Category: Uncategorized

A photocopier (also known as a copier or copy machine) is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography – a dry process using heat fusion. Copiers can also use other output technologies, such as ink jet, but this is used primarily in smaller low-end devices, more suitable for home office use. Xerography is the standard for office copying. They type of photocopier you will need depends on the volume and type of copying you do each day. You may only require a small number of documents to be copied, such as accounts or bills, or you may need to copy higher volumes. Photocopiers come in a variety of sizes and copy speeds vary between models. The basic types of copiers available now on the market are: Analog copiers There are not many analog copiers being sold nowadays. An analog copier uses lights, lenses and mirrors to reflect an image of a document placed on the platen of the copier onto a photo receptor for printing. These older type of copiers are much more prone to mechanical failure, as more moving parts are involved in the copying process. Most manufacturers are phasing them out entirely and support and parts will become more difficult to find in the coming years. Digital copiers A digital copier is the modern, digital version of the old analog copier. Digital office copiers are often in fact digital multifunction copiers. Desktop copiers Some smaller copiers, or even multi-function devices, are designed to be placed on a desk or some sort of bench top and are named appropriately a ‘desktop model’. Desktop copiers are usually designed for A4 paper (or smaller) only, as the larger A3 paper size would make the actual machine too big and heavy to be placed on a desk. A3 office copiers and multifunctionals always come with an optional stand or cabinet, which can be used for paper or toner storage, or they can be configured with additional paper tray modules, which raise the machine to the required height for normal usage. Network copiers As the name says, these machines can be connected to the office network for remote printing, PC faxing and ‘scan-to’ functionality. Pretty much all digital copiers and multifunctions have either a standard network card built-in or it is available as an option.

A photocopier (also known as a copier or copy machine) is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography – a dry process using heat fusion. Copiers can also use other output technologies, such as ink jet, but this is used primarily in smaller low-end devices, more suitable for home office use. Xerography is the standard for office copying. They type of photocopier you will need depends on the volume and type of copying you do each day. You may only require a small number of documents to be copied, such as accounts or bills, or you may need to copy higher volumes. Photocopiers come in a variety of sizes and copy speeds vary between models. The basic types of copiers available now on the market are: Mono copiers Mono, or monochrome, means that a copier or multifunction device uses only one colour of toner – black. For office use, these machines come in a range of sizes, from low-end low volume copiers to high-speed, high volume machines that can copy or print 100+ pages per minute.  Colour copiers A colour copier is able to copy in colour as well as black and white. Business colour copiers and multifunction devices usually have 4 drums and 4 toner reservoirs or cartridges, sometimes more, which contain the 4 primary colours, Cyan (C), Yellow (Y), Magenta (M) and Black (K). By mixing these four colours, all other colours are created. Multifunctional copiers A copier is called multifunctional when it can do more than just copying. These days almost all office copiers sold are actually digital multifunction devices, or MFD’s, also known as MFP’s – Multifunction Products, Multifunction Printers or All in One Printers or devices. The typical functionalities of these devices are copying, printing, scanning and faxing. The newest models also have internet access, can be connected to an office network to send documents to various locations with Scan to e-mail, Scan to Folder (SMB), Scan to FTP, Scan to USB and WSD Scanning (Windows® Vista) functionality. They can print from portable devices such as laptops via a wireless or USB connection and can be loaded with customised software for document management functions such as OCR (Optical Character Recognition). They also come with document finishing options, such as stapling and booklet folding with saddle stitch. With additional software options available directly from the vendor or via third party vendors, modern multifunction devices can become a complete document print management and archiving solution for the office

