Showing posts with label Printing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Printing. Show all posts

4.9.12

The Science Of 3D Printing Materials

3D printing is definitely an interesting form of manufacturing that is becoming more and more widespread across the globe. This style of manufacturing is truly magnificent in comparison to traditional methods. Let me elaborate. 3D Printing is basically the layer by layer assembly of products through either gluing powders together to micron details, or laser melting them together. Essentially, a 3D printer will continue to lay down layers of powder down hundreds of times each during "print." During each of the hundreds of layers, a laser will either melt small powders together, or glue them together. As the layers stack on top of each other, a product will start to become visible. The final product will consist of hundreds of layers of powder stacked and fused together.

As I mentioned earlier, layers of powder will be stacked on top of each other and fused within 3D printers. What is this powder? Well, it could be a lot of things. The powder used with 3D printing consists of a material that the product will be created in. There are over 50 materials to choose from when designing and developing products through the 3D printing industry. Dependent on the durability, detail, flexibility, weight, strength, chemical resistance, mechanical traits, and cost, you have a wide variety of options to choose from when deciding on a material. Maybe you're looking for an affordable, but strong ABS plastic powder. Perhaps you're looking for a silver material. Maybe you would just like a nylon material. Perhaps you need stainless steel. When it comes down to 3D printing a product that holds certain characteristics, choosing the material is a big factor. I don't know about you, but if I were creating a valve on an oil rig, I wouldn't create it in a glass-like material.

When aspiring to create a product through 3D printing, the material choice is a massive deal. The few characteristics I mentioned earlier can narrow down your option pretty quickly. Does your product need to be strong? Does it have to be heavily detailed? Does it have to be in color? Is it flexible? 3D Printing a titanium wristband might not be the best idea, but perhaps a flexible tango-black wristband might work. Is your product going to involve snap on parts? Now let me cover durability. When designing the inside of a small jet engine, we weren't thinking about creating our print in sandstone; it would disintegrate as soon as we started it up! However, we would have a couple options when 3D printing our jet engine. Cobalt chrome, Inconel, titanium, and stainless steel all hold their own when it comes to withstanding heat, being strong, and somewhat detailed. In the end, it would probably be narrowed down to titanium or Inconel. Moving on - how large is your budget? 3D Printing isn't free. Maybe you're just an artist looking to turn your creations into physical objects. You probably don't need to create the model in platinum, gold, or silver. Maybe full color sandstone or a white nylon would suit you well. These are just a few factors that come into play when deciding on 3D printing your product in a certain. Keep in mind the following features: strength, price, detail, color, texture, mechanical traits, chemical resistance, and flexibility.


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12.6.12

3D Printing and The Medical Industry

3D Printing has quite a few interesting applications within a few industries out there. First off, let me vaguely cover what 3D printing is. This technology is essentially the layer by layer assembly of products through a 3D printer. Layers of powder as thin as a few microns will be laid down and fused together through laser melting or glue. When layers keep fusing, a product becomes apparent after the 400th layer at least! Unlike traditional forms of manufacturing, 3D printing has the ability to produce virtually any shape through the layer by layer process. In a nutshell, 3D printing is the layer by layer creation of products through powder fusion.

One great aspect of this technology would be the variety of materials that are available. 3D printing can use one of over 50 materials to create products, whether it is titanium, silver, ABS plastic, or nylons. There are tons of choices when it comes down to prototyping your product.

You may want to do more research on the advanced process known as 3D printing, that isn't what I plan on talking about. I plan on covering what industries 3D printing can impact. Let me start off with the medical industry.

Unfortunately for us, the human body wasn't "designed" bullet proof. Unfortunately, there tend to be defects from time to time. Whether it be as small as having a weak skin gene, to missing an entire limb. In addition to that, we, the human race, are accident prone. Even aside from accidents, there are many circumstances such as war that will leave some people damaged and mangled. What happens when we experience a physical issue that needs to be compensated for? We take a stroll into the medical industry to correct our issues. Sometimes it isn't always that easy.

