If you are considering becoming a freelance writer, good for you! But you want to be sure you have the essential equipment you will need to go solo before you tell your current boss where he can go and what he do while going there. Even if you are going to concentrate on writing web content and not printed publications, you still need your own brand spanking new laser copier printer. You can’t get away from them. Just give in and get one.
You Want It WHEN?
I first began my freelance writing career with a printer and NOT a laser copier printer. Big mistake! A printer is not enough in today's freelance writing cesspool – I mean, environment. The big reason you need a copier is for contract purposes. You need to print out these things – and then mail them to your client.
And then, when tax time rolls around, you discover that you accidentally deleted the contract from your computer. All you have (if you're lucky) is the original hard copy. Now – you can go running around town to get that copied, or just whip it out on your home laser copier printer. It saves you a lot of time, hassle and money (in the long run) to make the copies yourself.
Say Hello To Your New Friend, The Tax Write Off
The chances are very good that you will not make any kind of a profit in your first year or two of freelancing. This happens to the best of us. But, you don’t have to go to the poor house (wherever that is). Your new laser copier printer can help you big time – by writing it off as a tax deduction. Keep those receipts. They will save you a fortune.
Not only can you write off the one-time purchase of your laser copier printer (also sold as multifunction laser printers) but you can keep writing off for all of the ink cartridges, paper and labels you use throughout the rest of that laser copier printer's lifespan. It's just the gift to yourself that keeps on giving!
If you ever get audited, you will have to prove that you are a freelance writer. The best way to do this is print out and save all of the rejection slips and acceptance letters you get about your assignments, contest entries, et cetera. You never know when you need to make copies of this stuff. And you usually find out about one in morning that you need this stuff in the next six hours.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Laser Copier Printers: Essential Equipment For Freelance Writers
Posted by Team Nick at 2:10 AM 0 comments
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Advantages Of HP All One Laser Printers For Home Businesses
I never thought I would reach the day where I would voluntarily write a positive review of a HP product. But they have come a long way over the clunky PCs that were put out in the early 1990's. By concentrating on one kind of product – the copier – they have put out an incredible, reliable and hard working all one laser printer for homes business users such as freelance writers.
Oh, Brother!
I personally do not recommend Epson laser copier printers, as they can be very cranky. They either work really well for you or they don’t – there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. I swear – there were days I could only get my old Epsom all one printer to work by showing it catalogues of chainsaws. When my Christmas rolled around, I begged for a new all one laser printer.
I knew what one I wanted. I wanted an all one laser printer made by Brother. They had made an incredible electric typewriter in the 1980's. When I went to college in 1987 (don’t stop to do the math, please), I was asked by everyone if I had a word processor. The print was incredibly beautiful.
However, I had so much trouble getting replacement cartridges for that typewriter than I eventually had to throw it away (with tears in my eyes). This is where you find the first big advantage of getting a Hewlett-Packard all one laser printer is that you can easily find replacement ink cartridges for it. I can even get mine at the local drug store!
Easy To Use…Eventually
Another advantage of an HP all one laser printer is that they're easy to use, once you actually dare to press some buttons. It looks a lot more complicated than it really is. I think I am so used to my cranky Epsom where I could only use it on certain phases of the moon that I found it hard to believe that there could be such a thing as an easy to use all one laser printer.
The other big advantage that I found with my printer is that some of the parts from my old Epsom fit onto my new Hewlett-Packard. I opened up my new all one laser printer to discover a key wire was missing. My muse whispered for me to try the Epsom's wire. It worked and has been working steadily ever since.
Posted by Team Nick at 2:48 AM 0 comments
Friday, August 22, 2008
What To Do With Your Old Laser Printer
Thinking of tossing the old laser printer in favor for a new all one laser printer? Please think twice before chucking it in the trash. Not only is space at a premium in landfills, but most computer equipment that is thrown out can still be used. This doesn't mean you have to store it in the attic, basement or garage where it just gathers dust. With a little effort, you can act as matchmaker between your old laser printer and someone who really needs but can't afford one.
Regifting
Although "regifting" has become a dirty word implying that you are cheap, people who really know you will know that giving a used but quality gift can be just as meaningful as going out to the mall and buying a new one. Because of environmental concerns, "regifting" will probably be called "recycling". It certainly cuts down on waste.
People in your life that could use a regifted but still functioning laser printer include college students, relatives traveling to foreign countries that might not have decent laser printers available at a reasonable price and anyone in your family trying to run a small business or charity out of their homes.
Giving To Charity
If you do decide to give your old laser printer to charity, please make sure that some sort of instructions go with your generous gift. Most laser printers need software in order to make them run. Please make sure the software also goes with the printer. If you lost the directions, you can write the manufacturer. They often keep archives of instruction manuals.
