What Is Remanufacturing?
Think of it as a way to keep durable goods out of the landfill before their time. When products become too worn or damaged to perform properly, remanufacturing extends their useful life, restoring them to a condition that’s as “good as new.” Because durable products represent a major investment for most organizations, remanufacturing is a good cost cutting opportunity, saving the expense of buying a new product or disposing of an old one. In addition, remanufacturing conserves energy and resources because fewer raw materials are used.
Quality remanufactured toner cartridges are available within the marketplace, remanufactured toner cartridges can actually exceed OEM quality and yield. Extensive testing and R&D have enabled this industry to produce cartridges that will not only save the customer money, but also provide a better product.
As the customer, what should you ask potential vendors about their remanufactured cartridges?
Does the company change any components?
Ask if the company changes the drum, wiper blade and mag roller. These components are all very important to print quality. Some lower yield cartridges do not need to have their drums changed if they are properly tested, but anything over 4,000 pages should, at least, receive a new drum.
Does the company use a universal toner for all printers within a manufacturer?
Some suppliers try to save money by using one toner per printer model, i.e. one toner for all HP cartridges. This may not affect print quality, but it will affect yield. Each model of printer has different characteristics, which means different toners. An example of differing characteristics is the fusing temperature of the printers.
Are all cartridges post tested?
Some suppliers do not want to invest in all the printers, or do not do enough volume to make this affordable. This is the most important step. These cartridges have to be rebuilt by hand, which introduces human error. Forgetting one step can cause failures that can only be picked up in post-testing.
Does the company replace the label on the cartridge?
Some companies leave the OEM label on their cartridges; this is a copyright infringement. Other companies do not have any labels on their cartridges. This is legal, but can be confusing if you have different model printers. See if the company replaces the label with a new descriptive label, which should have the machine that the cartridge goes to on it.
Will the use of a remanufactured or compatible cartridge void my printer's warranty?
NO! Federal Trade Commission - Magnusson-Moss Warranty Federal Commission Improvement Act (Subparagraph C, section 101) - regulations specifically states that "No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer's using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name".
What the above really means: The manufacturer of the printer you are using cannot void the warranty on your printer because you use a cartridge or refill kit manufactured by someone other than the printer manufacturer. This prohibition includes the use of compatible cartridges, clip-ons,
continuous feeding mechanisms, refill kits, ink, etc. For more information on the act, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission at (202) 326-3128.
All Green Image Solutions laser toners are manufactured to ISO 9001 standards which means you can be assured of quality.
Before leaving the factory, our products go through following professional test:
1.Mechanical test to ensure the toners smooth operation and no noise, and to comply with ISO standards.
2.Environment protection test to ensure toners' environmental safe.
3.Duration test to ensure toners can last more than one year.
4.Difficult conditions tests such as abnormal temperature, air pressure, strong sun light and rough transportation tests to ensure the printing quality remains high.
5.Water resistant test to ensure printing won't fade and be diluted when wet.
6.Printing quality test to ensure the printing is real black, sharp, no slur and won't fade.
7.Capacity test to ensure the number of printed pages is the same as the ones of original manufacturers. We ensure the satisfaction of our clients with our products.
Facts on Inkjet Remanufacturing
White Paper: Critical Process Steps For Successful Inkjet Cartridge Remanufacturing.
Early inkjet technology found each printer manufacturer designing and constructing their inkjet cartridges in their own, proprietary ways. As a result, the remanufacturing industry was fractured and required many different processing methods. This prevented any type of standardization to develop.
It has been several years since inkjet printer manufacturers have universally adopted the foam (or sponge) type inkjet cartridge design in their integrated cartridges for both color and black models. Since then, for the first time, a broad consensus among both remanufacturers and remanufacturing equipment companies has been reached concerning the proper method for remanufacturing these cartridges. This process standardization was a major element in the successful growth, popularity and consumer acceptance of remanufactured inkjet cartridges.
Within this standardization, certain critical phases of the remanufacturing process gained industry-wide acceptance and are considered vital to successful inkjet cartridge remanufacturing. These process steps are:
1. Centrifuging out old ink as part of the clean / prep stage.
2. Refilling the cartridge with new ink under vacuum conditions.
Centrifuging
Centrifuging an inkjet cartridge prior to remanufacturing is an important step in the process for two reasons. First, when the old ink is forced out of the cartridge using centrifugal force, it exits through the printhead nozzles and perhaps the ink inlet holes in the cap. The ink is forced out through these holes with sufficient force so as to return the cartridge to its prefilled condition. Pigment black and color inks can cause additional blockages. The centrifuging action helps remove these blockages and helps to ensure that the cartridge will print with all of the nozzles, without streaks or missing lines. This streaking is a common cause of failed or returned cartridges.
