Posted by Jeff Gorman on 7/8/08 4:45pm
Msg #254469

Printers -- need advice

We have bought a Canon 1 1/2 year ago. The paper door malfunctioned b4 a year was up. Then they exchanged it for a new one.

Now the warranty is up and something is wrong with the paper printing.

The paper is jamming up.

We have never owned a laser printer.

Notary isn't our SOLE income. We perhaps do about 10-15 signings a month? Perhaps less on some months? Maybe I'm overshooting how many we do, point is, I'm not sure if the volume of work we receive WARRANTS getting the cost of a laser printer.

Staples was getting rid of their floor model hp laser it was like $200 BUT the ink .. the black ink was like 100 and the color ink was 200 ..

What printer do you use?

Do you use dot matrix or laser?

For those that have the same volume as us .. do you believe its WORTH spending that kind of money on a laser?

Should I just spend the money on a NEW dot matix printer and just EXPECT it to NOT last us 5 years? That we'll perhaps have to buy a new one next year?

Reply by ZeeCA on 7/8/08 4:55pm
Msg #254471

IS THIS A JOKE POSTING? n/m

Reply by Merry_CA on 7/8/08 4:59pm
Msg #254472

Re: IS THIS A JOKE POSTING?

Hey, I wouln't be talking to Jeff like that. Look at his profile and then google him.... you'll know what I mean.... Great story Jeff!.... and yes Jeff a laser printer is required for printing loan documents.

Reply by Jeff Gorman on 7/8/08 5:05pm
Msg #254474

Re: IS THIS A JOKE POSTING?

GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!

SHEESH!!!

THANKS MARY!!

Why the HECK would someone say is this a joke?

Gosh .. haven't you HEARD of no question is a dumb question?

AND THANKS SO MUCH for google-ing!!

So .. gosh!! laser printer hugh?

We've been doing loan closings for about 4 years now and have skated by WITHOUT a laser printer. We've ONLY bought 2 printers in that time. We HAD an hp but it was slow. We were one of the first to have an all in one .. then we decided to buy a faster one .. I KNOW laser IS faster, but at the time I DIDN'T want to buy a laser b/c of cost ..

OK ... next question ..

WHERE IS THE BEST place to buy the printer and the ink? WHICH laser is best?

Is it sufficient to get a lesser priced one? What do you think is REASONABLE price wise?

Reply by CopperheadVA on 7/8/08 5:14pm
Msg #254476

Re: IS THIS A JOKE POSTING?

I'm partial to HP printers, and you can purchase extra memory for your printer so it will print faster (buy the most it can accept). I also purchase my toner cartridges at www.LDproducts.com and have been extremely happy with the money I've saved and the quality of the cartridges.

Reply by Jeff Gorman on 7/8/08 5:17pm
Msg #254478

Re: IS THIS A JOKE POSTING?

Copperhead, do you have a hp laser?

The reason we didn't get HP the 2nd time (It never gave us issues other than being SLOOOOOOOOW) is because the Stples guy told us HP is notorious for usiing up A LOT of ink. A LOT!

I had NO CLUE you could "buy memory" for printers .. ok .. is this memory physically IN the printer or is this a softward program that you load on your computer? I've just never heard of that before.

Reply by MW/VA on 7/8/08 8:34pm
Msg #254501

Re: IS THIS A JOKE POSTING?

I also use HP printers (have 3 altogether, including an all-in-one). Many notaries swear by Brother printers, but I was leary because of drum replacement issues. Either way, both have low-cost models. When shopping, look at the volume per toner cartridge. I upped to an HP 4050, got an extra tray, memory, firmware, etc. It pays for itself in toner cartridges
(prints about 7,000 per cartridge). As you know by now, laser is a requirement. It is also more cost effective. I can't imagine what it costs to print a set of docs w/inkjet--you'd go broke in no time.

Reply by davidK/CA on 7/8/08 5:31pm
Msg #254483

E-Docs must be printed on a laser printer.

Ink Jet printers produce a document by spraying ink through very fine nozzles onto the paper where the ink droplets then dry. The ink sits on the surface of the paper so sometimes it can be removed from the paper, perhaps permitting documents to be changed or altered at a later date.

A laser printer fuses (call it burns) toner onto the paper with very high heat. This means the toner melts and then becomes a permanent part of the paper and therefore it cannot be easily erased.

For this reason you must always print legal documents with a laser printer. County Recorders may refuse to record documents printed on Ink Jets. This would mean that your notary work could be considered invalid.

