Chapter Newsletter Editors: Printer Questions...

Jon B

I thought it might be beneficial for various H-E-T chapter newsletter editors / publishers to compare notes on various aspects of editing and publishing newsletters.



One concern is self-publishing, using deskjet or laser printers. Some of you are considering purchasing your own (as opposed to subsidizing the local Kinko's) and might wonder about which type of printer to buy, what the costs are, and what's involved in their maintenance.



I'll start out the discussion: Our local Hudson chapter bought a Samsung #CLP-600N color laser printer recently, replacing our old inkjet printer. It's very fast (maybe 40-55 sheets per minute, when printing MS Publisher), does a splendid job, and is very solidly built. (Warning: it's fairly big and powerful, too; the lights were dimming in my home office, so I had to run an extension cord down the hall so I could tap into a different circuit!). The price was about $400, give or take. I'm giving it a definite "thumbs up"; however, the toner cartridges ain't cheap. The big question now, is how to buy toner cartridges thriftily! Anyone else own a color laser, and if so, how does one save money when buying toner?

Uncle Josh

Check 'Carrot Ink'. I saved 50% on a toner cartridge for our Historical Society copier.

[Deleted User]

You can get cartridges refilled at Walgreen's for less than half of what that same cartridge costs at Office Depot.

Unknown

I would suggest before buying a printer, check out the prices on replacement components, such as toner, and even a fuser unit. Also, look into the idea of refilling your own cartridges, this is supposed to be a high cost savings, if your printer supports this.



I would think that another means of cost savings, is make the newsletter available to those that opt to receive it online. It is super simple to make a PDF, and e-mail it to those that have a computer with an internet connection, and with the way technology is, I don't see much future in printing of anything, and get this, I work in printing....



Finally, I hope that MS Publisher is not the program you are using for layout, but hey, if it works for you, that's cool. I think that you limit yourself a bit, using that. Anyway, I bet you can still easily make a PDF right out of publlisher.

[Deleted User]

Helps to have a chapter membership that is interested in receiving the newsletter online - most in our local chapter want a hardcopy, rather than having it emailed to them. Yeah, I know, they can print their own from that, but not in this chapter. Our chapter doesn't even want a presence online at all; no chapter home page or anything. Oh, well.

Walt-LA

Jon,



Our chapter has an old HP laser-jet (mine) which we use for hard copy, we had considered buying a newer version, but have not. We bought instead pdf converter software, which allows us to prepare the monthly newsletter using an older version of microsoft publisher, then convert it to pdf.

Makes it possible to email, as it greatly reduces volume. Usual size for 10

pp, with 12 or so pictures is 300-400 KB, instead of one plus megabytes.



We are a small chapter, with +/- 30 members. We've gotten to the point where we are sending out a bit over half of our newsletters (some forty) by email- which includes all but one sent to other editors in the Big Country Region. Since we use front and back of page, the cost of copying ($.03/page) is of less concern than postage. Course that would change with color copies. Using email does three things - saves the chapter the cost of copying and postage ($0.71 per copy), gives the those who receive it in electronic format color photos, and considerably improves one Saturday morning out of the month for me.



Walt-LA, ed. Red River Chapter HET

Jon B

I'm just kicking this thread back to the top, to see if anyone has additional ideas on money saving ideas for cartridges! I appreciate the ideas that have already been posted.

Aaron D. IL

Well when I was chapter editor I used a local print shop to run our jobs. There's approximately 150 members in the CHI-MIL. But to have relaible costs I limited every monthly issue to only 5 pages (two sides) so that the print bill was always the same... in our case a steady $70 a month. plus postage. Postage has gone up since then though. VERY Few of our chapter members had Email...and I opted not to put the newsletter online because I figure the newsletter is most of what members' chapter dues pay for.

Last survery I did from the 2007 National Roster only about 35% of HET has Email addresses and of course not all of them are valid from the last roster. It will be a while before HET can really mass Email electronic copies....and even then some members want hard copy anyway for their literature collection.

I hear Epson printer cartridges are the cheapest but I don't know if that's still the case. Also considered postal meters but you have to be putting out a larger mailing before those become economical.

Jon B

About 6% of our chapter members have opted for e-mailed PDF newsletters and that's great, it does save us some money. But we still have to print the rest, and we've chosen the particular printer.



Just for everyone's information, I just placed an order with Ink Technologies.com for one black cartridge, for $79.55. This is a replacement type (not original manufacturer), $6 less than they'd charge for the genuine Samsung black cartridge and about $10 less than you'd pay at Office Depot. (Shipping is free at this particular company, by the way.) BUT, their color (replacement) cartridges are only $79.55 also, which is about $43 less than they (or Office Depot) would charge for the compatible Samsung cartridge. So there are some real savings to be had, out there...

hudsontech

When I was editor of the New England Chapter newsletter I really didn't have to worry about a printer as Dave Limbert did the printing. As I recall he used a commercial model ink jet printer and refilled his own cartridges.



I got a decent price ($65 - after a $65 mail-in rebate) on an HP LaserJet 1018 black only printer. I don't do that much color printing. This allows me to now print copies of my General Information Handbook, plus anything else that requires volume printing, at a very reasonable rate. I get about 1500 or so pages from a cartridge.



Cartridges are expensive, tho. At most outlets they are around $65 - however, I found an online shop that sells them for $27 (plus $5 shipping). That's http://www.inkjetsuperstore.com/ . They have all sorts of cartridges and so far I've experienced no problems shopping on-line there.



Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

HudsonTech

Memphis, TN