Action Printer Repair "We keep your printers in action!"

4 Things The Printer Sales Person Doesn't Tell You

2012-02-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

I was at a (National Chain Store) 1 day and asked a sales person for some recommendations on buying a printer. The first thing he recommended was to purchase the most expensive printer they had on the floor because it would last longer and give me the best quality! After talking with him a little more and telling him I did not want to spend that kind of money, he took me to a (brand name ink jet printer) and began telling me that this printer now had laser like features. I was amazed to say the least at the questions he never asked.

· What was I going to use this printer for?

· What did I need this printer to do?

· What was my print volume a month?

To be fair, not all printer sales people will do this, however you need to consider if they truly have your best interest at heart or if they are just trying to make a sale. You as the customer should consider the questions that are afore mentioned as well. I also want to arm you with 4 things the printer sales person doesn’t tell you.

1. Cost Of Consumables:

There are a lot of inexpensive printers today. But are they a good choice for you? For example if you purchase an inexpensive (brand name) inkjet printer. You can be paying more for the ink cartridges than you paid for the printer. In the color or black & white laser jets there are times you will give more for the cartridges than you did for the printer. You also have maintenance kits and transfer belts to consider in the color or the black & white laser printers. . This brings us to our next point Cost per Print.

2. Cost Per Print:

Most ink jet printers you pay about .03 cents for black & white, and .09 cents for color per print. This is at 5% coverage; if you are printing at a higher coverage rate the cost is higher. Some color laser printers can be around .02 cents for black & white and .14 cents for color. Depending on volume you may be able to get by with an inkjet printer. It wouldn’t make sense to get an inkjet printer if you are printing large volumes. Some of the black & white laser printers get around .01 cents per print. Which brings us to our next point Cost of Repair?

3. Cost Of Repair:

Unfortunately when it comes to inkjet printers, it does not make good business sense to have them repaired. Usually the parts and labor exceed the cost of the printer. There are some minor adjustments that can be made from time to time. A paper jam that is under the paper feed assembly can be removed sometimes. When it comes to more technical issues like a bad carriage assembly or PCA board, it’s time to replace the printer. On the color or black & white laser printers it makes more sense to repair, unless the cost of repair exceeds cost of the printer. Sometimes it is good to have the extended warranty or service agreement on your printers. Which brings us to our next point Return on Investment?

4. Return On Investment:

When buying a printer keep in mind that the initial purchase will represent little of the total cost of ownership. The real cost over the life of the printer will be in the consumables and maintenance of the printer. Where inkjet printers print in the hundreds before service or an ink cartridge is needed. The laser printers print in the thousands before service or a cartridge is needed. The laser printers are more durable and serviceable than the inkjet printer. On the other hand if your printing needs are a minimal, the inkjet printer may be the way for you to go.

These are 4 things the printer sales person doesn’t tell you. I hope this will help in the next purchase of a printer.

Action Printer Repair

George Thomas

Phone: (650)569-3990 Ext. 404

Cell: 650-518-1544

Email: george@actionprinterrepair.com

Web: http://www.actionprinterrepair.com/

What is good customer service?

2011-08-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

What is good customer Service?

I had my van in the shop last week and I learned a few things about customer service. I learned mainly, what to do and what not to do. I understand we all have to make a living. However we need to be able to handle the work load. This shop seemed to be interested in getting all the work it could get and not performing the work. As you can imagine this is very frustrating to the customer. I begin to make a list and evaluate my business on customer service. This is what I came up with. I would welcome any suggestions and comments.

· Don’t over promise. You need to be honest and real when it comes to getting work done on someone’s equipment that they depend on. Losing their business upfront by being honest with someone about a time frame for the repair is better than having an irate customer because you were unable to deliver on an unrealistic time schedule.

· Communicate to the customer often through the process of the service. If something comes up and you are unable to meet the time that was set, a telephone call can save the day. It gives the customer a chance to adjust their schedule or to reschedule.

· Appearance is very important, first impressions may be the only chance you get. I have serviced customers before and they would mention how the last technician did not look or act the part of being a professional. I understand you don’t need a suit & tie but neat & clean goes a long way in the business world.

· Follow up is very important it shows the customer that you care. Checking to make sure their equipment is working satisfactory and the technician was courteous and professional speaks volumes to the customer about your business.

Good customer service keeps existing customers and gives you as a business a chance to get referrals for new customers. I would welcome any comments and suggestions.

George Thomas

Email: george@actionprinterrepair.com

Website: www.actionptinterrepair.com

Is a HP Photo Smart a smart decision for business?

2011-08-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

In my line of service, I receive several calls a week from businesses that need service on their HP Photo Smart Printer. Often the repair will exceed the cost of the printer. The client will say that they have only had the printer for a year or so and will voice their frustration.

The purpose of this posting is to educate and help in sound decision making when it comes to business. There is no doubt that, there can be some use in business for a HP Photo Smart. However if you are going to use it for the bulk of printing, copying, scanning, and faxing, you will have problems.

Some repairs of course make sense. I have listed below these repairs.

· Paper Jams.

· Replacing pick up rollers.

· Replacing rollers and separation pads in the automatic document feeder.

The repairs that don’t make sense are listed below.

· Carriage Assembly.

· Pick up assembly.

· Ink station.

I have listed below some suggestions to assure the HP Photo Smart will have a longer lasting effect.

· Use a laser printer for the bulk of printing and use the HP Photo Smart for scanning and faxing.

· If copies are needed use the copy functions for a small number of copies. Scan and print from a laser printer if a larger number is needed.

· I color copies are needed a small amount should be sufficient. If a larger number is needed you might want to consider a color laser printer.

For more information contact:

Action Printer Repair

George Thomas

Phone: (650)569-3990 Ext. 404

Email: george@actionprinterrepair.com

Web: www.actionprinterrepair.com

Does your printer need a oil change?

2011-07-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

Does your printer need an oil change?

If the question was asked, "why should you change the oil in your car every 3,000 miles? No doubt you would get answers like... I get better gas mileage. It prolongs the life of my vehicle and my car runs better after routine maintenance. Of course all this is true; in fact routine maintenance does wonders for not only automobiles, but printers also.

There are several factors why you need routine maintenance on you printers. Paper quality plays in to the equation. The cheaper the paper the more paper dust gets into the paper path. Toners need to be considered as well. All toners have some leakage. (OEM and compatible toners will leak some.) The gears wear and tear, especially when dust and grime are allowed to collect on them. Over time all these mentioned factors settle into the paper path. When the printer is printing print jobs the dust, toner, and grime are pushed through the printer which decreases the reliability and print quality of the printer.

The benefits of maintaining the printer puts you in the status of being proactive, instead of reactive. With less dust, toner, and grime the reliability and life of the printers are prolonged. It gives you the ability of knowing the page count of the printer and when maintenance kits might be needed.

Action Printer Repair

George Thomas

Email: george@actionprinterrepair.com

Web: www.actionprinterrepair.com