How to Maximize Printing Speeds
Has your printer been running a little slowly lately? If so, you may want to figure out if there is a way to increase the speed at which your pages come out. Every printer works a little differently based on the ink cartridges it uses and the kinds of images it produces. Before you decide to throw your printer away because it is too slow, you need to learn what it takes to print documents and images quickly. Here are some tips to help you do just that.
Speed vs. Quality
One thing you need to realize about printers before focusing on speed is that you usually have to sacrifice the quality of your prints if you want them to come out faster. Inkjet printers typically spend more time making a quality print based on the amount of ink they deposit on the pages. If you want to get the best looking images possible, you may have to wait a little bit for them to come out. If you don’t care about quality though, you can get a printer that will shoot out a whole stack of paper in a matter of minutes. You just have to figure out what matters most to you.
How to Improve Your Printer Speeds
You can start the improvement process by minimizing the amount of ink you use per print. You should be able to set this on your printer or on your computer, depending on what company your equipment comes from. Make an effort to find a place where you can say how much ink you want to use per print, and try to set the printer at a minimal volume. That will improve your speeds and give you the most usage out of your printer.
Try to hardwire the printer to the computer rather than hooking it up wirelessly. A direct connection is always going to provide the fastest speeds, including the connection for the internet. If you want to work as effectively as possible, you can’t rely on a wireless router.
Set up multiple prints at once rather than waiting for one to finish before you do the other. That way your printer can just keep going until you are done. If you buy an efficient printer from the start, you should have no trouble getting a decent printing speed from it.
How to Dress Up Your Office Pens
Are you tired of using the same old Bic pens that everyone else seems to use? Perhaps you want a little pizzazz for the office. If that is the case, you may want to find a way to dress up your pens and make them a little easier to find. This will prevent people from stealing them, and it will also give you a conversation starter for anyone that comes into the office. Before you throw away your pens for good and start relying on your printing supplies to do all of your written work, you may just want to have a little crafty fun with your pens. Here are some projects to help you do that.
Add Fake Flowers
Get some fake flowers to attach to the ends of your pens, and then you can use floral tape to hold them in place. You can wrap the tape around the office pens so that they look like the stem of a flower, and then you could even put them in a little flower pot on your desk. That way you have something with a little personality that can still function at the end of the day.
Top with Funky Feathers
You can add a feather to the top of every pen and secure it with electrical tape or glue. This will not be quite as covert as the flowers may be, but it can still give you a chance to add a little fun to a boring set of pens. You can get feathers in crazy colors that match your office décor, or you can just get a set of neutral ones that are easy to see. That part is up to you.
Cover in Rubber Bands
Have you ever made a rubber band ball before? If so, you can do the same thing to a pen that you would to the ball. Just start wrapping the pens from top to bottom with rubber bands, and then you will have a built in gripper and a way to store your rubber bands for the office. If you get a set of colored rubber bands, you can turn your pens into a true work of art.
Think outside the box and you will surely find a way to make your office pens one of a kind.
Science Fair Project Tips: Part Five – Presenting the Project
The only thing you have left to do after creating a presentation board for your kid’s science fair project is to help him or her present the project at the fair. Some children are naturally gifted speaking in front of other people, and others are a little nervous about the process. Your child will probably have to explain his or her project to a class full of people, so you need to help him or her speak intelligently about the experiment. Here are some tips you can rely on for that.
Create Reference Cards
Your child should have some sort of speech memorized before the fair, but he or she will probably forget everything when the nerves kick in. That is where some simple index cards can make a big difference. Write down a simple outline for your child to follow in case he or she forgets something along the way. That way he or she will be able to speak about the project in a natural and conclusive manner.
Organize the Board
When you work on the presentation board with your child, you may want to set it up so that it is easy to follow. That way your child can basically use the board as an outline while he or she speaks. You should start from the left and work your way over, with the bottom right corner representing the conclusion for the project. You could reserve the wings for supplementary information if you want, or you could incorporate them with main section. That part is up to you and your child.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Have your child rehearse his or her presentation a few times with you so he or she gets used to explaining it to other people. If there is a time limit for the presentation, use a timer to monitor how long your child speaks. With enough practice and a little encouragement from you, your child should have a successful science fair project from start to finish.
Need help from the start? Check out some of our other science fair project tips for more information:
Science Fair Project Tips: Part Four – Displaying the Project
Now comes the fun part – putting the display board together. This is what most kids love about science fair projects, although there are some kids that love the projects themselves. If you have a creative child that wants to make the best display board he or she possibly can, you need to give that child the ability to make the best board in the fair. Here are some tips to help you do just that.
Use Visual Aids
Words are only so effective. Sometimes you need charts, images, and diagrams to clearly portray what went on during a project. If 
you have some ink in the printer, you should be able to print off some charts that you can create in Microsoft Excel or a free web-based program. You could also print your own pictures or put data sheets from your actual experiment. Just make sure you put a decent amount of visual aids on the board.
Jazz Up the Board
You don’t have to make a display board stark and boring. It is for a kid’s science fair project after all. Try adding some board accessories to really spice up the presentation. You can add stickers, stencils, glitter, colored paper, borders, and much more to the board. You just have to think a little outside the box and you can create something truly outstanding.
Add 3D Elements
Who said your presentation board has to be two dimensional? Why not add something that pops out of the board? You could put some shelves on it for a unique display, or you could put an interactive flap that reveals information about something in the experiment. If you can get the audience excited about the project, you have done your job as a parent.
Learn more about creating an awesome science fair project by reading some of the tips in these posts:
Science Fair Project Tips: Part Three – Doing the Project
By this point in time, you should have a science fair project picked out and a plan to follow for it. Now comes the time when you actually have to do the project. This may be hard to find time for if you work long hours, but you should be able to find a time that works for you and your child. You don’t have to help your kid with his or her science fair project, but it is certainly a great way to bond with him or her. Here are some tips to help you effectively get through the project with your child.
Don’t Do – Supervise
It is not your job to do the science fair project. That is your child’s job. What you need to be there for is supervising and taking over dangerous tasks, like using the paper cutter or operating a source of heat. You basically need to be in charge of sharp objects and dangerous chemicals, but even then, you need to let your child do his or her project. Then you can help him or her when a project emerges.
Explain What’s Going on
The whole point of science fair project is to teach your kid about scientific principles. You can do that if you are right there with him or her during the project. Take this time to explain why different matters occur like they do, like why a magnet will stick to a refrigerator but not a printer. If you can break down this information now, your kid will be better off in the future.
Manage the Schedule
You are going to be the person responsible for the schedule because kids can’t be trusted with them. Try to make sure your kid’s project stays on track so he or she can get the best grade possible. Then you can continue your science fair project by reading some of the tips in other posts this week: