ABestPost

Family photos have gone digital – they are better quality, cheaper to print and digital images can go anywhere. You can instantly email your latest snapshots to your friends and family with few quick clicks, turn them into a slide show on your website, or you can print them for pennies.

Of course you’ll want to print and save your most priceless photos for framing, hanging on the wall or adding to family photo albums so you’ll want the best photo printer for the job. Digital photo printing has come a long way in recent years, its now possible to print a lab quality photograph directly from your home photo printer.

Almost all photo printers today produce true photo quality prints. In most cases you can’t tell the difference between photos printed from a photo printer and a print developed from film at a lab. What is even better, is that you can often get nice quality prints from photo printers costing as little as fifty or sixty bucks.

Weather you choose a Cannon ink jet photo printer or a HP photo printer, the difference between any given model almost always is speed and extra features, not necessarily the print quality. Each make and model of photo printers offer true photo quality prints, but the results range from nice to outstanding. Less expensive photo printers produce nice quality prints that are sufficient for everyday shots, but if you want to turn your memories into masterpieces, you’ll want to a high quality photo printer.

There are three categories of photo printers to choose from. The first is the ink jet photo printer. Ink jet photo printers offer at least one photo enhancing feature and also can be combined into an all in one printer. They print reasonably well, providing good photo prints but are known for slow print speed. The ink jet printer should be considered if you want a single, multifunction photo printer. You may want to consider a second printer if you regularly print photos.

Dedicated photo printers are the second category of printers to consider. These printers are normally limited to printing on special photo paper, usually thick, glossy photo paper to produce high quality, realistic photographs. Dedicated photo printers can also print on smaller paper sizes such as 4 by 6 to produce snapshot images. You can find dedicated photo printers that utilize ink jet and thermal-dye technology.

Professional photo printers are the third category to be considered. If you are a serious amateur photographer, you may be interested in the less expensive choices in this group. Professional photo printers produce high quality prints on various custom imaging papers in many customizable sizes. The main benefit to owning a professional photo printer is that they can print large 11 by 17 inch or larger photographs with perfect clarity.

No matter which type of photo printer you are considering, its always a good idea to check out the latest photo printer reviews and see which models the experts recommend before making your purchase.

Looking for a photo printer that will give you professional results without busting your bank account? Check out PC Printer Review’s list of the Top 5 Photo Printers in America and while you’re there, you can pick up some easy Photo Printing Tips with their free photo printing tip sheet: 27 Tricks to Picture Perfect Prints.

If you own a computer printer, you have probably run into print quality problems at some point. Spotty or blurry print quality is a common problem.

Although the printer may be to blame, in fact the ink is often at fault. This is even more common if you use refilled ink cartridges.

Most modern printers are made to work with specific types of ink. A slightly different type can greatly affect print quality. Although “refilling” ink seems simple, even the color “black” comes in endless shades. With colors, of course, the differences are even more numerous.

Use the exact ink type required for your printer to ensure that quality will be sharp and clear, with bright, accurate colors. The documents you print will also last for many years and won’t fade or distort.

However, the wrong ink will likely give you blurred or smudged prints with dull colors that don’t do justice to the original picture.

When you replace your ink, to be sure that the ink is exact and compatible with your brand and model of printer.

For example, if you have an Epson printer, make sure to use an ink specified for your Epson printer. If you use an ink that is made for an HP or Canon printer, for example, your print quality will be disappointing.

If you are refilling your own ink cartridges, follow the refill instructions exactly. Today’s printers are very complicated pieces of equipment requiring high quality ink and the proper cartridge.

Frank Bolsom writes about various printing related topics such as refilled ink cartridges on the Zogol.com website. Do you run a website that is related to printing or computers? Visit http://www.zogol.com for more helpful articles that you are free to use on your own website.

