Choose Ink Cartridges

The EX495 Media Smart has 1.5TB of storage which includes three empty bays, 4 USB ports, and one eSATA port, giving it a host of expansion options. EX495 server is one of the best NAS servers for homes or small offices. This cheap Media Smart server consists of 2GB of RAM, running the Home version of Windows Server 2003. The HP Media Smart Server EX495 is shaped like a mini tower computer. On the back of the server are another three USB ports and an eSATA port. These ports are used solely for additional storage. They don’t support anything else, such as a printer or USB camera.

The HP Media Smart EX495 share the unique photo management feature of HP NAS servers, which is the Web-based Photo Publisher application, which can be launched from the HP Media Smart Server Control Center. The features allows for uploading photos stored on the NAS directly to popular photo-sharing sites including Snapfish, Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook. The EX495 comes with 1.5TB of storage and three empty bays for another three SATA hard drives. The EX495 also comes with excellent backup solutions.

The EX495 server is consistently faster than most NAS servers and is comparable to most USB external hard drives. This is impressive as typically direct-attached external hard drives are faster than any network storage devices. Uptill now the Media Smart EX495 Server have proved to be the second fastest NAS server.

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Method of normality decision with regard to ink cartridge and printer actualizing the method Abstract

An ink cartridge of the present invention has a storage element, in which plural pieces of specific information relating to an ink cartridge are stored at specific addresses having predetermined data lengths. For example, a piece of information on the year of manufacture is registered in a data length of 7 bits, a piece of information on the month of manufacture is registered in a data length of 4 bits, and a piece of information on the date of manufacture is registered in a data length of 5 bits. A piece of information on the time (hour) of manufacture is registered in a data length of 5 bits, and a piece of information on the time (minute) of manufacture is registered in a data length of 6 bits. The technique of the present invention determines whether the storage element incorporated in the ink cartridge is normal or abnormal, based on the piece of information on the month of manufacture. This arrangement ensures the easy and adequate determination of whether or not the information stored in the storage element is destroyed.

MP800R is best suited for home users and amateur photography enthusiasts who want a wealth of photo manipulation features and can do without faxing. The Canon Pixma MP800R Photo all-in-one stands 18.6 inches wide, 19.3 inches deep, and 9.5 inches tall and weighs more than 27 pounds. Its glossy black and brushed silver plastic exterior is classic Pixma design.

The control panel is simple for a printer with so many functions. The Pixma MP800R is ideal for small offices or homes with multiple PCs and users. A built-in 802.11g/b adapter of MP800R provides the option of wireless printing.

The Canon MP800R uses five ink cartridges: a dye-based black, a pigment-based black, and separate cyan, magenta, and yellow tanks. The cost per page of the MP800R is the same as that of the MP830: both black and color text prints will cost an inexpensive 2 cents per page.

The speed of Canon Pixma MP800R’s is quite impressive, especially when compared to an office all-in-one. It produced text at 7.97 pages per minute (ppm), scanned grayscale photos at 11.88ppm, scanned color photos at 10.75ppm, and printed 4×6 photos at 1.84ppm. The 4×6 photo prints showed good flesh tones, sharp detail, and only the slightest compression in the dark end of the grayscale. Colors scan show good detail and color representation. The grayscale scan was also good, though it also showed slight compression in the dark end of the grayscale, resulting in some detail loss in shadow areas.

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Method of normality decision with regard to ink cartridge and printer actualizing the method Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of normality decision with regard to an ink cartridge, which is detachably attached to a printing apparatus like an ink jet printer or an ink jet plotter, as well as to a printer that actualizes the method.

