I have been asked if I write a weekly newsletter and no I don’t. After reading all the requests I will be sending a newsletter out on a weekly basis. Expect to see the weekly newsletter in your inbox soon! Sign up here to receive your weekly newsletter. noreen@anounce.com
I will write an ebook based on the newsletters. I guess I just wonder who would be willing to pay for a book. Based on my opinions about New Printers, Used Printers, New and Used Plotters and everything concerning these machines. How do I connect my Printer or Plotter, what Printer or Plotter should I purchase for my Office or Home? There are a lot of questions that I could answer for you the public. Question, are you the public be willing to pay for it? Or would you like to see it in my monthly Newsletters?
Tell me what you want to read. Leave all comments below. I want your feedback, send an email to noreen@anounce.com.
Let us learn and grow together in this ever-changing world of printers and plotters.
I will write an ebook based on all my weekly newsletters.
Printer Reviews – What kind of a printer should I buy?
It is that time of year again, that demands the answer to the questions, what should I do with last years printer? Is it worth repairing, or should I buy a new laser printer, a new inkjet printer or a new colour laser printer? It is back to school, college, university or work, and the same questions remain, so hopefully, this will help you decide what to do!
“What kind of a printer should I buy?” If I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question in the run of a month, it would likely purchase all my groceries! Well that being said, I understand the confusion in purchasing a printer. Regardless of whether it is for home or business, it can be a daunting task. Just the sheer number of printers available is one thing BUT the options they all offer is another. Plus you have to consider your operating system and whether it is compatible with the new printer!
Here are two interesting videos that may help your decision.
So here I will try and filter what you should look for when purchasing a printer/or printer copier fax.
1. The first thing to determine is what it is going to be used for (ie. text only, school projects, brochures, photographs, and approximately how many pages a week or month are you going to print) Is the printer going to be used for production of any type? Will you require a fax? Will you require a copier? I had a customer that was doing her thesis on a monochrome laser printer that she paid less than a 100.00 for and wondered why it got so hot while she was printing 750 pages x 3 copies, and why her toner was empty. The machine was not meant to work that hard. (wrong machine for the job)
2. The second is do you NEED or do you WANT color? Sometimes a want is just that, and you never use what you think you wanted. Sometimes it is good just to sit down and figure out the cost of color. I did our daughters wedding invitations on a Canon color inkjet machine a couple of years ago, (it was a fun project) but it was not really cost effective. I figured with the cost of the ink and photo paper, London Drugs would have been cheaper. So like I said figure out what you need the printer for, and remember that sometimes our wants are just that, wants.
3. So now you have determined whether you need just a printer or a printer and copier, and determined how much printing per month, and if you need color. So let us filter machines. The industry standard is HP and Lexmark for Laser Printers (there are other don’t get me wrong here) I had a customer call and she was going to purchase a Xerox machine (which she did) but when she needed toner on the weekend she was out of luck because she had to order it thru Xerox, she called me wondering if I had stock…I personally like a Brother Laser Printer (just finished installing a Brother Printer Copier on my mom’s laptop). Great machine for her (wireless and network monochrome laser for less than 100.00) Fantastic deal for her all her needs. Toner cost is 60.00 and prints 2100 pages. For an office environment the more you pay for the initial printer, the less you pay for toner cartridges. I currently have a used Lexmark T650dtn printer for sale it comes with 2 trays, duplex, and network for $625.00 (includes full toner). The compatible toner cartridge I sell is $199.00 and will print in excess of 25,000 pages. So for a production machine it would be very cost effective.
So my suggestion to everyone pick a printer you think you like or want and then check the cost of the consumables (ink or toner cartridges) for that particular machine. There awhile ago Future Shop had a color laser printer for $79.00 and it came with starter cartridges that did 250 pages each. The cost of each cartridge was $179.00, so you do that 4 times and was the printer really worth $716.00 to you after a month of use? Only you can answer that.
4. I will list in order my favorite printer brands for your office environment
HP
Lexmark
Brother
all other brands
5. For the home (laser printers)
Brother
HP
Samsung
INK JET PRINTERS
Canon
Brother
HP
Epson (the best choice for photos) but you have to be willing to pay the price for cartridges
Happy Shopping, and if you need any assistance or would like any questions answered, please call Anounce Printer Repair, our technician fixes them all.
250-474-1901
This is brought to you from the beautiful city of Victoria BC
So here I am, and our theme for the new year seems to be Plotters, HP Designjet Plotters. Plotters, Plotters, and more Plotters, it seems like we are doing all things plotters this season.
I haven’t posted in a very long time, and that is for various reasons. The #1 reason being I had a major computer malfunction and lost everything for the past 6 years, so it took a time to get back up and running. So we will start the New Year with Plotters. The 2nd being I’ve started a new business and that is taking up a lot of my time. Google “The Home Picture Store Canada” and see my work in progress there. https://www.thehomepicturestore.ca/
There are plotter belts, carriage assemblies, printheads, service station, formatter boards/hard drives, and new plotters, Epson, HP, and Canons. We can also add in vinyl cutters as they are often considered plotters too.
