Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Tip No 68 - Stay safe

Not really a printer tip, but stay safe, and we will see you next year. Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Tip No 67 - Canon PG-40 CL-41, PG-50, CL-51 woes

Users of the above mentioned cartridges, please don't swap your cartridge into another printer when the ink counter is still working. The programming of the printers using these cartridges is so aggressive that once a cartridge is installed into a printer that cartridge will not have ink levels recognized in any other printer. Any other printer using that cartridge will see the cartridge as a "used" cartridge. More info available here

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Tip No 66 - Alternative to running cartridge under warm water

Here's a tip shared by one of our friends, handy if you want to warm up the cartridge but don't want the ink to dirty your white porcelain sink. Wet a paper towel using clean water (filtered or distilled). Heat the paper towel in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Sit cartridge on paper towel for several minutes. The hot water will break up any dry ink and will draw ink through the jets.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Weekly Tip No 65 - Sharpness and paper type

Generally, matte paper produces sharper photos than glossy paper. I won't go into the science there, but the difference is very very small, and the average consumer need to worry about that.

Monday, December 03, 2007

December Special - It's Christmas

Select one of the two gifts from below:

(1) Free cartridge for all, just pay $5.00 for postage only. Items available for Epson, Canon, and Brother compatible, spongeless, 2-parts, refillable cartridges only.

or

(2) Get 5 dollars off your purchase just by saying "Merry Christmas" to us!

Have a safe holiday!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Tip No 63 - Shortcut to print

You don't need to open a file or its native application to print it. The easiest way to do it is to right-click its icon and choose Print. Windows handles all the details while you do something else

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Weekly Tip No 62 - Instructions on chip swap and reset

Detailed instruction on how to swap and reset the chip of the new Canon PGI-5Bk and CLI-8 cartridges. Click here

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Weekly Tip No 61 - Cartridge not recognised?

If the cartridge is not recognised by the printer, wriggle it to make sure it is sitting tightly inside the printer, thus making sure the computer chip is in good contact.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

November Special - Customer satisfaction survey

Rank the following according to what you look for when purchasing inkjet products online and we will give you a $5 credit to spend in our online store.
(a)Quality (b)Price (c)Fast despatch (d)easy to use website (e)Able to return when product is faulty (f)good customer service

Monday, October 29, 2007

Weekly Tip No 60 - Only OEM cartridges work in your printer?

If you had tried various brands of generic cartridges and all tend to print blue-ish, you might want to have a look at this article http://www.alotofthings.com/viartshop/article.php?category_id=15&page=2&article_id=118

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Weekly Tip 59 - Cheap or expensive?

There are two types of printers, cheap and expensive. Cheap if you buy a budget model for most uses, then fill them until they stop working. Expensive if you want high quality photo printing and prepared to pay though the nose for many years of careful use. Unfortunately, next years printers will be cheap and probably as good as today's top photo printer.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Weekly Tip No 58 - Print yield descrepancies

Manufacturers quote print yield based on 5% coverage, but in reality, 8-10% is closer for text printing and as much as 30-70% for color.

Monday, October 01, 2007

October Special - Write us a testimonial

The testimonial page is a bit dusty now. Time to update it! Write to us and receive a $5 credit to spend with us. New customers, send in your testimonial after your purchase and you can have $5 credit to spend with us next time.

Weekly Tip No 57 - Save on ink?

Do you know some printers will not prime the printhead when the ink level gets below a certain low level? Use this to your advantage (eg, you can power up and down your printer without fear of wasting ink).

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Weekly Tip 56 - Black cartridge printing blue?

If you black cartridge is printing blue, it might be the yellow cartridge which is the problem! Weird? Have a read here http://www.alotofthings.com/viartshop/article.php?category_id=8&article_id=57

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Weekly Tip No 55 - Air-Blow to prime jets

After using the recommended initial method to prime jets a cartridge that has sat for some time or is stubborn may benefit from this air-blow method. http://www.alotofthings.com/viartshop/article.php?category_id=7&article_id=160

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Weekly Tip No 54 - Ever been told that your warranty is voided because you used third party inks?

Ever been told by representatives from Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark that using generic cartridges and refilling will void their warranty? Get them to put it in writing. Give me a copy and we'll both be rich in no time at all!

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Weekly Tip No 53 - Paper matters

Ink of the same brand can produce different results on different kind of paper. Be sure to try different paper to find your perfect combination.

