Posts tagged ‘Copiers’

Going Green, and Saving Green, With Managed Print Services

By sizes paper, 19 January, 2010, No Comment

It is no secret that one of the easiest ways to save your business money is to run more efficiently. This applies to all aspects of your business, but the printer and copier fleet is commonly overlooked. Many companies simply track the cost of toner, and that can yield a large amount of savings on its own. But the savings can go much beyond toner alone. Managed Print Services (MPS) paired with eco-friendly; super efficient printers, can save money on paper, energy, toner, reduced downtime, increased productivity and more.MPS, like the name implies; basically means you rely on a specialized IT company to help plan, implement and service your printer fleet. The advantage of having your printing network planned and managed by one vendor is that it saves a substantial amount of time fixing IT problems, ordering toner and implementing new document management systems. Imagine never having to order toner and the time saved by only having one invoice to deal with every month; now this is being efficient.Another way of being more efficient is choosing an eco-friendly printer fleet. Eco-friendly printers, such as Kyocera, can save up to 40% on energy costs when compared to other market leaders. They can also save you money on consumables. Using less toner and drum units reduces money and waste while helping the environment. The reduced waste is one reason Kyocera won the prestigious, MicroScope Award for Channel Excellence (ACE) as Environmental Company of the Year in 2008. It isn’t only about reduced waste; it is also about reduced downtime. Nothing costs a company more money than downtime. When it comes to reliability, not all brands are created equal. For instance, the Kyocera KM-8030 printed 2 million pages with no unscheduled service required. In fact, it only got a paper jam once every 166 thousand pages. Brands like Kyocera are more reliable and have reduced cost per prints which is why H&R Block has 10’s of thousands of them nationwide.Finally, if you really want to increase your savings and decrease your impact on the environment, implement a document management system. Even the simplest document management systems will reduce paper and toner consumption and increase productivity. Document management will reduce the time spent on filing and retrieving documents and make documents more accessible – no matter where you and your employees are. The opportunity to save money and help the environment is obtainable. Even if your business’ printers are new and you believe you have an efficient printer fleet having an outside MPS vendor may help you see the base of the iceberg more clearly. Many times a MPS provider will analyze your network and printer fleet for free resulting in little to no risk of saving your business money.

Multifunctional Machines – the Simple Solution

By sizes paper, 18 January, 2010, No Comment

Anyone who has ever worked in an office will attest to the clutter that can be created by having multiple machines operating in an area with limited space. The wires alone are enough to drive anyone crazy, and the amount of space that some machines take up can make any office feel a bit cramped. In addition to the clutter created by multiple machines, there are also problems associated with having to deal with various manufacturers, suppliers, and technicians.

For a small business, or a business looking to maximize its limited space, the best solution to this problem is to consider the addition of a multifunctional machine. Besides taking up less space in an office, multifunctional machines are more cost-effective. With one purchase, an office can be easily equipped with everything from a fax machine and a printer, to a scanner and a personal copier.

The variety of models available, combined with the variety of uses that are required of a multifunctional machine make it important for any consumer to consider several aspects of the device before purchasing any multifunctional machine.

The main factor to consider in making any purchase of a multifunctional machine is in fact the number of functions that a machine can perform. Some devices have dual functions, serving as both a copier and a printer, while others also include faxing and scanning functions and capabilities in addition to the basic copying and printing functions.

The features of each multifunctional machine also need to be considered. Most multifunctional machines offer two types of printing options. Some use a basic black and white printing engine, while others make use of color printing technology in the form of an inkjet engine. The color is a more viable option for a home or a small office in need of quality and not quantity. The black and white option is more beneficial for offices with a high printing demand.

The final option to consider before making the addition of a multifunctional machine to a business or office is the quality with which original documents are scanned. Scanners in multifunctional machines come with either a flatbed design or a sheetfed design. Machines with the flatbed design are more flexible in terms of use, as they have the ability to scan everything from books and documents to business cards and tattered documents. Sheetfed scanners are typically designed to handle individual sheets of paper, loaded one at a time.

Today’s offices, be they large or small, require a variety of devices to help employees accomplish a variety of daily tasks. The development of multifunctional machines now makes it possible for office managers to satisfy the multiple needs of their office with the purchase and addition of one, all-in-one, multifunctional machine.

Why are There Lines on My Copies?

