How to Avoid Getting Ripped-Off When You Purchase A New Printer

It's no big secret that printer companies like HP and Brother are marketing their printers with the cost of refilling the cartridges in mind. Just the other week my family and I were at our hometown Wal-Mart and we were amazed at the price of a new printer. With joy we threw it in the cart never once thinking about the cost of refilling the contraption.

Let me tell you, that was mistake number 1, mistake number 2 was not looking into all of the other accessories that you have to consider when you decide to purchase a new printer. Did you know that you could also be looking at some seriously expensive add-ons that are all consumables?

Should you decide to go with a color model like an HP Color Laser Jet you'll be looking at replacing drums, condensers and a bunch of other parts. Listen, don't do like I did research the total cost of the operation of the printer before you purchase.

Forget the local warehouse store, you'll be better off at a place with a knowledgeable sales staff that can break down the cost of daily operation in dollars and cents. There are times when a big warehouse store might be able to help you out but this isn't one of them.

Whatever you don't shop by the price of the unit! Ask some questions of the salesman, like "How much is a refill toner cartridge?" How many copies will I get out of an average refill? If you are purchasing a color unit ask how many cartridges there are and how much they cost. Also, be sure to inquire on how many color copies you'll get out of an average refill.

All in all you should be happy if you do a little research. When this is done you'll know what you are getting into and there won't be any unwelcome "surprises" down the road...

Alexis Allen is a self-described consumer advocate in the Home Electronics Industry. You can check out her latest articles at http://www.cheap-toner-cartridges.com

---

Buying a Refurbished Dell Laptop

Dell offers a full line of refurbished laptops on their website, dell.com. Look for "Outlet Refurbished Laptops." There you will find a full range of popular models that run just as reliably as... Read More

Testing Flyback Transformer - How to Test and When to Replace It

Nowadays, more and more monitor comes in with flyback transformers problems. Testing flyback transformers arenot difficult if you carefully follow the instruction. In many cases, the flyback transformer can become short circuit after... Read More

Used Laptop Computer: Your Quick Purchase Inspection Guide ? Part 1

Used laptop computers are everywhere these days. How can you sift through the mass of available used laptop computers to narrow your search down to the right laptop for you? Here are a... Read More

What is Over-clocking a Processor?

Q : What is over clocking?Overclocking is when you make your system processor run faster that its normal speed. This has many advantages and dis-advantages.Advantages : This is obvious, your system will run... Read More

Alternatives to Tape Backup

You may ask, isn't tape an anachronism in the age of optical disks, removable hard drives and a plethora of whiz-bang, random-access storage media? In many ways it is, but because of the... Read More

JunxionBox -- WiFi Access Everywhere

Now you can more easily access the Internet wherever mobile phone carriers offer high-speed data service coverage.The JunxionBox enables multiple computing devices with Ethernet or Wi-Fi (like laptops, desktops, handhelds and remote computers)... Read More

Buying Laser Toner Cartridges

Compatible Laser Toner CartridgesRecently, there has been a huge legal and investigative battle with people selling "compatible" laser toner cartridges. Often, a distributor will sell their defective, ineffective, or even damaging laser toner... Read More

Top Three Factors to Consider While Choosing a Data Center for Your Business

Data Centers are the core of the Internet. The computer servers that power the Interne,t call Data Centers their home. If you think of how many billions of online transactions that happen every... Read More

Selecting a Laptop

Small Can Be BeautifulWhen purchasing a new computer, you may be better served by a laptop than a traditional desktop computer. Recently, laptops with capabilities similar to desktops can be purchased for a... Read More

A Look at Laser Toners

Laser toner is the ink for laser printers. It is an extremely fine synthetic powder (usually plastic) packed into a cartridge. You insert the cartridge into your laser printer according to the manufacturer's... Read More

Laptop Computers Instigate Classroom Revolution!

Have you noticed that laptop computers are beginning to dictate what happens in the classroom? Additionally, mobile technology is changing where learning takes place. This is especially true as laptops are entering the... Read More

At War With The Internet

When it comes to sales of technology products over the Internet, there are now two factors that potential buyers must consider as possibly 'too good to be true'. In the past, there was... Read More

Would You Like An Extended Warranty With That?

Should you buy an extended warranty with your laptop? You may not want to think about it now, but sooner or later, something is going to break down on your laptop. When it... Read More

How To Choose The Best Gaming Laptop

The gaming laptop is coming of age! It is steadily increasing in popularity as performance quality goes up. Gamers now regularly consider laptops or notebooks when searching for that perfect gaming machine.With each... Read More

When Good Color Goes Bad...

Even with the popularity of digital technology, and the availability of equipment and software associated with it, many printing firms are still slow to make the changes needed to upgrade their business. More... Read More

Power and Your PC

The power coming into a computer is the most critical component, and it may be one of the most overlooked. It is just taken for granted that it will always be there and... Read More

Looking for Information on CD Duplication and Replication?

Time is one of the most important things we have that we are always short on. One way to maximize your time is to have the most up to date technology available. But,... Read More

You Can Prevent Computer Slowdowns & Issues

Most people understand preventive maintenance like changing the oil in your car will help your car run better and last longer. The same principle holds true for your PC. Based on the computer... Read More

Do You Have Dead Pixels?

Take a good look at your notebook computer screen. Do you find some tiny dark spots? You could have dead pixels. One of the most expensive parts of your notebook computer is the... Read More

Thin Clients Benefits are Excellent Options for Computer Homeschools... Just a Suggestion

Wireless Consulting and Solution Providers have always been important to african american small businesses and now after several years of having the most technologically advanced homes in our neighborhood, we are beginning to... Read More

Ink Cartridge Recycling 101

Let's take a moment to think about the topic of ink cartridge recycling. In our modern world we just keep throwing our trash away without sparing it a second thought. But where does... Read More

Moving to a New PC

Getting a new PC is exciting and a pain. It's exciting because you get a faster processor, more storage and all the latest stuff even though it's outdated as soon as it hits... Read More

Refurbished Laptop Batteries

There are three refurbished laptop battery types, each named for its component materials:Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries are hardly ever seen anymore. They have dismally low capacities (2000-3000 mAH) and contain heavy metals that... Read More

Buying Cheap Refurbished Laptops

When comparing refurbished laptop models, ask about these specifications:Central Processing Unit: The CPU or processor is the heart of the computer. The more software you want in your refurbished laptop, the more powerful... Read More

Video Encryption

What is Video Encryption?Video Encryption is an extremely useful method for the stopping unwanted interception and viewing of any transmitted video or other information, for example from a law enforcement video surveillance being... Read More

Where does technology come from?

Ever wonder where all the cool gadgets come from? Ever wonder who gets to try this stuff out first? Usually the war machine scientists get it first, try it out and find an... Read More

All In One Printers ? Home Office Workhorses

All in one printers, also known as multifunction printers (MFPs), are printers that also can copy, scan, and in some cases, fax. These machines perform all of these functions, generally using a single... Read More

Testing a Transformer- How To Accurately Test A Transformer

There is two types of transformers in the market- linear transformer and switch mode power transformer. The transformers design is different. Sometimes it is just referred as ac transformer. Linear transformer mostly used... Read More

What Is A Fuse? And How To Test It.

A fuse is a very thin wire, which either melts or vaporizes when too much current flows through it. The thin wire may be made of aluminum, tin-coated copper or nickel. The resulting... Read More