Since our workspace is a mere 425 square feet and we have currently 2 HP 42″ plotters, and 2 HP 24″ plotters and waiting on a vinyl cutter to arrive we are a bit overwhelmed, to say the least. Honestly, I have got to say Anounce Printer Works is loving the work and challenge.
If you are interested in purchasing a new plotter, we love the HP DesignJet series so visit our Amazon Store and check out what is available.
Happy New Year to all things Plotters, whether it is an HP Designjet or an Epson or a Canon. We even service Roland Plotters!!
Installing Printer Drivers –USB, Network or Wireless
Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Lexmark, Samsung
All printer drivers have an order to the installation process. If the process is followed the print driver will be installed on the device properly. The first order of the process is to find out if your device is compatible with the printer you are installing. If you are installing a printer on a network, follow the steps below. Choose your printer manufacturer below and follow the steps. Any issues please call us at 250-474-1901.
If your printer model is not listed on this page please call 250-474-1901.
NETWORK INSTALLATION
Understand what a network printer is. A network printer is a printer that is installed directly on your network. A network printer is not dependent on a connected computer being on, but can be somewhat difficult to configure, especially if the printer is older. Not all printers can be configured as network printers.
Read the installation guide for your printer if you have it. Installing a network printer can be a bit trickier than installing a USB printer, and many printers have specific ways that they need to be installed. Referring to your printer’s specific installation guide can save you a lot of headaches down the road. You can usually find the installation guide as a PDF file on the manufacturer’s support page for your model.
Connect your printer to your network. There are generally two ways that you can connect a network printer to your home network: wired or wireless.
Wired – Connect your printer to your network router using Ethernet network cable. Generally, this doesn’t require any further network configuration.
Wireless – Connect your printer to the wireless network using the display screen (if available). Most wireless printers will have a small display screen that you can use to find and connect to your home network. If your network is secure, you will be asked for the password. If you don’t have a screen, you will likely need to connect the printer to your computer using USB and configure it in Windows first.
You can quickly find the support page for your printer by opening Google and searching for “manufacturermodel support”.
Open the Control Panel. Once the printer has been successfully connected to the network, you can install it in Windows from the Control Panel.
Select “Devices and Printers”
Click .Add a printer.
Select “Add a network, wireless, or Bluetooth printer”. Windows will begin scanning for the printer on the network.
If you are using Windows 8, Windows will automatically scan for both local and network printers instead of giving you the option to choose which you want to look for.
Select your wireless printer from the list. Click Next
Install the drivers (if prompted). Windows may prompt you to install the printer drivers. Make sure you are connected to the internet and then click Install driver. Once the drivers are installed, you will be able to print to your network printer from any program that supports printing.
If you don’t have an internet connection, you can use the disc that came with the printer to install the drivers.
Not all printers will require a separate driver installation.
Anounce Printer Works support is available between 9:30 to 4:00 Monday thru Friday and by email info@anounce.com 24/7.
ID Card Printer drivers and support for Fargo, Zebra, DataCard, Magicard and all others please call.
If you own a printer, it is essential that you should also know how to fix 5 common errors of a printer. Instead of calling a printer technician every time, you may be able to solve the issues yourself. Listed below are some issues to look for, and also look at the error code on the printer itself. Do the routine check of the printer, and if you don’t find the solution, call Anounce Printer Repair at 250-474-1901. Here is a list of common errors that often arises with a printer.
Cable issue– This is the most common type of problem, The device loses connectivity, it is a good idea to check all cables, remove them and re-insert them to the port. Turn off the power and turn it on again to check. Replacing a Network or USB Cable is not uncommon.
Cartridges issue– Check the cartridges of a printer to ensure they are installed properly, check whether printer cartridges are empty, if you found it empty, replace it with the new one. If cartridges have sufficient ink, re-install the cartridges and re-start the printer. Print defects can be simple, sometimes it is just a defective cartridge, and replacing the cartridges will have you printing faultlessly once again.
Software and driver issues- make sure that software’s and drivers are properly installed in the computer if you see frequent errors on screen, update/re-install the drivers, or if HP printer software is poorly installed, it will create hurdles to initiate the printing process. Also, see if the firewall is preventing certain commands, open the firewall setting and for certain applications turn off the firewall to run the program.
Print and paper setting– check the print setting if you found the common error on the printing process, make sure the paper is put in the tray in the right manner, and the paper in the tray is the same as the paper selected in the driver. Check if the correct printer has selected to do the print job, also make sure there are no print jobs in the queue.
Error Codes- Error codes can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Check your user manual for a list of codes. Email info@announce.com or call 250-474-1901 and we will let you know what the error is.
Anounce Printer Repair- call or email and we will assist you with any issues you have with your printer 250-474-1901 or info@anounce.com
This is a question I hear everyday. At one time I would have just replied “Yes”, but not anymore.
The reason, well it comes down to how much money you want to spend, as anything can be repaired, but do you want to pay the price to have it done. Most households can purchase a printer (whether it be an inkjet, monochrome laser, or color laser) for less than $200.00. Our in-shop rate is $55.00, for just labor, and if parts are required that adds more cost. So…do we repair printers? Yes, depending on the machine and what is wrong with it.
