Lexmark Printers To Be Sold Through UK Apple Store

The connections between printers and Steve Jobs' branding behemoth Apple may not be immediately obvious; yet the two realms are strangely entangled. Last year for example, printer manufacturers like Hewlett Packard raced to become the first company to release an iPhone application for their wireless printers. Now meanwhile, speculation is rife as to when Jobs will announce printer compatibility for the recently released iPad. Printers and Apple have proved natural partners.

Yesterday's announcement by Lexmark that they will soon begin selling wireless printers through the UK Apple Store then is less surprising than first appears. Indeed other manufacturers must be kicking themselves that they missed the cross-branding opportunity.

Initially only three Lexmark printers will be available through Apple: the Interact, Interpret and Prospect wireless printers. Each of these models includes Smartsolutions software, enabling (with the proper app) nearly instantaneous printing from your iPhone. Moreover though these printers normally cost £120-170, Apple is offering a special deal: anyone that buys a Mac alongside their Lexmark printer receives a £70 rebate.

Hewlett Packard and other ink cartridge producers will doubtless be watching closely to see how the promotion fares.

Of course those who take advantage of the offer will need to keep their Apple-friendly Lexmark printer stocked. For great quality ink cartridge and paper supplies, 999inks.co.uk remains your premier online retailer.

Switch Your Font To Century Gothic And Save Money

It’s too easy to tally your printing expenditure at the end of six months and find it rivals the national debt. There’s the cost of stocking the paper tray, replenishing the ink cartridges, and maintaining the machine itself. The occasional minor outlay contributes to (what is before long) a shockingly large total!

Of course, there are several means to bring down the cost of printing. Perhaps the most important is switching from official to remanufactured ink cartridges. These remanufactured cartridges (available at 999inks.co.uk now) offer comparable printing to OEM cartridges at a much lower price. They’re an incredible way to create savings!

In addition, printer owners can further reduce their printing costs by making one change to their word processing habits. This change? Switch the standard font to Century Gothic. According to recent findings from the University of Wisconsin, Century Gothic is the world’s most economical font – using 30% less ink to generate letters than Arial. Over the course of several documents, that creates a massive saving – so go Gothic!

Come back soon to the 999inks Blog for more money saving tips!

Sand Printer Provides Seagulls With Reading Material

Ever wanted to print a document viewable from space? Without petitioning HP to make a 100ft tall printer with ink cartridges to match, you couldn’t have found much luck.

Until now that is – because the sand printer by conceptual designers Zanadesign produces letters several feet tall. The only things to worry about are the tide, and that the Spanish wheel only prints the words ‘Cadiz 2012.’

The brainchild of Tomás Silva Alonso, a graduate of London’s Royal College of Art, the sand printer is powered by positioning small children inside the circumference, and convincing them to push.

Though the words ‘Cadiz 2012’ commemorate 200 years of the Spanish constitution, meaning that the wheel was created in the spirit of peace, how the children are made to push we can’t imagine.

The sand printer came into being after Alonso sent the idea to Cadiz council, winning first prize in a ‘Promote Cadiz 2012’ competition. The council soon contacted Alonso, and asked him to develop a working model.

Made of inorganic materials, the sand printer impacts on the beach without making a negative impression on the environment. What’s more, it gives the seagulls something to peruse whilst chewing on stolen chips.

HP To Roll Out Web-Connected Printers in Spring 2010

999inks.co.uk News: HP To Roll Out Web-Connected Printers in Spring 2010

A new range of printers from Hewlett Packard enable printing from the internet without the need for a PC.


Some might query the value of a printer that lets you print straight from the internet without using a computer. What’s wrong with right-clicking from the desktop to receive your desired image? Yet at Hewlett Packard, Vice President of Marketing for the Imaging & Printing Group Ralph McNeil is certain this is the future of printing. In Spring 2010, he intends to begin global distribution of a new range of printers that enable users to produce documents straight off the internet, without the need for a PC.

In an interview with Marketnews.ca, Mr McNeil outlined his vision for the new printers. He said that the internet printers operate using a large touchscreen, eliminating the need for a computer. The details of the interface have yet to be finalised though, and this is something Mr Macneil recognises is crucial: "The easier it is, the more I'm going to use it," he told Gordon Brockhouse, in an article dated 11th December 2009. Regarding the value of the new printers he is more certain. He asserts that the expanding internet does not detract from the printed image, but increases the number of potential documents to be produced. "Where does it [the HP web printer] take you? To a repository of value on the Internet."

In 2009 HP greatly expanded their range of web applications, with programs that enabled users to print from their iPhones. A similar app for the Blackberry is expected soon. Mr Macneil anticipates that the HP web printers will mark another new platform for printing, making 2010 “a very exciting year” for the printing brand.