September Special - Buy 3 Get 1 Free is Extended

Purchase any 3 items from www.ecbinkjet.com.au and the 4th item is free. Offer excludes remanufactured cartridges, CISS, laser toners, and HP compatible cartridges. Free item must be of the least value. Simply mention the free item in the "additional notes" textbox when you order, or send us an email after ordering to request for the freebie

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Weekly Tip No 52 - website recommendation

This website http://www.neilslade.com/ has tonnes of useful information regarding inkjet printers. There is a good chance that there is some information you didn't know on that website.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Weekly Tip No 51 - Photo papers longevity

In general, matte (non-shiny finish) photo papers will keep their color the longest, up to four times longer than glossy paper

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Weekly Tip No 50 - Direct CD Printing?

Direct printing on CD might sound cool, but there are a few downsides:
  • Takes very long to dry. Epson recommends 24 hours
  • The quality of your home CD printer is not as good as professional CD printing
  • Colour saturation is low (about 50% of printing on plain paper).

So? Print on labels and stick it on the CD instead!

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Weekly Tip 49 - The more the merrier?

The more colour cartridges a printer handles, the more accurate it is able to duplicate the actual colour. However, if you print mostly black and white, don't waste your money on an 8-colour printer.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

August Special - Buy 3 Get 1 Free is Back!

Purchase any 3 items from http://www.ecbinkjet.com.au/ and the 4th item is free. Offer excludes remanufactured cartridges, CISS, laser toners, and HP compatible cartridges. Free item must be of the least value. Simply mention the free item in the "additional notes" textbox when you order, or send us an email after ordering to request for the freebie.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Weekly Tip No 48 - Never test your cartridge this way

NEVER EVER EVER put a different color cartridge in one for another color to see if the cartridge is the problem. Always replace a questionable cartridge with the SAME COLOR. Why? If you put a different color in the wrong cartridge slot, it will contaminate the flow-through sponge that delivers the ink from the cart to the ink-jet head nozzle. Once you do that, it will require running a gallon of ink through the delivery sponge to get the wrong color out.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Weekly Tip No 47 - Why don't the colors displayed on the monitor match the printed colors?

Because your monitor and printer use different technologies to represent colors, your printed colors cannot exactly match the colors you see on your monitor screen. Try using the ICM (Windows 95or 98) or ColorSync (Macintosh) setting. Refer to your User's Guide for more information.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Weekly Tip No 46 - Dell Printers

Most Dell printers are re-badged Lexmark printers. However, due to some internal modifications, the equivalent Lexmark cartridges cannot be used in Dell printers.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

July Special - Seven is the lucky number

It's lucky dip time. This month, every customer who placed an order between 2nd - 31st July can try your hands on ticket number 1 or number 2. One of which is a free postage offer, the other one a $5 voucher. Both can be spent before the end of 2007.

Weekly Tip No 45 - Refilling instructions

The website below contains refilling instructions for most of the inkjet cartridges available currently. http://www.bs-print.co.uk/Inkjet_Cartridge_Refilling_Instructions.htm

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Weekly Tip No 44 - Keep the Chip

If you have a printer that uses chipped cartridges, you might want to consider keeping a set of used cartridges. In case of chip failure, you can transfer the chip of the old cartridge onto the new ones. Remember to reset the ink counter.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Weekly Tip No 43 - Using multiple printers?

Choose your default printer by going into Start, Settings, Printers, and look for the icon of the printer you want to set as your default. Right-click it and choose Set As Default. Easy enough.

Friday, June 01, 2007

June Special - End of financial year sale

From 1 June to 31st June 2007, take a massive 50% off our already low-priced items. Offer excludes laser toners and remanufactured cartridges. Discount is not automatic, please email us to request for the discount.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Weekly Tip no 42 - Turn off spooling to print faster

By default, your printjob will go into temporary memory (spool), freeing your computer to do other things while your printer is printing. By turning off this function, your printjob will go direct to the printer (faster printing time), but you might lose your work if you close the program.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Weekly Tip No 41 - Refilling Tip

After refilling a sponged cartridge, don't put it back into the printer immediately. Set it over some newspaper (with the nozzle touching nothing) and let the air pressure to stabilize internally. This should ensure a smooth flow of ink afterwards.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Weekly Tip No 40 - Integrated Printhead

