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Archive for the ‘Printer Tips’ Category

If you are trying to make a painting for your home or office, you may want to print off a template to follow. By using simple transparency paper and an overhead projector, you can print off the outlines of the image you want to paint. This is a great way to save time and ensure that you get the image you want at the end of the painting. Some people may see this as “cheating,” but those are the people that take twice as long to make a painting that is half as good. Before you turn into one of the cynics, read the guide below.

Using an Overhead to Paint

When you put a transparency on an overhead, you can transfer the image onto a wall. That means that you can take an image the size of standard printer paper and turn it into a large scale image to trace. If you trace the outlines coming from the overhead, you can then go back over them with paint. No matter how large or small your painting is at that point, you can recreate it with ease.

Finding the Right Image to Paint

Not all images come out overhead-friendly. Try to avoid something that has a lot of blurred lines, like a painting from Van Gogh. The transparency will likely blur the lines of the piece when you project it onto a wall, so you need to make an effort to find something with hard lines. If you can’t find that, use some pens to trace the outline of the image for yourself. Then you can project it on the wall with the hard lines in place. You will still have the issue of tracing to worry about, but that will be easier to do if you can see everything.

You should also try to avoid images with really small details. Those details do not always show up well on a transparency, and they could be lost in translation. Simple yet bold paintings are the ones that tend to do the best through this transfer process. Those are the ones that you should look for. Then all you need is an overhead and a little time to create a masterpiece all your own.

Are you looking for the perfect gift to get someone this holiday season? Why not get them a set of ink cartridges to use for their home? While this may not be anything close to a traditional Christmas gift, it is something that your loved ones could benefit from. Printer ink can be expensive, no matter where you decide to buy it from. By giving someone you love a set of it to use in their home, you could be lifting a huge weight off the person’s shoulders. Here are some tips to help you present your ink cartridge gift without coming across in a weird way.

Package the Ink with School Supplies

If you have a college student in your life that you want to buy supplies for, you could always put the printing ink in with the other supplies. That way it comes across as a prep-for-college gift, not just a set of ink. You can package everything together in a nice box, and you may even throw in a gift card to a general purpose store to seal the deal. Even if the person does not show his or her appreciation initially, it will come along when he or she runs out of ink next time.

Turn It into Something “Cute”

Sometimes the cute factor is all you need to make the gift a hit. Try wrapping the ink box in something to make it look like a car, and then you can tell the recipient you got him or her a new car for Christmas. You could also put it on a long stem like a rose and try to make it look like a flower in a basket. Just think outside the box and you should be able to come up with something pretty creative.

Wrap It in Money

If you put money all around the ink when you wrap it, the recipient is going to have no issues liking your gift. He or she can put the money toward other office supplies, and then you can get the credit for stocking the person up this holiday season. No one ever said you couldn’t buy printer ink for Christmas, so you might as well give it a try. You may even get some for yourself when everything is said and done.

Are you tired of flipping through the channels every time you want to watch TV? While you could always look to the TV Guide channel to see what programs are on, you may have to wait several minutes for the channel to actually come to the station you want to watch. Rather than going through that hassle, you can use your HP toner cartridges and printer to make your own TV guide. Then all you have to do is flip to the page with the guide you want to see whenever you want to see what’s on. Here is a guide to show you just how easy it is to print your own TV guide.

Materials Needed

• Printer paper
• Three ring binder
• Hole punch
• Access to the internet
• Printer

Step 1 – Find the Guide

Before you can print your TV guide, you are going to need to find a copy of it. Your cable provider should have a list of upcoming shows on their website, so you can check there to see the guide for your area. You can look at the listings for up to two weeks in most cases, so you should be plenty prepared for knowing what to watch.

Step 2 – Print the Pages

Once you find the TV guide on the computer, you need to print it out. Some cable companies will have a print option available, but that is not always the case. If you have a chance to download the guide, do so. Then you can print like normal. Otherwise, you will need to print screen the guide on the computer until you have all the days you want.

Step 3 – Put Everything Together

After all of the pages are ready to be put together, use a three hole puncher to put holes in the side of the pages. Then you can put them in a three ring binder for easy access. You can use file dividers to separate the guide by days, but that should be about all you need to do.

Check back with the guide once a week to print off the new listings, and then you will always have a way to see your TV programs when you need to. Plan out your viewing around the information you print off today.

Are you tired of using the same paisley place mats that you have used for the past ten years? If so, you may think of printing some out that are all your own. The idea of having a printed place mat may throw you off a bit at first because paper is inevitably going to absorb whatever you put on it. If you laminate the paper though, you negate the absorbency and still allow the image to come through. This is a fun project that you can do at any time, and all you really need is a set of printer supplies and access to a laminating machine. Here is a guide to help you print your own place mats.

Start by finding the image you want to use on the placemats. You can make that a family photo, a solid color, a famous painting, or anything in between. If you have kids sitting at the table, you may print off some fun cartoons for them to read while they patiently wait for their food. Once you have the image you want to use, you can start the printing process.

Print out the image like you normally would using your ink cartridges and printer paper. You can use card stock if you want something that is a little more heavy duty, but that is not required. If you want to cut the place mat into a funky shape, do so at this time. Otherwise, you are ready to start laminating your place mats.

If you have a laminating machine at work, you may be able to use that for your place mats. You can also buy a handheld laminator, which will allow you to crank your way to a laminated place mat. If neither of those options work for you, you can go to a local office supply store to get your pictures laminated. You will have to pay a small fee to make that happen, but eventually you will be able to get all the place mats you need.

After that, all you have to do is put the mats on the table and serve your dinner. Bon appétit!

When most people think about stocking stuffers, they think about candy and small toys – not office supplies. While you can fill a stocking will all of those goodies, there is nothing wrong with putting some office materials in there as well. This unconventional approach to Christmas may seem like a cheap way out, but it is actually a great way to get people the things they need for the following year. In this kind of economy, a little help can go a long way. Here are some office supplies you may be able to use in your stockings this holiday season.

Mini-Staplers

Everyone can use a good stapler every now and then, and mini-staplers are the perfect size to put in a stocking. Women especially love these because they are small enough to fit in their purses. Even if someone has a stapler already, something like thick would be great for them to use on the go.

Sticky Notes

Sticky notes are also great for stocking stuffers because everyone uses them. Some people use as much as a pack a week, so you can never go wrong with a set of sticky notes. Whether you buy the classic yellow ones or you decide to use something a little more unconventional, you can get a huge set of sticky notes for a low price. Then all you have to do is put them in the stockings you have access to.

Pens

Good ballpoint pens are always great to give away because most people lose theirs over time. They may have a huge stack at home, but that stack could easily be depleted over the course of a month. By giving them a fresh set of pens to use, you can save them the time of having to look for the ones they have lost. You may be surprised by just how well pens may go over.

Even though office supplies don’t automatically sound like stocking stuffers, they can make the perfect additions to your Christmas decorations. Look for some supplies that you know your loved ones will appreciate, and you will be able to save everyone a little money next year.