The second reason centrifuging the cartridge is critical to success is to prevent the overfilling of ink during the refilling stage. Most incoming “cores” (empty inkjet cartridges) are not always completely empty of all inks. Color cartridges generally do not run out of all the colors at the same time. When one of the colors runs out, the printer will issue a “replace cartridge” message. Yellow is usually the first color to run out, because yellow is mixed with the cyan ink and magenta ink to form many colors. Centrifuging all of the residual ink remaining in the cartridge chambers ensures that a uniform amount of new ink can be safely put back into each and every cartridge. A cartridge that has been overfilled may leak ink in transit or during shelf life and cause cross-contamination of colors.
Vacuum Filling
Integrated inkjet cartridges in use today utilize special hi-tech foam for storing the ink inside the cartridge. This open pore foam has a cellular makeup. It is in these cells that the ink is stored. These cartridges may malfunction if there are any air bubbles trapped in the cells. The slight pressurization that exists within the cartridge is crucial to proper ink delivery ink from the foam to the pre-firing chambers and then to the printhead. Air bubbles in the foam will cause changes to this pressure that will interrupt this delivery. When ink is added to the cartridge under normal atmospheric conditions, air bubbles in the sponge cells displace the ink and become trapped. This results in an improperly filled cartridge that will not print consistently and contain streaks and missing lines. Many times the foam chamber containing the air bubbles will not print at all, once these air bubbles reach the pre-firing chambers above the printhead nozzles.
When cartridges are remanufactured under a vacuum, these air bubbles are removed from the foam prior to the ink refill stage. This vacuum environment allows the ink to saturate the foam cells without being displaced by trapped air bubbles. This results in a properly filled cartridge that is air-free and capable of containing the correct ink volume required.
Air bubbles trapped in the foam will also contribute to another type of cartridge failure. Integrated inkjet cartridges use a thermal element to eject the ink from the nozzle and onto the paper. The element heats the ink to boiling point causing it to be pushed out through the printhead. The heating element is kept cool by the ink. If an air bubble, instead of ink is present when the heating element fires, the element may burn out, causing the cartridge electronics to prematurely fail.
It is important to note that the vacuum filling process described above is the same process used by the printer manufacturers when cartridges are originally manufactured.
This fact alone should serve to validate the widely used and very successful practice of vacuum filling within the inkjet cartridge remanufacturing industry.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Recycling Ink & Toner Facts
Whether the Earth wants plastic or not, recycling of inkjet cartridges is useful in many different ways. However, before our prospects or clients decide how and where to recycle their toner and inkjet cartridges; we must educate them so that they can determine if their recycling efforts are going to be effective.
Recycling will not work if the loop is not closed; many charitable institutions around the world have initiated ink cartridge recycling programs, which fund hospitals, school activities and other social concerns. This type of funding cuts costs in many ways from tax breaks for charitable donations to lowering the price that we have to pay for the services the funded organizations provide.
In addition, remanufactured compatible inkjet cartridges are usually a fraction of the cost of brand name inkjet refills. Several printer manufacturers maintain recycling programs however; your recycled ink cartridge doesn’t always make it around the loop.
Epson, in cooperation with Funding Factory, recently launched a free recycling program for its customers. Schools and businesses can get points for collecting and remitting empty cartridges to Epson. However, the cartridges are not remanufactured or refilled. They are incinerated. To be fair, mention must be made that the incineration is at an environmentally friendly waste-to-energy plant; however, it’s easy to see that Epson is the big winner in this recycling effort. Their recycling plan takes cartridges out of the hands of remanufacturing plants that can offer less expensive remanufactured compatible cartridges to the consumer.
Hewlett Packard also has a free recycling program and they proudly announce that more than 1.8 million HP inkjet cartridges were recycled in 2003. Unfortunately, for the consumer, plastics and metal from the HP cartridges are also disassembled and made into new products. Other components are “used to generate energy or are disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.”
The article below is just another example of how HP is more focused on maintaining and increasing its prices and insuring that the around the loop becomes more and more difficult using the term recycling inappropriately.
