Last Thursday, we sent out an email explaining new regulations that The Supplies Guys had found in the economic stimulus plan. In the email, we explained to all of our customers that the government was giving free ink and toner supplies to small businesses. The email read as follows:

Dear John Doe-

If you are a small business you should know of a provision in the latest government jobs bill, that as part of this new economic stimulus package, the United States Government is giving small businesses free printer supplies through 2011.

Bill S.3103 was introduced in the Senate this month with the title “Small Business Job Creation Act of 2010″ with the stated intent “to help small businesses create new jobs and drive our nation’s economic recovery.”

To be eligible for this provision, you must employ less than one person and have yearly revenues of one billion or more. Read the full details here.

Thank you,
The Supplies Guys

As you can see, the end of the email states the eligibility for this program – “employ less than one person and have yearly revenues of one billion or more.” As both are nearly impossible, we used that tagline to set up for the joke. From there, we used “Read the full details” as a link to the customer’s personal website that waited to surprise the customer with the following banner:

At The Supplies Guys, we had a good time executing this friendly April Fools joke, and hope that you all enjoyed receiving it!

Lexmark Prestige Pro805 Business Class Wireless All-In-One Printer

Printing, scanning, and copying has never been easier… Or Cheaper! The new Lexmark Prestige Pro805 Business Class Wireless All-In-One Print / Copy / Scan Color Printer blows away other printers in the home / small office  inkjet class. At a LIMITED TIME price of $199 for the printer and Lexmark Prestige Pro805 ink cartridges starting at $4.85, you simply can’t go wrong.

Here is a high level view of what the Lexmark Prestige Pro805 offers:

- Multifunction (All In One) Capabilities – Print / Copy / Scan

- Print Black at 1 cent per page!

- Accepts “XL” ink cartridges which produce 3X the prints

- Uses Vizix print technology which provides sharp text and vibrant images

- Wireless connection or Ethernet Connection

- 2 sided printing (duplexing)

- 5 year warranty and LIFETIME Phone Support!!

The Lexmark Prestige Pro805 can also act as a business card scanner. Their advanced technology allows you to easily scan and save information from business cards – you can scan up to 8 cards at a time and sync it with your address book software.

Additionally, the Lexmark Prestige Pro805 has a 4.3″ LCD touchscreen that is web-enabled… This means can view and print web content or create 1-touch apps to simplify routine tasks, such as scan to email. Also, get the news, view your favorite photo sharing sites, and discover the weather – directly from your printer.

Printer Details:

Don’t miss this opportunity to get an option rich, high end Lexmark color printer for only $199. This is a LIMITED TIME offer and will not last! CLICK HERE for more info or call one of our printer specialists toll free at 1.888.722.0390.

There are several aspects to consider when purchasing a printer for home use. On top of considering what bells and whistles you need or want with a home printer, you may also want to take into consideration the following: available budget, primary printer use, frequency of printer use, access or connectivity, printer size or design and printer compatibility. We find it best to assess your printer needs by answering the following ten simple questions:

1. Primarily, what will you be printing from home?
2. What is your budget?
3. How often will you be using your home printer?
4. How will your computer connect to the printer?
5. Where will the printer be located and or stored?
6. What types of computers will be using the printer?
7. How much are you willing to spend on printer supplies and maintenance?
8. Will you be printing in black & white, or will you need to print in color as well?
9. Do you need other functionality such as the ability to copy, scan and fax?
10. Are you making a long term investment or do you just need a printer for occasional use?

Types of Printers for Home Use

Inkjet Printer

Inkjet printers are the most commonly found printers for home use.  They are typically inexpensive to purchase (although high-end inkjet printers are available) and can print nearly anything you desire in b&w or full color.  Inkjet printers have the flexibility of being used on higher volume or on a need basis depending on the model purchased. Ink cartridge replacements per purchase are lower than other printer types however the cartridges can get expensive for someone who uses their inkjet printer more frequently. It is important to read a host of inkjet printer reviews prior to purchasing any inkjet  printer for home use.