Server rack enclosures are integral to the success of your organization because they provide the platform that houses the mission-critical equipment your business depends on. Selecting the right server rack will help effectively power, cool, and protect your equipment; keep your business running smoothly by reducing potential downtime; and make the management and organization of your datacenter more efficient. Here are five things to consider:

1. Select An Appropriately-Sized Rack
Select a server rack with sufficient internal space to house your current equipment and ensure that you have ample space to accommodate planned future expansion as well as any unplanned equipment purchases. Rackmount equipment is measured in the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) standard “Rack Units” or Rack “U”. One “Rack Unit” is equal to 1.75″ in height. Keep in mind that space for accessories, such as environmental monitoring devices, remote power management devices, rack mount LCD monitors, and battery back-up, may be necessary. For example, if you need to accommodate 20 2U servers, you would likely want to choose a rack with a height of 44U to accommodate accessories such as a 1U patch panel, as well as a 2U UPS back-up battery. A rack’s internal height is measured from the tallest point of any side rail to the bottom chassis; internal depth is measured from the insides of both front and rear doors; and internal width is measured from one side panel to the other. Be sure that the rack’s external dimensions can be accommodated in the floor space allotted for it, check that it can be safely moved through all doorways, and ensure that its placement meets any relevant clearance or safety regulations. As a note, always use appropriate rack-loading techniques, including placing heavy items at the bottom of the rack to prevent a rack from becoming too top-heavy, have a plan about what you want to put toward the front and back of the rack (based on how much you will need to access or remove equipment), and have someone help load equipment that is heavy and/or above the height of your head. (1)

2. Physical Security Starts Here
Proper security is vital to the overall well-being and the function of your business. Knowing how your server rack fits into your overall security strategy is just as important. There are several measures you can take to improve the security of the racks and equipment in your datacenter. To begin with, consider purchasing server racks that have locking front and rear doors, as many models offer this option. Second, use environmental monitoring devices to proactively monitor your racks. In addition to allowing administrators to continuously monitor amperage draw per circuit, water leaks, temperature, and other variables, and sending alerts automatically via SMTP/SMS/SNMP when conditions exceed established thresholds, several environmental monitoring devices have door sensors that support “normally open” or “normally closed” conditions and can alert administrators when a cabinet door has been opened. (When a change in state relative to its defined threshold occurs, the device reports an “error” condition.) In addition, there are devices available that work with docked camera pods and sensor pods to allow administrators to continually visually monitor server racks and rooms, as well as record audio clips. If you are planning a new datacenter, you might also consider additional physical security measures such as building the datacenter away from a main road, limiting windows in the datacenter, and providing secure entrances and exists. (2)

3. Tailor Your Rack Design To Work For You
Most manufacturers will allow you to select from many options so that your server rack meets the specific requirements of your environment. There are several common areas that you should be able to select options from.

Shelving: Most manufacturers offer several server rack shelf options, including adjustable or fixed server shelves with four-point mounting; sliding keyboard shelves with 2-point mounting; vented, heavy-duty, or cantilever shelves; and media shelves. Choose a server rack shelf with a depth of 6 inches less than the overall depth of the rack—for example, if you have a 30-inch deep cabinet, choose a shelf with a depth of 24 inches.

Top and Side Panels: Top panels protect equipment from foreign materials. Options include perforated slots for added ventilation, grommet holes for supplementary cable management pathways, and mounting for exhaust fans. Side panels offer security and are often available in several options: solid fixed, solid removable, and solid with vents (louvered).

Mounting Rails: Most racks come with two sets of mounting rails. However, additional sets of rails can be ordered to accommodate different depths and facilitate rack loading. Most manufacturers allow you to choose from Universal Mounting Rails (square holes fitted with cage nuts) or EIA Standard rails (with 10/32 tapped holes). Universal rails will support 19″ EIA width rackmount and networking equipment and almost all server equipment. EIA Standard Mounting Rails support 19″ EIA width rackmount and networking equipment and some server manufacturers’ rack mounting equipment. Whether the rails have square or tapped holes, all mounting rails comply with the ANSI/EIA-310-D standard (1992). Most major enclosure manufacturers recommend rails with square holes and cage nuts, and currently most off-the-shelf rack models utilize rails with square holes.