HP Adds to Customer Convenience, Boosts Efficiency with Recycling Program Expansion PRWeb
November 10, 2008
Original PRWeb article: HP Adds to Customer Convenience, Boosts Efficiency with Recycling Program Expansion - PALO ALTO, Calif. (Business Wire EON) November 10, 2008 -- Core News
HP is expanding the HP Planet Partners print cartridge return and recycling program to now include authorized retail recycling, and is implementing steps to reduce shipping materials and increase transportation efficiency. HP Planet Partners, part of the HP Eco Solutions program, now includes HP authorized retail recycling locations for HP ink cartridge and LaserJet toner cartridge collection, in addition to other recycling options. Staples, the world's largest office products company, is the first to pilot the HP retail recycling program. HP is teaming with Staples to offer additional incentives for recycling leading up to America Recycles Day (Nov. 15), a nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle. To reduce the amount of shipping material required for recycling returns, HP will no longer include return envelopes in HP ink cartridge packaging. HP will still offer customers several free, postage-paid return options at www.hp.com/recycle, including return envelopes, bulk collection boxes and printable labels. HP will continue to offer return labels in HP LaserJet toner cartridge packaging as well as its online and in-store recycling options. HP estimates that if all ink cartridges returned via in-box envelopes in 2008 were instead returned in bulk from authorized retail recycling locations, the amount of shipping materials used would have been reduced by more than 600,000 pounds - enough to fill more than 15 tractor trailers.(1) Transportation efficiency may be improved because twice as many cartridges can be shipped in bulk boxes than those shipped individually. Customers can be confident that all HP ink cartridges and LaserJet toner cartridges returned to HP authorized retail locations are recycled responsibly through HP's state-of-the-art processes and diverted from landfills. HP recently met its goal to recycle more than 250 million HP print cartridges worldwide since the inception of HP Planet Partners in 1991. Print cartridge recycling through HP Planet Partners is available in more than 47 countries, regions and territories. To accommodate greater customer participation in the HP Planet Partners program, HP is currently doubling the size of its North American ink cartridge recycling facility to more than 80,000 square feet to improve efficiency and increase productivity. Last year HP used more than 5 million pounds of recycled plastic - from everyday plastic water bottles to highly technical HP cartridges - to make new HP ink cartridges and is well on its way of doubling that goal in 2008. Quotes
John Solomon, vice president and general manager, North American Consumer Business, Imaging and Printing Group, HP: 'We introduced HP Planet Partners long before 'going green' was a trend, and over time HP has made print cartridge recycling easier and more widely available.' John Solomon, vice president and general manager, North American Consumer Business, Imaging and Printing Group, HP: 'As environmental awareness and customer participation have increased, we're proud to offer customers authorized retail recycling locations as a natural evolution of the program.' Scott Rankin, vice president, Technology Merchandising, Staples Inc.: 'Staples makes it easy for customers to safely and responsibly recycle a wide variety of their used technology, whether it's ink and toner cartridges, or cell phones and larger technology items like laptops and computers.' Scott Rankin, vice president, Technology Merchandising, Staples Inc.: 'Working with HP to offer convenient, everyday recycling is one of the ways Staples makes it easy for our customers to protect the environment; we call it EcoEasy.' Multimedia (links to video)
Canon offers its customers several options for recycling toner cartridges, including a single return option, an up-to-eight multiple return options, and a bulk return option. Whichever you choose, a shipping label can be downloaded directly from their website. Return shipping via UPS is pre-paid by the company. It appears from many recycling and other eco-friendly programs displayed on their website, that Canon is a leader in environmental stewardship, however to date they have no recycling program in place for inkjet cartridges.
Lexmark’s recycling program is 100% free, as are the other printer manufacturer recycling programs. Customers request a kit using an online order form. Lexmark pays the postage both ways. However, there is one major difference between Lexmark’s program and the programs of the other print giants. Lexmark works with Planet Ark and Close the Loop in Australia to ensure every collected cartridge is remanufactured or recycled. In addition, they have similar recycling programs in Latin American and South Africa. In Europe, every purchase of a Lexmark high-volume cartridge comes with a postage-paid recycling bag included. Now that’s closing the circle!
Recycling will not work if the loop is not closed; many charitable institutions around the world have initiated ink cartridge recycling programs, which fund hospitals, school activities and other social concerns. This type of funding cuts costs in many ways from tax breaks for charitable donations to lowering the price that we have to pay for the services the funded organizations provide.
In addition, remanufactured compatible inkjet cartridges are usually a fraction of the cost of brand name inkjet refills. Several printer manufacturers maintain recycling programs however; your recycled ink cartridge doesn’t always make it around the loop.
Epson, in cooperation with Funding Factory, recently launched a free recycling program for its customers. Schools and businesses can get points for collecting and remitting empty cartridges to Epson. However, the cartridges are not remanufactured or refilled. They are incinerated. To be fair, mention must be made that the incineration is at an environmentally friendly waste-to-energy plant; however, it’s easy to see that Epson is the big winner in this recycling effort. Their recycling plan takes cartridges out of the hands of remanufacturing plants that can offer less expensive remanufactured compatible cartridges to the consumer.