2. Description of the Related Art

The type of ink usable for a printer generally depends upon the type of the printer, such as the ink jet printer or the dot impact printer. Byway of example, it is assumed that a certain type of ink is usable for a specific printer. If another type of ink, which has different properties from those of the certain type of ink and is not generally used for the specific printer, is mistakenly attached to the specific printer, a desired printing result may not be obtained. In another example, the ink jet printer may encounter the troubles due to a difference in viscosity of ink, such as a poor printing result or clogging nozzles on a print head. (more ink cartridges…)

The HP LaserJet 1020 is an inexpensive ($180) monochrome laser printer which is best suited for home users with low to moderate print needs. The compact LaserJet 1020 measures just 14.6 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep, and 8.2 inches tall, and weighs a light 11 pounds. This monochrome laser printer comes with a 234MHz processor and just 2MB of onboard memory. It has just a USB connection, so it’s better for single users than a multi-user environment. This cheap printer also contains 150 sheet input tray and a single sheet manual input tray. The output tray includes the fold out paper support.

The LaserJet 1020 is a mono printer and therefore contains only one toner cartridge. Replacement cartridges cost $70 and are good for up to about 2,000 prints, which come out to about 3.5 cents per page–not bad for a budget laser printer and in line with the Samsung ML-2571N’s 2.6 cents per page and the Lexmark E250d’s 3.8 cents per page. The recommended monthly duty cycle is 5,000 prints, so the LaserJet 1020 is best suited for home users with home users with light printing needs.

The HP LaserJet 1020′s speed and quality are not the best among its competition, but not terrible, either. It printed text at a rate of 12.52ppm (pages per minute) and graphics at a rate of 12.61ppm. The text quality of LaserJet 1020 is also excellent.

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Ink-jet printing apparatus and ink cartridge therefor Abstract

An ink cartridge for detachable mounting in an insertion direction on an ink jet printing apparatus having an ink supply needle communicating with a print head, includes a bottom wall, plural side walls, an ink supply port in the bottom wall to engage the ink supply needle as the ink cartridge moves in an insertion direction, a circuit board formed on a side wall adjacent to the bottom wall, and electrodes on the circuit board, each electrode having at least one contact region, the contact regions being divided into groups respectively arranged at intervals in the insertion direction. Part of one contact region located in a center of one of the groups of contact regions is disposed on the ink supply port’s central line, and a semiconductor storage device is located on the circuit board and is in electrical communication with at least some contact regions.

HP Color Laser Jet 2600n is a $399 printer with built-in Ethernet networkability. This printer is simple to use, and the quality of most of its print samples are impressive. Laser jet 2600n is best suited for small work groups and home offices as its post purchase cost is high. The two-tone gray HP Color LaserJet 2600n measures a compact 16 by 18 by 15 inches (WDH). Two sturdy handgrips in its base make this cheap 40-pound printer machine easy to move. The control panel on the top-right corner of the Laser jet 2600n features a tiny two-line LCD. The control panel provides buttons to move across the menus and drill down through them, but not to climb back up; so after setting a menu item, you have to jump back to the starting point.

Color laser jet 2600n prints 8 pages per minute (ppm) for black text. Color graphics printed at a more reasonable 6.3ppm. That’s fast enough for most home offices, but not for any workgroup of more than a few people. In terms of print quality, plain text obtained from the printer cartridge is great with a crisp black that few colors lasers achieve, and sharp, clean letters, even at 2-point size. It also printed grayscale graphics well, with some blotchiness in areas but good detail, particularly on photos. A page of black text uses about 3 cents’ worth of toner and a lightly covered color page uses about 15.3 cents’ worth, according to vendor specs.

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Protector for ink cartridge Abstract

A protector for use with an ink cartridge. The ink cartridge includes an ink chamber which stores an ink; an ink supply hole through which the ink is supplied from the ink chamber to an outside of the ink cartridge and which opens in a hole-open portion of an outer surface of the ink cartridge; and a valve member which is provided between the ink chamber and the ink supply hole, which selectively permits the ink to flow from the ink chamber to the ink supply hole and inhibits the ink from flowing from the ink chamber to the ink supply hole, and which communicates with the outside via the ink supply hole. The protector includes a main portion including an engaging portion which is adapted to engage a portion of the ink cartridge so that the protector is detachably attached to the ink cartridge. The main portion has a rigidity assuring that the main portion can substantially maintain an original shape thereof. The main portion further includes an access-restraining portion which is adapted to be located, in a state in which the protector is attached to the ink cartridge, outside the ink supply hole so as to at least partly cover the hole-open portion of the outer surface of the ink cartridge and thereby restrain an external access to the valve member via the ink supply hole.

