Category Archives: Tips and Tricks

Helpful Tips on Buying Electronic Gadgets

August 30, 2012 Udit Malhotra 1 Comment

There are times, when we regret an ‘Impulse Purchase, a ‘Purchase in a Hurry‘, a ‘Purchase due to Pressure by the Sales Person at the Retail Store’, ‘Shortage of Time’ or a ‘Limited Period Discount Offer at a Retail Store/ Online Shopping Website‘.

Here are a few Tips on buying Gadgets like Laptops, Mobiles, Tablets, Digital Cameras, Consumer Electronics, Large Home Appliances, etc.

I believe using the below mentioned Tips , you will be able to ‘buy the right product, get more value for your money, get better after sales service and shall not regret your purchase decision’.

DO NOT BUY high value Consumer Electronics, Laptops, Mobiles, Tablets, Digital Cameras, Large Home Appliance, etc. ‘on Impulse’, ‘Under Pressure’ or ‘in a Hurry”.

Select the right Manufacturer. For better after-sales-service/ technical support, prefer a manufacturer who has a manufacturing facility or a proper distribution and after-sales-service setup in India (more specifically in/ around the location of the usage of the product).

Visit the website of the manufacturer of the desired Product and go through the

Features,
Pictures,
Videos,
Specifications,
Warranty,
Owner Reviews (if available),
Technical Support Section

of the desired Product.

Check, if the desired product is listed in the ‘Discontinued Products’ on the Product Manufacturer’s website. The websites of HP, Intel and other leading companies have pages with a list of discontinued products. You can easily search for discontinued products by typing “discontinued products” (without the quotes) in the ‘Search Section’ of the Product Manufacturer’s website.

Check for ‘New Products’ at similar prices that are ‘Coming Soon’ or already ‘Available’. New or other Products might be having more features or some features, which you might have missed out on.

Check for ‘Promotional Offers/ Combo Offers’ for the desired product on the Product Manufacturer’s website.

Check for ‘Extended Warranty Offer(s)’ for the desired product on the Product Manufacturer’s website. Currently most Laptop manufacturers are offering Free! Extended Warranty for a period of 1-2 years. A few LCD/LED TV manufacturers were also offering Free! Extended Warranty for 1-2 years.

Go through the

Reviews,
Defects,
Known Issues and
Complaints

of the desired Product on Internet. An easy way to do this is to Google or search for the same, by typing the Brand and Model of the Product followed by the Keywords: “Defects, Complaints, Known Issues, Reviews and pressing Search” (without the quotes).

Once you have selected the Product, check its lowest online price on a Price Comparison Website like junglee.com.

Check-out the desired Product at its Manufacturer’s Brand Store or a Large Format Retail Store like Croma, Reliance Digital, Big Bazaar, Digiworld, Vijay Sales, Ezone, etc. Almost all Brand stores and Large Format Retail Stores have all the products on display, and you can see and try them before your purchase. Large Format Retail Stores now try to match or better the prices offered by leading Online Retailers. In Large Format Retail Stores In Delhi/NCR, for Laptops, Tablets, Digital Cameras and Mobiles, I have found Reliance Digital’s prices to be the ‘highest‘ (even after Discounts). The Attitude of the Sales Staff at Reliance Digital towards the Buyers is also ‘indifferent’. The Sales Staff at Croma is better trained and more responsive. Currently, for popular models of Mobiles and Tablets, Snapdeal.com and Homeshop18.com are offering the Lowest Prices.

Check-out the Discount/ Cash-back/ Interest-Free EMI offers provided by your Credit/ Debit Card Provider on its website, at Large Format Retail Stores and on the websites of Online Retailers. Currently, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Citibank are offering attractive Cash-back and Interest-Free EMI Offers at select Large Format Retail Stores and select Online Retailers.

Buy your desired Product from your Preferred Retailer or place your order at an Online Shopping Website, where you are most comfortable based on your prior purchase experience in terms of Pricing, Packaging, Delivery and After-Sales-Service.

When buying from any Retail Store insist on a ‘Factory Sealed Unit‘. Do Not Accept a Repacked Unit. Online Retailers normally ship Sealed Units. Do Not Buy Used or Demonstration Units, as these are generally handled carelessly by Visitors, Staff and the Cleaning/ Housekeeping Staff of the Store. If you like a particular Used/ Demonstration Unit, the Retail Store would normally extend an Additional Discount on that Unit.

Happy Buying!

Epson, Printers, Tips and Tricks

Tips for Trouble-free Printing with EPSON Color Printers and All-in-Ones

June 19, 2012 Udit Malhotra Leave a comment

Image Credit: Epson

HP Inkjet Printers use Print Heads which are built inside the Color and Black Cartridges of the Printer. Upon replacement of an Ink Cartridge, its Print Head changes automatically. However, the replacement of ink cartridges in an HP Printer is generally an expensive affair. The cost of replacement of Original HP cartridges can exceed the cost of a new Inkjet Printer itself.

In contrast, Epson and Canon Inkjet Printers use Print Heads which are fixed inside the Printers. The Ink Cartridge of an Epson/ Canon Inkjet Printer does not have a Print Head inside it. Since the Print Head is fixed inside the Printer itself, its removal and cleaning is not possible by end-users.