By sizes paper, 8 January, 2010, No Comment

Why are there Lines on my Copies? (And How to Get Rid of Them!)

Have you ever made a copy and noticed that there are lines running down the length of the page? This article is about identifying image defects or lines that a Key-Operator (Person responsible for the equipment.) can fix on their own and lines that need a repair person to fix. You wouldn’t want to spend $75.00 to $150.00 for a technician to come out to just clean your glass, would you? No, I didn’t think so.Slit Glass With the age of Multi-Functional Printers, (MFP’s) comes new problems. Fax Machines, Digital Copiers and MFP’s all have one thing in common. They all have an item on them known as the “Slit Glass.” Each machine that uses a slit glass as a way to scan images will eventually get dirty and cause lines on copies along with transmitted faxes. These machines don’t scan the same way that older or analog copiers do. Analog copiers use the entire glass with mirrors to get the image to the Photoconductor. Digital copiers use the slit glass. It passes along this small area and uses mirrors that direct it to the CCD unit. The CCD unit then converts the analog information into digital information. When using the Document Feeder or Processor the original only passes over the slit glass. It does not get copied from glass where you lay down your original.How to Determine if the Slit Glass is the Problem. On Copiers, MFP’s and Fax Machines you can quickly diagnose if the slit glass is the problem. Copiers: First make a copy on the glass. If there are no lines showing, then make a copy through the Document Feeder or Processor. If there are lines on the copy then more than likely it is the Slit Glass causing the problem. I say more than likely because there are occasions where this may not be true. Fax Machines and MFP’s: First print a journal or a function list. To print these refer to your Operators Manual. If you don’t have a line, make a copy through the Document Feeder or Processor. If there are lines then your problem is the slit glass.Digital Copiers and MFPs This type of slit glass is easy to spot. Just lift the Document Feeder up and look for the small rectangular glass around 1 inch by 12 inches. Look at it carefully. If there is anything stuck on it, this will cause a line. The Image defect will look like a small pin sized line all the way across the page, although I’ve seen larger even 1 inch wide. The most common substance that I have found stuck to the glass is white-out. This happens because they don’t let it dry well before running it through the feeder. When it dries on the glass it doesn’t come off easily. Another issue is blobs of ink, again this is because of not allowing enough time for it to dry. Being impatient actually will cost you more time in the long run.Cleaning the Slit Glass. Cleaning the slit glass is easy but you need to pay close attention and be sure that you have removed all of it. Take your finger nail and scrape off as much as you can. Get a cotton towel and saturate it with alcohol. I also recommend using an alcohol swab. These come in little sealed pouches and are inexpensive and easy to find. Let the spot soak for a minute and this will loosen up the white out. Glass cleaner does not remove it as good as alcohol. There is something about alcohol that breaks down the white out. Next, go over it with a lint free cotton towel soaked with glass cleaner, and then dry it off to eliminate streaks. Never spray the liquid on to the glass because some of it may find its way inside the machine.Fax Machines. The slit glass on a fax machine may be a bit harder to get to. The document feeder or processor is normally under the control panel. Lift up the panel and shine a flash light on to the small slit glass. It is about 1 inch by 12 inches in diameter. Use the same technique to clean it.You Cleaned the Slit- Glass but the Line is Still There. Some times the blob of white out is really stuck on the slit glass. I have a procedure that is fool proof in finding where the spot is, because sometimes it is so small that you can’t see it. First, get the copy that has the line on it. Hold it directly and evenly on the slit glass. Look carefully and see if you can follow the line to the glass. This is where the spot is. One thing about this procedure. You must check it both ways. Turn the original 180 degrees and inspect it again because the image is reversed because of the lens. Now that you have found the spot you may have to use a solvent to get that spot off. These can be stubborn and difficult to remove. You can try WD-40. My technicians use a solvent called D-Ink (Coopers). D-Ink is very expensive but it works well. If you still have the line on your copies then you have another problem. Calling for Service Call a qualified repair person to come out and take a look. I recommend using a local independent repair company. Look them up in your Yellow Pages. I recommend an Independent because they usually are a smaller company and they will give you more personalized service. I hate those crazy phone systems, being stuck in a loop when trying to call for service. Most of the time they also have more experience and you won’t be paying for over- inflated hourly rates of an authorized dealer or huge corporation.Other Line Problems If you followed my tests and you have a line both copying from the glass and using the Document Feeder then you have another problem. I believe that it is always a good idea to have a good technician ready to call, but why spend money when it is something so simple anyone could do it. Here is a list of probable causes. Many things could be wrong so I am not going to go in too much in detail. Possible Causes / LinesLaser Printers, Laser and LED Fax Machines Toner cartridge, Charge roller, paper or object stuck inside blocking the scanner, transfer roller, optics, and corona wire. Note: You can clean these but if you don’t know what you are doing you can damage something. Inkjet Printers and Fax machines Print head, Ink cartridge, dirty optics, paper or object stuck up inside machine blocking the print-head or optics.Copier and MFP’s Toner cartridge, Charge roller, paper or object stuck inside blocking the scanner, transfer roller, corona wire, and dirty optics. Note: You can clean these but if you don’t know what you are doing you may damage something.

