COMPUTER INFORMATION SERIES NO. 2 OF 3

To complete your computer system purchase, you’ll need to choose the right printer for your needs. Since there is such a wide variety to choose from with prices ranging from $120 to $6,000 we need to look at what each one is, and how much it costs to operate and maintain.

Dot-Matrix Printers (obsolete technology).

Essentially obsolete with the advent of inkjet and laser printers, these printers print using a series of dots. There are 9-pin and 24-pin dot matrix printers. A 9-pin will print 9 dots per inch on your paper, where a 24-pin will print 24 dots per inch on your paper. Naturally, a 24-pin is going to make your print-out with more detail and clarity because there is more printing per inch therefore if there is only a small difference in price — you should get the 24-pin.

Dot-matrix printers don’t cost much to maintain. They use a printer ribbon similar to a typewriter ribbon at an average cost of $12 each. The ribbon has about the same life as a typewriter ribbon, so you be the judge as to how long they’ll last you.

A dot matrix printer is a perfect investment if you plan to use your computer for mailing lists and occasional writing of letters. There is also a software you can buy called “Emulaser” (purchase from TigerSoftware for $69.95 by calling 1-800-888-4437) that will make your dot matrix printer think it’s a laser printer. The print-out will almost be of the same professional quality but your printer will print much slower. (Emulaser is not recommended for older computers with a 8086 or similar processor. A minimum of a 286 or 386-based computer system is recommended)

Daisy Wheel Printers (obsolete technology).

Don’t get stuck with one of these. Remember the old IBM Selectric typewriters that used a wheel to type a character instead of a typewriter key? This is what a daisy wheel printer uses. You can NEVER print a photograph or picture and it’s not too great at drawing lines and boxes either. Besides, you can get a dot matrix printer for a much lower price and print anything you want to!

Inkjet and Bubblejet Printers.

Both of these printers use a WET ink to print onto the paper. There is no danger in smearing because the ink dries instantaneously — however, if the printed page draws moisture or something is spilled on it, you could have a few problems and have to print the page
again.

Although they are not costly to maintain, if you have a mail order business the chances of ink smearing during the mailing process is greater. Therefore, inkjet and bubblejet printers should not be used — especially for printing labels to apply to the outside of the envelope.

Laser Printers.

If you plan to do more with your computer than maintain mailing lists, keep records and write occasional letters; you will want to seriously look at purchasing a laser printer. A laser printer hardly ever wears out and is one of the best investments you can make if you’re in for the long-haul.

A laser printer is like a mini-computer. It has a memory board in it and will accumulate an entire page in it’s memory banks BEFORE it prints the page. Just like making sure you have enough RAM in your computer to operate the software, you need enough RAM in your laser printer to print a page.

How much memory do you need? If all you wanted to print was a 1-page letter containing only words you could print it on a laser printer with 512K of memory. However, if you want to print that same letter with a graphic (cartoon, photograph, lines, boxes, etc.) you would need more memory in your printer. The “safe” amount to purchase would be 1MG but we highly recommend 4MG. This way, you won’t be in any trouble when you are trying to print something that takes up 2MG of memory and you only have 1MG on your printer. If this happens, the page will not print and your computer will tell you that you have run out of room!

Laser printers print with a DRY ink (similar to a high-speed copier.) The ink comes in a cartridge and most cartridges will print 5,000 to 8,000 pages. Prices vary for purchasing cartridges but normal costs are $35 to $150 for a NEW printer cartridge. After you buy a NEW cartridge, you can have it refilled at 50% to 75% less than the price to purchase another NEW one. This saves you money on future purchases and also helps our environment! (A good refill company for toner and office copiers is Roman Office Supply, 652 Rebecca St, Westerville OH 43081 or you can call and get a specific quote from Jim Varadi at 614-794-3412.)

Have a great time!

Continue reading Part 1, Part 3, and Part 4 of the series.

COMPUTER INFORMATION SERIES NO. 1 OF 3

This is the first in a series of reports to help you understand the world of computers and to determine how they can bring many benefits to your personal life and home business.  So, if you want to read the entire series and learn along with us — you’ll need to subscribe via RSS right away to make sure you get the entire report series.

Getting Familiar with the PC Computer:

Before you purchase your new computer, you must first understand a little about them. There are 2 parts needed to complete a computer system — The HARDWARE and the SOFTWARE. The hardware is what you carry home when you purchase one. Hardware consists of the following components:

• CPU (Central Processing Unit). This is the square part of your computer system that houses the floppy disk drive and hard drive.
• Monitor. This is the television-type screen of the computer you use to type and create your work on.
• Keyboard. This is the typewriter-like keys you use to type in information and commands for your computer to understand.
• Printer. This is what you use to print out your data (letters, mailing lists, and everything else.)

The second part of your computer system is the SOFTWARE. Without software your computer will just sit on the desk and look at you. It’s like buying a toaster without an electric cord. Without a means of plugging the toaster into the electric socket, the toaster will not work. Without software, a computer will not work. Therefore, don’t be surprised when you spend $500 to $3,000 for a computer and find out you have to invest another $200 or more for the beginning software.

Shareware programs are very popular with new computer buyers to reduce this cost — but you do need to invest some money in a good word processing package (like WordPerfect(R) or Word for Windows.) If you purchase a new computer, normally most of your beginning software is supplied to you from the factory and if your first computer is purchased from an individual advertising in the paper — they normally give you free software too. But be prepared to buy specific software for your specific needs now or soon because your individual needs may differ.