What would the charity do with your old laser printer? It depends on the charity. A homeless advocacy group might use it to replace an old and overworked printer or they might give it to a deserving low income individual struggling to make it. An animal charity could always use a back-up laser printer for their efforts. Other charities often have gift shops, where your old laser printer may be sold.
There's no reason you have to make an anonymous donation of your old laser printer. Contact the charity and see if you can get a receipt of even ten or twenty dollars to show to the IRS and get a tax write-off. Some charities will give up to $50. There's no reason why you can’t take advantage of a tax break to be sure you can still donate to charity.
Posted by Team Nick at 12:56 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Defining What You Can Expect From An All In One Multifunction Printer
With more and more people working from home or from remote locations a need arose to be able to replicate the office environment in a personal residence. All in one multifunction printer became popular as they solved the issue of needing various technology components without taking up all of the space. All in one multifunction printer can come in various forms and provide different features depending on what the need is.
Before all in one multifunction printer were created, people needed to have all of the different components separately and became a mess to configure, support and it took up a lot of the office space. All in one multifunction printer can serve a variety of needs for individuals who are working from home or just anybody who uses various day to day technology tools.
What Makes Up The Tools?
Printer: The first part that makes up an all in one multifunction printer is the printer itself. These can come in various forms including laser printer or inkjet printers. They also can have different variations for when it comes to types of ink and paper that the all in one multifunction printer can support.
Fax: More people every day are sending documents using a fax machine then in the mail as it gets there quicker and it is free! All in one multifunction printer can have a fax machine built in to help keep your home office in communication with where ever you need to send or receive information from.
Scanner: Turning paper to electronic documents has become very popular as more offices and people are trying to be green friendly. All in one multifunction printer will have scanner functionality allowing you to create electronic documents or scan in your favorite family picture!
Copy: Many times people need to copy a piece of paper weather it is for personal use at tax time or when sending out an office memo to all coworkers, copying is an essential piece of office equipment that is included in all in one multifunction printers.
As you can see all in one multifunction printer can provide you with a complete office in your own home with out taking up extra space or giving you trouble with setup. All in one printer require you to connect to your workstation one time instead of setting up multiple connections and configuring various components if you were to purchase each piece of hardware separately.
Posted by Team Nick at 3:29 AM 0 comments
Monday, August 18, 2008
Finding The Best All In One Printer For You
Like anything these days, technology provides many options to choose from when trying to select the best all in one printer for your own needs. Different models, functionality and brands carry similar but far from the same to select from. When trying to find the best all in one printer for you there are many things you need to keep in mind to ensure the model you chose fits your needs.
There are many components that can be included in an all in one multifunction printer and defining which features you might need will help weed through all of the selections and find the best all in one printer. Do you have the need to fax often? What about scan photographs, documents or other pieces of paper? Do you tend to print everything instead of reading it on the screen? Understanding what can be offered and what you specifically need will provide the best all in one printer.
Basic Difference To Keep In Mind
Brand: While brand alone should cause no difference in functionality that the tool provides, finding one that offers high quality with support can help you determine which is the best all in one printer for your needs. Some companies like Dell for example provide great customer service and technical support so if you are not technology savvy the best all in one printer may come from a company that provides great support at a cheap cost.
Features: Home or business requires a lot of technology gadgets to operate. To select the best all in one printer for you, sit down and think about what your needs are and what you are trying to get out of your purchase. The best all in one printer for you may only be a printer and fax combination or maybe you need the scanner and copier as well!
Prioritize: Not all gadgets are created alike and some are stronger in certain areas then others. To choose the best all in one printer for you, prioritize what your printing needs are to ensure you end up with the right model that can print with the right ink and paper you require.
As technology drives our communication and work place, people need the tools to keep up with the environment. By selecting the best all in one printer for your needs you can ensure that you have the tools you need to create a home office where you have all of the gadgets it takes to interact with your customers and coworkers.
Posted by Team Nick at 4:03 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Killing Two Birds With One Stone With An All In One Printer Fax
Faxing has become a part of every day life for most people. While electronic documents have replaced paper in some cases, many documents still require a signed copy to be printed and faxed. By using an all in one printer fax, any person can print and fax at the same location. In addition, if you are awaiting a response from a fax, an all in one printer fax will allow you to receive and print without needing to use different components.
Trying to find the best all in one printer can be challenging as there are trade offs when you combine two different pieces of functionality. For example, an all in one printer fax may have better print quality then another while an all in one printer fax may be stronger and more reliable fax machine. Understanding what your needs are can help you select an all in one printer fax for you or your business needs.
