Number 213 - February 2001

Inkjet Printer Tips
by Sol Libes - Amateur Computer Group of NJ, Inc. www.acgnj.org - Dec 2000
Manufacturers of ink jet printers caution users to use the power switch on the printer to turn it on and off. Do not use the switch on a power strip to power down your printer. The printer relies on its internal circuitry to properly position the print heads. Shutting the power off at a source outside of the printer may be detrimental to the print heads or the ink cartridge.     Paper makes a difference in how your document looks. Whether it is text or a graphic the quality of the paper you put into your printer is important. Copy paper is made for copiers. It has surface qualities appropriate for the electrostatic process copiers use to place the toner on the paper. Inkjet printers require a better grade of paper with a surface that will capture and hold the ink that is sprayed from the nozzles.	Inkjet papers will also have a smoother surface and contribute less to clog up your printer. Spend a little more for inkjet paper. You will see a difference in the quality of your output.     Inkjet printers can adjust the quantity of ink used to form the characters or figures. They use terms like Econofast; Normal; or Best; to differentiate the quality of output. When you are in the dialog box, look for a button marked Properties, click on that and you will find the area where you can choose which mode to use. Econofast will save ink and be quite a bit faster. Best will lay down a lot more ink and will be much slower. The Best mode, combined with photo grade papers in newer printers, gets pretty close to what you are used to seeing when you get your film back from a photo processor.
Number 213 - February 2001