Refilled Ink Cartridges: Are They A Good Choice For Your Printer?

by Frank Bolsom

When it comes to choosing to use refilled ink cartridges in an inkjet printer, there are both positive and negative aspects to be considered. Manufacturers claim that your warranty will be voided and your printer damaged by using cartridges that have been refilled.

Companies that sell refills for cartridges, however, want you to believe that their lower priced ink will work just as well as the manufacturer’s in your printer.

In reality, there is truth to what both sides claim. Consider the pros and cons of using refill ink.

Pros

Refill ink costs quite a bit less than a new ink cartridge, and after you need new ink several times, this can add up to a substantial savings.

Using refill ink will also allow you to recycle your ink cartridge and thereby help the environment, besides saving you money.

Readily available, you can store extra refill ink at home and you will be able to continue printing no matter when your cartridge runs out of ink. If you are using a Dell printer, for example, this is a huge benefit. This is because Dell ink is not available in stores; it has to be ordered directly from Dell.

Cons

The actual process of refilling your printer’s ink can be a bit difficult and if something goes wrong you might have problems printing after refilling. Since printer manufacturers want you to buy their ink, they intentionally design cartridges that are not easy to refill.

Ink can easily be spilled while you are refilling a cartridge, so it shouldn’t be done while you’re wearing clothes you are worried about staining. Bad print quality can also be caused by air bubbles that form in the ink during the refilling process.

Lastly, the manufacturer’s warranty on your printer can be cancelled out through the use of refill ink. Think seriously about whether or not the money you will save by buying refill ink is really worth voiding your warranty and possibly having to replace your printer yourself.

About the Author:

Writing a Great Article for Your Website

by Theo McLanahan

If you research Internet Marketing, you will find that articles serve a variety of purposes. Articles provide content for your site, which helps in your search engine optimization. You can market your website by writing articles and distributing them to reprint directories. As you can see, writing articles is very useful, and everyone can do it.

In order to begin writing, you need a subject in mind. Since the list of possible article topics is literally endless, you should start by thinking about the purpose of your article. Also, consider your potential readers. If you article is going to be posted on your website, make sure your article is of interest to the people who visit it.

Search engines index information regarding keywords in articles on the Internet. An online search that contains words found in your article will make it a search result. That means that, before writing, you want to consider which keywords your ideal reader will be searching for.

Submitting articles to reprint directories is a great way to drive traffic to your site. By submitting your articles to directories, you are allowing other website owners and bloggers to publish your articles for free.

As a trade off, they will include an ‘about the author’ box at the end of the article. You can write a brief biography of yourself and include a link to your website. Again, think about the target market you wish to attract. Write articles on subjects that are found on your website.

Instead of just linking your “about the author” box straight to your website’s homepage, it might be more advantageous to link readers to a specific page that you think will interest them. Consider an example. If the article you have written is about how to bathe newborns but your link sends readers to a page on your website with content about toddlers, you have not accomplished your goal. Make sure you give readers what they are looking for.

If you are writing about something that you are not familiar with, use the web to gather some quick information and facts. It is okay to use this as a tool to learn about a subject. However, you must take that information you have gathered and put it into your own words.

Never forget, plagiarizing is never appropriate.

About the Author:

How To Set Goals For Life

by Elliott Kosmicki

Famous speaker Jim Rohn said, “If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. What ever good things we build end up building us.”

No one ever said goal setting is easy. Each goal you want to achieve starts as a thought – so take some time to think about it. Make sure that the goal you’ve thought of makes sense for the situation you’re in, or the chances are, you’ll never achieve it.

Don’t let the 5-steps listed here fool you, it’s much more simple than it appears!

Five Step Goal Setting Made Simple:

1. Make Reachable Goals – Get yourself to your limits, then push them.

2. Make a list of objectives – The details here are important.

3. Put your tasks in order – One thing at a time.

4. Set a time – Set your schedule for success, but give yourself a little room.

5. Follow Through – What good does an unaccomplished goal do for you?

Set Realistic Goals

Deciding what your personal, financial, and business goals are take a lot of consideration from you. Think about what you might want or need to accomplish and write things down while you do it – even if you don’t think it’s an important detail, it could be an important part in your final goals later down the road.

