Print News: Adventures with Counterfeit Money
Recently Neil J. Petermann at the blog This Ain’t Your Father’s Office notes the story of 3 Maryland teenagers arrested for copying 10 dollar bills. So poor was the quality of the money they produced, the would-be counterfeiters were caught the first time they tried using the cash – of all things, while buying cigars underage. The teenagers employed a standard colour copier.
Once upon a time counterfeiting was the pastime of these equipped with costly printing presses, seeking to reproduce currency both for financial gain and prestige. Yet the advent of the inkjet printer has apparently devastated the quality standard of counterfeiting operations – even as it has increased their frequency. In January, the Kansas City Star featured a short interview with a Secret Service agent, complaining about the low standards of criminals printing money. Where the counterfeit dollar was once considered a ‘product’ in itself, subject to quality standards, today anyone with an Inkjet can supplement their income.
The Kansas City Star reports that in the period October 2007 – August 2008, $103 million in fake money was removed from circulation, 60% of which came from ordinary copiers. The problem is particularly bad in a recession, with people printing not only $50 but even $5 and even $1 bills. Yet the standard of counterfeit bills continues to fall, with criminals seeking the minimum to fool people.
Back in 1995, when the Kansas Secret Service found that inkjet counterfeits accounted for only 1% of fake bills, the Toledo Blade reported on the surprise quality of one counterfeiting operation. A pair in Michigan had succeeded in exchanging $50,000 in fake bills through an Austrian bank, produced using an expensive copier. Police at the time had believed the bills to be professional quality, and were surprised to discover them the work of two men in their mid-twenties. This only goes to show the importance of high-quality equipment in counterfeiting – aside from being ‘a bit glossy,’ the bills produced by the Michigan pair looked authentic, and had succeeded in fooling a number of bank tellers.
Moreover, the internet is a virtual hub for people looking into counterfeiting money. Websites like HowStuffWorks.com supply a detailed ‘How To’ for printing money in the guise of describing the process, aside articles about health and safety. In other words, computers have supplied not only the means but the knowledge for people ‘who want to get something for nothing.’ And while most amateur counterfeiters are immediately caught – as with the teenagers in Maryland – the appeal of counterfeiting money means the problem is unlikely to disappear.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Kodak Working towards a Paperless Office
Print News: Kodak Working with D&H for Paperless Office
Yesterday Kodak announced an agreement with US firm D&H Distribution to help businesses reduce paper waste, through the distribution of Kodak’s line of scanners. D&H – which has connections with retailers including Amazon.com – plans to employ its relations with small-to-medium companies to encourage document scanning. The agreement will target businesses ‘looking to reduce their paper workflows and increase digital capabilities,’ and will, if successful, have significant environmental boons on top of increasing paper efficiency.
Kodak – an important player in the printer manufacturing industry – is one of several firms this year to encourage the so-called ‘paperless office’. In May, Calum Russell of Abobe.com.au posted that the average office worker uses ten thousands sheets of paper a year, at a cost of 1.6 million tonnes in writing materials. Meanwhile, in June IBM.com announced an initiative to consult with businesses in reducing paper waste. They aim to ‘reduce costs’ by digitising documents.
However, unlike Kodak, not everyone in the printing industry is seeking paper’s redundancy. On 30th April 2008, Datamation.com reported on Xerox’s invention of ‘reusable paper.’ This is not recycled paper, but in fact a sheet that makes document scanning redundant, because after 24 hours the words on the sheet disappear. The invention is still being tested at Xerox’s Palto Alco Research Center but, if successful, could reconcile the ‘tree-friendly office’ to the advantages of paper. It also holds the promise a whole new industry in ink cartridges.
Yesterday Kodak announced an agreement with US firm D&H Distribution to help businesses reduce paper waste, through the distribution of Kodak’s line of scanners. D&H – which has connections with retailers including Amazon.com – plans to employ its relations with small-to-medium companies to encourage document scanning. The agreement will target businesses ‘looking to reduce their paper workflows and increase digital capabilities,’ and will, if successful, have significant environmental boons on top of increasing paper efficiency.
Kodak – an important player in the printer manufacturing industry – is one of several firms this year to encourage the so-called ‘paperless office’. In May, Calum Russell of Abobe.com.au posted that the average office worker uses ten thousands sheets of paper a year, at a cost of 1.6 million tonnes in writing materials. Meanwhile, in June IBM.com announced an initiative to consult with businesses in reducing paper waste. They aim to ‘reduce costs’ by digitising documents.
However, unlike Kodak, not everyone in the printing industry is seeking paper’s redundancy. On 30th April 2008, Datamation.com reported on Xerox’s invention of ‘reusable paper.’ This is not recycled paper, but in fact a sheet that makes document scanning redundant, because after 24 hours the words on the sheet disappear. The invention is still being tested at Xerox’s Palto Alco Research Center but, if successful, could reconcile the ‘tree-friendly office’ to the advantages of paper. It also holds the promise a whole new industry in ink cartridges.