In many situations, we need some form of corrective treatment, and not all treatment is the same for each individual. In fact, plenty of the treatments are totally unique! What happens when a jaw breaks? Maybe we took trauma to the head and need to have facial reconstruction? Perhaps a bad hip went out... Maybe an individual was born lacking a body part. Let me cover what happened in a very specific case. A woman lost her jaw due to a form of cancer. She was left in a pretty poor situation. Thankfully, 3D printing has been on the rise and was able to compensate when no other forms of treatment could. An engineering team worked with a biomedical team, and they developed a titanium jaw through 3D printing that fit to the exact dimensions of the woman's jaw. She has a new jaw that is plenty strong for her! That is insane; think about that. Engineers developed a jaw to fit her facial structure perfectly, and surgeons could implant it! A similar case occurred when a man was in a horrible automobile accident, crushing one side of his face. Engineers scanned the other side of his face, and created a metal plate to compensate for the broken bone on the other face. Guess what, surgeons implanted it! This technology is becoming very helpful with leg prosthetics for military vets and civilians dealing with explosives. There is so much potential within the medical industry when it comes to 3D printing. As doctors become more aware of the technology, our society will encounter a breakthrough!


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3D Printing Designed For A Extra Inventive Printing Application

The printer business was used to be a bit more "behind the curtain" than at present. You aren't accustomed to understand about all of the legalities or even the technological developments. Circumstances obviously have revolutionized. Who want to learn about ink continually? Still, an issue in news reports recently presented me contemplate about inkjet ink tubes within a fresh perspective. It had been virtually as if I put to use to be seeing the heavens each individual evening and all of a sudden recognized precisely how glorious they have been. NASA has introduced that it'll be using exactly the same three dimensional printing technology which was produced from the printing business. What started as analysis to build up much more helpful ink jet printers definitely converted right into a technique to develop spares and resources on area missions? For all those that have an outstanding memory, you will more than likely realize that this seriously is simply not even close to the particularly very first time numerous it industry has influenced today's technology. By way of the many years, the likes of Lexmark have definitely led dramatically for the modern day quality of existence.

Once you prefer a good illustration of what innovative researchers did with printer technologies, just have a look at the Austrian researchers that discovered they might "build" live human organs by cropping stem cells and taking advantage of ink tubes to print them into existence. We've got the technologies is not really getting utilized but this may well demonstrate an excellent point. Have to be technological innovation was developed for any specific business isn't going to necessarily imply that other market cannot reap the benefits of the identical scientific ideas. Comprehending that mankind can carry out nearly anything, NASA needed what appeared as if an easy printing technologies and applied it for their aims. They recognized it might possibly allow them to plus they attacked it with all of they'd. This would mean that modern day science has finally designed a tool that might possibly make generation ships a great deal more than sci-fi!

To tell the truth, NASA should not get all the credit they didn't develop the notion by themselves. When no one has verified the title in the organization, it had been an american technologies enterprise that posted the initial proposal. NASA was rather rapid to simply accept. That merely proves you the way in which much technology will get packed into every single ink cartridge. Many individuals say that this really is truly just about the most inventive and revolutionary improvement NASA has ever switched out. I disagree completely. NASA practically invented forward thinking and innovation. To state that that a single accomplishment trumps all the other individuals is absurd.

With all the current cuts in NASA funding, I query after they intend on working with generic affordable tubes within their new area ink jet printers to save money. Please overlook the corny joke. This is literally no laughing matter. The incredibly to begin with time ever, mankind incorporates a technology that could spell the finish of currently being homeless all across the globe. Image it: you're able to print a complete house applying the push of your mouse. Despite the truth that it is available for all of us to finish this stuff, none of the is ever going to come about. Humanity would undoubtedly not accept it. In present day globe, numerous individuals are involved about acquiring a terrific deal on generic cost-effective tubes when a modify in point of view could permit them to build ways to the challenges that plague them day-to-day.