Cartridges with integrated printhead are more expensive. But it might turn out cheaper for those who use the printer rarely, as clogged printhead can be changed together with the cartridge.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

May Special - Tell us your radio listening habits

Tell us your location, the radio station you listen to and the time you listen to the radio and we will give you $5 credit to spend in our store. Even if you don't listen to the radio, tell us anyway.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Weekly Tip No 39 - Research before you buy

Remember to check how much are the consumables before you buy a printer because that is where the majority of the running costs comes from.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Weekly Tip No 38 - inkjet refilling tip

When refilling cartridges, refill all colours at once. This way, the printer will not carry out additional cleaning cycle every time you refill a new colour, thus saving you ink.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Weekly Tip No 37 - Help the environment.

Use the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

Reduce the use of ink cartridges - use spongeless cartridges, contains twice the amount of ink in the same cartridges.
Reuse the cartridges - Refill your own cartridges with a refillable cartridge pack
Recycle the cartridges - drop off at PlantArk collection depots at Australia Post outlets.

Friday, April 06, 2007

April Special - Wholesale Stockup Time

We are having a wholesale price special for most of our products this month. Send an email to info@ecbinkjet.com.au to see can you get a piece of this. Time to stock up while prices are low. Minimum quantities applies.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Weekly Tip No 36 - Wasted Ink Solution 3

Inks are mostly trapped inside the pores of the sponge. Spongeless cartridges will make sure no trapped and wasted ink.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Weekly Tip No 35 - Wasted Ink Solution 2

After resetting the cartridge, you can choose to utilize the remaining ink, or refill yourself. Beware that if you continue to use the cartridge without refilling, you have to monitor the ink level closely. Change the cartridge immediately when the ink runs out.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Weekly Tip No 34 - Wasted Ink Solution 1

The first step to utilize all those wasted ink is to know how to reset the ink counter. The ink counter determines the amount of ink left in the cartridge. Most epson cartridges can be resetted using our resetting device. Canon printers can be resetted using the built-in printer software. HP and lexmark can be resetted by rotating (at least 3) cartridges.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Weekly Tip No 33 - Wasted Ink?

Do you know when the computer indicates that your ink cartridge is empty, it still can contain up to 30% of ink inside? For the next few weeks, we will discuss about ways to maximize the use of the cartridge.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Weekly Tip No 32 - Fix your own printer

Should you wish to fix your own printer, you can find some useful resources here www.fixyourownprinter.com.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

March Special - Free Epson or Canon Cartridge

Send an email to info@ecbinkjet.com.au with the title "Free Cartridge" and the cartridge model in the body of the message, and you will receive an Epson or Canon regular compatible cartridge free of charge. Only pay for postage (starts from AUD2.50 only). Limited to one per customer only.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Weekly Tip No 31 - Storage for Canon Printers

Leave the ink tanks in the printer. Turn the printer off via it's on/off switch so the printhead will park and seal properly.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Weekly Tip No 30 - Storage for HP, Lexmark and Dell Printers

These printer cartridges have the printhead built into them. Remove the cartridge and place them in a zip-lock type plastic bag along with a slighly moistened paper towel or napkin. Seal tightly. This will help keep the ink nozzles from drying out.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Weekly Tip No 29 - Storage for Epson Printers

Epson printers should ALWAYS be stored with the ink tanks in place, whether they are empty or not. Removing the cartridges exposes the ink feed tubes directly to the drying effects of air.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

February Special - Write Us a Testimonial

Tell us (email info@ecbinkjet.com.au) your thoughts about our products and services (either good or not so good ones) and you will receive a $5 discount towards your next purchase. View all your testimonials at http://www.ecbinkjet.com.au/testimonial.htm

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Weekly Tip No 28 - Dust

Try not to blow air into the printer. The accumulated dust may fly and end up near the printhead (which may clog it).

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Weekly Tip No 27 - Print Yield

Ever wonder why your printer's page yield is well short of the manufacturers claim? This claim is based on continuous printing until the ink runs out. In stop-start printing, ink is used for priming and cleaning the printhead. Some users might even use half of the ink for this.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Weekly Tip No 26 - Photo Printer or Instant Print Machines

If you are purchasing a photo printer purely for the purpose of photo printing, remember to do your maths first! Using instant photo print machines sometimes costs less. (Remember to include the costs of the paper too).