Hewlett Packard also has a free recycling program and they proudly announce that more than 1.8 million HP inkjet cartridges were recycled in 2003. Unfortunately, for the consumer, plastics and metal from the HP cartridges are also disassembled and made into new products. Other components are “used to generate energy or are disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.”
The article below is just another example of how HP is more focused on maintaining and increasing its prices and insuring that the around the loop becomes more and more difficult using the term recycling inappropriately.
HP Adds to Customer Convenience, Boosts Efficiency with Recycling Program Expansion PRWeb
November 10, 2008
Original PRWeb article: HP Adds to Customer Convenience, Boosts Efficiency with Recycling Program Expansion - PALO ALTO, Calif. (Business Wire EON) November 10, 2008 -- Core News
HP is expanding the HP Planet Partners print cartridge return and recycling program to now include authorized retail recycling, and is implementing steps to reduce shipping materials and increase transportation efficiency. HP Planet Partners, part of the HP Eco Solutions program, now includes HP authorized retail recycling locations for HP ink cartridge and LaserJet toner cartridge collection, in addition to other recycling options. Staples, the world's largest office products company, is the first to pilot the HP retail recycling program. HP is teaming with Staples to offer additional incentives for recycling leading up to America Recycles Day (Nov. 15), a nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle. To reduce the amount of shipping material required for recycling returns, HP will no longer include return envelopes in HP ink cartridge packaging. HP will still offer customers several free, postage-paid return options at www.hp.com/recycle, including return envelopes, bulk collection boxes and printable labels. HP will continue to offer return labels in HP LaserJet toner cartridge packaging as well as its online and in-store recycling options. HP estimates that if all ink cartridges returned via in-box envelopes in 2008 were instead returned in bulk from authorized retail recycling locations, the amount of shipping materials used would have been reduced by more than 600,000 pounds - enough to fill more than 15 tractor trailers.(1) Transportation efficiency may be improved because twice as many cartridges can be shipped in bulk boxes than those shipped individually. Customers can be confident that all HP ink cartridges and LaserJet toner cartridges returned to HP authorized retail locations are recycled responsibly through HP's state-of-the-art processes and diverted from landfills. HP recently met its goal to recycle more than 250 million HP print cartridges worldwide since the inception of HP Planet Partners in 1991. Print cartridge recycling through HP Planet Partners is available in more than 47 countries, regions and territories. To accommodate greater customer participation in the HP Planet Partners program, HP is currently doubling the size of its North American ink cartridge recycling facility to more than 80,000 square feet to improve efficiency and increase productivity. Last year HP used more than 5 million pounds of recycled plastic - from everyday plastic water bottles to highly technical HP cartridges - to make new HP ink cartridges and is well on its way of doubling that goal in 2008. Quotes
John Solomon, vice president and general manager, North American Consumer Business, Imaging and Printing Group, HP: 'We introduced HP Planet Partners long before 'going green' was a trend, and over time HP has made print cartridge recycling easier and more widely available.' John Solomon, vice president and general manager, North American Consumer Business, Imaging and Printing Group, HP: 'As environmental awareness and customer participation have increased, we're proud to offer customers authorized retail recycling locations as a natural evolution of the program.' Scott Rankin, vice president, Technology Merchandising, Staples Inc.: 'Staples makes it easy for customers to safely and responsibly recycle a wide variety of their used technology, whether it's ink and toner cartridges, or cell phones and larger technology items like laptops and computers.' Scott Rankin, vice president, Technology Merchandising, Staples Inc.: 'Working with HP to offer convenient, everyday recycling is one of the ways Staples makes it easy for our customers to protect the environment; we call it EcoEasy.' Multimedia (links to video)
Canon offers its customers several options for recycling toner cartridges, including a single return option, an up-to-eight multiple return options, and a bulk return option. Whichever you choose, a shipping label can be downloaded directly from their website. Return shipping via UPS is pre-paid by the company. It appears from many recycling and other eco-friendly programs displayed on their website, that Canon is a leader in environmental stewardship, however to date they have no recycling program in place for inkjet cartridges.
Lexmark’s recycling program is 100% free, as are the other printer manufacturer recycling programs. Customers request a kit using an online order form. Lexmark pays the postage both ways. However, there is one major difference between Lexmark’s program and the programs of the other print giants. Lexmark works with Planet Ark and Close the Loop in Australia to ensure every collected cartridge is remanufactured or recycled. In addition, they have similar recycling programs in Latin American and South Africa. In Europe, every purchase of a Lexmark high-volume cartridge comes with a postage-paid recycling bag included. Now that’s closing the circle!
