Why Can't People Read My Microsoft Office 2007 (or 2010) Documents?

If they are running Office 2003 or earlier, then you need to "dummy down" your Office documents. You do this when you save them. Go to File, Save As, and drop down to the 97-2003 document type. This saves your documents in a format that others can read from a previous version of Microsoft Office.

If your email recipient says to you that they have this problem alot, you might suggest that they download the Office compatibility pack which allows older versions to read newer files. I wouldn't suggest it though unless they mention it's a frequent problem, because it's a big download. 37 mb. Download it from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en

Taking Care of Optical Discs

• Don't use a ball point pen to write on an optical disc. The thin layer of metal lies beneath a small amount of plastic and a ball-point pen can go through that layer easily. Instead, use a felt-tip marker.
• Always store discs in the case to avoid scratching
• Never use a post-it note as a label (yep, seen this!); someone might forget to take it off and ruin your optical drive (yep, they did)
• Store discs vertically out of the sun or extreme heat (like in a car)
• Always handle discs by the center hole and outside edges
• Clean with a slightly damp (water or cd cleaner) cloth wiping outwards, not circular so you don't scratch the disc with the debris
• Remove paper inserts from inside the case for long-term storage; they absorb humidity
• Use only room temperature discs; discs that have been exposed to temperature extremes should set for awhile until they come to room temperature.

People Who Want Their Emails to be Received

• Don't use Outlook as their email editor
• Don't use social networking badges
• Don't embed graphics into their signature
• Don't use a background graphic
• Use the KISS (Keep it simple stupid) principle
• Don't overuse mass-mailing
• Don't abuse customer relationships by sending irrelevant emails

A Word About Paper

Most people don't even think about paper-except for marketing departments. The paper just magically comes out of the printer and is put in there by the paper gods. Knowing what paper you have is important. Having the wrong paper selected could possibly damage your printer or give you a crappy-looking finished product.

When I was in Egypt I saw a fascinating demonstration of how the ancient Egyptians made paper. They wove the water-soaked papyrus strands into a mat and then put them in a press. The finished produt is rough by our standards, but rather nice considered it's just a bunch of leaves. Modern paper was made from cotton, but today it's made from a combination of cotton and wood pulp. Paper is sold by weight; the most come is 20 lb. bond paper and an 8.5 x 11" ream will weigh in at five pounds.

If you buy paper that is too thin for your printer or for your printer settings; if you buy it too thick, you can jam or possibly damage feed mechanisms. It's important not to store paper for too long or in a place with excessive humidity. This can damage the paper even though your eye can not see the damage. The printer will know and not like it.

For best quality printing, use quality paper. For photograph printing, buy the recommended photo paper for that model printer.  It will be more expensive, but it will be more likely to produce lab-quality results and your treasured memories deserve it. Even with the best-quality paper, you can spoil your results if you are using a cartridge that you refilled yourself. All inks are not the same and probably the ink you refilled with is thinner than the ink that came with the cartridge originally. Also, refilling means the printhead doesn't get replaced so you can suffer from poor print quality from that. Refilling toner is also not a good idea. If you are suffering from poor laser printing quality, it may be the toner cartridge is a recycled or refilled one. The photosensitive drum is housed in the toner cartridge in some models; if it's refilled, then the drum doesn't get replaced when it needs to be. If you are unsure about this, ask your printer vendor if that's the case.  It's better to be green by printing only what you really need and don't print unecessary things like emails. Recycle your toner cartridges, (but just don't buy recycled ones).

When printing labels (a paper product), if you see that a label is starting to peel, discard the whole sheet, the others may peel off inside the printer and jam it.

What's the Difference Between CDs, DVDs, HD DVD and Blu-Ray Discs?

All four are considered optical drives and not magnetic like hard drives. The data is read on CDs and DVDs by shining a laser onto its reflective coating. The wavelength on a DVD is shorter so it can hold more information than a CD. Also, on a DVD they can put two layers of media increasing the storage capacity.