Are you currently seeking cheap cartridges for your printing desires? Peachtree Ink is your remedy to finding fantastic deals of generic printer ink so come look over us out at peachtreeink.com or e-mail us at info@peachtreeink.com


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27.3.12

How 3D Printing Is Changing The World

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There is one technology that is rising in popularity across the world; it has been around for a couple decades, but is just now becoming available to consumers and designers. This technology gives artists the chance to manufacture virtually anything, out of so many materials. This newer style of manufacturing is known as rapid prototyping, or 3D printing. What's 3D printing? 3D printing is additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, or just another form of manufacturing that brings in a new style of creation. 3D Printing uses 3D printers, or manufacturing machines, which lay down layers of material on top of layers, all while fusing together these materials. Essentially, 3D printing consists of the layer by layer assembly of objects within 3D printers. The designs and blueprints which are used to create these models come from 3D models created by artists and developers across the world! This gives 3D enthusiasts and engineers the chance to create a variety of products.

3D printing is different from other forms of manufacturing like mold manufacturing, or CNC cutting. Through the layer by layer concept, 3D printing can manufacture virtually anything out of a wide variety of materials. Artists can manufacture virtually anything! This layer by layer concept can be easier in quite a few aspects when it comes down to actually designing models, and it doesn't give certain limitations that other forms of manufacturing give off.

3D printing can give consumers and artists across the globe to manufacture virtually anything. Depending on the material, pricing can be pretty inexpensive as well. In addition, artists don't have to order in bulk as they might have to when dealing with manufacturers. It wouldn't be ridiculous to order a quantity of 4-5, or even 1-2. This makes it easier for custom pieces to be created.

On top of the efficiency of 3D printing, this technology offers such a variety of materials to choose from when developing a product or model. There are quite a few 3D printing companies across the globe offering loads of materials, some even offer over 50! Image that, over 50 materials to choose from. Artists and engineers have the option to create their model or gizmo in virtually any material, whether it be cobalt chrome, to sandstone, to colored prints, to abs, to precious metals, and on and on! There are so many options! This gives artists and engineers so many options when it comes down to 3D printing. There are metals, ceramics, plastics, thermoplastics, precious metals, mechanical materials, flexible materials, see through materials, high detail materials, etc. There is a lot to choose from when it comes down to 3D printing! Perhaps an engineer is looking for a very specialized piece that can withstand massive heat, or a piece that is chemically resistant and waterproof. Maybe an artist is just looking for a detailed material so that he or she can show off a design. There is an opportunity for virtually any model!

The availability of 3D printing services is growing across the globe. There are companies everywhere! Some services are offered world-wide as well. The possibility of 3D printing is becoming very widespread, anyone can do it!


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23.3.12

Printing in 3D Starts With 3D Modeling

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Whether you're an engineer with a revolutionary new widget or the next Rodin of our generation (or an architect, inventor, or what-have-you), 3D printing allows you to turn the shape you've conceived in your mind into hard reality. But, before you can send that revolutionary widget or objet d'art off to the printer, you need to first construct that model. The way to do that is with 3D software.

Just take a casual look on CNET, and you'll find a host of 3D design applications, like Autodesk 3ds Max, Rhino 3D or SketchUp. With so many to choose from, it's enough to make you ask, "What do they do?" Or, "Which one is right for you?"

At its most basic, 3D software creates mathematical representations-or "models"-of three-dimensional objects. The real potential of 3D design lies in the sheer breadth of its applications. Engineers use 3D modeling to draft parts and design vehicles. Architects use 3D design programs to realize their conceptions of buildings and landscapes. Scientists use it to depict detailed models of chemical compounds or geological formations. Special effects movies like Transformers, and video games like the Halo franchise owe everything to 3d modeling, and the list goes on.

The term "computer graphics" was first coined by William Fetter back in 1961, when he worked on Boeing Man, the first computer model of the human body. From the 1980s, programs like Wavefront Advanced Visualizer and CrystalGraphics Topas made it to desktop computers. 3D modeling applications evolved over the '90s as programs like 3D Studio Max and Rhino 3D came to the fore. In 1998, My Virtual Model, Inc. brought us the first commercially available 3D human model with the Lands' End Virtual Model 3D dressing room.

Today, the market plays host to a bevy of programs, each one positioned differently along the spectrums of capabilities, cost and ease of use. For example, Autodesk 3ds Max-the contemporary incarnation of 3D Studio Max-boasts industrial-grade power and capability and is well worth it if you've got the scratch ($3,495 to be exact) and the time to master its learning curve.