Toner is sometimes referred to as dry ink, but toner isn’t actually ink at all! Ink is a pigmented liquid. Toner is a fine, negatively charged, plastic-based powder. The black color in photocopier toner comes from pigments blended into the plastic particles while they are being made. In your photocopier, toner is stuck on larger, positively charged beads and stored inside a toner cartridge. When toner-coated beads are rolled over the drum, the toner particles find the positively charged ions on the unexposed areas on the drum’s surface much more attractive than the weakly charged bead. The same particles are subsequently even more drawn to the electrostatically charged paper. The plastic in the toner lets you keep it from jumping ship once you’ve finally got it on the paper; all you have to do is apply heat to the toner, and the plastic particles melt and fuse the pigment to the paper. The Fuser The fuser provides the finishing touches that make the toner image on a sheet of paper permanent. The fuser has to do two things: Melt and press the toner image into the paper Prevent the melted toner and/or the paper from sticking to the fuser All that’s required to accomplish these tasks is quartz tube lamps and Teflon-coated rollers. The sheet of paper is sent between two of the rollers. Then, the rollers gently press down on the page to embed the toner in the paper fiber. Meanwhile, inside the rollers, the lamps are on, generating enough heat to melt the toner. Why doesn’t the toner melt onto the rollers instead? Just like non-stick coating prevents your dinner from becoming glued to the bottom of your frying pan, the Teflon coating the rollers keeps the toner and paper from sticking to them.

Photoreceptor Drum The photoreceptor drum (or, in some photocopiers, belt) is the heart of the system. A drum is basically a metal roller covered by a layer of photoconductive material. This layer is made out of a semiconductor such as selenium, germanium or silicon. What makes elements like selenium so cool is that they can conduct electricity in some cases, but not in others. In the dark, the photoconductive layer on the drum acts as an insulator, resisting the flow of electrons from one atom to another. But when the layer is hit by light, the energy of the photons liberates electrons and allows current to pass through! These newly freed electrons are what neutralizes the positive charge coating the drum to form the latent image. It’s easy to imagine how you might project a copy of an image on a photoreceptive belt that has roughly the same dimensions as the sheet of paper containing the image. A problem emerges when you think about doing the same thing on a thin, cylindrical drum. How can the surface area of the drum possibly match the real estate on a sheet of paper? The solution is to simply rotate the drum while you’re making a copy. If you rotate the drum in lockstep with the movement of the light beam across the original document, you can build the image strip by strip. After one strip of light is focused onto a corresponding swath of the drum, the drum rotates to expose a fresh area of the photoconductor. Meanwhile, the previously exposed region of the drum swings into contact with the toner, and then with the paper. Because the length of a standard printed page is a lot larger than the circumference of the drum in a modern photocopier, one full rotation of the drum will only replicate a small piece of the page. The drum actually has to be cleaned, recharged with ions, exposed to photons, and sprinkled with toner multiple times in order to duplicate the entire original. To the casual observer, the process appears continuous, because it’s all seamlessly coordinated inside the photocopier as the drum rotates.

Fax machines are complicated pieces of equipment with delicate sensors, motors and finely calibrated moving parts. As much as you might want to kick your office fax machine when there’s a paper jam, there are other solutions. Here are some troubleshooting tips for the most common fax problems: image quality, paper jams and connectivity issues. The most common image quality problems with faxes are pages that come out too dark, too light or are unreadable due to streaks, splotches and spots. For dark and light pages, it could be as simple as changing the darkness or density setting on the receiving machine [source: FineStar Imaging]. If the receiver does a test print and the page comes out clean, then the problem is most likely with the sender’s machine. The sender should open up the document feed area of the fax machine and clean all the surfaces and moving parts with a slightly damp cloth [source: Sands Office Equipment, Inc.] If the fax machine is one of those all-in-one gadgets that doubles as a scanner and copier, clean off the scanner glass as well with a little glass cleaner. If the test print comes out with lines and splotches, then the problem is on the receiving end. The most common cause of dirty copies is spilled or leaking toner or ink. Laser printers and fax machines use large toner cartridges containing dry, black, powdery toner [source: Automation Consulting and Supplies]. If you open up the printer door on the fax machine and see a bunch of dry toner lying around, remove the toner cartridge and give it a shake. If toner falls out of the cartridge, you should buy a new one. Inkjet printers and fax machines use liquid ink, not dry toner [source: Automation Consulting and Supplies]. If you see drips or puddles of wet ink in the printing area, you’ll want to replace the ink cartridge and clean the entire area well. Paper jams are another common fax machine problem. If you have a small fax machine, there are only two areas where paper could get jammed: the document feeder and the printing area. Larger machines have more gears and moving parts where paper can get stuck, but luckily those machines often come with sensors to tell you where the jam is located. The key to removing jammed paper from a fax machine is to always pull in the direction that the paper naturally travels. Yanking paper out in the opposite direction could damage small wheels and gears or leave scraps of shredded paper in the machine If the fax machine signals an error, check the manual or call the manufacturer to see what it means. If you get a lot of communications errors, make sure the phone line is plugged in all the way and that you hear a clear dial tone through the phone receiver. If not, you might want to call the telephone company and have them check your line for interference.