Toner Cartridge Recycling Interesting Data
350 million empty ink & toner cartridges end up in landfills every year
- Takes up to 1,000 years for ink & toner cartridges to decompose
- Takes up to 3 quarts of oil to make new "OEM" cartridges
- Each recycled cartridges saves up to ½ gallon of oil
- Takes up to 1,000 years for ink & toner cartridges to decompose
- Takes up to 3 quarts of oil to make new "OEM" cartridges
- Each recycled cartridges saves up to ½ gallon of oil
Friday, January 30, 2009
The Difference in OEM, Compatible and Remanufactured Cartridges
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges are brand new cartridges bearing the original brand names, such as HP, Lexmark, Brother, Canon, etc. In most cases each OEM cartridges are guaranteed by the maker. These cartridges are made by the maker of the printer the cartridge is used in.
COMPATIBLE
Compatible cartridges are generally new toner cartridges manufactured by third-parties to meet or exceed OEM specifications. Compatible cartridges generally contain new components and are an economical alternative to expensive name brand cartridges. The compatible cartridges are professionally built and manufactured with quality control as the motivating factor. Most compatible cartridges come with some sort of warranty and most resellers stand behind their cartridges as strongly as OEM cartridges. Again, with the vast majority of compatible cartridges NEW parts are used in the manufacturing of these types of cartridges.
REMANUFACTURED
Remanufactured cartridges are an economical alternative to expensive name brand OEM cartridges. These cartridges are professionally remanufactured and recycled to meet OEM specifications of quality and reliability. Typically, remanufacturing involves disassembling, inspecting, cleaning, replacing parts, reassembling, and filling with toner. Once the remanufacturing process is complete, the cartridge is then print tested, sealed, and packaged for resale. There are warranties that come with these remanufactured, but be careful to make sure this is the case. Makers of remanufactured take great care in the refilling of the cartridges.
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges are brand new cartridges bearing the original brand names, such as HP, Lexmark, Brother, Canon, etc. In most cases each OEM cartridges are guaranteed by the maker. These cartridges are made by the maker of the printer the cartridge is used in.
COMPATIBLE
Compatible cartridges are generally new toner cartridges manufactured by third-parties to meet or exceed OEM specifications. Compatible cartridges generally contain new components and are an economical alternative to expensive name brand cartridges. The compatible cartridges are professionally built and manufactured with quality control as the motivating factor. Most compatible cartridges come with some sort of warranty and most resellers stand behind their cartridges as strongly as OEM cartridges. Again, with the vast majority of compatible cartridges NEW parts are used in the manufacturing of these types of cartridges.
REMANUFACTURED
Remanufactured cartridges are an economical alternative to expensive name brand OEM cartridges. These cartridges are professionally remanufactured and recycled to meet OEM specifications of quality and reliability. Typically, remanufacturing involves disassembling, inspecting, cleaning, replacing parts, reassembling, and filling with toner. Once the remanufacturing process is complete, the cartridge is then print tested, sealed, and packaged for resale. There are warranties that come with these remanufactured, but be careful to make sure this is the case. Makers of remanufactured take great care in the refilling of the cartridges.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Going Green In Your Company
There are several easy things that you can do to "greenify" your office. It's always a good bet to follow the mantra of "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle." Remember that going green in not only saving the environment but green offices are more efficient, shaving the bottom line and saving you money. Here are the top 6 tips for going green in your office:
1. Print Double-Sided
Make full use of your paper by printing on both sides. Also, use paper that has been printed on one side for taking notes. Do your proofreading and edits on your computer before printing to reduce the number of prints you make. Try to choose printers and photocopiers that do double-sided printing.
2. Recycle the Paper You Use and Use Recycled Paper
The average American office worker throws out over 150 pounds of paper each year. Paper manufacturing contributes to the deforestation of the planet and in America is responsible for 35 million tons of CO2 a year. When buying printer paper, look for recycled paper with a high percentage of post-consumer content and the minimum of chlorine bleaching.
3. Use Less Energy
Use Energy Star certified office machines to reduce energy use and make sure the Energy Star function is always enabled. Set computers to energy-saving settings and make sure to shut them down when you leave for the day ("standby" settings will continue to draw power even when not in use). Of course, always shut off lights when they are not in use or when you leave for the day. A great way to ensure that this happens is with motion sensors that will turn the lights off when everyone has left the room. Also, look to use Energy Star certified compact fluorescent lights (CFL's) that use 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light, last 10 times longer and produce less heat.
4. Recycle Old Office Equipment
To lesson your office's affect on the number of new pieces of equipment that are manufactured each year, as well that end up in landfills, buy all-in-one multifunction machines. Whenever possible get rid of machines completely by using services such as Internet fax. With an Internet fax service, you can get rid of a fax machine completely as well as reduce the amount of paper and ink that is consumed by the machine. Another way to decrease waste in the office is to recycle old machines or ones no longer in use or donate them to charities where they will continue to be used.