Anounce Printer Repair will tell you honestly over the phone if your machine is worth the drive to have it repaired. Hey some people can get very defensive, and think that we don’t want to help them. I am a consumer too, and I don’t know about anyone else but I don’t like to waste my money and appreciate someone telling me if something is not worth repairing, because I can replace it cheaper.
Just so you all know, we make more money repairing than we ever would selling you a new printer…the markup on a new machine is less than $20.00. So after I pull my technician off a job to talk to you, and it takes 15 minutes to convince you to purchase a new printer, and then you go to Staples or London Drugs, how much money did I make? Nothing. So if Anounce Printer Repair tells you it is not worth repairing, don’t take it personal, just accept the advise and buy a new one, as we have just kept $55.00 in your pocket.
If it was about the money we would have you drop off your printer, and take your $55.00 and you would then have to go by another machine, but hey I would be $55.00 richer. So please, I am not being mean, I am just trying to help you save some money.
What kind of a printer do you recommend? Well guess that is for another day, and YES I do have an opinion on that too.
Have a great day here in Victoria BC. We are here to help with all your printers & plotters.
I have fielded calls more regarding HP Design Jet Plotters than I ever have in the past 20 years. Since this, I thought I’d just write a bit about them, considering I have customers on a wait list for them.
The HP Design Jet Plotters seem to be the industry standard, although both Canon and Epson have excellent plotters available also.
The issue we seem to see regarding plotters is the lack of servicing. If a plotter is serviced and maintained over the course of its life it will last longer. So I guess what I am trying to say is preventative maintenance does work. Cleaning a plotter on a yearly basis will give more life to the belt and other moving parts. We offer this service and for a fee of approximately $140.00 (this includes taxes) your plotter can be inspected/serviced and cleaned. Most clients tend to wait until they have an error code on the plotter and it quits in the middle of a job to call and have it repaired. For Tips and Tricks to keep your plotter running smoothly call one of our technicians at 250-474-1901.
We are located in the beautiful city of Victoria and offer plotter repair service for all of Vancouver Island.
When should a Plotter be serviced?
Anounce Printer works recommends that your potter is serviced at least once a year. Call and book your plotter cleaning at 250-474-1901.
Printer Repair & Plotter Repair in Victoria BC, is there really such a market anymore? Today I heard that my main printer parts supplier is closing their distribution centre on the west coast of Canada. I am saddened by the fact that I now have to talk to someone in a different time zone, and that the cost of my parts has just increased because of the added cost to ship printer parts across the country.
So here is my thought or question of the day. Does anyone repair their printers? If printers are being repaired why is my west coast distribution centre closing? Oh, this isn’t the first of my suppliers to pull out of the west coast. We here on the west coast are the most environmentally friendly in Canada, so why am I going to Ontario or Quebec for my parts? Oh, that being said that begs another question, are we really the most environmentally friendly, or do we just talk about being environmentally conscious?
The thing is, printers are inexpensive to purchase. All printers will not work on all operating systems. If the printer is broken, you replace, and if you update your computer, you replace your printer. So yes we are really an environmentally conscious province. Are we really trying to ‘save the planet’? Or are we just intended to “recycle” our electronics because you know the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’? I know everyone recycles electronics…but that bodes the question, where do the recyclers really take the electronics (another topic, another day)
What To Do
At the end of the day, it is back to PRINTER REPAIRS. Is it worth the cost and that is up to you the consumer and to me the technician?
I had someone call me for a part for an HP DesignJet, and yes I can purchase the part but the ETA is anywhere from 10 days to 60 days. If you have a production plotter like this you cannot have downtime of 60 days, as work just doesn’t work that way. So it is difficult to get parts, and difficult to have a client willing to wait up to 60 days for parts, so they go purchase new.
So as my printer parts suppliers all close on the west coast, I can still go to Ontario, Quebec, and China to purchase supplies, and pay to have an item shipped across the country or the globe, so yes Anounce still tries to repairs printers in Victoria BC.
Call Us
Call Anounce Printer Repair to troubleshoot error codes on your printers, and remember Anounce is here to help, call 250 474 1901.
call us at Anounce Printer with your printer model…for a special price on compatible toner cartridges for your home or office machine
Summer is here! Call us for our summer toner cartridges that have been discounted, so you can print without breaking your pocket book. Mention that you visted www.anounce.com and receive these prices.
HP LaserJet 12A Toner Sale $38.50 (regular price $62.90)
MANY MORE AT DISCOUNTED PRICES, call or email to see how much your compatible toner cartridge is! If your printer jams, call us we replace rollers and will clean your printer also.
Remember we sell ink cartridges too, and Fargo cards and ribbons.
Contact us by email, info@anounce.com, or telephone 250-474-1901 and we will be able to assist you with prices for your office or home machine. Anounce Printer Repair will be happy to save you money on your next toner purchase.
Brought to you from the beautiful city of Victoria BC.
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rollers