BUYING ADVICE

Buying printers is NOT simple! That lovely shiny new Lexmark that was a bargain soon begins to look less of a bargain when you discover that the cartridges are £25 a time and give up before they are empty!

A consistent error made is to compare the cost of cartridges without considering the page yield. It is the cost per page that matters. If an Epson cartridge contains 6.5ml of ink and the HP 30ml then the HP, at even 3 times the price, is far better value. You may also note that printers using 4 or 6 cartridges (Epson, Canon, Brother) use the ink to clean themselves. If the printer is not used for a few days then ink is wasted clearing dried ink from the printhead. Epson machines are as little as 50% efficient- half the ink is wasted. (PCPro Magazine)

You might also bear in mind that some machines have a built-in ‘shelf life’- most notably Epson inkjets but also Canon and Brother. After a period (varies but usually around 2-3 years) the machine will stop with an error message telling you to consult a dealer to get the waste ink pads changed– after all, the ink used for cleaning has to go somewhere...

So what can you do to get the best results for the best value? Simple- ask us for advice! Come into the store or make initial contact via the ‘enquiry’ page.

We are here to help!

PC's and Laptops

We supply PC's and laptops to your requirements. For our local customers we will sit down with you and identify exactly the type and specification of the machine that you need- laptop, memory, screen size, speed etc.

We will ask many questions because this is not a small expense and we will help you to get it right!

If necessary we will actually get your new PC made for you by our partners Gibbon Online who specialise in custom-built PC's. from as little as £300 to £3,000!

Once your machine has arrived with us we will, as an optional service, install all updates and software for you. This service can save you 4 or 5 hours of precious time. We can install a basic suite of software free of charge.

We will then bring the machine to you and make sure that it is connected to your home broadband before we leave.

Charges for all this service start at £25. Try getting this level of service at the local computer superstore or off the internet!

PRINTER REPAIRS

It is true that everything nowadays seems to be getting more and more ‘throwaway’. Apart from the way that you treat your printer (see our ‘Advice’ section), there are many ways in which it can let you down or simply need a service. We are pretty good with HP machines and can also help with a wide range of other makes.

Before contacting us please make sure that the problem is not simply a software/ driver issue. Download the latest driver from the manufacturer website and install that first if you are experiencing erratic printing issues or have upgraded your computer recently.

If you bring your printer into us PLEASE bring the mains lead/ adapter and any discs that you have which came with it.

PHOTO RETOUCHING

Check these out!

This is the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland and these ARE the same picture- and they say that the camera never lies! If you would like us to work our magic on an important picture of yours then bring it in to the shop or contact us via the 'enquiry' form. We can even work on your digital pictures via email! It costs nothing for us to have a look at it and give you a quotation.

We can remove objects, enlarge, reduce, take out scratches and folds and a multitude of other techniques. You are paying, of course, for the time involved and we will always try to give you a good idea of the costs before we start!