process. All this component are link together via cables, all this cable is connect to the main system unit most of the time it is located at the back of the computer.

The computer is one of the most used machine today. It can be found in almost all places in all country of the world today. The reason for this is it been design to carry-out all sort of task man would like it to do. Do task are but not limited to are typing,programming, playing games. mathematical computations, simulations, watching movie or video, listening to music, communicating with other people, and a whole lot more. Because of this versatility, it has spread all over the planet in just a few decade ever since its humble beginning.

As i explain earlier the computer is made up of several main keys parts, i say key parts because without them it will not function properly. They are the monitor, system unit, keyboard, pointing devices and printer. Still the other add on parts that has been dim necessary and very useful is the web-cam, microphone and speaker or headset. The function of the the main key part is always been the basic, to input and process the information and create an output of that information.

A computer can do multiple things at once of course this would this would depend on the hardware configuration that the computer has. If the computer will be used for ordinary task such as typing report, watching movies, personal stereo system and playing minor games such as solitaire, then a ready made computer from the shelf is right. But is if the computer will be used for gaming then a higher memory, a faster processor, a bigger hard drive and a separate graphics card will be needed. Please consult and do some planning if your going to buy a new set of computer.

Another function of the computer is to do specific task, one major example of this is a computer is used as an ATM Machine. To function like this a software is used to configure that computer to function as required and an added hardware is added to the exiting computer setup to complete the task. So the computer can be programmed to do also specific task.

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Now here comes the internet, and everybody is suddenly connected to everybody. The function and usefulness of the web-cam, mic and speaker suddenly get a very big boost. It has become a must add-in accessories for the all type of computer, today if you want to talk to your friend or family who is in another far away place, face to face, then all the three items mentioned is a must for you. Such is  the winder of the internet the its changes the status of these three times from luxury to necessity or needs, whenever one decide to acquire a computer. Of course one also needs a stable and reliable internet connectivity.

Now using them all together as one simple machine doing a variety of task then one would have a pretty good idea of what we can expect from this machine called the computer.