5. Recycle Toner and Inkjet Cartridges
Over 400 million cartridges are dumped into our nations landfills each year and make up more than 1.9 billion pounds of waste. Help reduce this waste by recycling your used toner and inkjet cartridges with your local recycling company or view information on how Green Image Solutions can help you recycle your cartridges for free. Also, using remanufactured cartridges that have been recycling helps reduce waste and save your company money.
6. Go Digital
Implement electronic content management and manage your paper based processes electronically. Paper is inherently slower than electronic and electronic documents can be searched much faster than paper documents. Many common business processes can be handled electronically like claims management, loan originations, contracts, employee correspondence, etc. Effective content management in the office reduces paper, ink and mailing costs and reduce paper transport costs that use energy and create CO2 emissions. Also, avoid or reduce paper storage and archiving by storing documents electronically. Less than 1% of archived papers are ever accessed again and close to 50% of archived documents are duplicates.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle:
Make it easy. Place bins or containers in locations near trash cans where employees normally would throw away recyclables. Be sure to label the bins so that the materials are put in separate receptacles.
Remind Employees. Place signs around your office (not just near the receptacles) reminding employees to recycle. Use e-mails or newsletters to remind everyone what your office is recycling, where the bins are located, and how much they are helping the environment.
Track your progress. If possible, calculate how much you are recycling every so often. Keep a progress chart in a common area that shows employees how many pounds of aluminum, glass or paper they've collected. You might also want to set goals and reward employees when they're reached.
Remember that recycling is only part of the battle. Reducing the amount of trash you produce is important, as is reusing items whenever possible. Purchasing recycled materials helps encourage global recycling, too.
1. Print Double-Sided
Make full use of your paper by printing on both sides. Also, use paper that has been printed on one side for taking notes. Do your proofreading and edits on your computer before printing to reduce the number of prints you make. Try to choose printers and photocopiers that do double-sided printing.
2. Recycle the Paper You Use and Use Recycled Paper
The average American office worker throws out over 150 pounds of paper each year. Paper manufacturing contributes to the deforestation of the planet and in America is responsible for 35 million tons of CO2 a year. When buying printer paper, look for recycled paper with a high percentage of post-consumer content and the minimum of chlorine bleaching.
3. Use Less Energy
Use Energy Star certified office machines to reduce energy use and make sure the Energy Star function is always enabled. Set computers to energy-saving settings and make sure to shut them down when you leave for the day ("standby" settings will continue to draw power even when not in use). Of course, always shut off lights when they are not in use or when you leave for the day. A great way to ensure that this happens is with motion sensors that will turn the lights off when everyone has left the room. Also, look to use Energy Star certified compact fluorescent lights (CFL's) that use 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light, last 10 times longer and produce less heat.
4. Recycle Old Office Equipment
To lesson your office's affect on the number of new pieces of equipment that are manufactured each year, as well that end up in landfills, buy all-in-one multifunction machines. Whenever possible get rid of machines completely by using services such as Internet fax. With an Internet fax service, you can get rid of a fax machine completely as well as reduce the amount of paper and ink that is consumed by the machine. Another way to decrease waste in the office is to recycle old machines or ones no longer in use or donate them to charities where they will continue to be used.
5. Recycle Toner and Inkjet Cartridges
Over 400 million cartridges are dumped into our nations landfills each year and make up more than 1.9 billion pounds of waste. Help reduce this waste by recycling your used toner and inkjet cartridges with your local recycling company or view information on how Green Image Solutions can help you recycle your cartridges for free. Also, using remanufactured cartridges that have been recycling helps reduce waste and save your company money.
6. Go Digital
Implement electronic content management and manage your paper based processes electronically. Paper is inherently slower than electronic and electronic documents can be searched much faster than paper documents. Many common business processes can be handled electronically like claims management, loan originations, contracts, employee correspondence, etc. Effective content management in the office reduces paper, ink and mailing costs and reduce paper transport costs that use energy and create CO2 emissions. Also, avoid or reduce paper storage and archiving by storing documents electronically. Less than 1% of archived papers are ever accessed again and close to 50% of archived documents are duplicates.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle:
Make it easy. Place bins or containers in locations near trash cans where employees normally would throw away recyclables. Be sure to label the bins so that the materials are put in separate receptacles.
Remind Employees. Place signs around your office (not just near the receptacles) reminding employees to recycle. Use e-mails or newsletters to remind everyone what your office is recycling, where the bins are located, and how much they are helping the environment.
Track your progress. If possible, calculate how much you are recycling every so often. Keep a progress chart in a common area that shows employees how many pounds of aluminum, glass or paper they've collected. You might also want to set goals and reward employees when they're reached.
