Specifications

ManualsBrandsHP ManualsComputersPavilion g1000 - Desktop PC

TIPS AND TRICKS

PC MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 www.pcmag.com

100

cartridges include the ink

jets—as most do—you can get

a fresh set of unclogged print-

heads just by putting in new

cartridges. Some printers use

separate printheads, however,

and replacing these as well as

the ink can be expensive.

Before you throw

away either ink

cartridges or

separate

print-

heads,

make a

last-ditch

effort to

revive

them. Soak

the ink jets in

a small container

of warm water for a

few minutes, then gently blot

the water from the printhead.

Don’t rub, as you can easily

damage the delicate devices.

Then put the cartridge or

printhead back in the printer

and try again. If that doesn’t

clear the problem, repeat the

process using rubbing alcohol

or vodka. If this fails to clear

the jets, you can at least buy

new printheads knowing you

tried to save the old ones.

ONE

DEVICE

PER PORT

Most new printers offer only

USB connections, but many

still offer parallel as well.

When used with an appropri-

ate cable, a parallel connec-

tion can be very fast—about

2 Mbps—and appropriate for

your typical ink jet printer.

USB 1.1, with its larger 12-

Mbps bandwidth, is designed

to handle multiple

devices, whereas

parallel ports

are not. But if

you use a

parallel port

for a printer,

avoid

putting a

second de-

vice, such as

a scanner or

storage unit, on the

same port. If you must

use a parallel port for these

secondary devices, get an

expansion card with an addi-

tional port so that each de-

vice can have its own.

DON’T USE

A POWER

STRIP

Power strips and surge protec-

tors provide a handy way to

turn all the components in your

computer system on and off,

but leave your printer out of it.

If your printer has a power

switch, use it to turn the device

off. This lets the printer com-

plete its shutdown procedure;

for ink jet printers, this in-

cludes parking

the print car-

tridges so they

don’t dry out. In

most cases, you

probably don’t

need to turn the

printer off at all;

most now have

sleep modes that

draw negligible power, and

many ink jets don’t even have

power switches.

THE

RIGHT

RESOLUTION

Many people use their printers

to create photographs from

digital cameras or scanners.

But make sure that you’re

using the best resolution for

your source image when you

print. If the original image

resolution is low, then the print

may look grainy, blurred, or

blotchy at high print resolu-

tions. If the original resolution

is high, it can take much longer

to print, and the final quality

may also suffer. It pays to

experiment with the resolution

...light sanding with fine sandpaper can

remove the tough, oxidized outer layer

from a rubber pickup roller...

settings of your scanner and

printer to find the combina-

tions that work best. You can

save yourself a lot of time and

get better prints in the long

run. (See tip 5 for details on

which resolution is best for

which purpose.)

RIGHT-

CLICK

TO PRINT

Want to print a file that you

found in Windows Explorer?

For example, say

you’re browsing

through your photo

collection with a

friend and want to

make a quick print.

You could load

Adobe Photoshop

and select Print, or

just right-click on

the filename and

choose Print. Win-

dows opens the

associated applica-

tion, prints the file, and then

closes the application. No

muss, no fuss.

SELECTIONS

ONLY

Ever find a Web page that

had some information you

wanted, but attached to it

were banner ads and naviga-

tion bars? Of course, you

could cut and paste the text

to another application for

printing, but there’s a much

easier way. If you’re using

Microsoft Internet Explorer,

just highlight the text and

choose File | Print. Then in the

Print Range section, choose

Selection. Just the highlighted

text will print.

For more tips and tricks, plus expert advice on

getting the most from your hardware and software,

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