Even though traditional fax machines are fast being replaced by e-mail and Internet fax services, it’s still important to know how to use this workplace workhorse. Here are some basic instructions for sending and receiving a fax. Sending a fax: Make sure the fax machine is plugged into a power source and also plugged into a working phone jack. Turn the fax machine on. Obtain the fax number of the destination fax machine. Gather the documents you want to send and put them in the order you want them to be received. Fill out a separate piece of paper called a coversheet with the recipient’s name, fax number/phone number, your name, your phone number, a short message and number of pages (including coversheet). Lay the documents face-up in the fax machine feeder tray with the coversheet on top Dial the recipient’s fax number (dialing instructions for international calls) Press the “fax” or “send” button, depending on the particular fax machine model

The Domain Name System connects the names of websites to their underlying IP addresses, increasing efficiency and even security. The Domain Name System (DNS) is one of the internet’s pillars, working in the background to match web site names entered into search boxes with the corresponding IP address, a long string of numbers that no one can be expected to remember. It is still possible to access a website by typing an IP address into a browser, but most people prefer an internet address to be made up of easy-to-remember words known as domain names. (For instance, Network World.) When your computer wants to find the IP address associated with a domain name, it first uses a DNS client, which is usually a Web browser. After that, the query is routed to a recursive DNS server, also known as a recursive resolver. A recursive resolver is typically operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as AT&T or Verizon (or another third-party), and it knows which other DNS servers to query in order to resolve a site’s name with its IP address. The authoritative name servers are the servers that actually have the required information. DNS is structured in a hierarchical manner. A recursive resolver is queried for the first time for an IP address. This query first takes you to a root server, which contains information on top-level domains (.com,.net,.org) as well as country domains. Because root servers are located all over the world, the DNS system routes requests to the closest one. When a request reaches the correct root server, it is routed to a top-level domain server (TLD nameserver), which stores information for the second-level domain, which is the words entered into a search box. The request is then routed to a domain nameserver, which looks up the IP address and returns it to the DNS client device, allowing it to access the appropriate website. All of this happens in milliseconds. What is DNS caching? You probably use Google several times per day. Instead of your computer querying the DNS nameserver for the IP address each time you enter the domain name, that information is saved on your personal device, so it does not need to access a DNS server to resolve the name with the IP address. Additional caching can occur on routers that connect clients to the internet, as well as on the user’s ISP’s servers. Because there is so much caching going on, the number of queries that actually make it to the DNS name servers is significantly reduced, which improves system speed and efficiency.

How To Protect Yourself From Phishing Attacks Many phishing emails may be blocked by your email spam filters. However, scammers are constantly trying to outwit spam filters, so it’s a good idea to add additional layers of protection. Here are four steps you can take right now to safeguard yourself against phishing attacks. What To Do if You Suspect a Phishing Attack If you receive an email or a text message instructing you to click a link or open an attachment, consider the following: Do I have an account with the company or do I know the person who contacted me? If the answer is “No,” you may be the victim of a phishing scam. Return to the How to Recognize Phishing section and look for signs of a phishing scam. If you see one, report it and then delete it. If the answer is “Yes,” contact the company via a phone number or website that you know is legitimate. Not the information contained in the email. Attachments and links have the potential to install malicious malware. Four Steps to Stay Safe From Phishing Protect your computer by using security software. Set the software to automatically update so that it can deal with any new security threats. Set your mobile phone’s software to automatically update. These updates may provide you with critical security protection. Use multi-factor authentication to secure your accounts. Some accounts provide additional security by requiring two or more credentials to log in. This is referred to as multi-factor authentication. The additional credentials required to log in to your account are classified into two types: Something you have — like a passcode you get via an authentication app or a security key. Something you are — like a scan of your fingerprint, your retina, or your face. If scammers obtain your username and password, multi-factor authentication makes it more difficult for them to log in to your accounts. Back up your data to protect it. Make a backup of your data and ensure that it is not connected to your home network. You can save your computer files to an external hard drive or to the cloud. Back up your phone’s data as well.