Remember that recycling is only part of the battle. Reducing the amount of trash you produce is important, as is reusing items whenever possible. Purchasing recycled materials helps encourage global recycling, too.
5 Factors You Should Consider Before You Buy Inkjet and Toner Cartridges from Online Stores
1. Are Cheaper Cartridges The Best Choice For Me?
Name brand printer ink is much more expensive compared to compatible and remanufactured cartridges. Cheaper prices should not mean you should sacrifice quality. However, not all of compatible and remanufactured cartridge manufacturers keep quality at the top of their priority list. When you purchase inkjet or laser toner cartridges you need to treat price and quality as equals.
Green Image Solutions is adamant about selecting high quality compatible and remanufactured cartridge manufacturers. We continually and thoroughly test cartridges, and only the ones that meet Green Image Solutions’ high standards are available for sale. We do not accept any printer ink cartridges that do not satisfy our quality standards.
2. Is Printer Ink Cartridge Quality Assured By All Online Stores?
It is true that all printer ink cartridges cannot be failure-free. Even major name-brand cartridges have 3-5% failure rate. That is why you need to consider quality assurance from your printer ink retailer.
Green Image Solutions always tries to meet or exceed name-brand manufacturer standards. However, if for any reason, you are not satisfied with the quality and performance of your Green Image Solutions inkjet or toner cartridges, we offer the industry's best 90-Day Money Back Guarantee.
3. Do All Online Stores Offer Full-Coverage and Hassle-Free Warranties?
When you have any problems with your cartridges and printer, it is a frustrating experience. It is not unusual for a company's customer support to tell you that the warranty period has expired or the problem was caused by your error. Many companies even ask you to pay for return shipping. It is important, as a customer, to choose a printer ink seller with a fair warranty policy.
Green Image Solutions understands that not every customer will use their inkjet or toner cartridges right away or that things can happen where a customer needs to purchase a new printer before they could use all their cartridges in stock. That's why Green Image Solutions offers free shipping when you return cartridges; you don't have to pay a penny for shipping. Return shipping is on us.
4. What Kind Of Customer Service Should I Look For When Buying Online?
Online stores, not only the printer ink market, are making it difficult to talk to and get help from customer service representatives. You should always consider how reliable and available a company's customer service is.
At Green Image Solutions you can find our customer service agent by phone or by e-mail. In each case, you will get a real person right away without going through a directory.
5. Do All Ink Retailers Provide Credible Technical Support?
Printers and cartridges can be very complicated and sometimes it's not easy to find out what to do when an error message pops up or when lights on the panel are blinking. If you have a problem and need technical support, you don't want to talk with someone whose main job is to answer the phone. They can offer information that can damage your printer. That is why you need to think about the credibility of a company's technical support.
At Green Image Solutions, all of our managers, sales reps, and support staff are knowledgeable in most OEM printers and can help you through almost any issue. Our customer service agents are not simply taking orders or transferring phone calls, they are prepared to solve your problems.
Name brand printer ink is much more expensive compared to compatible and remanufactured cartridges. Cheaper prices should not mean you should sacrifice quality. However, not all of compatible and remanufactured cartridge manufacturers keep quality at the top of their priority list. When you purchase inkjet or laser toner cartridges you need to treat price and quality as equals.
Green Image Solutions is adamant about selecting high quality compatible and remanufactured cartridge manufacturers. We continually and thoroughly test cartridges, and only the ones that meet Green Image Solutions’ high standards are available for sale. We do not accept any printer ink cartridges that do not satisfy our quality standards.
2. Is Printer Ink Cartridge Quality Assured By All Online Stores?
It is true that all printer ink cartridges cannot be failure-free. Even major name-brand cartridges have 3-5% failure rate. That is why you need to consider quality assurance from your printer ink retailer.
Green Image Solutions always tries to meet or exceed name-brand manufacturer standards. However, if for any reason, you are not satisfied with the quality and performance of your Green Image Solutions inkjet or toner cartridges, we offer the industry's best 90-Day Money Back Guarantee.
3. Do All Online Stores Offer Full-Coverage and Hassle-Free Warranties?
When you have any problems with your cartridges and printer, it is a frustrating experience. It is not unusual for a company's customer support to tell you that the warranty period has expired or the problem was caused by your error. Many companies even ask you to pay for return shipping. It is important, as a customer, to choose a printer ink seller with a fair warranty policy.
Green Image Solutions understands that not every customer will use their inkjet or toner cartridges right away or that things can happen where a customer needs to purchase a new printer before they could use all their cartridges in stock. That's why Green Image Solutions offers free shipping when you return cartridges; you don't have to pay a penny for shipping. Return shipping is on us.