Purchasing For Your Particular Needs:

When you start pricing computer systems you will find they range considerably in price. This is because you can mix-and-match all the custom qualities available to you in almost any way to fit your particular budget. Since most beginners don’t know enough about a computer or how they’ll affect their lives, it’s sometimes impossible to mix-and-match to your particular needs when you don’t even know what they are. A good mail order publication for computer bargains is the GrapeVine Journal, PO Box 488, Bluff City TN 37618 but perhaps the following will help:

• Monitors: Like a television set, monitors come in black/white or color. If you want to save $150 or more, just specify that you want a black/white monitor. To further confuse you though — both black/white and color monitors also come in a variety of types. Each type determines how clear and definite things appear on the screen.  Different types include VGA, Super VGA, CGA, EGA, PGA, MDA and Hercules. The industry standard at this time is Super VGA. It’s compatible with almost every type of software. It’s clear and easy on your eyes and very affordable. You can purchase a Super VGA color or a Super VGA black/white.
• RAM (Random Access Memory). The amount of information your monitor can hold at one time is called RAM. Computer memory is measured in bytes and megabytes (1,000 bytes = 1 megabyte and is expressed: 1MG.) The more RAM your monitor has, the better. Be sure and get a minimum of 1MG of RAM for your monitor to run most of the software on the market today; preferably 4MG if you can afford it.
• Hard Drive. Your hard drive is a gigantic storage tank for all your software. It’s impossible to operate any software on the market today (unless you just want to play simple games) without a hard drive. A hard drive takes the place of floppy disks. You copy information from your floppy disks to your hard drive and it stays there — even when you turn your computer off at night.  The size of a hard drive is measured in MG’s (megabytes). A standard size hard drive to purchase to run most of the software on the market today would be 120MG. Anything less means you will have to purchase more floppy disks as you fill up your hard drive, which will slow up your operation considerably.

Continue reading Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of the series.

SELF-PUBLISHING: A GENIUS MONEY-MAKING IDEA

Some “crazed nut” started a rumor that publishing a book costs lots of money. What this “nut” didn’t tell you is that self-published booklets do NOT!  In fact, it’s one of the easiest ways to make money in the world and doesn’t require any talent! It’s true — let me show you step-by-step how it’s done:

1. Choose a subject to write about. Select something you enjoy or want to know more about yourself. As just an example, we’ll use “Household Hints” (something I personally know nothing about.)
2. Now, to collect the information to put in my book about “household hints” I would go visit my mother, talk to my aunts and cousins, call friends on the phone, and in general — ask everybody I came into contact with to give me their favorite “household hint.” After a few months I’d have a lot of stuff.
3. At this point I would start categorizing all this information. I’d put all the stuff about “kitchen tips” in a separate file from “home remedies.” Each separate file would be a new chapter in my book.
4. Then I’d begin typing out my book on a computer or typewriter. (You also could utilize the services of a publisher such as Graphico, PO Box 488, Bluff City TN 37618 or Muchmore Marketing, PO Box 50027, Reno NV 89513.) If I was typing it myself though, I would simply number each tip as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 . . . with a title at the top of the page as to what type of “household hint” this particular page referred to. (i.e., kitchen tips, cleaning hints, home remedies, words of wisdom, etc.)
5. Okay. Now the book is ready to print. You’ve read everything and there are no misspelled words or obvious grammar mistakes. You are ready to see the final result of your labors. How much will it cost? Let’s assume that my “household hints” book is going to measure 5″ wide by 8″ tall (like a sheet of 8 1/2×11″ paper folded in half.) There are 2 pages on each side or 4 pages front and back. These are the best size for mail order unless you write a 100-page novel.
6. Now, the only thing left to do to make my book a success is to sell them and make some money back. One idea would be to call all the people who gave me the information for the book. I’d put a price tag of $5 on the cover and offer it to my aunts, cousins, friends and co-workers at a discount of $3 or $2. Everyone whose name or contribution is in a published book will want a copy for a keepsake — at least.

Are you still with me? My “household hints” book is a total of 24 pages. That means it will take both sides of 6 sheets of 8 1/2×11″ paper to print each one of my books. That includes the cover and everything.

Based on standard mail order prices, you could have 250 of these books printed for $109 or about 44c each. 1,000 would run even less — $200 or about 20c each. That’s cheap! Even if I sell each one for just $3, I’ll make a great profit! (A good mail order booklet printer we recommend is Kem’s Graphics, 549 Friendship Rd, Seneca SC 29678.)

Another method of saving money with printing of booklets is to have the mail order printer print them at the same price you would pay for 8 1/2×11″, 2-sided printing (around $25 per 1,000) without having them collated, folded and stapled. This way, your cost would only be a total of $150 per 1,000 or 15c per booklet.

This method is great if you want to do some of the work yourself. Your only expense would be a saddle stitcher from an office supply store. This is a long-armed stapler and the cost is around $45. Of course you would not want to make this investment if you were only going to be publishing one book per year — but if you plan to go into heavy production, it would be worth your while. I personally don’t care to do this myself because I’m saving tons of money. I’ll get paid in the long run for my time.

So you see; it’s not that hard to create your own money-maker. There’s no hidden secret to it. You don’t have to pay $29.95 for the same information. We’re GIVING it to you free of charge.

Every single human being has a book inside of them! Everybody knows something that other people don’t and everybody has interests that other people don’t have the time to learn about. There is a subject that interests you that would interest others. Guaranteed!

So, get busy. Pick a subject, gather the information and type it up! You’ll be a hero before you know it. Neighbors will begin to label you as a notorious writer. You’ll be able to hold your head high, and you’ll be able to start putting “, Writer” at the end of your name on your business letters. Won’t that be something?