As we noted over a year ago, HP has its Planet Partners Program where you can bring empty cartridges into your local retail store to get recycled, then buy replacement cartridges to take home. But for those looking to streamline the recycling and replacement process from the comfort of their computer, Dell has a new InkSave Program where you can sign up, specify your printer, and order multiple packs of cartridges that come with prepaid envelopes. When a cartridge runs out, you send it back in one of the envelopes to Dell, and the company mails you replacements for which you’re automatically billed.

Overall, it seems like the manufacturer and consumers mutually benefit from InkSave. Dell builds brand allegiance through a convenient automated system, and consumers save the time and gas required to make repeated trips to the store. In fact, PCMag.com compares InkSave to the successful Netflix model, and I think it’s an apt analogy.

All that said, I’d still advise businesses and individuals alike to comparison shop for ink and toner, especially in these economic conditions. Remember that the prices for InkSave are set by Dell, and that you may be able to save money and still go green when you buy or refill cartridges with third party companies and retailers. In any case, InkSave proves that the printing industry is paying more attention to consumers looking to have their cake and eat it too.

(Photo via Morguefile)

Justin Yu of CNET gives the PIXMA MP980 a solid 3.5 stars out of 5 and appreciates its fast photo printing, auto-duplexing and compact design. On the flipside, text comes out slower than it should, Wi-Fi can be a hassle to set up, and print quality could use improvement for both text and photos. Yu concludes that if you want a better overall value with fax capabilities, go with the HP Photosmart Premium Fax.

TechReviewSource.com gives the PIXMA MP980 an impressive 4 stars out of 5. Text quality is good, and photo quality is even better. As you’d expect, the PIXMA MP980 racks up accolades for its 3-in-1 functionality, versatile network connectivity, built-in auto duplexer, and 3.5” LCD screen for previewing images and adjusting settings. Another bonus is the printer’s ability to scan and print film and slides for users looking to digitally preserve old photographs. Networking-wise, the review notes that you have to plug the printer into a computer via USB during installation, and that you can’t connect via Ethernet and Wi-Fi at the same time, although that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for most users.

Finally, M. David Stone of PC Magazine gives the PIXMA MP980 an Editors’ Choice Award winning 4 out of 5 and points out the same general pros and cons noted in the TechReviewSource.com review. According to Stone, the PIXMA MP980 embodies the old saying that good things come to those who wait – while it takes longer to produce photos than its predecessor the PIXMA MP970, output quality is noticeably improved. While this new MFP lacks some basic office-friendly features like an ADF and faxing, Stone concludes that the general benefits more than make up for it.

So your wallet’s feeling a little lighter than it should, and no one’s handing out money these days, unless you work at AIG. But there is a solution, at least for people with a sense of humor – print your own money. We pointed you to sites for printing Monopoly money nearly a year ago, and now we’ve found a place where you can print personalized dollar bills. Festisite.com enables you to upload a photo onto all kinds of world currency. Just choose your denomination, upload your photo, move it around and zoom in as needed, then click “Finalize image” for a PNG file you can save to your desktop.

Overall, I found this site extremely easy to use. My only critique is that from what I could see, you can’t rotate your image or adjust the contrast, but that also makes things simpler and faster. The final product looks authentic enough and should be good for some laughs when you upload it as a profile pic or print out a copy for your desk.

So what’s the solution? More and more printers and multifunction machines feature standard auto-duplexing, or automatic double-sided printing. All you do is adjust the settings from the beginning, and your in-office document processor rolls out double-sided pages on its own. If saving paper with minimal hassle is important to you, check the spec sheet to make sure the printer offers “auto-duplexing,” and not “manual duplexing.” The latter term means you’ll be printing odd and even pages separately like I do with my printer. If you see the word “duplex” or “double-sided printing” without “auto” or “standard” as a modifier, you may want to call the company’s customer service hotline and get the real scoop. I’ve seen printers that advertise double-sided printing when it’s really just an optional feature, or it’s manual. Not technically a lie, but it can be a little misleading.

For more coverage of auto-duplex printers and MFPs, simply type auto-duplex in the search box of this blog and press Enter or click the Go button.

(Photo via Morguefile)

Call the HP LaserJet Series old, but definitely don’t call it irrelevant as it celebrates its 25th year in the HP catalog. Paul McNamara of NetworkWorld.com has an interesting entry in Buzzblog about HP’s signature line of laser printers that have sold over 100 million units since 1984. While not as publicized as the 20th anniversary of the Deskjet, HP has marked the LaserJet’s 25th anniversary with a recent celebration at the company’s Boise offices highlighted by visits from executive VP Vyomesh Joshi and senior VP David Murphy.

So what’s the LaserJet’s ultimate legacy? The series has played an essential role in making laser printers accessible and affordable for offices across the nation and around the world. The first laser machines were huge by all accounts and cost in excess of $100,000 each, which is even more mind-blowing considering inflation. The first LaserJet, known as the Classic, cost $3,500 and weighed a manageable 70 lbs. But don’t mistake the LaserJet’s anniversary celebration for a eulogy – the line continues to expand with the recent additions of the LaserJet P2035, P2055dn, and P2055X, all of which we’ll cover in the next few weeks. In other words, the LaserJet is a classic, not a relic.

(Photo via Morguefile)