“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” – Henry Ford.

Take a while to think things through. If you watch a word-worker make furniture, they might say “measure twice, cut once.” If they don’t do the measurements – and then fall short, the furniture will take much longer to complete because they didn’t do the measuring right the first time. They have to use more material, more time measuring again, all which will make the goal more difficult to obtain.

You can reach for the stars, but if your goals are too lofty, you might be setting yourself up for disaster. You want to push your limits with a goal, but make sure you give yourself enough room to breath so you don’t get disappointed – it’s a balancing act making it hard but easy enough at the same time.

Make a List of Objectives

Make definite goals. Dedicate time to each goal during your thinking process. Make clear notes on how you plan to achieve each goal.

Put Your Tasks in Order

Ask yourself what you need to do to achieve your goals. Take great notes. Make a list of what you are willing to do, what you’re willing to sacrifice to make your goals a reality. Decide which goal is most important to you and make it number one on your list. The objectives and tasks included to achieve that goal are now your number one priority. After you achieve that first goal, set yourself up to go for the next one!

Define Your Time Frame

Work out your time frame. Make sure you have a realistic one. You don’t want to be looking 10 years down the road, upset at yourself for not staying focused! You’re the only one who can decide when you can reach your goals, and it’s only you who can make yourself succeed. Like the first step, Make Reachable Goals, you have to make a real time frame for every goal. Remember, challenge yourself, but don’t make it so hard that you quit.

Follow Through

Besides actually getting your goal on paper, this is absolutely the most critical step – and the one that most people fail with. If you can’t finish, you will unfortunately never get to your goals. If one of your goals is to lose 15 pounds, you can’t let yourself to stop at 14. If your goal is to get an A on your final exam or get a raise at your job, don’t stop until you’ve got what you wanted!

About the Author:

How To Boost Your Business With A Press Release

by Theo McLanahan

A press release is an excellent way to gain publicity and exposure for your business. A press release is a document containing information that you would like a media organization to feature, such as general information about your business, a special event that you are holding, or a special incentive you are offering.

You business will gain lots of great public exposure when it is mentioned in a magazine, newspaper, or other media source that is readily available to the public. Links to online media stories or clippings from newspapers can be integrated into your press kit.

It would be especially advantageous to distribute a press release in conjunction with the scheduling of some special event, like your store’s grand opening, a special deal being offered, or an exciting event taking place.

Writing a press release is simple; it always follows the same basic outline. Place the words “For Immediate Release” in the top left corner of the press release if it can be featured by the media at any time. “For Release After [insert date]” should fill the same spot if you want to time the press release with an event and thus require that the timing be specific. Afterwards, mention your contact information.

The body of the press release follows. This contains information that you want to make public. Keep press releases at two pages or less. If it does include a second page, make sure that the word “more” appears at the bottom of page one. The press release should end with three pound signs (###).

Since the information in the body of the press release is addressed to the public at large, it is best for it to be written in a crisp, concise manner. You should answer the most basic questions ??” Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Tell the public who you are, what it is you are promoting, where your event will be taking place, why it is being held, and how they can take advantage of it.

Once you are finished with your press release, you will want to submit it to the media. This can be to your local media outlets, such as newspapers, regional magazines, radio and television stations, or media outlets in geographic areas that you want publicity in. If you are promoting a event that will happen on a specific day, submit your press release early enough so that it has time to be received and facts can be checked, etc.

Do all you can to make your public exposure complete. That means taking advantage of Internet talk radio programs, newswire services, and other online media outlets.