Government Subsidies for Publishing Industry?

Print News: Government Subsidies for Publishing Industry?


Publishers around the world are facing the notion that the survival of their industry may depend on government support.

The future of the printed word may depend on government subsidies, according to several stories circulating at the moment. Not only in Canada, where government support for ‘literary arts already totals tens of millions, but in the United States, where attitudes to state intervention are more hostile, the idea of supporting the ailing publishing industry with financial subsidies is gaining traction. This possibility – first raised by writers at the Washington Post in November - has emerged owing to a terrible year for publishing. Publishers have struggled to make the shift to online media profitable, and redundancies have followed.

In an 8 December post by David Kaplan at PaidContent.org, he writes that the quantity of magazine publishers appearing at the USB Media Week Conference will shrink by almost 5%. This is but the latest in a series of bracing reports to challenge not only publishers but the print industry. For example, it was found recently that almost 87,000 in the US print industry this year have been made unemployed.

Yet the deluge of bad news seems to have awoken people to the fact that the publishing industry is worth saving – by whatever means. Tom Clavin at 27east.com has proposed that ‘printing on demand’ may save the printed text from total collapse. His suggestion though reduces print to a niche industry: an aesthetic novelty subordinate to the digital colossus. Yet some writers would prefer that publishing be saved wholesale. In an 8 December article entitled ‘Keep Print Alive,’ Rachel Mendleson of Macleans.ca writes of the possibility of larger subsidies by the Canadian government for the publishing industry. In 2007 $80 million was contributed.

Elsewhere, in a 30 November post by David Westphal at Ojr.org, he notes that subsidising the publishing industry is a longstanding institution of the US Government. This is in spite of widely held right-wing perceptions to the contrary. Beginning with the Postal Act 1792, the cost of mailing magazines and newspapers has been subsidised. Even today ‘Federal and state governments forego about $890 million a year on income and sales tax breaks to the newspaper industry.’ It is only during the last few years – as publishers have come under threat from digital media, no less – that state legislatures have queried this arrangement.

The dire condition of the publishing industry may lead officials of the US Government to change direction once more. In India, the government has sought to bolster newspaper revenues by paying more for their printed advertisements. In France, 18-24 year olds are now offered a free 3 year newspaper subscription to increase readership rates. These are not permanent measures, but means of assistance for an industry that has suffered particularly badly in the global recession.

Moreover, from the perspectives of the elected officials, the packages are not designed to ‘save’ publishing but ensure a plurality of communication methods. Magazines Canada CEO Mark Jamison told Macleans.ca that ‘The government’s role is about ensuring that Canadian voices can be heard through a variety of means.’ Though the publishing industry may welcome government subsidies, in short, this doesn’t enable newspapers to put aside the challenges faced from the digital market.

To continue printing and save on costs, shop at http://www.999inks.co.uk/

The Future of Print

The debate on the future of print received a new contribution recently, when Printweek.com posted a selection of views on the subject from several industry directors. The news post, entitled ‘Are print and pixels competitors or complementary?’ gives insight from persons at the centre of the debate. It broaches the future of paper mediums at a time when growth both in online readerships and advertising revenues has been widely reported to be explosive.


In recent months several print publications have responded to the digital revolution by abandoning their paper productions completely. Among these are ElleGirl and Teen People. However, even for those publishers who’re dedicated to print, it is unusual not to recognise the potential benefits of working online. For example, an email marketing campaign can be conducted at a fraction of the cost of a paper campaign, and with equivalent (if not greater) market penetration. There are benefits too from actively engaging with your audience, whereas a printed magazine must retain a highly limiting top-down relationship.

On the other hand, the changes prompted by the transition to digital have previously been over-estimated. Historically, it was predicted that sites like Amazon.co.uk would make brick-and-mortar retailers obsolete, for example. And though Amazon has decimated the independent booksellers sector, competitors including HMV remain dedicated to the high street. Further still, in April Niemanlab.org posted that reports of the death of print newspapers have been greatly exaggerated, with a mere 3% of newspaper reading happening over the internet.

Some have questioned the figures toted by Martin Lageveld, who conducted the investigation at Niemanlab. It will nonetheless come as a relief to many in printing that, if the medium cannot boast a bright future, its death is slow coming. For the present, those in publishing must accustom themselves to an uncertain future, and accommodate both print and digital audiences. They must discover means of making an online presence profitable, when many users are accustomed to reading content free. Doing so successfully should give those in printing a measure of security – and protect their business - in this time of transition.

When printing, save on ink and toner at 999inks.co.uk