Rhino 3D, on the other hand, is a solid middle of the road alternative. Rhino 3D has been lauded for both its ease of use and (relatively) low cost. At just under a grand, Rhino is a steal, even if it's not as powerful as 3ds Max.

If your budget is free-to-cheap, then take a look at SketchUp from Google. SketchUp is all about ease of use, plus it comes in both a freeware version and a Pro iteration, which ranges from $395-$495 depending on how many licenses you purchase.

Once you've decided which 3D software is right for you, it's time to decide whether to buy a 3D printer or use a 3D-printing service. Soon after, you can sit back and gaze at your wonderful creation --from concept to reality!

Quinn Farhessi
Technologist and 3D-Printing Consultant
http://www.3dprinterhub.com/


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2.2.12

Biodegradable Printing Option With Excellent Prints In Vivid Colours

A good ink printer isn't the only system for you to assist the atmosphere. To begin with, you need to end printing webpages. Lots of web pages are covered completely colour ads that could possibly absolutely drain your generic ink jet ink cartridges swiftly. A large number of pages present a printer-friendly version with the identical subject material. In case you fail to search out this, just copy this content material to some word processor and take away any photos. If you do not really need prime quality prints, draft mode is yet one more terrific way to conserve cash on ink.

Even while you do not be worried about the atmosphere (you realize what you are), you can find nonetheless many motives to make use of a solid ink printer. Ink stays cannot leak and there is simply just no possibility of spills. Even people who use top rated high quality generic ink jet ink cartridges will discover a halt by printing cost by switching to some solid ink printer. Toss in the truth that these ink jet printers have a handful of of the greatest print speeds inside of their class and also you know all that you simply will need to know to are interested one particular for the workplace at home. However, it wouldn't be fair not to make clear several this kind of printer's defects.

Solid ink ink jet printers have a lengthy, extremely extended time for you to warm-up. It isn't only dependent on enabling it to warm-up if you initially turn the printer on, either. Even while an ink jet ink cartridges permit you to print employing the mouse click, strong ink ink jet printers take about some minutes to warm-up ahead of each print! On top of that, you cannot communicate with sound ink printed documents as well as you might be ready to with folks printed in ink or toner. Attempt to make a document printed in crayon. It's similar to that. Nonetheless, that is a little price to shell out for in comparison that you simply do your behalf so that you can conserve the atmosphere.

The most recent rise while in the printing marketplace is definitely an eco-friendly residence printing remedy known as reliable ink ink jet printers. This really is essentially the scoop. Would you've ever believed that the 100% biodegradable printing answer may well have emerge inside this century? Because of a variety of researchers at Xerox R&D, Solid Ink Printing is completely eco-friendly. Plus, they provide you with prime quality prints with vivid colors. The reliable ink stays are less costly, normally, than brand printer ink as well as the printer itself costs all-around just like you'd purchase a great laser printer. The special factor relating to this sort of printer is it was created particularly with regards to showing that printing technologies never have to have to be dangerous towards the atmosphere. They are constructed with a resin much like crayon that consists of no solvents and produces no ozone.

Peachtree Ink specializes in helping buyers to find high-quality printer ink cartridges with the most reasonably priced prices. To learn more about inkjet ink cartridges pay a visit to us at peachtreeink.com or email us at info@peachtreeink.com


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What Is 3D Printing?

There is an old technology that is becoming more and more available for the everyday consumer and designer. This technology gives its subjects freedom to manufacture virtually anything, out of almost any material. This technology is known as rapid prototyping, or 3D printing. What is 3D printing? 3D printing is a type of additive manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is formed by laying down layers on top of layers of various materials and bonding them together within a 3D printing machine. These printers produce 3D objects much faster and at a much more inexpensive rate than traditional additive manufacturing technologies. So in a nutshell, 3D printing involves the layer by layer assembly of an object within a 3D printer. The blueprint for how the design is created derives from a 3D design, made out of various softwares from a computer. This gives 3D artists and engineers to produce a wide variety of objects.

3D printing stands out from other styles of manufacturing such as CNC machines, or traditional mold manufacturing. Through layer by layer processes, 3D printing can lead to the creation of almost any shape, at sharp resolutions. In addition, if an artist were to try to manufacture his or her design without coming across 3D printing, he or she may have to face ridiculous pricing at machine shops, or even worse - dealing with manufacturing plants across the globe.

