Do We Cover Ocean Shores?
Please note: We do not work on Apple (Mac) computers
I simply do not like Macs or the way they are marketed & am fortunately in a position to choose not to work on them.While some companies claim to specialise in 'all computers', they are treating you to (or as) an oxymoron.
Yes, we do cover Ocean Shores, but please bear in mind it's a fair bit cheaper if you drop off your PC at our office in Mullumbimby (65b Argyle Street ... on the way into town from Uncle Tom's). For pricing, click on the 'Pricing' link towards the right at the top of this page.
OK,OK, enough of the "do we cover .. blah blah." ... & now for something completely different.
Printers
Setting up your Printer
These days, getting your printer working couldn't be much easier ... unpack it, load the ink/toner, plug a USB cable into the printer & the PC, wait a couple of minutes & you're good to go..... probably (do a test print to be sure).If you want to connect it through your home/office network, it's not a biggie (assuming the printer has the capability , which most do), but it is a bit more work, however, it means you can share the printer with the others in your home or office (without the PC it's connected to having to be turned on).
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Connect the printer to your Modem/Router. You can do this with a network cable (easier) or joining your modem/router's WiFi connection. This varies between manufactures & models
(ask Google). This is when having a good control panel (like you get on the more expensive printers) comes in handy.
- Next you tell Windows to look for a networked printer (makes no difference if you or the printer are connecting with the WiFi or with a network cable). Click in the search box (bottom left of the screen) & type "Printer", a 'Printers & Scanners' box will pop up on the screen. Check to see if your new printer is already on the list. If It's not click on the 'Add Printer'. Windows will try to find it. Give it a few minutes. If it appears click on it, if it doesn't click on the 'the printer I want is not on the list', then on the radio button next to the 'add a bluetooth, wireless or network discoverable printer'.
- If you'd like all the bells & whistles that come with the manufacturer's full printer software (or if you still have no joy adding the printer above), I'd recommend going to the manufacturers website, searching for the printer by it's model number, downloading & running the latest installer/setup program. This not only adds features like ink level monitors etc, but also will run the full printer install program (which knows how to locate that specific model of printer).
Choosing a Printer
If you buy a printer through us, we'll have a chat about your needs, then I'd pick 2 or 3 that I think would suit the purpose & point out the pros & cons of each. I don't keep any stock, so rather than selling you what I'm stuck with, I order what you really want & it arrives by courier (usually the next working day) ready to deliver, or for you to pick up the next business day.The first thing to decide is which of the available features you need (or would ideally like). The next is to realise that buying the bottom of the line printer really isn't a good idea. They can produce those printers REALLY cheap for a reason; they know that they'll make the money back when you buy ink (a set can cost more than the printer for some models). This is based on a business model called "The razor and blades model" ..... Give'em the razor, sell'em the blades. While hardly the most environmentally friendly approach, it is the world we live in.
OK, so you're smarter than that & plan on buying ink from 'Dodgy Fred's Online Ink Emporium', still bear in mind they have built these printers at the lowest cost they can get away with. That means keeping the cost of manufacture as low as possible.
Some 'features' to avoid are:
- All in one inks (when a colour runs out the whole thing needs replacing).
- No black cartridge (prints all 3 colours on top of each other to print black).
- No duplex (double sided) printing or scanning - may not be an issue to you but you want to know before you buy.
- Poor (or non-extent) control panel.... a right pain if/when things go wrong.
- Few (or no) extra features (think network cable, WiFi connectivity, camera memory card, USB stick sockets).
The 2 printers below are our own. If you're running a business, I'd really recommend a 'plan b', then if your main printer plays up you can do what you need to (& sort it out later). We have a good (mid to high end) Epson MFC (Multi Function Centre) connected through our network & a much more basic Brother mono laser, also through our wired network.
We use the Brother for nearly all of our printing, as the toner is so cheap (last year the 'Replace toner' light was flashing for 5 months before we had to actually change the cartridge). We use the Epson for the rare occasions we need to print in colour & any time we need to scan (the document feeder makes multiple scans a doddle).