About the Author:

This is how you hold a Cuban cigar

by Trevor Wallace

Did you know that their is a whole art and method of holding a Cuban cigar? Yes Cuban cigars are some cigarettes that you can puff inhale and chuck on the ground. Cuban cigars are the greatest delight for the hard working individual and if you can’t figure that out, that you are not meant for a Cuban cigar. Let me tell you more about a Cuban cigar and how you should hold it.

Cuban cigar smoking is such an art and so is Cuban cigar holding.Most people don’t even know how to light a Cuban cigar. Did you know that if you took a normal lighter to your Cuban cigar, you just damaged 90% of your Cuban cigar taste. You must use wooden matches or butane free lighters. See that is just lighting the Cuban cigar, yet there is so much more to this great pastime.

Their is a proper way of holding a Cuban cigar and if you pay close attention, you just might be able to get it. I believe that with proper practice, anyone can do it so don’t think that you can’t. Cuban cigar smoking is meant for everyone who appreciates it and understand that this is truly a precious item and we are lucky enough to appreciate it and get it upon will or when we really want to smoke one.

Simply take your index finger and your middle finger and place it on the top side of your Cuban cigar. Than bring in your thumb to form a sort of ‘clamp’ on the cigar. Don’t squeeze too hard or you might damage it and don’t hold too soft or your cigar just might fall out. The grip has to be ever so perfect and smooth so you get the best drag from your very own favorite Cuban cigar.

You see their is so much to Cuban cigars in general that it will boggle your mind. No wonder that their are thousands upon thousand of books written on this ever so sacred tradition. So now that you know how to smoke and hold a Cuban cigar, I suggest you get one and get the best kind, you won’t regret it.

About the Author:

How To Drive Traffic To Your Website With More Content

by Theo McLanahan

‘If you write, they will come’ – What does that mean? When it comes to the web, the more you write, the more traffic you’ll have flowing into your website. Whether it is content you feature on your site, blog posts or even press releases, if you want people to know your website exists, start writing about it.

Many website owners benefit from following the ‘content of king’ concept with their websites, attracting as many viewers as possible by providing as much useful content as possible. People who have already found some information on your website will be more likely to return for more and search engines will be more likely to bring up your content if you are constantly adding to your information and article storehouses.

The articles that you write do not have to be exclusively for use on your website. You can also write articles and submit them to online reprint directories. When website owners and bloggers from other sites post an article they found in a reprint directory that you have written, the “about the author” box at the end of the article will point readers to your website by means of a link that you insert. This will thus expose a very large number of people to your website.

Another way to boost web traffic to your website by writing is to start a blog. Use your blog posts as an opportunity to gain an expert status with your readers. You can also advertise new content on your website by means of your blog. During one of your several weekly blog posts, mention new content and add links to your website so that readers can easily locate the information you are encouraging them to look at.

You can also use the media to produce more public awareness of your website by writing press releases. Send press releases that inform the media of something that is of benefit to many people. Don’t limit yourselves to sending press releases to only local newspapers; you can also send them to online media sources.

Even if you have absolutely no experience in doing it, writing a press release does not have to be difficult. Consider the following recommendations for press release writing.

At the top of the page your name, website, local address, and phone number should all appear. Beneath that information, make sure the words ‘Press Release” are centered on the page, typed on bold, capital letters.

Then, include the name of the person to whom you are sending the press release and the date that the information it contains can be presented to the public. Writing ‘For Immediate Release’ will indicate that there are no problems with releasing the information at any given time.

The press release should have some sort of title and answer who, what, where, when, why, and how. When you have finished the body of a press release, you should type three pound signs (#) in the center of the page after the last line of typing. Mailing out press releases on paper with your company’s letterhead is another great idea.

About the Author:

Helpful Tips for PSP

by Charlie Reese

Helpful PS3 Tips

Whether you are an avid PS3 gamer or have just purchased your first game, there are many PS3 tips that will be of great help to you here. Here are just a few of the best PS3 tips out there.