3D printing gives consumers and artists the chance to create almost anything, at prices far more reasonable than other methods. In addition to the cheap pricing, artists and consumers have the opportunity to create only 1-2 models instead of having to order in bulk through other manufacturing processes. 3D printing is simply far more convenient than other methods in manufacturing.

Another huge benefit to 3D printing would be the variety of materials that are available to choose from. There are multiple 3D printing companies across the globe that offer materials, some even offer over 50 materials to choose from! These companies give artists so much freedom in what they design, as they can be made from plastics, metals, ceramics, or even precious metals. One might be interested in using titanium, maybe gold, perhaps full colored sandstone. There are so many options when it comes down to what artists and consumers may want to manufacture through 3D printing. Perhaps the designer is just making a prototype of a product that needs to be in full color; he or she would design an object with color and maybe use colored sandstone. Maybe a company needs a piece that is very specific on size which can withstand a lot of pressure and heat. There is a material for that! Maybe the piece has to be waterproof, or perhaps chemically resistant. There is a material for that too! Perhaps an artist would like to add a 3D printed tire to an R/C car or a science project. You guessed it, there is a material for that as well. There are so many options on which type of material artists, designers, or engineers would like to use. The availability of 3D printing services is very high as well! Companies are sprouting across the globe, and they all offer services! Some services are even offered world-wide! Through 3D printing, artists, consumers, designers, and engineers alike can get what they need made at an inexpensive price. There are so many opportunities for designers out there through 3D printing!


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27.1.12

Gadgets And Applications That Make Printing Duties Painless And Fast

Lexmark and Brother possess a big friend in Eastern Europe. Readdle, the Ukrainian printing firm and large-time advocate of major high-quality ink and toner have launched a smartphone application that enables any user to print their documents quickly. Their motive: to boost sales of best top quality ink in the region. This may be a breakthrough improvement that may perhaps alter the way customers print their documents. This shojuld not be a surprise, definitely. Wireless technologies have been transforming sector right after marketplace. Could it be absolutely so shocking it lastly touched the area of printing? This may well suggest a chance to print household photographs out of your smartphone when you find yourself even now taking images or maybe a probability to print tickets in the direction of one of the most popular film about when you find yourself however by helping cover their buddies. Will need to you currently use online fax services, this would possibly imply never needing to sit during the house awaiting the fax inside the future in. The moment the fax comes, just print it to the nearby printer. Must you spend a good deal for any fax, this might possibly be a terrific technique to invest significantly less. With this individual, you simply will need some personal pc ink combined with an e-mail.

For this reason new application, appropriately like Printer Specialist III, that you're capable to literally conduct all your business within the palm on the hands. Send emails, fill orders, combined with print documents. The only real catch: it only creates the apple iphone and iPad. Never use Apple? There is you do not should be concerned if android designers turn into famous, they'll possibly be delivering something much exactly the same inside the especially close to long term. It can be also much superior than the original. Don't forget, this will only use Wi-Fi enabled ink jet printers. If yours is only a typical printer, you will really have to customize the a single or do while not the advantage. When you decide to obtain one particular, ensure you get some home pc ink, also. Then, say adios for the printer cables. The definitely awesome news could be the simple fact that most printer suppliers currently make wireless enabled ink jet printers.

There is nothing at all relating to this application that you won't really like. From the straight forward interface to efficient functions, it is an ideal application. It couldn't be easier to create ink jet printers with this application, either. You just use their printer setup wizard and you're ready to go. This helpful, however relatively easy application is seriously simple to employ a child might be printing documents inside of a handful of minutes. This time close to, it appears like Readdle has definitely performed a little something revolutionary. If you fully understand it or otherwise, this application is huge news. This will be a sizable break for printer companies.

I want to describe that printing documents from mobile merchandise is not a new engineering. The truth is always that the rest of the applications have been confusing or desired particular understanding to configure ink jet printers. With this certain application, the typical person jump on and setup ink jet printers inside moments. That is what is new. A further applications just weren't effective. The designers at Readdle understood that one thing required to be achieved to become able to have way more individuals to make use of the technology. So, they constructed a superb very simple edition. I just want they'd obtain a way to chop the price of computer system ink substantially a lot more.

