Sather

Printer cartridge overheads can be a major expense for any busy office -- and even if you're working at home, it's important to factor in the amount you spend on your printer ink when assessing the cost of running a home-based business. And what you spent on that bargain-priced printer may turn out to be only a fraction of what you pay annually in printer supplies.

A family household may have several printers on the go, each requiring its own specialist cartridges. The kids are doing their homework, researching information online and printing off reference material before drafting and printing homework papers. Digital photography is great, but grandma doesn't have a computer (let alone an e-mail account!), so you're making high quality prints of your son's graduation ceremony to mail to her. And you have to proofread some important work documents by tomorrow -- and you know you can't check text accurately from the computer monitor, so ...

If you're anything like me, you can't imagine working without the support that a personal printer provides. But while the search for reliable but cheap printer ink never ends, there are some strategies you can adopt to economize on ink use and lower your budget for replacement cartridges.

1. Use draft print quality where you can. Go to File -- Print to open the box that lists the settings for your printer. Click 'Properties' to bring up the various options available. You'll probably find different choices under the heading 'Paper/Quality' that allow you to select draft quality printing. Your document will print at a lower resolution but that may not matter for reference material that you will likely discard later.
2. Choose black and white printing over color when possible. Depending on your printer, you may have the option to select grayscale printing using the black ink cartridge only. If you're not doing presentation quality work, chances are you won't need the other colors.
3. If you're dealing with a long document, print two sheets to a page if you can. Your printer may allow you to print two pages side by side in 'landscape' orientation -- and you'll save on paper costs too.
4. Modern personal printers can produce high quality photographs, particularly if you use specialist photo paper. But printing high quality digital shots can use a lot of ink -- so think about outsourcing your photo printing to a local print center. Many services allow you to order your prints online and can mail them to you if you can't collect them yourself. You can often have your photos printed on calendars, mouse mats or greeting cards, if you wish.

Reduce your inkjet or toner costs by economizing on ink when you can -- and keep your ink supplies ready for those occasions when high quality presentation counts.

Nigel Patterson is a business writer and the publisher of Printer-Ink-2u.com.

His many articles provide useful tips and advice for online purchasers of inkjet cartridges and laser toner, as well as other printer supplies.

The television we watch at home, the weather updates we receive, the knowledge we acquire of other planets in the universe, are all possible due to satellites. Artificial satellites are man-made objects that orbit the Earth. These satellites are launched for specific purposes. A satellite is lifted from the earth's surface by a rocket and, once placed in orbit, maintains its motion without further rocket propulsion. The first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, was launched on Oct. 4, 1957, by the USSR, which triggered the space race between the Soviet Union and the U.S. The first U.S. satellite, Explorer I, was launched on Jan. 31, 1958. During the first decade of space exploration, satellites were launched from either the United States or USSR. Today, there are more than three dozen launch sites in use or under construction in more than a dozen countries.

Communications satellites are stationed in space to provide a worldwide linkup of radio, telephone and television. Echo 1 was the first communications satellite to be launched in 1960. It was a large metal balloon that reflected radio signals striking it. The first commercial geosynchronous satellite, Intelsat 1 was launched in 1965.

There are very many different types of satellites and each one serves a different purpose. Earth observation satellites are specifically designed to observe the Earth. They are used for environmental monitoring, meteorology and map making. Astronomical satellites are used for observing distant planets, galaxies and other space objects. Navigation satellites were developed primarily to satisfy the need for a navigation system for nuclear submarines. Today they use radio time signals transmitted to enable mobile receivers on the ground to determine their exact location. Reconnaissance satellites are either observation or communication satellites deployed for military intelligence applications.

Weather satellites are used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth.. They provide continuous, up-to-date information about large-scale atmospheric conditions such as cloud cover and temperature profiles. Tiros 1, was the first weather satellite that was launched in 1960.

Not so long ago, satellites were exclusive, top-secret devices. Today, they are an essential part of our daily lives.

Satellites provides detailed information on Satellite Tv, Satellite, Satellite Dish, Satellite Radio and more. Satellites is affiliated with Satellite Tv System.