4. What Kind Of Customer Service Should I Look For When Buying Online?
Online stores, not only the printer ink market, are making it difficult to talk to and get help from customer service representatives. You should always consider how reliable and available a company's customer service is.
At Green Image Solutions you can find our customer service agent by phone or by e-mail. In each case, you will get a real person right away without going through a directory.
5. Do All Ink Retailers Provide Credible Technical Support?
Printers and cartridges can be very complicated and sometimes it's not easy to find out what to do when an error message pops up or when lights on the panel are blinking. If you have a problem and need technical support, you don't want to talk with someone whose main job is to answer the phone. They can offer information that can damage your printer. That is why you need to think about the credibility of a company's technical support.
At Green Image Solutions, all of our managers, sales reps, and support staff are knowledgeable in most OEM printers and can help you through almost any issue. Our customer service agents are not simply taking orders or transferring phone calls, they are prepared to solve your problems.
Tips for Finding a Great Deal on Toner
Taken from Majon International - http://www.majon.com/articles/Business_and_Entrepreneurs/Toner_591.html
Whether you have photo printers, laser printers, or inkjet printers, you know that toner cartridges are incredibly expensive. If you're in the market for an inkjet printer cartridge or a LaserJet toner cartridge, there are great deals to be had online. However, there are several things you should know before buying toner online.
Understand Your Options
When it comes to laser toner cartridges or inkjet printer cartridges, you have three options: Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges, compatible cartridges, and re-manufactured cartridges. What are the differences? Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridges are those that you find at office supply stores. They are packaged and sold with the printer manufacturer's name on them. Compatible cartridges don't have the branding from the printer manufacturers, but they meet or exceed the manufacturers' specifications for the ink or toner. Re-manufactured cartridges are, essentially, Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridges that have been used, refilled, and cleaned and quality checked.
Although the initial reaction of most people is to buy Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridges, you can save a tremendous amount of money - without sacrificing quality - when you buy compatible cartridges or re-manufactured cartridges.
Know What You Need
As with most types of devices these days, different models of printers have relatively unique cartridge designs. Unfortunately, the lack of standardization means that you have to know the make and model of your printer when you want to buy toner cartridges or ink cartridges. When ordering toner or ink cartridges online, it's important to have this information handy. You don't want to go through the hassle of ordering the wrong cartridge and having to return it for a replacement.
Order From a Reputable Source
With so many ecommerce sites on the Internet, it's sometimes difficult to ascertain which sources for toner and ink cartridges offer exceptional products and service. If you're planning to buy a compatible or re-manufactured inkjet printer cartridge or LaserJet toner cartridge, it's crucial that the company produces or sells high-quality products. An inferior product could, at best, produce poor quality prints, and at worst, damage your printer.
When you understand the differences between the types of toner and inkjet cartridges available, know what you need, and find a reputable company, you'll be all set to save money by ordering toner online.
Whether you have photo printers, laser printers, or inkjet printers, you know that toner cartridges are incredibly expensive. If you're in the market for an inkjet printer cartridge or a LaserJet toner cartridge, there are great deals to be had online. However, there are several things you should know before buying toner online.
Understand Your Options
When it comes to laser toner cartridges or inkjet printer cartridges, you have three options: Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges, compatible cartridges, and re-manufactured cartridges. What are the differences? Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridges are those that you find at office supply stores. They are packaged and sold with the printer manufacturer's name on them. Compatible cartridges don't have the branding from the printer manufacturers, but they meet or exceed the manufacturers' specifications for the ink or toner. Re-manufactured cartridges are, essentially, Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridges that have been used, refilled, and cleaned and quality checked.
Although the initial reaction of most people is to buy Original Equipment Manufacturer cartridges, you can save a tremendous amount of money - without sacrificing quality - when you buy compatible cartridges or re-manufactured cartridges.
Know What You Need
As with most types of devices these days, different models of printers have relatively unique cartridge designs. Unfortunately, the lack of standardization means that you have to know the make and model of your printer when you want to buy toner cartridges or ink cartridges. When ordering toner or ink cartridges online, it's important to have this information handy. You don't want to go through the hassle of ordering the wrong cartridge and having to return it for a replacement.
Order From a Reputable Source
With so many ecommerce sites on the Internet, it's sometimes difficult to ascertain which sources for toner and ink cartridges offer exceptional products and service. If you're planning to buy a compatible or re-manufactured inkjet printer cartridge or LaserJet toner cartridge, it's crucial that the company produces or sells high-quality products. An inferior product could, at best, produce poor quality prints, and at worst, damage your printer.
When you understand the differences between the types of toner and inkjet cartridges available, know what you need, and find a reputable company, you'll be all set to save money by ordering toner online.
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