Tips on using your laser printer

By Zatni Arbi [10pt ML]

JAKARTA (JP): The newer generation of laser as well as the inkjet printers meet the EPA Energy Star's required specifications. They consume very little electrical power when idle. However, older models, such as HP IIP or IIIP, consume a lot of electricity, whether printing or not.

So, to avoid unnecessarily jacking up your electricity bill, try to pool your printing jobs and postpone printing until the end of the day. That way, you won't have to leave your laser printer on the whole day.

You can create a special subdirectory on your hard disk for files that you have to print each day, and copy the files into it. When you've printed them out, you can delete them. If you happen to use Norton Desktop for Windows Version 3.0 or PCTools for Windows 2.0 -- which I wrote about last Monday -- you can create a special folder to put all the files to be printed together.

Also, be sure to use at least the 80 g/m2 paper stock. I've seen people use much lighter paper stock than the 60 g/m2, and that could be harmful to your laser printer. The HP IIP and IIIP, which are the more commonly used in offices as well as at homes in Jakarta, are designed to print on paper ranging from 60 g/m2 to 105 g/m2. You'd better not exceed these limits.

Good quality paper has a different texture for each side, one side is smoother than the other. For the best print result, print on the smoother side. With a little training, your fingers will be sensitive enough to tell which one is the smoother side.

Once I was lucky to find a pack of Xerox photocopy paper in the Blok M area; with quality paper like this, the arrow on the label clearly indicates which side should be the printing side and that makes the guesswork unnecessary. Unfortunately, the store doesn't have it anymore and I haven't been able to find it at any other store. The Globe (Bola Dunia) brand paper is O.K. for your laser printer, as long as you buy only the paper wrapped in beige.

Finally, remember I told you about recycled toner cartridges in Jakarta? I was myself chiseled just recently. You wouldn't be able to tell from the look of the box that the inside was not a factory-fresh cartridge. It's perfectly cut and printed like the original. The plastic bag also looked similar, only a little bit thicker. Only when I took out the cartridge out of the bag did I know it was a recycled one. So, the bottom line is, always buy consumables from authorized dealers. You'll be paying more, but you'll be spared from scum.