What To Yourself Ask When Buying
Does this all in one printer fax print in color? As there are many different types available, some all in one printer fax machines only print in black and white.
What kind of paper does the all in one printer fax machine support? If you have a need to print on legal paper or standard size, you may need to research to make sure the model you are interested in supports it.
How much does the two components cost separately? If you find yourself wondering if the all in one printer fax is right for you, look up what it would cost to buy each component and compare the prices!
What are the dimensions of the all in one printer fax? Work space and home offices do not always have a lot of room so make sure you know what type of space you have to work with when going shopping. Always keep in mind, if you bought the two pieces separately, what is the best use of space for you!
An all in one printer fax can help make any office or individual more efficient by reducing the amount of hardware they need to support in their day to day life. While some all in one printer fax machines can be stronger in some functionality then others, they all will work to reduce overhead and make you or your employees more efficient with their time and their work space!
Posted by Team Nick at 5:14 AM 0 comments
Monday, August 4, 2008
Reducing Cost With An All In One Office Printer
It takes a lot to keep a business up and running including faxing, printing, scanning and other day to day needs to properly communicate and track documentation. In order to simply the technology needed, many business owners have turned to all in one office printers to help unclutter their office space. Equipment takes up space and with an all in one office printer; you can remove the need to have different pieces of technology taking up precious and costly space!
All in one office printers come in all forms and have the latest in technologies to compete with stand alone printers with the added benefit of having the other office components built in as well. Many specific positions in a company require constant feeds from fax machines, printers and the ability to scan, instead of having them leave their cube and run to a supply room every five minutes, all in one office printers allow more employees to have what they need in a small package that takes up little room.
Benefits Of One Stop Office Technology
Takes up less room: All in one office printer, fax, scanner and copier come in a small package which means more desk space for sorting out your business. With office space getting more expensive, save money on square feet needed by people able to place the all in one office printer in the cubes instead of needing its own supply room.
Less expensive: To buy individual components for your office needs cost a lot of money. Each piece requires cables, support and maintenance while an all in one office printer costs less as it requires less attention and less maintenance.
Easier to support: The more components you have the more places you could have something break. All in one office printers are easier to setup, configure and support from a technology point of view. Different technologies also get outdated faster and require updates frequently, with the all in one office printer, you or your technology staff will only need to worry about one piece.
If you are trying to reduce the space you need to operate your office while at the same time limiting the headaches that come with setup and configuring your technology needs, then the all in one office printer is the way to go. One piece of technology serving all of your technology needs keeps you focused on running the business and not spending time or money maintaining your hardware!
Posted by Team Nick at 5:14 AM 0 comments
Friday, August 1, 2008
Purchasing An All In One Printer Scanner
If you are in the market for a scanner consider buying an all in one printer scanner to add extra value to your purchase. You can get the same functionality as a standalone scanner but with the added benefits of being able to utilize the device as a standard printer or fax machine too!
Things To Look For In An All In One Printer Scanner
Make sure to shop around and compare the different scanning resolutions for each all in one printer scanner device. The resolution will generally be displayed similarly to 9600 x 1200 dpi. This number is generally inflated and is actually a software enhanced resolution. You will want to look for what the hardware itself is capable of producing. On average you should expect to see hardware resolutions in the range of 300 x 300 dpi. DPI stands for dots per inch.
If you are purchasing an all in one printer scanner that will mainly be used to scan text it becomes less important to focus on a high DPI resolution. If you want to scan photographs and then blow them up to be printed out on large scale paper you will need a scanner that has a high hardware resolution to avoid the image looking grainy.
There are a couple different scanner options for all in one printers. If you know that you will be scanning a large volume of documents you will want to look for a device that has a document feeder attached to it. This will allow you to put a stack of documents on the document feeder and scan them all at one time. If you think you will likely only scan a few documents here and there than a document feeder in unnecessary. You will be able to place your documents directly on the flat bed and scan each document individually. This makes a great option for the home user that wants to take advantage of an all in one printer scanner without having to pay for all of the fancy bells and whistles.
Pay attention also to the number of pages the all in one printer scanner can scan in one minute. These scanning times can vary dramatically and if you need to scan high volumes of documents than selecting a device that scans quickly will be essential. Keep in mind that purchasing a high speed all in one office printer can get expensive quickly. Be prepared to spend a little extra money but keep in mind the time you will save scanning hundreds of documents at a time. Again for the average home user this will be less important and simple all in one printer scanners will generally have more than enough functionality to satisfy you.
Posted by Team Nick at 3:36 AM 0 comments