Feet: Available “feet” options include retractable anti-tip feet to stabilize mid-to top-heavy loaded racks; casters that attach to the bottom of server cabinets to help maneuver racks; and levelers that should be used if casters are implemented to ensure that the rack remains level once it has been moved from one place to another.

4. Consider The Latest Power Technologies
Power Distribution Units (PDUs) evenly disperse power to servers over the entire power strip. Rack mount power strips are specifically made for server racks and mount vertically or behind mounting posts in the back portion of a cabinet. Power strips fall into two categories: standard and intelligent. While standard power strips have some features that can provide valuable information, such as fuse replacement indicators and current output displays, they must be managed in-person and on-site. In contrast, intelligent power strips provide remote power control, which allows administrators to perform a cold reboot of servers and devices and troubleshoot problems from any location with an internet connection, reducing server downtime and getting vital business functions back online quickly. Remote power products not only provide intelligent control of attached systems, they also allow administrators to leverage leading advances in power distribution, such as 3-Phase power. Three-Phase power technology is not exclusive to remote power management products, but many solutions can accommodate or incorporate it. Compared to single-phase power, 3-Phase power uses fewer circuits, provides a more balanced power load, reduces the overall number of PDUs needed to power equipment, and significantly increases available amperage into the server rack. As an example, in a traditional rack environment, (4) 20-amp circuits would be required for 64 amps of available power (assuming a maximum 80% load). In contrast, a 3-phase circuit can provide up to 51.6 amps per circuit, or more than 82 amps of available power, while only requiring 2 circuits (assuming a maximum 80% load). The cost savings of 3-Phase power is beneficial, especially since experts estimate that in the future, electricity costs could rise from current levels of 10 percent or less of IT budgets to 20-30 percent (3). Other power-related aspects to keep in mind include the number of outlets you will need, plug/receptacle requirements, and redundancy requirements.

5. Know Your Cooling Strategy
Understand the role that server racks play in your complete data center cooling strategy. The type of rack you choose will depend on the cooling methods used in your environment. Baseline kW of heat output per rack varies widely, depending on type and density of equipment, and can be anywhere from 4 kW-12 kW or more per rack, with some experts estimating that the rise of high-density environments and designs for future equipment will result in an output of 30-50 kW per rack. (4)

Fully Perforated Racks: Select a fully perforated rack for maximum air flow if the primary method of cooling in your datacenter or server room will be ambient air cooling (fans, air handlers, blowers, and/or Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units and a raised floor).

Fully-Sealed Racks: Choose a fully-sealed rack if a liquid cooling unit or rack air conditioner will be used in your environment.

As power-intensive applications and server densities have increased, Liquid Cooling Units (modular, temperature-neutral high-density cooling solutions that utilize air/water heat exchangers to provide uniform, effective cooling) are increasingly being used. One of the main benefits of self-contained liquid cooling units is that they result in little or no impact on the existing HVAC system. Liquid cooling units are mounted at the rack base, in a rack “side car” with three cooling modules possible per equipment rack, and can provide a total cooling capacity of 30kW.

Rack air conditioners are generally not used in traditional datacenter environments that have adequate CRAC systems. However, if IT equipment will be placed outside of a controlled datacenter environment, such as in a warehouse or factory, rack air conditioners are sometimes used. It is important to keep in mind that rack air conditioners are intended for use in industrial and large spaces, they generate condensation and noise, and they exhaust hot air into the room where the enclosure is located. In a large room, the heat will dissipate. In a smaller room or confined space like a closet, the exhausted hot air from the AC unit can cause the room to overheat. If an AC unit is used in a small room, measures must be implemented to exhaust the hot air from the room. Air conditioner models differ in the amount of cooling output they can provide, so select one appropriate to your needs.

Below are formulas to help calculate heat load and select a rack air conditioner:
1. Add up the wattage of each device and convert it to BTU (a device’s manual usually lists its wattage). You can also determine wattage with the following formula (Watts=Volts X Amps).(5) Remember that 1,000 Watts=1kW.

2. If a rack air conditioner will be used, for every 1 kW consumed, consider that 3412.14 BTU is generated. Air conditioners are rated for different BTU levels.

Additional Tips
Other ways to improve cooling include using blanking panels to manage air flow efficiency, selecting a rack with built-in channels for better cable management and improved air flow, and removing any obsolete or unnecessary equipment from the rack. In addition, consider that 3-phase power can significantly increase available amperage into the server rack, reducing the
overall number of PDUs needed to power equipment and leaving more space for airflow.

References
(1) “Rack Layout”, http://www.hurgh.org/articles.php?article=rack_layout

(2) Scalet, Sarah (2005). “19 Ways to Build Physical Security into a Data Center.” CSO Magazine. http://www.csoonline.com/read/110105/datacenter.html

(3) Kirk, Jeremy (2006). “Hot, cramped times ahead for datacenters.” Infoworld. http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/11/20/HNdatacenters_1.html

(4) Brill, K. (2005) “2005-2010 Heat Density Trends in Data Processing, Computer Systems and Telecommunications Equipment.” Uptime Institute.

(5) Miller, Sandra Kay (2006). “Chilling With Portable AC.” Processor.
http://www.processor.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/p2810/07p10/07p10.asp&guid=&searchtype=&WordList=&bJumpTo=True

This article was written by Lauren Nowenstein, Technical Writer, with guidance and input from DirectNET’s team of Solutions Sales Engineers. For more information about server racks, including additional advice about purchasing the right rack for your environment, visit http://www.server-rack-online.com.

LIKE a bad penny that keeps turning up, the idea of a thin computing client refuses to die.

Its latest reincarnation is the $100 “Un-PC” that Newsweek trumpets in its Feb. 12 issue as a replacement for the personal computer.

A company in India called Novatium has begun selling the NetPC for only $100, but here’s the catch: it has no hard disk, very little memory to speak of, and uses a cheap processor of undisclosed origin that’s more typically found on mobile phones. The software? Zip. You’ll have to subscribe to that, including the operating system, which will be rented out to you over the Internet. You can’t save your files locally, either—you’ll have to send them back to the server over the Internet.

A similar device, called NetTV, can also use a regular TV instead of a computer monitor, guaranteeing eyestrain at a tear-inducing resolution of 640 x 480 pixels.

Any takers so far?

The “magic” that will turn this pile of cheap electronics into a working computer is the network.

Programs would be bundled along with Internet access, and sold on a subscription basis—say, for $10 a month, says Rajesh Jain, Novatium founder.

Neither Jain nor the glowing Newsweek article by Jason Overdorf makes clear if this $10 a month is on top of the NetPC’s $100 price, but the concept is clear enough, if not new.

Jain acknowledges that he was inspired by the network computer touted in the 1990s by Oracle Corp. head honcho Larry Ellison, who boldly predicted at the time that thin clients would kill off PCs. That never happened, and the company Ellison set up to sell network computers went belly-up a few years after it was launched with much hoopla.

But Jain believes he can succeed where Ellison failed because Western markets already had a lot of PCs and resisted change. Jain’s home base in India, with far fewer PCs, could be more fertile ground for a radical change in personal computing.

Jain also says the NetPC will feature many of the advantages that Ellison’s network computer had–centrally managed software updates, simplicity on the desktop client and low cost.

Inevitably, Newsweek compares the NetPC to the $100 laptop being promoted by MIT’s Nicholas Negroponte. The comparison is pointless. The NetPC is aimed at companies and home users in urban areas with broadband connections. Negroponte’s laptop is aimed at poor schoolchildren in remote Third World villages that might not even have electricity.

Yet Newsweek seems to be on a hobbyhorse, implying that Novatium stands a better chance of success because its owners are motivated by profit, in contrast to Negroponte, who needs donations and subsidies to get his project off the ground.

The article points to today’s Web-hosted software and data storage—but neglects to say that most of these applications still run on full-featured PCs.

Making a string of assumptions about network computing, Newsweek’s enthusiasm goes into overdrive: “This formula could provide a long-sought bridge over the digital divide—and may just change the way the average person thinks of computing….And if the winning formula turns out to be Jain’s, or something like it, it could kill the PC altogether.”