SS= Single Sided SL=Single Layer DL=Double Layer

Disc Format/Capacity
CD-SS 650 MB, 700 MB (the most common), 800 MB, 900 MB
DVD-R/RW SS, SL 4.71 GB
DVD+R/RW SS, SL 4.70 GB
DVD-R, DVD+R, DS, SL  9.4 GB
DVD-R SS, DL 8.54 GB
DVD+R SS, DL 8.55 GB
DVD+R DS, DL 17.1 GB

HD DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs represent a new technology which uses a blue-violet laser beam to read the data which is why the hardware is not compatible. The wave length is shorter still so more information can be stored on the disk

Blu-Ray SS SL  25 GB
HD DVD's 15 GB made Blu-Ray the winner. Toshiba (HD DVD's biggest fan) gave up its push for this media last year.

If you are thinking about buying movies or optical hardware, just be aware that DVD and HD DVD will die out and Blu-Ray will emerge the winner unless some new kid on the block comes along and wants to duke it out with them.

What Type of Printer Should I Buy?

It depends on:

• what type of documents you want to print
• how much you want to spend and when you want to spend it
• what other features you need from the machine

If the only thing I printed in color was photos and the rest of the time I was printing legal documents, I would buy two printers: photo printer (which they are almost giving away these days) and a laser printer. Don't let the term LaserJet fool you when you are buying a printer. The term LaserJet is used for laser printers usually, and not inkjets. The way to distinguish the difference is by the ink they use: toner cartridges for laser printers and ink cartridges for inkjet printers.

I'm not a real fan of inkjet printers: I have three new ones in the boxes at home. The cartridges don't last long in an inkjet printer and they are very pricey for a small amount of ink. They dry out unless you take them out and put them in a sealed bag.

Sometimes you need extra functions to your printer and need an all in one printer. If you need a scanner, copier, fax, and printer all in one you'll be buying an inkjet. If you only print occasionally and just need a simple, near laser quality printer you'll probably be best off with an inkjet printer.

If you don't want to take your photos to a lab to be printed professionally, then you need a photo inkjet printer.

If you have a large volume of material that needs to be printed, or if you need high-speed printing you'll be buying a laser printer.

Things that people don't usually think about when buying a printer:

• cost per page printed. Find this out.
• toner/ink cartridge price. It makes a big difference when you are talking about TCO (total cost of operation.
• longevity of the availability of toner/ink cartridges for the model that you are purchasing. Look at the manufacturer and find out how long they tend to support their product.

Why haven't I mentioned bubble jet printers? Because they are inkjet printers. The only difference is the technology of how the ink is released onto the paper. Epson has a trademark way which produces a better quality print than other manufacturers. Keep that in mind if you are leaning towards inkjet. If you do buy an inkjet, please be aware that the initial "ink cartridges" that come with the printer are not full cartridges; they are like trial cartridges.

Some printers nowadays are being manufactured with recycled plastic. Consider that in your purchase too! Emails were never intended to be printed; please be green when you print.

Hope this helps you buy the right printer for your needs!

Which is a Better Value for My Dollar? Laptop or Desktop

With the economy being so bad these days, we have to have this talk. If you are talking just about just money, then you always get more bang for your buck with a desktop. With the rise of smart phones, more and more folks are opting for a desktop instead of a laptop - especially those folks who are not traveling a lot.

Here's why desktops are a better value for your dollar:

• Laptops sustain damage due to being dropped and left in cars.
• At 10,000 hours laptop backlights tend to go out. At 40 hours/week that is less than five years.(Which is past the time to replace a laptop anyways, but lots of folks like to hang onto their laptops way past replacement time.) At that point you have to hook your laptop to an external monitor or pay someone 200$ to replace it.
• Laptops are stolen and forgotten in public places.
• The parts are cheaper in desktops and the labor to install them is cheaper. Electronic parts always give and the components are cheaper in a desktop. Also, they are not proprietary usually except in a few models of PCs. (Of course, Apples are proprietary.The technology to make vary small parts in a laptop is pricier. Most parts can be replaced under 100$ in a desktop, but few can be replaced for under 100$ in a laptop. 

So you can see that desktops are a better value. My company president made the transition to a desktop. Technology professionals respect that decision as a wise business decision, but a desktop isn't for everyone. People on the go may need a laptop because their office changes day to day.