I hope this article has helped you save some of your hard earned money. There really is no reason to spend money when you can just clean it yourself!

New Generation Copiers

By sizes paper, 12 December, 2009, No Comment

Having a quality copiers for your home business or office is essential for completing your workload. You want a copier that gives you high quality documents and in an efficient amount of time. Here is a guide to the newest copiers of this generation. For a good colour copier consider the DocuCentre-III C3100. This color copier is multifunctional with the abilities to not only provide you with the copies you need but it also works as a printer, a scanner and a fax machine as well. You can have basically all your office needs met with this copier. This copier works quickly and has a high quality resolution. It also provides a security option that prevents access to those documents which you consider to be confidential. For your convenience it also has a feature where it switches the paper tray when the one you are currently using is empty. When one is working with a limited amount of space you do not want to have to sacrifice quality just because you do not have much room to work with. In this case you would do well with purchasing a DocuPrint C1190FS colour printer. This is also a multifunctional copier that can also print up to 12 pages per minute and for pages that are only in black and white you can print up to 16 pages per minute. This multifunction copier also holds up to 50 pages of paper and 384 MB of memory. If you are just looking for a black and white copier then the DocuCentre 1085 is an excellent choice for a black and white multifunctional copier. It provides the copy, scan, print and fax options. Administrators are also able to track the status of this copier from their desk. This copier is also made for lots of use and is one of the most durable copiers on the market today. You are also able to email scanned documents in certain formats which is not only saves on time but money as well. This black and white copier also has a touch screen interface which makes it extremely easy to use. This particular copier is also convenient because you can upgrade it later on if you find that you need extra features as your business continues to grow. Another excellent choice for a black and white copier is the WorkCentre 4150. Besides providing you with an excellent copying experience this copier can also turn into a multifunctional work station that meets just about any of your office needs. This black and white copier also conveniently has two-sided copying capabilities as well as two-sided printing capabilities. This black and white copier provides all the modern touches you need for your business.

Quick Fix for Paper Feed Problems on Copiers, Fax and Printers

By sizes paper, 30 November, 2009, No Comment

So you need ten sets of a fifty page document for this mornings meeting. It’s 8:30AM and your meeting is at 9:00AM. You begin with your project and the copier jams. You clear the jam but it keeps jamming! It’s not pulling in the paper. Sure you can call the repair person, but you need the copies now! There’s nothing you can do, or is there?

All office equipment that feeds paper has a component inside that pulls the paper out of the paper tray and into the machine. Most are made out of rubber and just like the tires on your car they wear out. When a roller is worn and dirty they will cause paper jams. The purpose of this article is to show you how you can clean or rejuvenate the rollers long enough for you to complete your job and have your repair person come out and fix it properly. Alternative solutions

When your machine is jamming, first locate where the paper is jamming. Which paper tray? Is it tray 1 or tray 2? Also which size is jamming? On machines that have more than one paper tray you can switch paper trays and then you can skip cleaning the rollers. Make sure when you change cassettes that the copier registers the correct size. The machine will think it is a different size and it will jam. The sensors are set for a specific timing and it will know the difference in length from letter size and legal size. I also would try using the bypass tray or manual feed tray if so equipped. This will get you up and running quicker than cleaning the rollers.Determining if the rollers are the problem:

If you need the specific tray to be functional we will get busy with the repair.