Good news: Laser printers generally produce greater numbers of copies per cartridge, and often will be cheaper than ink jets on a per copy basis. Get yourself a laser printer and produce documents of higher quality and permanance for less per copy.

It's the professional thing to do.

Reply by Gary_CA on 7/9/08 7:53am
Msg #254561

By the way, you've bought 3 laser printers at least...

If you count ink costs and even half minimum wage waiting on the silly thing, you've spent at least that much by not buying a laser.

Reply by ZeeCA on 7/8/08 5:26pm
Msg #254481

MERRY: He has been a notary for four years, does not use a

laser and we are supposed to think this is not a joke? sorry but a laser printer is basic notary 101............. The second question he asked is appropriate but not the first. IMHO

Reply by Merry_CA on 7/8/08 5:28pm
Msg #254482

Re: MERRY: He has been a notary for four years, does not use a

Zee, did you look at his profile and then google the name of his book with his name too? If you do that you might get a kick (no pun intended) out of my previous post.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 7/8/08 5:38pm
Msg #254484

Thanks Merry, that's rich! ROTFLMAO!!!! n/m

Reply by UKCowboy_CA on 7/8/08 6:15pm
Msg #254491

Re: IS THIS A JOKE POSTING?

Good thing Jack Tri didn't ask such a stupid question. You people would have been all over him.
Well I guess poor Jack is not in the Clique.

Reply by LindaD/NJ on 7/8/08 5:22pm
Msg #254479

Welcome to Notary Rotary Jeff n/m

Reply by Jeff Gorman on 7/8/08 6:12pm
Msg #254489

Re: Welcome to Notary Rotary Jeff

THANK YOU!!

And MUCH appreciated!!

It's good to know there are real people trying to help others!

I've done searches for a long time in trying to find a forum for notaries and haven't had MUCH luck. After signing up with NR .. I noticed it has a 'forum' .. so its nice when people are HELPFUL!

THANKS again!

Reply by BrendaTx on 7/8/08 6:30pm
Msg #254494

Jeff...you need to learn the trade before you start

writing about it...ya think?

Someone just pm'd me and told me. Ha. The joke's on me for being a good guy.

Taking my thwacking UKCowboy...swing away here.

Reply by BrendaTx on 7/8/08 5:47pm
Msg #254486

You need a laser printer.

You need it to understand PCL language.

You need to learn to re-charge your own black cartridges. I don't know about color. You can recharge that $100 cartridge for $10-30.

I have a Canon ImageClass D761 (Workhorse! Copier and printer--but no PCL) and an HP 3015 (PCL compatible).

It's not "ink" by the way, it's "toner".

Does anyone have a dot matrix anymore?

Reply by Jeff Gorman on 7/8/08 6:14pm
Msg #254490

Thanks Brenda!

This is helpful!! AND much appreciated .. perhaps dot matrix isn't the correct term but its NOT laser.

but THANKS so much for your MUCH helpful advice!!

Reply by James Schultz on 7/8/08 6:34pm
Msg #254495

Jeff, check out the prices on the Brother line of laser printers.I've been using a HL-5240 now for almost 4 years.This printer is a real workhorse and best of all the toner cartridges are really easy to refill.

Reply by jba/fl on 7/8/08 7:33pm
Msg #254497

Jeff: I also have been using Brothers for past 7 years. You can check w/Brother online and get refurbished very reasonable, w/full warranty, etc. Easy to refill, easy to clean, etc. They go on sale a lot too at the big box stores too.

There are great discussions on the various printers - use the Orange search button and if the equipment has been used by someone here, I am certain you will find comments, no matter what type of equipment you may need or thinking of purchasing, etc.

Reply by Roger_OH on 7/8/08 10:31pm
Msg #254518

Jeff - straight up from one Buckeye to another...

Your website extols your professionalism - so take this in the spirit it which it is offered.

Companies that hire you for loan signings EXPECT that you know enough to print their docs and borrower copies with laser; anything less is shortchanging them and is NOT professionalism. Also unprofessional is your comment about "skating by" with an inkjet, when you admittedly knew it was not the right thing to do.

INVEST your business with a good laser printer; its cost, depreciation, toner, and maintenance are tax-deductible anyway. I have an HP 3380 all-in-one that is a workhorse, and I get toner cartridges for $30 each from LD Products (buying 6 at a time). Again, PCL technology and extra memory are necessities.

Have someone proofread your website; it contains spelling errors that do NOT project a professional image. Same with your NotRot profile

Good luck - hope you take everyone's advice and ramp it up in the future.