Play in a Different Country

Many PS3 gamers are not aware of, but they actually have the option of playing in a different country. Unlike the predecessors to the PS3, the Playstation and PS2, you are now able to buy and play games from anywhere in the world. This makes it extremely easy and convenient for players, and allows them much more versatility.

This is definitely one of the best PS3 tips, and related to this is that you are also able to play movies with your PS3 from any country. Again, unlike the first two versions of the Playstation system which did not have this capability, with the PS3 you are able to play movies from any country in the world.

Secret Video Reset

One of the most popular PS3 tips is that there is a secret video reset you can use. This may end up coming in very helpful for you, and so if for some reason you find that the screen is black or you are otherwise having a problem with the video reception, you can reset it by shutting down the system and then restarting it by pressing and holding the power button.

This will work by resetting your PS3 system to its most basic 480p graphics mode and from here you will be able to fix the problem because you will be able to see enough to choose RGB SCART, component, HDMI or whatever else you prefer from here.

Make Free Video Phone Calls

One of the most useful PS3 tips, and one that many gamers are not aware of even some of the most experienced, relates to how you can make free video phone calls with your PS3 system.

Although you will need a USB headset and an EyeToy camera, once you have these two accessories ready you will then be good to go. You will have to plug in both via USB and then go to your friends menu on the system, choosing a friend that you would like to talk to. Press the triangle button on the remote and then choose to ?Start a New Chat?.

As long as they are set up properly as you are, the two of you will be able to have a chat and you can even invite other friends to join you in your video chat.

About the Author:

How To Land The Perfect Career

by Chris Channing

Jobs today are often temporary or low paying enough to where anyone with a high school education could do them. If something better is desired, consumers are strongly recommended to do the most they can to get a better career. Doing so isn’t impossible- but it will of course take a lot of hard work and determination.

The first step is to get the experience and education that qualifies you for the position you want. If you were an employer, you wouldn’t pick someone with just education would you? Of course not! They need to have industry experience that makes them professionals in their field. Those who haven’t ever had an internship or any type of work experience are strongly recommended to get a year’s worth before continuing the job hunt.

Those who haven’t had much experience in compiling a resume are often at a disadvantage, since they try to attract attention all the wrong ways. The key here is to actually keep things very simplistic and free of distraction- and be sure to keep the resume around a page if possible. Employers like a quick read that is straight to the point- not a short story on one’s family history.

If you are so lucky as to obtain a call from an employer after they have reviewed your application for hire, your odds at success are getting bigger. Don’t get hasty, because the interview is where most will fail in the operation. Dress sophisticated- not casually. Also consider reviewing psychology, practicing interview questions, and visiting a therapist for more advice in being outgoing.

If one needs help getting into the career they need, or need guidance into finding the right job for their education and experience, looking at an employment agency is usually the best route to forego. An employment agency gets unemployed worker in touch with employers that might have a need for them. Some agencies will cost money, depending on their services offered and their ability to find employers.

Above all else- keep in mind first impressions are going to determine how someone feels about you. Read your resume and see if you’d hire yourself- if you wouldn’t, find some way to improve to make your resume more appealing. And as for the interview, always remember to show up well dressed. If it’s a hot day, still consider wearing slacks and dress shoes to make the impressions.

Final Thoughts

Working to get a career now will better one’s chances of getting promotions and further advancement in their field of expertise down the road. As such, it’s important to land a job quickly and do so with accuracy. After all, a career is many times better than working as a sales clerk at the local supermarket!

About the Author:

Dog Obedience Schools – How To Pick The Right One For Your Dog

by Lee Dobbins

Anyone with a new dog knows that sometimes they need a little bit of guidance before he can be the perfect pet. But where do you look to find dog obedience schools that are a perfect fit for your pets personality? One place to start is local newspapers and shopping guides where you will probably find a variety of choices.

The methods for training your dog are almost too numerous to count, and they range from physical punishment-based methods to methods based on gentle reminders and positive reinforcement.

Many techniques exist that dog trainers have been using for years. However, recently many long time trainers are converting to a more positive approach.