Unfortunately, Newsweek gives us few specifics about how this will come about. In fact, it offers precious little information about the NetPC itself or how well it performs in comparison to a regular desktop computer.

Novatium’s Web site isn’t much help, either. It doesn’t say what kind of processor the NetPC uses or how much memory it has. A spec sheet says it comes with network, microphone, speaker and video ports and four USB 2.0 sockets and runs on an embedded Linux-based operating system, but no other details are available.

This paucity of information is worrying.

There are many theories about why Ellison’s network computer failed. One view is that the concept was ahead of its time because broadband access wasn’t as widely available back then. Another explanation was that PC manufacturers had cut prices so dramatically that full-featured computers didn’t cost much more than Ellison’s thin client.

These two factors are arguably less important today for the NetPC.

But even if the speed of my broadband connection suddenly doubled tomorrow, I still wouldn’t trade in my PC for a $100 NetPC and here’s why.
First, I run applications that would crawl over a network. You can do word processing reasonably well over the Internet, but don’t try manipulating a 60-megabyte graphic file or editing video over a network unless you have a lot of time on your hands. And hosted applications will slow down as more users get on the network.

Second, I like local storage and I have a hunch most people do, too. This is why we save data files to the hard disk, keep backups of important files, burn digital photos onto CDs and fill up MP3 players with our favorite songs. We like having this stuff available, even when the network isn’t.

Finally, and perhaps most important, I like the freedom to run any program I want on my computer without having to get it from some centralized server. This is what drove people from dumb terminals and centralized computing in the first place, and this is what will keep thin clients out of the computing mainstream for years to come. The PC let the genie out of the bottle, and it will take more than a rehashed network computer to get it back in.

From Digital Life by Chin Wong

http://www.chinwong.com

Chin Wong has been covering the technology industry since the 1980s, starting as a reporter for Business Day, Southeast Asia’s first daily business newspaper. He is now a lecturer in journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines and associate editor for the Manila Standard Today. Before that, he also served as technology editor of the Manila Times until October 2004.

Today’s modern world includes the existence of personal computers in most of our homes. What once took a trip in the car is now conveniently located at our fingertips – shopping, bill paying, communicating, working, researching, and a variety of entertainment. And with the advent of the modern computer came the design of personal printers with a variety of compact capabilities. Now, most computer owners also own printers and with this ownership also comes the attention to ink refill supplies.

Nothing is worse than being in the middle of printing an otherwise successful project when suddenly the ink begins to run low – or worse, runs out completely. Faded pages do not make for an impressive result. So in addition to being sure to replace your ink refill when needed, it is always a good idea to have extra replacements on hand for emergencies.

While today’s printers are often fairly inexpensive, the ink refill needed on a regular basis can actually be quite pricey. If you are unprepared this can come as a costly surprise. However, with a little bit of research, you can easily stay equipped and even save yourself quite a bit of money.

An ink refill for a variety of printers can be found in any number of local office and computer supply stores. If you can find a helpful customer service representative you can easily navigate the products and stay on top of price differences and even upcoming sales. The price of an ink refill often varies according to size, brand, and color choices.

Smaller shops will often offer a generic brand of ink refill allowing you to save money. However, sometimes it’s not worth sacrificing quality for dollars. Be sure to research any type of ink refill prior to purchasing; a deal is no longer a deal if you wind up having to replace the product sooner than expected.

There are also a variety of online resources that offer discounted prices on an ink refill. Many consumers find this to be an extremely convenient alternative as orders can be placed without even leaving your home. In many cases, shipping deals allow your order to be at your door in a matter of days and at no charge. Online shopping also gives you easy access to your order history so that you can easily reorder your particular ink refill and even see how long a particular refill has lasted you in the past.

With a little bit of preparation, finding and purchasing an affordable, high quality ink refill can be easily achieved; giving you peace of mind and the proper tools for successful projects.

For easy to understand, in depth information about ink visit our ezGuide 2 Ink.

Most people might think it is silly to have two printers. One can do everything that two can, right? So why have two? There is a simple reason why I, like many others, chose to have two printers instead of just one. One is set up for color printing while the other is black and white.

