Printing Documents

Hello, I have a question regarding obtaining copies from print offices. I have a printer/scanner/fax but got discouraged buying ink for the machine at $80 for ink. I don't need copies often but when I do, my ink is dried out and won't print well. I now download what I need to a thumb drive and take it to a local Fed-Ex print office in my area. They print copies from the thumb drive for about 21 cents a copy! What a savings! My question is should I clear my thumb drive of any personal information(previous information printed earlier) when I go to have more information printed for copies? They only print what I ask for but do their machines read and store everything on a thumb drive? It's information only important to me such as SS amounts, last will and testament, family death certificates, etc. How does that work when we use others to print for us? Thank you for all your good information here!

 

It shouldn't read anything but I certainly would not be using a stick for day to day correspondence that also has sensitive information like that.

Not sure why you would want to be carrying that around on a stick that could be lost or simply stop working!

 

Marq1, everything on the thumb drive is on my main home computer and external hard drive so the information will never be lost. Yes, the thumb drive travels and if lost, anyone could read what's on it. The thumb drive is a simple way to transfer my info to the printer for copies I need. Just wondering if the printing office machines read and stores all information on the thumb drive? I have completely cleared this thumb drive in the past but may have to add it back at a later point for printing. My last printing was $1.96 cents and was about a year ago. It's not often that I need copies. Just trying to save some steps.

 

The printer is not going to store any info from your thumb drive except, possibly.... the file that they print. Some fancy printers will save the document in a temporary memory called RAM (Random Access Memory), just in case you would want to print the document again within a short period of time. The printer RAM could save it for indefinite periods of time but its not likely because, most high-end printers that save that info in RAM, generally asks if you want to save it to print later. Generally, in your situation, they would click no & the RAM would clear the memory (RAM).

As for your ink issues, you can order remanufactured ink cartridges for just a few $.
The problem with this approach is, most printer mfg's have gotten wise to this & updated their software to refuse any ink cartridge except factory cartridges. So you need to do some research on your specific printer to see if you can use remanufactured cartridge's in your printer with updated software.

 

If you are considering getting a printer.... look into an inexpensive b&w laser printer. Compared to the price of ink and how fast it's consumed.... a laser printer is a great idea. I have a multifunction machine that does everything. Since it uses toner (dry powder) there is no expiration on the media.

As far as the information on your thumb drive..... most of those workers aren't interested in the information. You could put each batch of printing in its own folder. When you take the drive in..... tell them to print the pictures in folder XX. The other folders won't be opened. Their computer does not save your information.

 

Flash drives are cheap - I'd get another one for this purpose. Additionally, I have that cheap B&W laser printer Pete mentions because I print so seldom the ink cartridges were always drying out on me as well.

 

The store likely has an email address for the print desk- you can email the document to them and they'll print it. Office Depot's website allows you to upload a document to the store of your choice, pay online, and pick up the print inside the store, no waiting. Their competitors probably offer it too.

 

I'd also recommend switching to a laser printer. I used to have an ink jet and was forever buying cartridges as they would dry out super fast. Since buying a cheap Canon all in one laser B&W printer I've had no ink issues.

 

FWIW...the laser printers are a good idea, but only if you never need color.
I also seldom print, but when I do I occasionally need color.

What I do is about once a week I'll print something that has a bit of B & W and color (not a test sheet). This keeps the printer nozzles open.

Back in 2016 when printers were dirt cheap, I bought 2 Canon PIXMA's mg3220 at $20 each. Just opened the second unit this past 6 months. I might buy 1 or two re-manufactured cartridges over the life of the machine.

What I find interesting about Raemarti's post is that he has the opportunity and/or time to allow himself to go and have copies made when needed. I on the other hand, when needing a copy, I need it at that moment. For example, I never save product manuals, so if and when I need to work on or fix an item, I'll print just the section from a saved electronic copy. Or (and just happened recently) I had to provide a paper copy of document to a friend for an impending job. No time to have one printed from an outside source.

Over all depending on your needs, occasional or less than moderate printing, buying inkjets I think is more economical than the initial cost of a laser. I can buy an all in one inkjet for as little as $65 (buy 2). That will last at least a couple years. A laser will cost over $200 for just B & W.

 

I'd buy the Canon LBP 6230 for my employees. It was $89, but went up earlier in the year, and now is $169. I guess everything is more expensive this year.

Here's a Brother laser printer for $109. Not quite as cheap as an inkjet, but it'll last forever. I also use off-brand laser cartridges which run about $12-20.

I'm sort of on the same wavelength as you Norm. I have my cheap laser for the little I do print. If I really need color, I go to the local Staples and pay $0.90/page to print in color. Expensive, but considering I print about 5 pages in color a year, it's a reasonable cost. I've considered investing in a color laser, but it just isn't worth it for me. Though the prices of them have come way down too!