Monday, 30 November 2009
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
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
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Breaking News: Canon to Buy Flagging Printer Company Oce
In recent months the economic downturn has had an adverse effect on the printing market, at a time when competition between manufacturers has increased. Thirteen months ago Ricoh – the largest copier maker in the world – bought out the U.S. distributor Ikon Office Solutions, to increase Ricoh’s penetration of the American market. Crucially, at the time Ikon had a business deal with Canon to distribute its products: the takeover therefore removed a significant source of Canon’s sales and revenue.
On Tuesday, Canon announced a gesture to combat the downturn and its reduced revenues by merging with Oce, the biggest manufacturer in the European printing market. The merger - worth £658.3 million in shares – is of especial benefit to Oce, having reported losses the last two financial quarters, while making cutbacks in manpower. Chief Executive of Oce, Rokus van Iperen, said the deal makes a ‘global combination’ of the two companies, capable of facing down the giants of the printing market.
In a combined statement, the two companies noted that ‘The printing industry is in a period of consolidation…scale is increasingly important, especially in R&D and manufacturing.’ To this end, Canon stands to benefit from Oce’s higher-end line of products, which sell largely to banks and offices, and will supplement the Japanese company’s own ranges of consumer printers. In particular, Oce’s inkjet production printers are a technology foreign to Canon. Meanwhile Oce will gain access to new markets.
Oce will remain an independent print manufacturer, continuing to operate out of its offices in Venlo, Holland. Playing to each brand’s strengths, Canon’s large format operations will in fact be ‘functionally integrated’ into Oce’s Production Printing Division. Oce’s office activities will meanwhile become part of Canon’s Office Imaging Products division. Neither printer company plans to make redundancies. Refinancing of Oce’s existing $704 million in debt will happen as necessary from internally generated funds.
On Tuesday, Canon announced a gesture to combat the downturn and its reduced revenues by merging with Oce, the biggest manufacturer in the European printing market. The merger - worth £658.3 million in shares – is of especial benefit to Oce, having reported losses the last two financial quarters, while making cutbacks in manpower. Chief Executive of Oce, Rokus van Iperen, said the deal makes a ‘global combination’ of the two companies, capable of facing down the giants of the printing market.
In a combined statement, the two companies noted that ‘The printing industry is in a period of consolidation…scale is increasingly important, especially in R&D and manufacturing.’ To this end, Canon stands to benefit from Oce’s higher-end line of products, which sell largely to banks and offices, and will supplement the Japanese company’s own ranges of consumer printers. In particular, Oce’s inkjet production printers are a technology foreign to Canon. Meanwhile Oce will gain access to new markets.
Oce will remain an independent print manufacturer, continuing to operate out of its offices in Venlo, Holland. Playing to each brand’s strengths, Canon’s large format operations will in fact be ‘functionally integrated’ into Oce’s Production Printing Division. Oce’s office activities will meanwhile become part of Canon’s Office Imaging Products division. Neither printer company plans to make redundancies. Refinancing of Oce’s existing $704 million in debt will happen as necessary from internally generated funds.
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Troubleshooting 10 Common Printer Problems
Below are some common printer problems, and solutions that our customers have found beneficial:
1. If your printer just won’t print
Is the printer directly connected to your printer? Make sure that the printer cable between the printer and computer isn't loose.
Is the printer on a network? Make sure the printer is powered on and there are not any loose cables.
Power both the computer and the printer down, wait 20 seconds and then power the printer back on. Lastly, power on the computer for testing.
2. If your printer says it is busy
Check your computer’s print queue screen. A print job may be stuck in the print queue and deleting it from the queue may help.
3. If your printer display menu says there is a paper jam
Open the doors of the printer, remove the paper tray or even the ink or toner cartridge. This will usually allow access to the jammed paper so that you can remove it. Paper should be removed slowly and gently so that it doesn't tear.
If you can not find any jammed paper and still can not print, unplug your printer then turn it back on.
4. If the printing on your page is faded
A faded print image may indicate that the printer is getting low on ink or toner, the print density is set too low or economy printing is turned on. Settings may be corrected on the printer or within the computer’s control panel. If the ink or toner cartridge is low, replace the cartridge easily through an ink merchant like 999inks.co.uk.
5. I have a cool, new Operating System
As new operating systems are released, your printer will require new drivers. Some printers do not yet have a driver for every new Operating System, or older Operating Systems. In these cases, it’s best to consult the printer manual and find out what printers the drivers will emulate. While not all of the functionality of the printer will be available under this emulation, at least basic printing will work.