The $199 cheap Canon Pixma MX860 is a worthwhile printer for shoppers who need a multifunctional printer at a very reasonable cost. It’s the only printer in the series that offers wireless while still maintaining all the features you need to print, scan, fax, and copy.

The Pixma MX860 measures 18.1 inches wide by 16.2 inches deep by 7.8 inches tall. This printer has curved edges which make it attractive to be used at home and offices. This printer also contains the large 2.5-inch LCD screen which is fixed inside the control panel. The left side of the printer has buttons for copy, fax and scan while the left side of the printer contains the usual fare of menu, settings, numerical keys, and navigation buttons. The scanner bay of MX860 is hidden in the middle of the printer which contain five-ink cartridge bay that includes four dye-based inks in addition to a pigment-based ink for black text. According to Canon’s Web site, each color ink tank costs $12.99 for a replacement cartridge, while the pigment-based black tanks cost $14.90 each. Canon estimates a black-and-white document will cost $0.03, a full-color document $0.05, and $0.0529 per 4-inch-by-6-inch color photo; all average prices for today’s typical photo printer.

When it comes to print speeds, the Pixma MX860 has the upper hand on the competition, setting the pace in the color graphics speed, single-photo speed, grayscale scan, and black text copy speed tests. The MX860 is equally competent with graphics quality as it is with output speeds. The text prints came out a rich black with fully formed characters and thick lines, and the color spread retains its quality as well.

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Protector for ink cartridge Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A combination of a protector and an ink cartridge, the ink cartridge comprising: an ink chamber which stores ink; an ink supply hole formed through the ink cartridge and through which ink flows from an interior of the ink chamber to an exterior of the ink cartridge and which opens in an opening portion of an outer surface of the ink cartridge; and a first valve member which is provided between the ink chamber and the ink supply hole, which selectively permits ink to flow from the ink chamber to the ink supply hole and inhibits ink from flowing from the ink chamber to the ink supply hole, and which communicates with the exterior of the ink cartridge via the ink supply hole, the protector comprising: a main portion comprising an engaging portion which is adapted to engage a portion of the ink cartridge, so that the protector is detachably attached to the ink cartridge, wherein the main portion is substantially rigid thereby assuring that the main portion substantially maintains an original shape thereof, wherein the main portion further comprises an access-restraining portion which is located outside the ink supply hole, when the protector is attached to the ink cartridge, so as to at least partially cover the opening portion of the outer surface of the ink cartridge and thereby limit external access to the first valve member via the ink supply hole, wherein the ink cartridge further comprises: an air introducing hole which introduces air from the exterior into the interior of the ink chamber; and a second valve member which is disposed between the ink chamber and the air introducing hole, which selectively permits air to flow from the exterior into the interior of the ink chamber and inhibits air from flowing from the exterior into the interior of the ink chamber, and which communicates with the exterior of the ink cartridge via the air introducing hole, and wherein the access-restraining portion covers the outer surface of the ink cartridge over the ink supply hole and the air introducing hole and thereby restrains the external access to each of the first and second valve members via a corresponding one of the ink supply hole and the air introducing hole. (more ink cartridges…)

Canon Pixma MX330 has proved the perfect addition to home office as the printer can fax, copy, scan, and print on a wide variety of media. This cheap $110 printer boosts productivity by adding an automatic document feeder and a full color 1.80-inch LCD.