Laser Printer

If you are looking for a high quality printer then laser printers are the best bet. They tend to be higher priced, and maintenance can be expensive but their quality and speed cannot be matched by comparable inkjet printers.  There are typically two types of laser printers; monochrome laser printers and color laser printers. Color laser printers would be better suited to use as a home printer than a monochrome laser printer due to the color laser printers wider spectrum of functionality and affordability.

Multi-Function Printer

If you run a small business out of your home office, or if you are a college student then a multi-function printer is probably the best choice for you. Multi-function printers vary, however they typically are able to print in b&w, color, scan, copy and send / receive faxes. Multi-function printers can use laser or inkjet cartridges, so it is important to assess how much you would be willing to spend on printer supplies and maintenance costs. A high quality multi-function printer will be pricey, however if you are looking for a long-term investment then this could be a solid path. Budget multi-function printers are available but again we recommend you do your research either by shopping online or talking to someone at your local computer or electronics store.

Photo Printer

If you are a digital photography junkie then you should have certainly purchased a photo printer. However photo printers are not just for the professionals or photographers. Today with the advancements in technology – anybody can use a photo printer. Simply plug the photo printer into your computer or digital cable via a USB cord and you will be ready to print your favorite pictures. We recommend that you check out a few photo printer reviews prior to purchasing a photo printer for home use as there are several different options to fit your needs.

Specialty Printer

There are also printers available to cover a wider variety of specialty jobs. You can purchase a label printer for mailing and organizational solutions; wireless (WiFi) printers are becoming a standard on many of the printers mentioned above, portable printers are now becoming popular, dot matrix printers (typically lower printing costs & high durability), and DVD/ CD image painters (print images onto a DVD or CD) are just a few of the non-traditional available printers for home use.

Think you can spare a few minutes to give your printer a little TLC? Doing so can assist in prolonging the life of your printer. By removing dust particles or ink smudges, your printer will work better and hopefully last longer as well. Cleaning your printer eliminates paper jams, ink blotches and abnormal lines. However, if you are careless when cleaning, you can permanently damage the printer.

Before you start cleaning, make sure the printer is cooled down. Unplug the printer also, just to be safe. You might want to try cleaning out the printer when you are replacing ink or toner cartridges, to avoid damage to existing cartridges.

Use a soft cloth to wipe the exterior of the printer. Dampen the cloth, not the printer, with a light liquid. Try distilled water or a light cleaner, but stay away from ammonia or alcohol as they can crack or damage the surface. It’s best to clean the outside of the printer first, while the cartridges and trays are still inside. This way, dust and other small debris don’t make their way inside.

The way you clean the inside of the printer will vary a bit between laser and inkjet printers. Most inkjet printers have cleaning processes that can be initiated from the software that accompanies the printer. This cleaning unclogs the printheads that shoot the ink. Other inkjet printers have cartridges with printheads on them, so the printhead gets replaced with each cartridge change and does not need to be regularly cleaned.

To remove dust and debris from the rollers, paper trays and other parts inside of the inkjet printer, use a small duster or damp cloth to gently wipe all of the parts down. If you are a fancier cleaner, you can use purchase tools such as a computer vacuum or cleaning sheet for a sparkling printer. For example, many printer companies manufacture their own cleaning supplies, such as the Xerox cleaning wipes shown here.

With laser printers, you can clean the inside parts the same as you would an inkjet printer, except a soft brush is recommended instead of cloth or a duster. If you don’t have a brush, make sure to steer clear of the mirror inside to avoid damaging scratches. Also, the transfer rollers are the only part of a laser printer than cannot and should not be cleaned!

The bottom line is that you have to be very careful when removing and replacing all parts. Remember to be gentle and leave out the elbow grease. Again, taking just a few minutes to detail your printer can improve the performance and add pages onto your printer’s life!