Be sure to use the correct driver for your current Operating System. If an incorrect or defective printer driver is being used, it can result in strange rubbish on the printed page. If you selected the wrong printer driver for the printer or Operating System, you may need to purge the print jobs that are hung up in the spooler as well as reset the printer to remove any bad data that remains in its buffer.
6. I am printing, but the pages are blank or irregular
If your ink jet printer is turning out blank pages whenever you print, then the print head could be dried up, or you may be out of ink.
Once the ink cartridge is opened and installed, the ink can start drying out or evaporating. If you only print infrequently, then the print head will often become dried up, stopping any ink from getting onto your paper. Try soaking your print head in shallow water, if your ink cartridge regularly dries out, then try to print a page off more often, at least every few days, as this should stop the print head becoming dried out, otherwise you will need to install a fresh ink cartridge.
7. There are error lights on
If there are error lights (LED's) lit, refer to the user manual or manufacturer's web site to diagnose.
8. Each time I print, it is blurry or has lines in it
Aligning the print cartridge is necessary to obtain the best possible printing performance. The method to do this may vary depending on your printer. Typically, you will go into the Settings of your computer then click Maintenance and Align print cartridges
9. Missing Colour, Wrong Colour or Streaks in the Printout
Make sure your paper is not causing the problem. Paper that does not accept ink well can cause your images to smear or bleed. Plain paper is not the best choice for high-density graphics. Photo paper is available at 999inks.co.uk
If the paper is not the problem, print a clean test to see that everything is functioning properly.
10. Did you read the user manual?
1. If your printer just won’t print
Is the printer directly connected to your printer? Make sure that the printer cable between the printer and computer isn't loose.
Is the printer on a network? Make sure the printer is powered on and there are not any loose cables.
Power both the computer and the printer down, wait 20 seconds and then power the printer back on. Lastly, power on the computer for testing.
2. If your printer says it is busy
Check your computer’s print queue screen. A print job may be stuck in the print queue and deleting it from the queue may help.
3. If your printer display menu says there is a paper jam
Open the doors of the printer, remove the paper tray or even the ink or toner cartridge. This will usually allow access to the jammed paper so that you can remove it. Paper should be removed slowly and gently so that it doesn't tear.
If you can not find any jammed paper and still can not print, unplug your printer then turn it back on.
4. If the printing on your page is faded
A faded print image may indicate that the printer is getting low on ink or toner, the print density is set too low or economy printing is turned on. Settings may be corrected on the printer or within the computer’s control panel. If the ink or toner cartridge is low, replace the cartridge easily through an ink merchant like 999inks.co.uk.
5. I have a cool, new Operating System
As new operating systems are released, your printer will require new drivers. Some printers do not yet have a driver for every new Operating System, or older Operating Systems. In these cases, it’s best to consult the printer manual and find out what printers the drivers will emulate. While not all of the functionality of the printer will be available under this emulation, at least basic printing will work.
Be sure to use the correct driver for your current Operating System. If an incorrect or defective printer driver is being used, it can result in strange rubbish on the printed page. If you selected the wrong printer driver for the printer or Operating System, you may need to purge the print jobs that are hung up in the spooler as well as reset the printer to remove any bad data that remains in its buffer.
6. I am printing, but the pages are blank or irregular
If your ink jet printer is turning out blank pages whenever you print, then the print head could be dried up, or you may be out of ink.
Once the ink cartridge is opened and installed, the ink can start drying out or evaporating. If you only print infrequently, then the print head will often become dried up, stopping any ink from getting onto your paper. Try soaking your print head in shallow water, if your ink cartridge regularly dries out, then try to print a page off more often, at least every few days, as this should stop the print head becoming dried out, otherwise you will need to install a fresh ink cartridge.
7. There are error lights on
If there are error lights (LED's) lit, refer to the user manual or manufacturer's web site to diagnose.
8. Each time I print, it is blurry or has lines in it
Aligning the print cartridge is necessary to obtain the best possible printing performance. The method to do this may vary depending on your printer. Typically, you will go into the Settings of your computer then click Maintenance and Align print cartridges
9. Missing Colour, Wrong Colour or Streaks in the Printout
Make sure your paper is not causing the problem. Paper that does not accept ink well can cause your images to smear or bleed. Plain paper is not the best choice for high-density graphics. Photo paper is available at 999inks.co.uk
If the paper is not the problem, print a clean test to see that everything is functioning properly.
10. Did you read the user manual?
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Another Stock Count
It has been a while since I have made an update. Today as you can guess we are doing another stock count. We are verifying our stock levels so we know what we need to order.
Apart from that, we have been very busy adding new toners to the site. If you have a laser printer take a look.
Apart from that, we have been very busy adding new toners to the site. If you have a laser printer take a look.
Monday, 6 July 2009
Brother TN135 Back in Stock
Finally we have Brother TN135 in stock! 1 Full set of remanufactured toners are £228 including VAT and delivery.
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