Also, you need to think about your individual dog. What is his life history? Have you had him as a puppy or just recently acquired him as an adult? Also consider your training goals. Do you want him to be more family-friendly, a good hunting or show dog? Beyond basic obedience, consider what you’re hoping to get out of training.

How do you find good dog obedience schools? First, remember your dog’s personality and desirable goals and why you need a dog trainer in the first place. Search local newspapers, shoppers’ guides and the internet. Other dog owners will be happy to recommend a wonderful trainer. Local kennel clubs and your vet will also know of many reputable dog training schools.

Schools that train using positive reinforcement are going to yield the best results. Ask friends who they’d recommend. Some trainers will offer to come to make house visits to train your dog, but then he’ll be missing out on socialization opportunities with other canines. Locate the times of the beginner class and see if you can sit in just to watch; if you don’t like what you see, find someone else you do like!

It is a great a idea to sign your puppy up for a play group to ensure it has proper socialization. However, if you have a rescue dog with aggression issues you may need more than just a regular trainer. In this case, you may need a certified animal behaviorist. Be extra cautious with aggressive animals!

Although there is a small percentage of dogs that will require a pinch collar for training purposes, a “Gentle Leader” head collar is often just as, if not more, effective for most dogs.

It is not unusual for you to attend your first session without your dog accompanying you. This is a good indication that the trainer is a pro. Clicker training, a form of non punishment type training, necessitates a ‘train the trainer’ session so that you can learn the tools you will need to work with your dog successfully, without the distraction of your pet’s attendance.

Here’s how you can tell if a training class is good:

1. The schools tone will be happy and upbeat.

2. Training is based on offering your dog rewards during training is the key to reaching your desired goals, which along with praise, may include his favorite toy and doggie treats.

3. When a dog is misbehaving, sharp noise is typically enough for the dog to realize he’s done wrong. Punishment is kept to a minimum and the actions are usually suppressed.

4. The method of dealing with undesirable behavior is to give the dog a command that he can not achieve while engaged in said behavior. For example, command him to “sit” to stop him from jumping up on guests when they first enter your home.

5. Patience is a key element in any training session.

There are other methods to training your dog that you can use in addition to local dog obedience schools. Hollywood canines get their talent by way of “clicker training”, a very effective and efficient means of training dogs. If you want to review other methods, there are plenty of credible websites and training books available also.

About the Author:

What Can You Learn From Identity Theft Articles?

by Paul Wilcox

With all of the recent news attention on the subject of identity theft, it is no wonder that there have been multiple articles on the subject springing up on the Internet. Many of these identity theft articles provide readers with a lot of valuable information. However, consumers should be aware that many identity theft articles out there use scare tactics to get consumers to buy products they are selling. These articles can be easy to spot if you know what you are looking for.

Look Out

There are a few things that consumers can watch for when reading identity theft articles to ascertain whether or not the article they are viewing is a true informational article or whether it is nothing more than a glorified sales copy. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when reading these kinds of articles:

#1: Is this article suggesting that I buy something?

If the answer to this is yes, be careful. Many companies will use seemingly informational articles to push their own products. The article might continually refer to one source or talk about a product. If the article repeats the need for one product over and over without suggesting many alternatives, then it may be sales-oriented and the information contained within it may be skewed.

#2: Does the article portray identity theft information accurately?

Look at many sources for accurate identity theft information. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an excellent source for accurate, up-to-date information on the topic of identity theft.

#3: Does the article try to create concern or panic within the reader?

If the article suggests (or seems to suggest) that the reader must purchase this product or they will likely fall victim to identity theft, it is likely a sales pitch. If they repeat terrible identity theft statistics, or mention something to the effect of “Mr. X had to pay $15,000 to get his life back after he was a victim of identity theft, don’t let this happen to you!”, then it is likely the article is not worth your time.

Identity theft is an important issue to understand, but be sure you are able to distinguish informative articles on the topic from sales pitches.

About the Author: