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If you print more text than graphics, or are on a tight budget, buy an ink jet printer instead of a laser printer. Ink jets cost up to $300 less than laser printers and can print at resolutions rivaling those of their more expensive cousins. Color models are available at a slightly higher cost. Using the right paper in an ink jet printer is the key to getting good copies. Check your manual to see what types of paper will give the best results.
Lower the cost of printing with an ink jet printer by saving old cartridges. These can be refilled with ink at a computer superstore or through a computer catalog. It can save you as much as 75 percent over a new cartridge.
If you travel a lot, make your next PC purchase a notebook instead of a desktop system. With Pentium CPUs, big hard disks, 800x600 resolution, built-in sound, and support for SCSI devices, your notebook PC will be right at home on your desktop, especially if you invest in a docking station.
If you're working at home, you probably don't have the same access to support personnel that corporate Windows users do. But there are ample sources of inexpensive support available to at-home professionals. On-line services have areas devoted to help, and there are also special-interest groups geared toward topics such as hardware, communications, portable computing and specific applications. These services are generally billed to you at a flat rate. User groups are also a good source of technical and software support.
When a new version to one of the programs you are using comes out, it's time to consider whether to upgrade or perhaps to switch to a different application. Virtually all software developers offer aggressive upgrade prices; some also offer competitive upgrades at a fraction of the suggested retail cost. Compare features and see what kind of upgrade deals you can find.
A new generation of expansion cards allows you to send and receive faxes, data and voice mail. These all-in-one cards turn your desktop or portable computer into communications systems that can store and retrieve voice mail as well as perform the usual computing and communications functions. Most can be yours for between $200 and $400.
Many systems now ship with integrated applications such as Microsoft Works for Windows. Their scaled-down modules for word processing, database, spreadsheet and telecommunications may be just the ticket for basic needs. Full-featured suites bundle complete versions of three or more best-selling standalone applications. Most cost between $400 and $700, but you can often get them at deep discounts. Many system vendors, such as Gateway, bundle application with new computers.
Shopping for a new phone, printer, fax machine, or copier? Buy all of them at once! Multifunction units integrate an inkjet or laser printer, a scanner, a fax machine, a telephone, and a copier into a single unit. You can save a bundle over the cost of the individual components purchased separately, not to mention desk space.
If you use the same phone line for your voice, data and fax calls, you need a fax switch. The fax switch routes incoming calls to the correct device automatically. By taking control of the phone line when it is active, these switches also can prevent someone from picking up an extension phone and disrupting your fax or online session.
Use a home financial program to keep track of your bank account, receivables, expenses and other business-related finances. Use the program's ability to assign expense categories to purchases, which makes it a snap to create year-end reports to help your CPA prepare your taxes. If you have some accounting background, or you need more extensive record keeping, opt for a more full-featured accounting program with accounts receivable/payable, payroll and other accounting modules.
If you have only basic text editing needs, you might not need a $300 word processor. Use Windows 3.*x*'s Write or Windows 95's WordPad instead. You also can use the other accessory programs in Windows 3.*x* and Windows 95 -- such as HyperTerminal and Dial-Up Networking -- instead of buying third-party applications or utilities.
Use the Internet to send email to almost any email account in the world, even if the recipient uses a different online service from your own. Check with your online service for specific poiners on sending email to another service. Generally, the address is the recipient's account name, followed by the @ character and the domain name of the information service. For example: 76516.3403@compuserve.com or JimBoyce@aol.com.
If you're using Windows 95, you have all the software you need to connect the PCs in your small/home office and begin making better use of your disk space, printers, fax/modems, and other shareable resources. All you need to add is a network card and some cable (about $60 per machine). Install the network cards and connect the cables, then let Plug and Play configure them for you automatically. You can have a hassle-free network in about an hour.
If you share one computer between two or more people, use Windows 95's user profiles to maintain a unique desktop for each user, complete with custom icons, folders and other desktop objects. When you log on, Windows 95 will display the desktop stored in your user profile. To enable user profiles, go to Control Panel/Password/User Profiles. Choose the option button labeled Users. Check both boxes in the User Profile Settings group, then click OK.
No, not a piece of hardware. Use your laser printer to print your own business cards, brochures, letterhead and labels that you might otherwise pay a printing company to print for you. Companies such as Paper Direct (800-272-7377) sell a wide range of special paper products, such as perforated business card stock or color brochure paper. Programs like My Business Cards and My Brochures and Mailers from MySoftware Co. (800-325-3508) are inexpensive and provide numerous pre-designed document templates.
It never fails: You are on the road and desperately need a file or program that's on the PC back in your office. No problem if you are running Windows 95 on both portable and desktop PCs. Install Microsoft Plus for Windows 95 on your desktop. It includes all the software necessary to turn your desktop PC into a Dial-Up Networking server so that you can dial in and get the files you need. Then use Win95's Dial-Up Networking client on your notebook and you're in business.
A typical corporate PC user might be able to survive a system crash without a backup, but to you it might well mean the end of your business. Use a tape backup, removable hard disk or writeable CD-ROM to routinely back up all of your files. If you can't afford to lose a day's work, back up new files daily.
If you're a Windows 95 user and you want to send and receive faxes with your fax modem, don't spend money on a third-party fax application. Use the Microsoft Fax provider with Windows 95's Exchange program to send and receive faxes. If you're looking for Optical Character Recognition (OCR), extensive cover sheet designs and other special features, opt for a third-party application that offers those features.
Do you need to add a second or third phone line to your home office? Check with the phone company about a multi-phone network interface. These gadgets enable one set of wires to support two different phone lines at one time, so you don't have to give up either your modem or your telephone.
Although it may cost a bit more, buy computer hardware and software locally from a reputable computer retailer, rather than through mail order or discount houses. You'll have access to technical expertise, on-site support and training.
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