First make a single copy in the tray that is jamming. By doing this you are determining where the paper is jamming. If it is jamming in the exit for instance, you have another problem. If it is jamming in the center of the machine, again it is a different problem. But if it jams at the cassette or paper tray area the next step is removing the paper tray. Shine your flashlight into the paper feed area and see if there are any pieces of paper torn off inside or something blocking the paper path. Now that you have ruled out a blocked paper path, you can clean the feed roller(s).Tools Required:

Flashlight, strong cotton towel (so it will not rip off in the machine), WD-40 or Rubber roller rejuvenator.

Note: Never use alcohol to clean rollers. It dries out the tread and the remaining tread will get ripped off and then it still will not feed. Use WD-40 it works great!Cleaning the rollers:

Shine your flashlight into the paper feed area and locate the rubber rollers that feed the paper in. Grab your towel and saturate it with cleaning fluid. This can be WD-40 or your favorite roller rejuvenator. Start by cleaning the roller and spinning it all the way around not missing any of the surfaces of the roller. Then go over it again with the dry part of the towel. As I said there are many different types. Some have a set of three rollers. One Pre-feed roller, this pushes the paper into the other rollers. One feed roller and one separation roller. Others have a half moon style. These are harder to clean because they have a clutch system that keeps it at home position when not feeding. WARNING: If you try and turn these to clean them you will damage the clutch mechanism! There are two ways you can clean these types. First you can actuate the clutch by pushing down on the solenoid or release lever. This sometimes can be hard to get to. You can also start the copy process and shut off the machine exactly when the feed roller engages. This takes some patience and practice but it is better than damaging the clutch. Once you get it where you can clean the roller repeat the procedure above.Some alternatives to replacing feed rollers:

There is a material called feed roller tape. I have used it when I didn’t have the right roller in my car stock. It works with some styles mainly half moon styles. Just peel off the adhesive and wrap it around the worn roller surface. They also have some that stretch over the old rollers. I have never used this but I have been told it will get you up and running. On old copiers or printers that you can no longer get parts for you can apply clear silicon on the feed surface and let it dry twenty four hours. It works but I am inclined to use the real thing. You can also use generic rollers manufactured for almost all equipment. I have mixed feeling about these because I have had to go back and change them again later. For the best repair I use genuine OEM feed rollers. They are still inexpensive and they will last you longer and you will have fewer headaches.Feed Rollers

There are many types of rollers and feed systems. Here are some common feed rollers with their part numbers. Rollers will normally come in a maintenance kit but they may need to be replaced approximately half way through the maintenance kit cycle. HP LJ-4000 laser printer

Feed Rollers

RG5-2651-000CN x 2

Note: These are very easily replaced. Just unsnap them and replace them with the new roller.Toshiba E-Studio 350/450 Photocopier

Paper Feed Rollers

44201807000 x2, 4400669910

Note: These take a little more work. First you need to remove the paper feed assembly and then you can get to the clips that hold them on.

I hope this has helped you complete your print or copy job. Please remember that this article is just a quick fix and not a long term solution. Be sure and call your repair person to fix it correctly.

How to buy a copier guide

By sizes paper, 26 November, 2009, No Comment

Buying a copier for your office can become a daunting task with the huge variety of options available. To make the buying process easier, it is better to understand your budget, the copying requirements etc . It may also be worthwhile to explore if there any tax saving options available for your business.

For a SOHO business, the convenience of copying in house as compared to visiting a copy shop may be the key reason for buying a copier. For an SME, the considerations can be the cost of copying in house vs externally as also the time factor. With the advent of the multifunction copier, it is now possible to have a laser printer, copier, fax and scanner all in one! This can help with managing space in your office. If you require large volume of copying and printing, then there are machines custom designed to do this economically

Below are a few features you must consider before you make the final decision :

Duplexing

This is the capability to print on both sides. It’s worth paying a little more for this feature as it saves money in the long run.

Black And White Or Color Copier?

If you plan to use your copier for producing marketing collaterals, it is worthwhile investing in a color copier.

Copier Versatility

Make sure the copier can handle a variety of paper sizes and weights. You may also need to copy transparencies and index cards. If you need to copy from books, then go for a flatbed copier.

Copier Paper Capacity

As a business person, you can save time by giving a decent size copy run instead of copying one paper at a time. Look for a copier with a paper capacity which matches your requirement. You may also want a copier with a automatic document feeder that holds at least 20 sheets.

Copier Maintenance

Buy copiers which is low on maintenance. It is better to invest a little more into a high performance copier with low maintenance than a cheap copier with a high maintenance

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