Secure Print Release Your multi-function printer (MFP) should support secure print release if you have a multi-printer environment. This feature allows users within your print network to print copies as needed from the main print station. Additionally, employees can select which machines within your network they would like to process their documents on when they need their documents to be copied or printed. Finding a copy machine that holds the copy until the user authenticates its release would be the ideal solution. To release the document, the user only needs to tap their device on the printer as authentication. You can also design a system where the user receives a QR code, which they then input into the device to release the document. Character Recognition Through Optics (OCR) You should look for a copy machine with optical character recognition (OCR) capabilities when determining which one is best for your company. Your device can convert any printed text from your copy into digital text using OCR technology. You can easily log every word in your document into a database that can be searched thanks to this capability. Furthermore, the information therein can be transferred to a local drive or the company’s cloud database. Overall, this feature is convenient because it saves time, especially when performing business analytics. Additionally, it makes document sharing across locations simple, making it a key feature for companies looking to embrace more remote work. Stapling and Collating Let’s say you expect to print large documents with multiple pages on a regular basis. In that case, you need a copier that can collect, organise, and arrange your copy’s component parts in a sequential order. Thankfully, there are devices on the market right now that can collate and staple your documents. Notably, an offset collating feature is built into even the most basic office copier. As a result, the documents don’t need to be organised or stapled by the end user. Finishing the Document Finding a machine that finishes your document would be a step up from the basic collating and stapling. Finishing, as it relates to copiers, is any action taken after the document has been stapled. Along with punching holes, folding, finishing, trimming, and laminating, it should also punch holes in the document. Additionally, a copier that can foil stamp or emboss your document is an option. Generally speaking, while machines that could complete your documents exactly as you wanted were once a luxury, they are now a business standard. After-Copy Editing You need to locate a printer that enables you to scan and edit the required document. This is helpful if you want to make a few minor changes. The document could be automatically edited to do something as simple as include the dates or a watermark. Even so, you save a lot of time that would otherwise be spent on various office procedures.

Paper has become the most widely used material in the world, out of all the materials that have been used throughout history. In fact, the United States alone consumes approximately 70 million tonnes of it per year1! But could you tell the difference between the various types, thicknesses, and weights of copier paper and cardstock paper? Most likely not.  Specifying Paper Weights  When printing, paper weight is an important factor to consider. Heavier media frequently conveys quality and durability. Unfortunately, sorting through the various methods of labelling the weight of paper is not always simple. To begin, there are three common methods for specifying paper weight and thickness: US Basis Weight (Bond, Book, Index, Cover, Tag, Points, Offset), Metric Weight (GSM or G/m2), and Points or Mils, which are often interchangeable (an actual Caliper reading of the paper thickness).  The “Basis Weight” is defined as the weight of 500 sheets of paper in its basic unit uncut size, which means the paper is weighed and classified before being cut to Letter or Legal size. The most common sizes are Bond, Text, Book, Cover, Index, and Tag, which you may be familiar with. Uncut Bond paper measures 17 x 22 inches, while uncut Cover paper measures 20 x 26 inches. If 500 sheets of Bond paper (17 x 22 inches) weigh 20 pounds, a ream of paper cut to Letter size will also be labelled as 20 pounds. If 500 sheets of Cover paper (20 x 26 inches) weigh 65 pounds, a ream of this paper trimmed to tabloid size will be labelled as 65lb. This may seem like a lot to take in, but don’t be discouraged! Professional printers frequently fail to keep track of all possible permutations. They have a pretty good idea of what to expect when reaching for a 24lb Bond versus a 60lb Cover versus a 110lb Index based on experience with a small subset.  Each medium frequently serves a specific purpose. The basic descriptions and “real-world” examples of the core print media applications are provided below. Place your cursor over each image to see a brief description of each paper type.  Fortunately, a metric measurement is almost always displayed alongside the US Basis Weight. The metric measurement (also known as grammage) is the weight of one sheet of media cut to 1 x 1 metre square. Because the same size sheet is always weighed, GSM (grammes per square metre) provides a more consistent scale for judging the weight and thickness of paper.  Finally, you can always use a calliper to determine the thickness of a sheet of paper. Points or 1/1000 of an inch are frequently used to specify specialty media. 12-point media is defined as media that is 0.012 inches thick.