People do this for many reasons. The first reason, and maybe the least helpful for the printer, is just organization. Having one printer set for color makes it easier to focus all color tasks to it and not have to worry about changing printer settings, worrying about readjusting the quality of changing settings, and trying to remember if it might be out of ink for the certain task. With each printer have its own purpose, it is easier to manage it and keep it stocked and properly aligned.

Another reason is to keep the printers healthy. With the printers assigned differently, it reduces the strain on them by distributing the work. It isn’t one printer doing 100% of the work and getting all the paper jams, errors and other physical injuries within the system. It’s two printers working to help each other out, getting more breaks and keeping the engine from overworking. This lengthens their longevity while increasing the quality of their products.

The drawback, of course, is space. Two printers takes up at least double the space of one printer. It can be even more of a hassle when one printer is a bit larger than the average sized printer. Properly preparing for this and setting aside the right space along with keeping the computer desk and area organized and tidy is the best solution to this problem. Once you keep in mind of how hard or easy it will be to load the fresh paper and ink into the printer and how much space it will take up when the papers are printed, usually because of a pull out paper catcher, the space issue really isn’t a problem.

Another drawback can be the cost. Two printers is more expensive than just one, but there are usually lots of great deals to help with this. When buying a new computer, or sometimes even going to get a new printer and equipment, one can find lots of good deals going on. Finding one that can get you a second printer at a discount may not always be easy, but when it is there it is quite the opportunity. Even without and the cost seeming a bit more than one would want to spend, the outcome is well worth it. The longer-lasting printers with less problems will quickly be worth their cost.

Two printers may not be for everyone, and maybe some people still don’t agree with the benefits outweighing the drawbacks, but it is a much smarter move in the long run especially if you are planning on printing things out a lot. Whether a college student or someone starting up a home business, or even just the casual person that likes to write or make homemade cards for people, it is a great idea to get two printers. The less downtime with readjusting and fixing problems, the easier your life will be.

Jake Rose is an artist and an author on http://www.Writing.Com/
which is a site for Writers.

People tend to be nervous when spending money on something a little different than they are use to. This can be the case for when someone is presented with the choice of buying a simple printer or a 4-in-1. The penny pincher in them may be leaning toward the simple printer, but the opportunist in them is probably thinking about the 4-in-1. A regular printer is nice, but a 4-in-1 is a very handy tool to have.

What is a 4-in-1 printer exactly? A 4-in-1 printer has four components to it all rolled into one package, just as its name suggests. These four components are: a printer, a copier, a scanner and a fax machine.

The printer part is easy to understand in why it will be helpful, but what do the other parts have to benefit? Let’s look at small businesses, many from home offices, a growing trend these days.

4-in-1 printers are great for any small business. They provide everything the business could need to help them grow. Probably the most used feature, depending on the company, and the most obvious is the printer aspect of the machine. This is essential to a business for printing out important documents.

A business will highly benefit from a copier too, and it saves both physical space and money to get them in one machine. A copier allows the business to save time when dealing with a project or documentation that needs to be printed in bulk. Many 4-in-1 printers can work independent of the computer they are attached to, and being able to use the copier without the hassle of having to turn the computer on can save time. This is a benefit of having a 4-in-1 over just a printer.

A scanner is also very handy especially when dealing with websites or creating documents with images. Many people may think that images aren’t important to their business and that they have no use for a scanner. This is not true. A little artistic touch can liven up any business and turn a dull website into a busy port of views. Not only can they liven up a website with a bit of art, the scanned images can provide detailed information about products and locations. A scanner can also help transfer important images and visual information from one computer to another. This is a benefit of having a 4-in-1 over just a printer.

A fax machine in the printer allows for quick and easy transformation from one location to another. Fax machines alone are becoming outdated because of the ever-growing popularity of the internet, but a 4-in-1 printer provides internet faxing which is becoming a very handy tool in the business world.

4-in-1 printers are not that expensive, either. It is easy to find a good deal for them at a price not that much higher than a regular printer. They are handy for businesses and for home use too, so they are definitely worth considering to buy. At first some of the features may not seem that important, but once you have them you will definitely find many uses for them and the 4-in-1 printer will earn its worth very quickly.

This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.Facsimile.Com which is a site for Fax Machines.

Jake Rose is an artist and an author from Massachusetts.

If you’ve been following along with my series you may find after tackling the motherboard and all its intricacies this step should be breath of fresh air.

Choose which drive bay you want to install the drive to and remove the face plate off of that bay. It’s not really important which bay you use. I generally place it lower on the case face because that’s where it’s always been for me. If you’re installing a zip or CD/DVD drive simply pick the bay you wish. I have both a floppy and CD/DVD drive as I use both mediums to transport data.

Do you know why it’s called a floppy?

It is called floppy because it flops if you wave it. Seriously, do you remember the old 5 ¼ disks and how if you flailed them around they would almost bend double.

Now, slide the drive into the bay from the front. If your particular case has a drive rack, then you may need to remove the rack from the system and then screw the drive into the rack separately from the actual case. Otherwise, screw the drive into the case itself. Before doing so, make sure the front of the drive is flush with the front of the PC.

If you are using brackets to hold the drive in place, secure them now. You may need to temporarily disconnect the cables. Once in, tighten the drive in place. Double-check the connections, also checking the connections for other drives to make sure you didn’t bump one out of place.

This wasn’t necessarily the hardest step, but in my humble opinion this particular piece of computer hardware is vital. Try loading a new operating system or a needed document without either drive.

Chuck Lunsford is an owner and developer of CCSPartner.com He offers advice on how to get design and build your own personal computer. Visit his website and learn more about which computer sale is a ripoff and which can save you hundreds of dollars.

CD printers are a style of printer that can produce a label to display on a compact disc. A disc CD printer, as it is also referred to, can offer bright, vibrant color images to create professional looking discs.

An inkjet printer can produce a high quality looking print with up to a resolution of approximately 300 dots per inch, which allows for a clearer image to be reproduced. Most inkjet printers can print CD labels with the compatible software installed on a computer to allow the CD printer to produce the correct shape for the CD label.

A thermal printer uses a process of heating coated thermochromic paper when a disc moves over a thermal printing head to allow adherence of the printed image onto the paper. Different colors dry at different temperatures. This type of CD printer works best for text and logos. The most economical for disc printing is to use a monochromatic thermal printer. This type of CD printer is the fastest source for producing CD labels. Approximately 120 discs can be produced per hour at a cost of two cents per CD. Using a thermal printer to manufacture labels makes them resilient enough to withstand high production professional environments. The labels are durable, dry instantly and are waterproof.

As noted above, there are different CD printers available for purchase. An inkjet printer, for example, along side a computer, can produce an acceptable reproduction for label making. Some CD printers have the capabilities of printing a realistic photo or graphic with a low-cost ink cartridge and some inkjet printers have a six-color cartridge to allow more vibrant and longer-lasting printed labels. There are also inks that dry faster and become more permanent on printable surfaces. A thermal printer, for instance, can provide an indelible ink that requires little or no drying time in about seven seconds to produce images with a resolution of roughly 300 to 600 dots per inch to attain a well defined graphic or photo.

An automated CD printer connected to one computer can produce up to 100 CDs per hour. There is also an option of an automatic fast gravity-feed loading system that loads the CDs into the printer for continuous printing. Connecting up to five printers to one computer would allow five discs to print simultaneously. As can be imagined, this type of printer system results in CD printing at a low cost. The speed for printing discs is quick, approximately at speeds up to 100 seconds for a full color photo label, about 20 seconds for full color text and something like 12 seconds for normal mode color text.

The importance of using a CD printer is that it will ensure a proper fit of labels for produced CDs. Thus, choosing a CD printer can turn a project into a masterpiece by having a colorful and well-designed finished assignment.

Terry Roberts is a professional translator and linguist, with a wide range of interests. To read more about CD printers - and about printers in general - please visit his website: http://www.printers-for-novices.com