For trouble-free printing from Epson Color Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones, I suggest the following:

To prevent clogging/ blockage of Print Head Nozzles on EPSON Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones, always confirm that when the Printer/All-in-One is not-in-use or is powered ‘Off’ its Print Head Unit (the black box which holds the Color & Black Cartridges) is in its ‘Home Position’ on the extreme right side of the unit. In the Home Position the Nozzles are capped and prevent drying of Ink in and around the Nozzles. This is similar to a Fountain Pen’s Nib being covered with the Pen’s Cap.

To prevent clogging/ blockage of the Print Head on EPSON Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones, take Prints regularly; at least twice a Week. Printing regularly helps in the free flow of Ink and does not let the Inks dry/ thicken within the Print Head and on the Nozzles. This is specially important for Users of Compatible Ink Cartridges.

Users of Epson Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones can SAVE on day-to-day TEXT Printing Costs by using Compatible Ink Cartridges, instead of Originals/Refills. Compatible Ink Cartridges are easily available for most models of Epson Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones. Available at ~15% of the cost of Original Ink Cartridges, the Compatible Ink Cartridges offer TEXT Prints in equivalent Quality & Quantity. The Compatible Ink Cartridges are not recommended for printing High Quality Photographs, as the Print Quality will be Inferior, Photos will Fade Sooner & shall have a lesser Storage Life.

If you need to take prints at brief intervals in a day, Do Not Power On/Off the Printer repeatedly. Each time the Power is turned “On”, the Printer performs a mini Head Cleaning cycle, thereby consuming a droplet of Ink of every Color. If you Power “On” your Printer many times a day, you are unnecessarily wasting Ink. Epson Printers consume a very small amount of Power in Standby Mode. To conserve Ink it is advisable to leave the Printer in standby use, if you plan to print at brief intervals in a day.

For trouble-free replacement of Ink Cartridges, always replace Ink Cartridges one-by-one and not together. For even distribution of Ink inside the Cartridge, shake the Cartridge being replaced in its shrink wrapped packaging (before opening the packaging). Remove the “Plastic Tab” on the back of Ink Cartridge. Check the Color of Ink being replaced i.e. Black, Magenta, Cyan or Blue. Tear only the removable part of the Sticker on the Top of the Ink Cartridge. Do Not Remove the Top Sticker completely as it will damage the Ink Cartridge. Th Sticker on the Top of the Ink Cartridge covers the air-flow channels of the Ink Cartridge and helps in even flow of air inside the cartridge. However, if you will not tear the removable part of the Top Sticker of the Ink Cartridge, the Ink Cartridge will not print properly. Do Not Remove the Sticker on the bottom of the Ink Cartridge, otherwise Ink will spill. The sticker on the bottom of the Ink Cartridge will get punctured by the Nozzle upon insertion of the Ink Cartridge.

For a Printer not connected to the Printer, always replace Ink Cartridges using the Instructions in the Set-Up Guide of the Printer. For a Printer connected to your Computer, follow the step-by-step animated Ink Cartridge Replacement Procedure in the Maintenance Tab of the Printer’s Properties. Ignore the Cartridge Compatibility Warning, when using Compatible Ink Cartridges. The Ink Cartridge ‘Charges’ the Ink into the Printer before it is ready-to-use. Charging of Ink involves filling of Ink inside the small Ink Tank of the Printer and a brief Head Cleaning Cycle.

Maintenance Tab of Printing Preferences

The Ink Charging Process takes 2-3 minutes for every cartridge replaced. The Printer first moves the Ink Cartridge to its Home Position and then charges the Ink from the new Cartridge. When the charging of Ink is happening you will hear a whirring sound. The Indicator flashes on the Printer. When charging is complete, the Indicator stops flashing.

Happy Printing!

Printers, Tips and Tricks

Tips for Users of EPSON Printers and All-in-Ones.

November 24, 2011 Udit Malhotra Leave a comment

To prevent clogging/ blockage of Print Head Nozzles on EPSON Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones, always ensure when the Printer/All-in-One is not-in-use/ powered ‘Off’ the Print Head Carriage Unit (the black box which holds the Color & Black Cartridges) is in its ‘Home Position’ on the extreme right side of the unit. In the Home Position the Nozzles are capped and prevent drying of Ink on the Nozzles.
To prevent clogging/ blockage of Print Head Nozzles on EPSON Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones, take Prints regularly; at least twice a Week. Printing regularly helps in the free flow of Ink and does not let the Inks dry/ thicken within the Print Head and on the Nozzles. This is particularly relevant for Users of Compatible Ink Cartridges.

Epson Inkjet Printer Users can SAVE on TEXT Printing Costs by using Compatible Ink Cartridges, instead of Originals/Refills. Available at ~15% of the cost of Originals, these provide TEXT Prints in equivalent Quality & Quantity. However, these Cartridges are not recommended for printing High Quality Photographs, as the Print Quality will be Inferior, Photos will Fade Sooner & shall have a lesser Storage Life.