Curious as to what style of computer ink suitable for your printer? Peachtree Ink provides a wide array of variety on generic ink and toner cartridges for your printing needs. Come across out the printer ink you wish and visit us on peachtreeink.com or send us an message at info@peachtreeink.com


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Recognize Pro Printing At A Fraction Of Price

Around the globe, men and women are hailing the discharge in the apple iphone as the finest technological triumph because the lunar landing nevertheless in Europe this technological query continues to be viewed since the best curse in the direction of the ink industry as the black plague. You might want to comprehend the ink trade to understand why. Ink cartridge product sales occur to be reduced for some time (as the begin within the latest recession, to develop into additional precise) having said that when the apple iphone was launched, men and women began using their property pc systems and ink jet printers much less frequently, which triggered discount printer cartridge product sales to plummet a lot more. Otherwise for any basic enhance sought soon after in the industrial printing arena, brand ink enterprises would really need to in fact operate at a damaging balance the pretty first of all time ever. On account of these industrial printing suppliers, brand ink producers demonstrated marked enhancements in sales no matter the decline in overall consumer use.

As a consequence of a rise in point-of-purchase promotions and outdoors promoting, the screen printing market place is starting to examine out digital printing because the only approach to compete. This enhanced curiosity about digital printing isn't just increases cartridge revenue for brand producers, though. The printer market is starting to produce area for that growth of generic ink agencies, too. This really is more than likely merely since they are a simple technique to chop expenditures devoid of compromising high quality. While organizations may perhaps go for brand ink, they realize that generic discount printer is essentially as prime superior at a minor fraction of the price tag. As a consequence of this, quite a few professionals predict that you will see a considerable rise in the quantity of generic discount printer shoppers inside the next quite a few a long time.

Printing the likes of digital printing technology considering the fact that it enables the organization to lessen the price per unit. That is reached by lowering how long it involves to print just about every unit. In case you sense your house printer is quick, you need to go to a digital printing press for action. Quite a few them, that include the T 350 web press, can print at speeds more than a hundred meters per second. Some could quite possibly get as quickly as 180 meters just about every minute. No toner printer continues to be produced that will probably match these speeds.

Regardless of the moderate increases in sales, the price of recycleables is gaining a dramatic impact on serious ink manufacturer's bottom lines. Moreover in the direction of the elevated recycleables costs, brand ink businesses also need to expend some time and cash safeguarding their market shares against generic ink organizations. To get a lot of brand ink corporations, each day small business appears quite a lot extra like fighting a fight than managing a enterprise. Despite all of this, the close to future looks vibrant for that printer marketplace in Europe.

Peachtree Ink specializes in assisting shoppers to find high-quality printer ink cartridges at the most economical rates. To find out a lot more about discount printer ink take a look at us at peachtreeink.com or email us at info@peachtreeink.com


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25.1.12

Making Printing Tasks Simpler With Generic Printer Ink

Are you starting to feel a little overwhelmed about all the work you have to get done? You are not alone, my friend. In this great country of ours, we have the opportunity to accomplish the impossible. Any one of us can be the next bill gates, owning a company that employs thousands. If you are like me, just the idea of how much is possible is enough to get you extremely motivated, working hour after hour to accomplish your goals. It is a great feeling. You almost feel like a god, taking control of your destiny and shaping your own future. Unfortunately, most of your work days will be filled with insecurity and a lack of focus. Having a 'brain fog' day? Here is what you do.

My first bit of advice: get some cheap printer ink. Why? It is quite simple, actually. You need to print to get your work done, right? Why spend more money than you have to? Now, take a break from the computer and look at your office. Is it neat or messy? Do you have a ton of paperwork cluttering up your desk or post-it notes all over the walls? It is great to have plenty of work to do but being constantly reminded of what you have to get done can lead to stress. That leads to tip number one: out of sight, out of mind. Just make a to-do list and make sure you prioritize. Choose a task to work on and just get it done. Just make sure you do not look at that list until you are finished.

Tips 2 and 3 are two parts of a whole. Break down and prioritize. You have to take large tasks and make them more manageable. We'll call the segments 'subtasks'. Then, all you have to do is figure out where to start. Tip 4 is 'Reward yourself' and may just be the most important and effective tip in the list. Unless you have a manager standing over your shoulder every moment, you can probably follow this tip pretty easily. Just stop every 10 minutes or so and treat yourself to something you like. Check your email; print a few pages from your favorite E-book is sure to use cheap ink, or watch a YouTube clip of your favorite comedian. Do not look at this as wasted time. The brain is a little like a muscle in that if you use it too much, it can get tired. Give it a break and do something you like, whether you want to or not.

If you are like most, you've heard of tip 5 and never got around to using it. What is this amazing tip? Stop what you are doing and take a good break. Every once in a while, your brain needs a break from the daily abuse you throw at it. It is not a machine; give it a break when it refuses to work. Spend time with loved ones or enjoy the company of your cat or dog. The whole point here is to let your brain do something different for a change. Try to keep your mind off of work. Otherwise, it's a waste of time. Once you've rid yourself of all the negative energy that tends to build up during a busy workday, get back at it.

Last bit of advice: if all else fails, work through it. The mind is a funny thing; if you work hard to break through the resistance, you can actually fall right into a productive mode. You can start by doing a few simple things on the computer. They do not necessarily have to be related to work. It can be as simple as buying cheap ink for the office printer or checking your email.

Peachtree INK specialize in helping consumers to find high-quality printer ink cartridges at the most affordable rates. To find out more about on the subject of discount printer ink visit us at peachtreeink.com or email us at info@peachtreeink.com


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3.1.12

3D Printing and the Coming Rise of Lo-Fi Things

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With the advent of the industrial revolution the quality of just about everything had been on the rise. Printing went from black and white movable type to high tech digital color. Audio went from recording on wax cylinders to hi-fi stereophonic sound, radio went from mono AM to hi-fi stereo FM, film went from silent films to Technicolor and surround sound, and black and white broadcast TV gave way to color and then cable TV and then satellite TV. And manufacturing costs went down while quality went up on just about everything. But the computer revolution, albeit a boon for mankind, has brought with it an ironic *reduction* in the quality of media. And very soon a similar reduction in quality is about to befall everyday things.

The fall and rise of media quality

Ironically, the past half century brought with it a drop in the quality of audio, video, and graphics. Early computers had one font, one color, no bold or italic, and dot matrix printing was not pretty. Digital recording lost some of the "warmth" of analog. The MP3, albeit a step down in audio quality seems to be acceptable for the masses due to its portability. Online video is blocky and choppy and sometimes intermittent, but it's convenient.

The reduction in quality of media was due to the fact that content had to be digitized and reproduced using analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, graphics cards, and printers. The reduction in quality of each form of media was only temporary and has been improving steadily as processing power and bandwidth improves and electronic gadgets become commonplace.

Today we have full-spectrum digital stereo audio, 1080P HD video, realistic, digitally generated 3D graphics in video games and movies, extremely high quality digital printing, and slick million-color multi-media content is becoming common for hand held devices like the iPad.

Now a similar rise and fall is about to happen to everyday household items as a result of 3D printing - the digital printing of things.

"Things" come into the digital age

3D printing is nothing new. It's been around for decades. And in fact, there are some extremely high quality 3D printing contraptions. But they're not cheap. They certainly can't be afforded by the average consumer. Up until recently, producing things from digital files required expensive manufacturing processes known as CAD-CAM - computer aided design, and computer aided manufacturing. But that's about to change. As the technology improves and spreads, 3D printing is becoming more and more affordable. But the more affordable equipment produces lower quality things.

There was a day when color printers, video recorders, and digital audio systems cost thousands of dollars. They're now a commodity. The same trend is will happen with 3D printing. It won't be long before every household will have a 3D printer. At first the quality will be below what we're used to with mass manufactured goods, just as the quality of the early VCRs was below that of broadcast TV. But the quality will be sufficient to produce your average everyday household items such as, say, coat hooks, kitchen utensils, soap dishes, or hair brushes.

Mass production has gotten so sophisticated that it's easy to produce high quality stuff like chrome coat hooks and wood handled stainless steel kitchen utensils. It will be a while before home 3D printers will be capable of producing a stainless steel spatula with a wooden handle, but it won't be long before we'll be printing a plain white plastic spatula, or a simple plastic coat hook at home. It's not going to look as slick, and perhaps won't be as durable, but it will be of sufficient quality to do the job.

There are currently some very sophisticated 3D printers that are capable of printing metal and colored plastic and chrome and even rubber, but the first 3D printers in a consumer price range will print very simple things using a short list of materials - mostly plastics.

The rise of lo-fi things

In the developed world we're used to owning high quaity things. It's not going to be a wholly welcome transition from chrome and wood and glass and rainbow colored plastics to monochrome, mono-material things. Here in the west, the trend will start with younger people, lower income families, and of course technogeeks. But in the developing world, one-off 3D manufacturing will in many places leapfrog the massive factories that pump out shiny new things that we're used to in the developed world, the same way cellular technology is leapfrogging land line phones in many parts of the developing world.

Just as the quality of video and audio and graphics are steadily on the rise again, eventually 3D printing will see a rebound in quality. Someday everyone will be able to afford a printer that can produce just about any common household item in a variety of materials, but for the near future, digitally reproduced things will experience the same reduction in quality seen with audio, video, and printed graphics.

A world of monochrome things doesn't sound very enticing to the average Westerner, but to the poorer populations in the developing world, it will be a huge leap forward and a valuable weapon in the war on poverty. And considering the current state of the world's developed economies, the demands of an aging population, and the huge eco-footprint of commercialism, materialism, mass production, and global distribution, consumer level 3D printing might prove to be an invaluable technology here in the developed world as well.

© 2011, Rick Schettino, Blog From the Future

Rick Schettino
Blog From the Future
http://blogfromthefuture.net/


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2.12.11

The True Cost Of Printing With Brand Name Ink

AppId is over the quota

If you don't know the true cost of printing with brand name printer ink, you could be losing money. First, how often do you use your printer? Do you print 20 documents a month or is the figure closer to 200? If you're like most, you haven't been keeping track. You might want to give it a try. It can help you figure out how much you'll typically spend on printer ink and paper. To calculate the average cost per page, you can use the ISO standardized test.

When you're getting a replacement cartridge of ink, you need to look at cartridge size, yield, and cost. For example, a cartridge of ink from company A may offer 21 milliliters of black ink that has a "yield" of 800 pages at 5% coverage for $27.99. To put it simply, if your pages use a small amount of printer ink, you'll get around 800 pages of printer ink. That's actually a good deal at only three and a half cents per page. The calculation is number of pages divided by price per cartridge. Unfortunately, you'll have to do the same analysis with the color ink cartridge. Color ink will likely cover more than 5% of each page on the average print, particularly if you are printing photos or other images.

There are a few ways you can lower cost per page. Ink refill kits and remanufactured cartridges are a pretty good option, but they come with a risk. Refill kits are a bit messy. One wrong move and you'll be left with ink all over you and none in the cartridge. Ink refill kits are pretty cheap and are guaranteed to fit your printer. The only thing you have to worry about with this option is that you have no way of telling what quality ink it's been refilled with. Really, your best bet is generic. The ink and the cartridge are just as good as brand.

To cut back on competition, brand name ink manufacturers put microchips on the cartridge. If the printer does not recognize the cartridge as OEM, features such as ink monitoring may be limited. If the chip is not brand, the printer may reject the cartridge. In North Carolina, it is now a crime to sell a printer that uses microchips to stop generic cartridges from being used. That basically means brand companies can't force you into buying their ink.

Besides buying generic ink, there's one more way to lower the cost per page: buy higher volume cartridges. Also, instead of using a printer that uses one cartridge for all three colors, find a printer that uses multiple cartridges. Combined cartridges work on the assumption that you'll be using all the colors equally every time you make a color print. What really happens is that you will run out of one color before the others.

Peachtree INK specialize in helping consumers to find high-quality printer ink cartridges at the most affordable rates. To find out more about inexpensive printer ink visit us at peachtreeink.com or email us at info@peachtreeink.com


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