The body of Canon Pixma MX330 is streamlined with all of the buttons conveniently placed on the front panel. The bright 1.8-inch LCD screen sits prominently in the middle of the control panel. Overall, the Canon Pixma MX330 measures a maneuverable 7.8 inches tall by 18.1 inches wide by 16.2 inches deep. At such a low price range this printer also include an auto document feeder which help in easier scanning and copying stacks of documents.

To keep costs low, the Canon Pixma MX330 only uses two ink cartridges: one for black and one for tricolors. The package also includes a driver CD with all the installation files needed to customize the prints. The driver also automatically installs Canon’s Easy Photo Print EX software onto the computer that flaunts all the creative features of the MX330.

The MX330 prints color text at the speed of 5.54 pages per minute in a tie with the HP Office jet J6480 that’s almost two times the cost of the Canon. The Black text obtained from the cheap black cartridge of this printer is nicely darkened on standard 20-pound paper. The MX330 will definitely satisfy households where cost and robust features are more of an issue than just output quality.

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Protector for ink cartridge Description

The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-333922 filed on Nov. 18, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a protector that can prevent leakage of ink from an ink cartridge before the cartridge is attached to a recording device.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-113723 or its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,581B1 discloses an ink cartridge having an ink supply hole in which a valve member is provided. In a state of the ink cartridge before it is attached to an inkjet recording device, a compression spring elastically presses the valve member against a tubular packing member provided in the ink supply hole, so as to prevent leakage of ink from the ink supply hole. Meanwhile, when the ink cartridge is attached to the inkjet recording device, a tubular ink-supply needle pushes the valve member against the biasing force of the compression spring, so as to open the ink supply hole and thereby allow the ink to be supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording device.

However, the above-described valve member communicates with an outside space via the ink supply hole. Therefore, if the valve member is erroneously assembled in a tilted state when the ink cartridge is manufactured, or if the valve member is tilted by being interfered with by a foreign matter or a working person when the ink cartridge is manufactured or shipped, the ink may leak through the valve member tilted. (more ink cartridges…)

HP Laser jet 1200 is loved for its excellent print quality and its versatile copy/scan attachment. The LaserJet 1200 fixes all the things which were disliked in its predecessors.

The LaserJet 1200′s bundled software includes scanning and copying programs, as well as ReadIris Professional OCR, for turning scanned documents into editable text files. Offices seeking a multifunction versatility might also appreciate the LaserJet 1200′s copier/scanner attachment option ($149). LaserJet 1200 looks completely different from the LaserJet 1100xi. Most of the changes are for the better. On the good side, the toner cartridge slides out for easy removal when you open the front panel–no more digging into the printer’s interior. But when you do need to get into the guts of the machine, to connect an interface cable or to upgrade the RAM, for instance, you must first open the front toner panel and then pop off the left side panel. This device, which sits on top of the output tray, adds important office functions to the machine. The LaserJet 1200 also handles paper much differently than did its predecessor. The LaserJet 1200 can take 250 sheets of input and 125 output, compared to the LaserJet 1100xi’s 125/100.

Output quality of Laser jet 1200 is much better than output speed. Text samples are excellent at 600dpi, with crisp, solid black lines on both serif and sans-serif fonts. At three- and five-point font sizes, letters had a slightly moth-eaten quality. Based on its speed and output quality, the LaserJet 1200 is an excellent choice, and its sleek design and optional copy/scan attachment make it even harder to resist.

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Ink-jet printing apparatus and ink cartridge therefor Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus to which ink is supplied from a replaceable ink cartridge for printing on a recording medium, ejecting an ink droplet from nozzle apertures and an ink cartridge suitable for the above printing apparatus.

2. Conventional Art

An ink-jet printing apparatus is known in which there is provided with a print head for supplying a driving signal to a piezoelectric vibrator or heating means to print data, pressurizing ink by energy generated by the piezoelectric vibrator or the heating means and thereby ejecting ink droplets from nozzle apertures and an ink cartridge housing ink for supplying ink to the above print head. (more ink cartridges…)